Today is whale day!   We got up early to have breakfast with Christine at the Original pancake house.  After a big breakfast, Matt, Michelle and I got into the car and head North towards the Anacortes to catch our fairy.   The fairy took us to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands where our whale watching charter is located.  If you have never been to Friday Harbor, you should go!  A very quant town on a small island in the middle of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca.  We didn’t get to explore the island much, but we could leave that for a future visit.  We grabbed a quick bit to eat at a local burger place and headed back to the docks.  We meet up with our tour guides and boarded our home for the next 5 hours. 

Before we left the harbor, the captain informed us that earlier tours did not go well.  There are three pods that live in the area, K, L and M.  There are also other transient pods that travel through occasionally.  The only sitting of the whales made that day was M pod heading out to open waters.  The previous 21 days before our arrival all had whale sightings.  Our hopes where high, but there was a real chance of not seeing anything.

The captain took us on tour of the area where we saw harbor porpoises, seals and lots of jelly fish.  We crossed the Canadian border; I got to be an illegal alien for half an hour! We also sailed by an island that is currently owned by the inventor of Oakley Sunglasses.  This island is home to European species of Deer and Sheep.  In the late 1800’s, the island was originally set up to be a hunting preserve, but a last minute issue kept the park preserve from opening.  The island has changed hands many times over the years, but no one has had the deer and sheep removed from the island.  Unfortunately, the one species of wild life we came to see did not make and appearance… no whales today.

Once back in Friday harbor, we grabbed dinner before the fairy took us back to the main land.  While we didn’t get to see any whales, I am still really glad I came.  I got to spend a wonderful day riding boats and visiting islands with my wife and brother in-law.  Despite the lack of whales, this was a great way to end our trip to Washington.  Plus, not seeing any whales just means we will have to go back :)  Click here to see the pictures.

CDS

Today had another leisurely morning.  We got dressed and headed over to The Dish, a little café in Ballard.  For making a blind guess, we got pretty lucky.  This place had some of the best potatoes I have ever had.  Michelle had the eggs Benedict and I had the slacker special, scrambled eggs with enchilada sauce and tortilla chips… awesome! 

After breakfast, we headed over to the Woodland Zoo.  I was expecting something lame, but was pleasantly surprised by how large and the number of the animals they had.  We spent five hours there.  They had everything from elephants to snakes.  Our favorites were the snow leopards and the wolves. 

We then picked up Matt from work and headed back to his place to get ready for dinner… at the Space Needle!  I had a Tomahawk steak that was both the biggest piece of meat and the best tasting, I have ever had.  For dessert, the ladies wanted to get some berry crumble, but I wanted the lunar orbiter.  The lunar orbiter is basically just ice cream, but it has a bowl of dry ice under it.  When the waiter adds hot water to the dry ice, you get an awesome smoke effect that makes the ice cream look like it just came from outer space.  We decided to get both.  The best thing about the space needle restaurant is that it rotates!  So you get to see the entire Seattle area while staying comfortably seated.  Best tourist trap ever!  Click here to see today’s pictures.

CDS

Today we slept in a bit to recover from our long first day.  However, we had to get to the Pikes Place parking garage by 9:30 if we wanted to get the early bird special, 12 hours for $10.  Once there, we headed over to La Penier, which is a traditional French bakery.  I had a chocolate croissant while Michelle had ham and butter on a Baguette… she never was a fan of traditional breakfast food. 

Next we walked over to the original Starbucks.  I know, it sounds dorky, but when you get up at 2:30am on a regular basis, you start to appreciate what they can do with a coffee bean.  Fueled and caffeinated, we where ready for our days objective… hit the major outdoor clothing stores in Seattle.  Most of the clothes I wear to work are made by outdoor companies.  Call me lame, but if you’re going to be in front of computer for 8 hours, you might as well be comfortable.

First up was Mountain Hardware, these guys make gear.  Michelle got a pair of shorts and I got a polo.  Next up was Colombia.  They make okay stuff and it doesn’t seem to last all that long, at least in my experiences.  Kind of like the Old Navy of the outdoor clothing world.  Michelle got a pair of socks there.  Next up was my personal favorite, Patagonia.  Their stuff is super tough and supper comfy, but is also supper expensive.  We tend to only buy there stuff when it’s on sale.  Fortunately they where having a sale,  I picked up a t-shirt, pair of pants and a button up. 

Now, the outdoor store thing is mostly my affliction.  Michelle’s is tack and horse stores.  She heard about a good shop on the south side of down town.  To oblige her, we hoofed it 20 blocks to get to the horse shop.  Once there, we realized it was an upper end tack store and walked away with a pair of socks… we needed the exercise any ways.  On the way there we a saw “UtiliKilts”, the utility kilt store… hilarious!  We ate lunch at a little café next to the tack store and grabbed a cookie for dessert. 

Once we got back to the car, we drove over the flag ship REI.  We didn’t really need anything, but it’s a cool place to check out.  You can climb the 50 ft indoor pinnacle or take a mountain bike out for a spin on their track before you buy it.  All and all, a really cool store.  Best part about it, they had their own parking garage.  Less then an hour was free… we made it in and out in 56 minutes.

