Roadtrip in review

Mind-taxing drives, epic bike rides, Bobcat encounter, copious amounts of Mexican food, and Lance Armstrong… All words which define my eleven-day road trip to SoCal and back. The adventure kicked off with a 14-hour drive from Portland to Los Angeles, which began at 2:30AM several Thursdays ago. It then progressed with a week’s worth of music, catching up with friends, and incredible bike rides up, over, and through the mountains and canyons of Southern California. The chaos continued in Sacramento and Santa Rosa with a weekend of spectating the Amgen Tour of California where many of the world’s top professional cyclists (including Lance Armstrong) battled to be crowned king in CA.

Now, in pictures – though, unfortunately, the Bobcat which stalked me for 50 meters wasn’t interested in posing for a photo.

Piuma Canyon_Malibu

Lance Armstrong_Tour of California

Francisco Mancebo_Wins Stage 1

Kind of a big deal…

No, no, I’m not a big deal, but the agency that’s letting me call myself a “strucker” is. Yes, I started today and what an incredible birthday it is… That’s right, today’s my birthday too… In fact, next to the dual squirt-gun equipped big wheel mom & dad gave me for my 4th birthday, it’s the best gift to date.

Re-loading

As I write, from sunny Southern California, I can’t help but to be grateful for the incredible opportunities 2009 has brought me. I know, I know, it’s barely the second of twelve months, so I can only hope the excitement continues. Here’s a rundown of meaningful happenings:

- 2008 ended with a wonderful, yet eye opening, family vacation under the Florida sun.

- 2009 opened back where I began my adult life, Montana, and continued as I stood aside one of my best friends at his wedding.

- Weeks later I accepted a position I spent months keeping my fingers crossed for… More on that soon!

- I started riding for a new cycling team in Portland. It’s a motivating group of guys with similar abilities and a dynamic which rivals that of the Russian Circus.

- I’ve made time to spend time with great friends, old & new, in Chicago last week and Los Angeles this week.

- Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, like the rest of you, I witnessed history as Barack Obama took office as President of our great country… Epic to say the least.

- The madness continues this weekend when I head up to Northern California to catch the first few stages of the Amgen Tour of California where Lance Armstrong amongst a number of the sport’s other biggest names will battle. More on that to come.

In short, I feel pretty dang. That said, to quote one genius of a man: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” -J.P. Morgan

Best in the sky

Very few people can admit to loving a particular airline. Southwest, however, is one airline I can I honestly say I love. With more than 12 round trips on the “balling on a budget express,” Southwest has yet to let me down.

With fair prices, no luggage fees, premium snack selection, professional, friendly, and [cheezy] humorous staff, Southwest is second-to-none. Oh, and don’t fear the cattle call… Just check-in online at least 12 hours before your scheduled take-off and you’ll make the A boarding group, which is crucial to a satisfactory experience on Southwest Airlines.

Portland Veloswap

One of a handful of reasons for my blogging hiatus is the Portland Veloswap. What’s a Portland Veloswap? You ask. Put simply it’s an idea I had to bring individuals and businesses together to buy, sell, and trade new and used cycling equipment & apparel. It might not sound like a big feat, but given Portland, OR is literally “Bike City U.S.A,” it’s a pretty big deal!  So, after months of planning, the idea finally came to fruition (thanks in most to my event promotion partner, Jim) and took place in epic fashion last weekend. It was successful in several ways – first, all the event space sold out and more than 1,500 people paid $3 to browse the showroom. Second, the event completely owns the first few pages of Google for the words “Portland Veloswap.” Don’t believe me, well let me Google it for you.

Okay, I understand “Portland Veloswap” isn’t exactly an overly competitive term to own on Google. However, the shear quality of each search result is what excites me. Without effort (aside from what went into the event planning) a plethora of highly credible local and national blogs and newspaper & radio station websites covered the Velopswap’s success, thus making it that much more successful. In the end, I could not have asked for the event to go any smoother and am looking forward to making the next one even bigger and better. Another plus is the amount of money the event raised for local, bicycle related organizations.

Love after 70

Inspired by Joan and John, the newly married, 70+ year old couple who shared their homemade Christmas cookies and life-long wisdom on loving & living during a six-hour flight.

I like to think I’m pretty good at leading an exciting and moderately successful life (thanks entirely to opportunities paved by a loving family and outstanding friendships), so there’s very little in this world I’m afraid of. In fact, the only two things I really fear are a.) the unpredictable and b.) growing old. Expending energy worrying about the unpredictable seems useless, so that leaves me with a single relevant fear, aging.

