Sailing To Oblivion | It is not the destination but the journey » Tim’s Blog

the end game

Tim — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:28:05 +0000

re: that last post, PDR stands for People’s Democratic Republic.
laos isn’t the first communist country i’ve visited and certainly won’t be the last. as americans, we tend to think words like democratic and communist don’t go together (excluding the Tea Party folks) but maybe they do for some? seems to work pretty well for those i’ve visited with in my travels. it’s a small sample size, i know, but it’s large enough to prove to me that at the end of the day we’re all looking for the same thing…happiness.

The PDR of Laos

Tim — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:23:31 +0000

After 41 hours of travel, we arrived in the capital, Vientiane, yesterday.
Warm tropical air scented with incense and smoke filled my nose and I am filled with the grateful feeling of being back in Southeast Asia.
Let the travel begin!

they’ve done it

Tim — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:56:52 +0000

hey skipper. you know your idea about tiny ice cream drumsticks? well, these fun loving aussies beat you to it. check out this pic.
-tim

the wizard

Tim — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:23:51 +0000

you knew there was no way I wasn’t going to use that line right? well, i am a simple mind and avoiding an obvious metaphor just isn’t in my skill set.
as i sit here in the sydney airport waiting to catch the time machine that is united flight 840 i am struck with one thought.
the wizard of oz is really the wizards of oz. all of the people we met and visited with during this visit make the experience.
whether it’s the shop keeper in port douglas whose mum and dad are without a roof over their heads in christchurch nz courtesy of the earthquake or the bus driver in katoomba who went out of his way to host a few yanks from the states on a cold and wet visit to his corner of the world. the people make this place amazing.
to call them warm with a great sense of humor would be too little. without exception everyone smiles, helps and shows a sincere interest in you. even when it doesn’t put money on their wallet. a good example to all.
i heard from a friend earlier today with his answer to a question i posed in a previous post. he thinks the people make a cool place cool. not the place.
i agree. people make the place. amazing natural beauty sets some places apart from others but the people are what make a place magical.
maybe one day oblivion will make her way here. maybe not. if she does, i guarantee she and her crew will be greeted by a wizard that will make her feel right at home in magical land filled with yellow brick roads and flying monkeys.
-tim

do clothes make the man?

Tim — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:05:14 +0000

it’s not the destination but the journey. usually that is the case with this blog right? well not so for this posting. this one is about the destination.
katoomba is the spot.
go ahead and google it. you’ll find out that it is a small town in the blue mountains just outside of sydney. it has been serving as a retreat for sydneysiders since back in the day.
the main draw (other than the fresh and cool mountain air) is the national park and magnificent canyons. quite a sight or so i’m told, more on that later.
katoomba is pretty much your standard, funky little mountain town. plenty of unique shopping, free spirits and a laid back approach to life. was that the pungent scent of herb being smoked outside the bar?
of course every cool mountain town has a cool bar. we found it and celebrated st. patrick’s day.
another key element for any self-respecting mountain town is the wholesome ingredient, we make everything onsite eatery.
we found it too. stuck on the name right now but it could have been called “2nd breakfast”. felt like we were eating at bilbo baggins’ home or maybe a treehouse.
well, it turns out bilbo was nowhere to be seen but it was run by a group of old testament christians. they live and work in a collective community. all for the group and whatnot. i can’t speak to any of that but I can say that the grub was correct.
we didn’t get to see much of the canyons and breathtaking views. spent the day solidly locked in the clouds. totally fogged in. viz about 50 meters or so. heavy duty stuff.
we caught a break late in the day before having to catch our train and the mist lifted a bit so we stole a peek of some of the scenery. it was all that and a bag of chips.
i could go on about the other cool things about this town (vintage clothes, dank and musty used bookstores, baked goods, etc.) but i won’t.
i will leave you with a question or a thought to ponder.
does the town make the populace awesome or do the people make the town excellent? i find myself asking that question all the time lately.
-tim

no worries mate

Tim — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:40:52 +0000

pt. douglas is australia’s answer to jackson hole wy. seriously, it is. do they sell some kit that tells you how set up a cool, kick ass town that makes you want to move there?
this place is great. with one exception, the food is crazy expensive.
is it the close proximity to a wonder of the world that makes a place the kind of place that brings everyone to it and chills them out?
or is the place just that kind of place on it’s own and the natural wonder is just a bonus?
the locals here would probably tell me to stop asking myself these kinds of questions. they’d tell me to not over-think things just enjoy it. actually, they would say, “no worries mate” and be finished with the whole damn thing.
maybe i’ll give that a try today?
-tim

damn that was cool

Tim — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:19:33 +0000

i will write a more substantial post later but I have to say a few words on today’s exploration of the great barrier reef.
holy shit is it cool. spent much of the day thinking about captain cook and the trouble he ran into (please forgive the pun).
those sailors were damn ballsy. some wicked navigation hazards out here.
i was swimming around the reef hoping to see a turtle (again thinking about how cook and the boys slaughtered so many, a bit shortsighted) and boom! there’s one literally 18″ from my face. super cool.
you can’t spend time in nature AND live an examined life without dwelling on questions of how we should be relating to animals.
or can you?
tim

the yellow brick road

Tim — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:06:11 +0000

here I am in oz wiith brandi and dale (my father-inlaw). jeff isn’t here so my odds of leaving the country in one piece are pretty good.
first impressions of Sydney are excellent. good vibe, great weather and friendly peeps.
expensive as hell though.
seems like a fitting possible home for oblivion. long off into the future kind of home. the harbor is amazing and reminds me of ess eff. superb sailing spot.
what do you say skip? how do we get her down here for a float?
leaving the city today. off to the great barrier reef. can’t stop thinking about captain cook.
tim