After all the hiking and shopping, we headed back to Matt’s place and took a much needed nap.  Later in the evening, we met up with Matt and Christine at their church community group to have dinner and go over some verses.  We got to meet a lot of really nice people and put a nice end to our day of self indulgence.  Added some more photos to the album, click here to see them.

CDS

Our flight to Seattle from San Francisco was scheduled to leave at 7am.  We got up and left from Mike’s (Michelle’s Dad) house in the South Bay at 4:30 am.  Parked our car and caught the shuttle to the international terminal.  Why the international terminal you say?  We decided to try Virgin America for the first time.  We were pleasantly surprised when we got on board.  Touch screens in the back of each head rest!  You could watch movies, live TV, play games and check your location through Google maps.  They also provide free wireless internet and have USB and AC outlets so you can power all your electronic toys.  The interior was very different from your standard Southwest 737.  The blue and purple lighting with the sleek white surfaces make you feel like your in a new hip night club.  On the way to the gate, we saw a vending machine selling camera’s, ipods and DVD’s.

Once in Seattle, we grabbed our bags and headed to the rental car counter.  In the process of paying for the car, I said yes to the full vehicle coverage and didn’t think about it.  Michelle asked to look at the receipt and asked why the cost was $450.  Once the paramedics revived me from my heart attack, we went back to the counter and had the coverage removed.  Nice catch by my better half.

Once in the car, our first destination was to meet Matt (Michelle’s Brother) at his office so we could go to lunch.  Matt couldn’t leave until 11:30, so we had some time to kill.  We drove around the downtown Bellevue area for a while until Michelle saw a sign that said Marmot Mountain Works.  I have been to the one in Berkeley, but I thought I should see what this one had to offer, me being an outdoor gear store junky. 

This place was awesome!  I have never seen such an amazing selection of climbing in equipment.  I think they had more selection than Wilson’s Eastside Sports in Bishop.  This is now my favorite climbing store.

Once Michelle had dragged my from the store, we headed over to Matt’s office and picked him up for lunch.  He surprised us by taking us to Chipotle, our favorite.  Although, I recently had some stomach issues that made me concerned about whether I should eat Mexican food. I compromised by going with a salad.  When then picked up Christine (Matt’s Girlfriend) and headed over to a park to enjoy our meal.  A quick walk through the Botanical Grardens after lunch made for a nice ending. 

With Matt and Christine back at there respective offices, Michelle and I headed for the water front by Pike’s Place Market.  Christine gave us a gift certificate for a Dinner Cruise to Blake Island that departed at 4pm.  To kill some time before the cruise, we walked up and down the water front taking in the sights.  First we saw the world famous fish chucker’s at the Pikes Place Fish Market.  These guys are crazy!  Next, we saw a guy who had a bunch of five gallon buckets setup like a drum kit.  I never thought buckets could sound so good.

The ride over to the island was pretty calm, except for the occasional Ferry wake.  Blake Island is a National Park you can only access by water.  Once on the island, we were treated to dinner and a showcase of American Indian dances.  Interesting to watch, but you could tell some people where dancers where just not that into it.  After wards, we saw a dear eating some leaves near the beach.  He obviously didn’t have a problem with people, we were within ten feet and he didn’t even bat an eye lash.

Back on the boat, we got to watch the sun set over the Olympic Mountains. A perfect end to a great day!  Click here to check out some photos from the day.

CDS

For the past couple of weeks I have been participating in the Prairie City Race Series.  It’s a mountain bike racing series that last for 12 weeks.  Each week the course changes and you get points based on how you finish.  Since I came into the series late, I really have no chance of finishing decently.  However, this is not my focus.   I am way out of shape and figured this would be a fun way to get svelte.

For the first week, Rob from Body Concepts followed me around the track giving me pointers.  Thanks to him, I could have finished 8/14.  Thanks to me, I finished 9/14.  I missed a shift going into a hill, stalled and crashed.   Second week I raced minus Rob’s influence and managed to get 9/14 again.  I think I could have gotten 8th, but I crashed again!  Managed to plant my wheel in a deep ditch and went right over the handle bars.  This is how cyclists break their collar bone.  I got lucky and walked away with a scratched finger.

Racing a mountain bike takes a lot more out of me than I thought it would.  The competitive atmosphere, speed and hills cause you to push very hard.  While it is hard, it is a lot of fun.  Here are some pics of me at the races.

CDS

Okay, our friends Rob and Linda had me do some web design for their business (Body Concepts) while I was career hunting.  In exchange for my services, Rob gave me his old Pro-Flex mountain Bike!  It’s not the latest 100% carbon fiber bike, but it works great for me and I love it!  The bike comes with everything except shoes.  I had to purchase a pair of the clip in shoes to work with the pedals.  Sounds like a scary idea, but you have better power output since you can push and pull with your legs.