My issues with aging revolve around a.) An inability to physically and/or mentally pursue passions and continue to do what I love and b.) being alone, without the people I love. Until recently, I would become overwhelmed with anxiety at thought of the discussed.

Now, the story which has eased the aforementioned.

Joan and John went to high school together outside of Los Angles, CA. Post graduation, John pursued a PHD in medicine, spent years as a doctor in the U.S. Air Force – at one point serving as physician/guard to President Nixon. Jim later settled on a ranch near Dallas, TX where he and his wife raised four children. John continues to practice medicine.

Joan was more of a “free soul,” traveling the world procuring interesting experiences. She later became a nurse, married, and raised two sons and a daughter. Both Joan and Jim lived their lives to the fullest – happily married, raising healthy & successful children, traveling the world, and living contently by the rules. Joan and John never had contact with each other after high school.

Joan’s husband died more than fifteen years ago, years later she left her central California home to be close to her son in Tillamook, Oregon. A year ago, after years of caring for his wife, John became a widow. In late July of this year, John contacted who I learned was his adolescent crush, Joan. John’s motive was innocent, meaning he was curious to know if Joan was alive, what she had done the last sixty years, etc.. He never imagined what would happen next.

Joan and John got along swimmingly over the phone and Internet, so much so that in August John fleeted his Texas ranch to visit Joan in her small coastal Oregon town. As Joan and John tell me, “it was love at first sight.”

Joan and John got married on Saturday, December 20, both in their late 70s. I had the pleasure of sharing a row with them on their honeymoon flight. We chatted for five of the six hours, they napped for one. It wasn’t just the best flight of my life, it was the single most refreshing experience of my life. I left that plane with feelings words can’t describe, insight I’ve never gained in literature, and a fresh perspective on how fantastic aging can be, so long as you never lose the love… Any love: Love for people, love for life, love for yourself.

Joan and Jim, I thank you for sharing your un-dieing love with me… The cookies, cheese and peanut butter fudge you smuggled onto the plane was delightful as well.

In 2009, I resolve to…

Hold up, before I go making resolutions for 2009, let me do a “post mortem” on this past year. With successes and failures, In 2008 I resolved to:

• No longer use disposable coffee cups at my favorite brew stations; instead, I’ll carry a travel mug. Each time I break this resolution I will pick-up and recycle 5 pieces of recyclable litter.  Almost a success. I probably need to pick up roughly 50 more pieces of trash.
• Go at least another year without a car. That is unless I mysteriously have a child and have to cart the little bugger around Whoops! I got a car. FAIL!
• Floss my teeth each day. SUCCESS!
• Increase family visits by 100%, which means I spend at least 16 days with my folks in 2008. SUCCESS!
• Pay attention to detail, closer attention to detail, professionally and personally. SUCCESS!

Alright, here is what’s on my mind right now, so in 2009 I resolve to:

• Read a new book every 3 weeks… Already on the right track!
• Have a better plan/vision for the future while simultaneously living for the moment. Carpe Momento, my friends!
• Be happy and content, but never satisfied.
• Watch at least two stages of Le Tour de France live in France.

To be continued … I’m sure!

The getting was tough, but the going’s been easy

For a moment, I didn’t think I’d ever get to my planned holiday destination, Naples, FL, as a hell-storm of winter weather dominated the Pacific Northwest. If you’re not from the PNW you likely saw it on the news – a full week of sub freezing temperatures coupled with a plethora of snow. As if that weren’t enough, mix an evening of freezing rain with 8 inches of snow, then drop another few inches of snow and POW, you’ve paralyzed a city that’s used to no more than an inch-or-so of snow each year.

After being delayed one whole day, my flight was set to depart Mon, Dec 22. I checked, checked, and checked again… The flight was still on, as was the snow and balmy weather. I packed and left my house at 2:00am in search of a cab ride to PDX. At 4:00am I finally found a cabby brave enough to navigate the winter wonderland. I soon found out this particular driver was powered by [probably] an illegal substance. Once at the Delta departure gate, I kissed the ground (not literally, but in my mind), said thanks to a higher being, stumbled into the airport, and was on the tarmac by 6:20am. Nine hours later I was having dinner with my family on a 70 degree Florida evening.