Cutie Weighs In

Tim — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:06:07 +0000

by now you have read jeff’s play and may be wondering if it is a work of fact or fiction.

i can assure you that it is fact, though i offer the following to clear up a couple of factual errors and to provide one more perspective on key moments.

ACT 1

the skipper’s account is solid save one fact. i did NOT have a helmet for that trip. it was this trip (and subsequent near death experience) that created the “you’re seeing jeff this weekend, you must wear a helmet while doing so” rule that is so steadfastly obeyed in my household.

the fact that the large rock (my memory is that it was about 3 feet square and about 2 feet thick large enough to do some major damage even to my thick skull) landing next to me, missing my head by inches was the impetus for trip to REI with my lovely bride so she could oversee the purchase of a shiny new helmet. actually she purchased it for me and lovingly reminds me to pack it anytime seeing the whites of jeff’s eyes is on my itinerary.

ACT 2

man was i stoked for this trip. the grand! are you kidding me? iconic for certain. it was going to be epic.

only small quibbles here. nonetheless, i must say a few words.

you may get the impression that we were slow to the summit because of jeff’s route-finding abilities. not entirely true. while they played a part in our timing, a bigger part was my general slowness. i’m not the quickest climber out there. dare i say i’m probably the slowest climber out there. my slowness coupled with an unexpected climb up a very cold and frozen chimney put us in the position to make the decision to have me wait it out while the rest of the team scrambled to the summit. a decision that would pay off huge dividends later in the day. it was that decision to observe our turnaround time that allowed us enough time to get back to the “pain cave” and safely wait out a very intense, lightning filled storm before heading down the mountain.

re: the rappel. my hand didn’t get hung up on my atc. the 8mm rope is a pretty small diameter rope. made even smaller when stretched under the stress of carrying a free rappelling big daddy off an overhanging cliff. the rope diameter became too thin to get enough friction in my atc (belay device). without enough friction, i was in a free fall and couldn’t slow myself down. try as i might and really cooking my hands as a result. great blisters from that one.

the catatonic state i went into sounds pretty accurate. i was fully functional but had shut down a bit as i was pretty certain that i was well on my way to creating a crater on the side of the grand.

i am afraid of mice and you too would have elected to push on to the parking lot had you encountered the hideous masses of rodents in the meadow. serious numbers there. gross stuff, like a living carpet. not a place i was stoked to spend the night.

ACT 3

the skipper’s recollection is sound here. i offer only one bit by way of color.

the wave had pretty well swamped the entire cockpit and as i was on the low side, i awoke completely under water, more than a bit unnerving.

got lucky with my feet and legs being underneath the lines for the windsteer while i slept. that little fact helped keep me aboard that night. and staying aboard kept me alive.

the second save that night was jeff making me go below and get changed. hypothermia was knocking on the door and his clear headed direction saved me from plunging deep into hypothermia. that’s what you call a good skipper.

EPILOGUE

personality disorders like mine seek out others with like disorders/quirks. that’s why i keep calling jeff in search of our next adventure. i know that whatever we do, it’s going to be epic. maybe epic for the wrong reasons sometimes but epic nonetheless.

he’s saved my ass more than once, as you’ve just read about, i hope he continues to do so in the future. keep answering the phone and returning those emails skipper, i’m counting on you (shasta’s summit still beckons). and thank you for all the times you answered the calls in the past.

and yes dear reader, in case you’re wondering, i hope he continues to blog about those misadventures. -trl

patience my dear, patience

Tim — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:36:16 +0000

it’s on. it is so on.

i can hardly contain my excitement. we’re headed back for a short visit with oblivion!

moving her down the sea of cortez is a big deal. breaking her out of that buzzkill of a yard is most excellent, i know it’s really nice and blah blah blah, but this is long overdue. she’s a blue water boat. she needs the sea. she needs to feel the breeze on her sails.

brandi decided she was up for it and that makes me very happy. my brother decided he could find the time for a trip south and that makes me happy. the skipper made this possible and that makes me happy. nanc decided she couldn’t make the trip and that makes me UNhappy. i guess i can’t have everything, though i refuse to accept that outlook for long.

at any rate, i’m stoked. almost exactly one year to the day (363 days to be precise for those among you who appreciate precision in such matters) i will be back with oblivion. patience has paid off. the plane tickets have been purchased and arrangements to revive our girl are underway. i am a happy guy.

today is one of those days that when you are reading this post and seeing my picture next to this post, you can know with certainty that my mood while typing matches the mood i had when that picture was taken at the helm of oblivion. pure joy and hope!