Now so far, I have managed to crash twice on the bike.  Both times I was at a standstill just resting.  First time I was sitting on the bike (clipped in) while post I was holding with my left hand supported me.  I went to sit up right in the saddle and let go of the handle bars.  The front wheel turned ever so slightly and took off into to my left.  Since I was no longer balanced over my center of gravity, I fell to the right and landed in some star thistle.  My right shin took most of the abuse and as a result of the hard packed earth/gravel.  Several scrapes covering the area of a small dinner plate serve as a reminder of the first incident.  Michelle had a great time dowsing my leg in rubbing alcohol.

The second fall came during another rest break at a scenic overlook.  My right foot was clipped in and my left foot was on the ground.  Ready to finish my ride, I used the bike and my left foot to turn myself around.  Somehow I managed to get all my weight over the bike and couldn’t un-clip.  As a result, I landed right on some rocks in the same exact place on my shin.  I managed to open the scrapes up once again and required another gallon of rubbing alcohol to clean up the area.

Moral of the story… if I am going to rest, un-clip both feet and get off the bike.

CDS

That’s right, Michelle and I made our first major purchase as a married couple, a new car!  Well, it’s used, but this is the most money we have spent as a couple.  It’s a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta TDI… that’s right, a diesel Jetta.  Great way to beef up a girl car, add a diesel engine and a turbo.  Michelle’s father, Mike, helped us through the buying process and made sure we weren’t getting scammed.  Very much the Obiwan Kenobi of the car purchasing game.

The first place we stopped at had a TDI Jetta, but it was a manual, had a fair amount of dings/scratches and had some issues with the Air Conditioning.  Surprisingly, the manual was very zippy for a diesel.  Next place we went had two Jetta’s, a blue/charcoal automatic and a silver manual.  Both had the extra options and where in great condition.  We test drove the blue automatic and it felt great.  Unfortunately, the dealer couldn’t find the keys for the manual, so we couldn’t drive it.  We did some formal negotiations and left the dealership with a indifferent attitude.  Came back today, talked a little more and decided to buy it.  Check out the pictures!

CDS

After many months of searching and lots of resume submissions, I have finally landed a job! I will be working for Lockheed Martin in their Space Systems division down in Sunnyvale as a Mechanical Engineer. Specifically, I will be working in the pointing mechanisms group doing a variety of tasks such as design, analysis, procurement, testing and support. I am very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.

The hiring process was somewhat expedited. I received an offer based solely on a ten minute phone interview and my resume. I had to ask for an in person interview. However, the background check has not gone as smoothly. Back in 2005, I received a ticket for operating a vessel within 100ft of another operating vessel. I forgot to mention this to HR and the offense came back as a conviction. Luckily, a conviction is just as often a speeding ticket for 5 miles per hour over the speed limit. HR reassured me that this shouldn’t be an issue and has solidly planted my start date for May 18^th.

During the job hunting process I received a couple of offers. Mostly, I got a lot of rejection. I remember asking “why are all of these companies not recognizing my talents? I would be a great employee!” In hind sight, I realize I wasn’t suppose to work for those companies. To illustrate my point, I applied for a position with Schilling Robotics back in September of 2008. Schilling is an underwater ROV company based out in Davis. I had a pretty mediocre interview and was not selected for the position. Since then, I had been pretty bitter about the whole thing and was very upset with myself. Fast forward to last week, I saw a newspaper article saying that Schilling was planning to lay off 95 of their 200+ employees. I don’t know for a fact, but my guess is that person who got the job I applied for will be a part of that layoff. Someone was looking out for me.

Now the question is, do I blow my first paycheck on climbing equipment, an Iphone, or do I buy a road bike?

CDS

My buddy Mike and I went down to the Alabama Hills just outside Lone Pine to do some climbing.  The Alabama Hills is most famously known for the number of movies and commercials shot there.  In addition to the stunning scenery, the “Hills” happen to have some great climbing as to.  Well, I guess I should so it’s great if you like sharp decomposing granite.  However, the some what poor rock quality is made up by the supper short approaches.  I am not kidding when I say you can get out of your car, walk 50ft and be at the base of climbs.

Since it was just Mike and I, it was really hard to take pictures and climb.  So, as a result, all of our pictures are not climbing related.  You can see mine by clicking here.

The drive from rainy Northern California took us about 6.5 hours.  We arrived in Lone Pine at about 2am on Friday night.  Slept in Saturday and took pictures the rest of the day.  Sunday, we finally hit the rock and managed to get up 5 routes.  Any more than that and our hands would have been bloody stumps.  We then hit Lone Pine for some lunch followed by some route reconnaissance.  On Monday we got in 4 sport routes and I managed to squeak out one trad climb for a total of 5.  The guide book said I could lower off with a 60meter rope, but just barely.  Mike had to stand on a block to make sure I had enough rope to get on the ground.

All and all, a great trip and I can’t wait to get back.

CDS

For the past couple of weeks, I have been taking photos at the Prairie City Mountain Bike Races.  The pictures are far from professional, but I am getting better.

Click here for the first week.

Click here for the second week.

Click here for the thrid week.

Click here for the fourth week.

CDS