Post Apocalyptic Writing & a few photos

I just finished a curiously fine read by Cormac McCarthy(No Country for Old Men ring a bell?) called "The Road." It's a cautious tale of a father and son's journey through a post-modern apocalyptic world. While the world they walk through is expertly defined throughout the book in it's haunting imagery, the read is more about the human condition. The journey of the father and son(who is seemingly growing up in this new world) and "the road" they travel on and "people" they encounter keeps you enthralled throughout the entire book. I highly recommend this and plan on reading more by Mr. McCarthy.

WADOT workers inspect the underside of Deception Pass bridge on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009.

On another note the WADOT(Washington Dept of Transportation), was doing some bridge work on Deception Pass and happened to snap a few photos of their inspection of the underside. Enjoy.

A few people(right) watch as the WADOT inspects the Deception Pass bridge.

An eagle perches atop a crooked limb at Ebey's Landing on Friday, March 20th, 2009

The Alberta Excursion

Part 4

Columbia Icefield Mountains at Sunrise

For what human ill does not dawn seem to be an alleviation? - Thornton Wilder

Another early morning.  I left for the famous Columbia Icefield, something National Geographic says is a "must see", around 6:30am.  I stopped about two-thirds of the way there to capture what I thought would be a decent sunrise photo. 

A glitter of sunlight on mountain.

While shooting the above photo in ZERO degrees my cable release started to stiffen 

up and frost started creeping over my camera. I wasn't very cold but my camera 

sure told me it was.

I made it to the Icefield around eight am. The thing was massive and supposedly even

large 100 years ago. They claim global warming due to man has made it recede. 

I don't know about that (only the deity knows).

Where it was in 1992

Jet streak over the mountains

Sunrise blowout

The Alberta Excursion

Near the top of the mountain the chair 

lifts go by as the day grows late.

Part 3

Sixty-nine loonies($56U.S.) later and a 20 min drive and I was riding the mountain. 

Nine lifts carry you to 84 trails that definitely keep you busy throughout the day.   What was neat was being able to park and then immediately start snowboarding from the lot down to the first lift. I hadn't been up in a year or so but like riding a bike you can go years(and I have) without riding and it comes right back.   

Then there was a minor mishap. You may have seen the photo of the poor man in Colorado who ended up upside down and pants down hanging from a ski lift. Well, I almost repeated his amazing feat.  I was trying to get up to the very cramped and very low triple chair on  the upper mountain and had a bit of difficulty. I wasn't pay enough attention to how fast the chair was coming up and along it came and scooped me up partially and threw me off five feet later.  Now luckily nothing caught and I didn't get hurt, just a little embarrassed was I.   

The snow was groomed and nasty. Icy in parts and apparently there hadn't been any snow fall in a couple weeks. The two terrain parks were a fun addition to the park. I spent a little time on one but mainly stuck to the runs.     I was feeling very confident by the end of the day especially since I didn't eat it hard on any of the rides down.

   

Trying a jump out

The view from the top of Marmot Basin. 

A view from the top.