The aforementioned was one week ago today. Since then I’ve procured a sun tan, bicycled more than 23 hours, consumed more food than …., planned two interactive projects, bonded with family, and filled all of my pockets with sand. One more day of fun in the sun, then off to 20 degree Whitefish, MT for the Shaun & Cassidy wedding fiasco!!

I’m going back, back, back to Naples, Naples…

As gnarly weather continues to wreak havoc on the Pacific Northwest and I struggle to survive without water do to frozen pipes in my house, I can only dream ahead to where I’ll be next week. Come Sunday I will be soaking up sun, surf, and family in Naples, FL. Mom, dad, two brother and I all packed into a two bedroom rental condo… It should prove to be an interesting, but fun, trip to say the least. I am, however, sad to miss the opening week of skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows, though I will have a road bicycle with me, so I’ll survive.

From Florida I spend 5 days skiing and catching up with friends in Whitefish, Montana… Oh yeah, I’ll also be standing beside my boy, Shaun Radley, as he takes the plundge at the alter… Go Shaun!

The Majestic Mt. Hood

Bring the gnar

Those of you not into snow, surf, or skate sports are probably asking, “What means gnar?” Put simply, gnar is an abbreviation of the word gnarly. It’s an adjective often used among skiers, surfers, snow boarders, and skate boarders to rank conditions on a scale of dangerousness and coolness.

For this entry, gnar is used to express my excitement for the snow which began to blanket Portland this AM. For most, snow is no biggie, but for Portlanders’ it means chaos since the city rarely sees snow stick to its streets. The mountains here are no stranger to copious amounts of God’s dandruff, but this winter has left them relatively bare, thus leaving Portland-based ski & snowboard bums in a state of panic. However, this snowy Sunday brings both gnar and hope that there might be a ski/snowboard season yet.

For urbanites not-so-fond of the white stuff, it’s a different story… One filled with frustration and fear as Portland is not equipped to handle such weather. Being a Midwest native by way of Montana’s Northern Rockies and one who used to Nordic Ski to class, it’s just another day. –Here’s to shredding some gnar!

Who would’ve thought…

Who would’ve thought there were so many popular Swedish bands in the 1970′s? Even more odd is that someone has been collecting and storing images of these bands for 30+ years.

My favorite Swedish band from the 1970s is Thur Erics. Not because the members’ have the same first name, but because they have the same hair cut… I imagine they have the same parents who happen to be brother and sister as well… Yuk!

It’s the online Christmas tree’s fault

I bet you’re wondering where I’ve been the past few weeks… Or you’re not and I’m actually typing to myself. However,  Google Analytics has me believing otherwise.  In fact, I have handfuls of visitors… Presumably from organic SEO, aside from mother of course.

Nonetheless, I have been busy selling Christmas Trees online in my free time. Couple that with my work at Sticky and a resurgence in long training [bike] rides and something had to give. Social media being that something.

I know what you’re thinking… “Selling Christmas Trees online? What are you talking about?” I’d be asking the same if I wasn’t approached by the nice guys at Coyote Hills Tree Farm a few months ago to help sell their real, farm fresh, quality assured Christmas Trees online. Help came in the form of web consulting & implementation.

Alright, so here’s how to get a real, fresh Christmas Tree conveniently delivered to your home: go to http://thefreshchristmastree.com, pick out the tree of your dreams from $80 – $210, complete the online order form, wait patiently for a few days, and there it is… A beautiful Christmas Tree ready to charm your family & friends this holiday season.

When god gives you rain, find snow

When god gives you rain you’ve got two options: 1.) make one with the couch and college football, or 2.) climb the nearest mountain with skis until you find snow. Actually, I’m sure there are more options, but those are the only two I was considering when the rain began to fall this weekend. That said, I opted for the latter as some climbing buddies and I ascended Mt. Rainier in search of snow. Conclusion: though moderate, success was had.

Our goal wasn’t to summit the 14,417 foot peak; instead, success was achieved by climbing to Camp Muir at around 10,500 feet, ski some, sleep in a sketchy U.S. Forest Service hut, and ski down the following morning. The snow was typical of early November – variable depths, moderately sticky, and exposed rocks… Not ideal, but ski-able, so I was smiling. In the end we hiked roughly six hours for fifteen minutes of skiing… No regrets!

SMS / Text Marketing

I just recieved my first ever SMS marketing communication. I knew it existed and even once helped launch a SMS campaign, but have yet to be a recipient. It’s really happening and I think I’m cool with it, for now at least!