Dreamscape; Surreal Places

I have always been somewhat of a dreamer, constantly day dreaming of fantastic and remote places far, far away from anywhere familiar. A subtle blend of mystery and natural beauty is something I find very intriguing. My influences in this regard have been the Myst games. I've always longed, no matter how improbable, to go somewhere ancient with unknown secrets around each corner set to a lush backdrop and calm sounds. Well, today I found something like that dream, a small approximation I suppose. In world obsessed with development, any little piece of the surreal must be treasured and enjoyed while it lasts.

I found this unique place after exploring miles of new trails about 20 minutes from my apartment; who knew something this unique was so close? This is one of Bellingham's virtues; the foresite to reserve natural lands for the public's use. Here we call them 'greenways', trails which cross the cityscape allowing small adventures away from the humdrum of modernity; cars, buildings, and pavement.

Here is a visual sample of the adventure I had today: Big Rock Park and the Singletrack Trails

For the golf ball skeptics

Today, despite being very tired from yesterday's muscle shocking rides, we again found ourselves motivated to head up to the trail. This time, armed with a camera, we first headed out into the deep jungle to provided photographic evidence of the multitude of pale orbs inhabiting the Hawaiian wilderness. The jungle, like the trail nearby had grown over quite a bit since the last time we were out there. I can't even imagine carrying a 50 LB backpack of golfballs out of the mine now, much less at midnight. Not to our supprise, there were still golf balls out in there, many of them freshly launched into the jungle abyss, landing beneath the fallen leaves of the palms above, never to be retrieved. The old ones still have a while to go before they decompose back into tiny gems of oil. Thinking back, it would have been better to be picky about which ones to grab, there were plenty of clean ones and it would have saved us a lot of time scrubbing.

Here are some of the pictures, there wasn't a whole lot of light coming through the canopy so some are kind of blurry.

Golf Balls

Hilo Arrival

Well, we finally made it. After only 12 hours of flying and another 16 of sitting in airports, we have made our way back to Hilo for yet another year of biking, work and school-- in that order.

Yesterday, that would be the day that we arrived, we put the bikes together and rode straight to UHH to ride the trail. We took the back side of the golf ball way to get there, and quickly found that the windy trail through the woods was no longer a trail per se, but a wall. That's right, a wall made of thick vines and bushes 8 feet high and a good 50 feet thick. But we busted through it anyway. I picked my bike up over my head and tossed it on top, driving the vines toward the ground, making my way 5 feet at a time. I had forgotten how much those pesky weeds scratch you up too. As I exited the woods into the drainage area, I noted blood oozing down my legs, coming from several places.

Sades and I made it to the bottom of the trail and it felt weird riding through campus with no one there to oggle at our matching lefty forks, and true to fashion, as Sadie was with me on this initial ride to UH, Tanabe was on the baseball field running laps. After chatting with him for a half hour, catching up on the latest trail integrity and information, we rode through slowly, clockwise, taking it all in. It felt like I had only been gone for a few weeks. The knowledge of every rock and root quickly flooded back to me and soon enough we were both hammering through the curves.

Next we went to the bike shop and talked to Ryan, Mike and Adam. Chris is doing a 100 mile race in Utah and will be back in a few weeks. Adam tried to sell me everything in the store. Again. I ended up with Lube, Grease and Raspberry Hammer. We've decided to go back to our roots for our during race energy supplements so we are ordering a 4.5 LB! Cytomax jug online for only $24.

Then I completely crashed last night at 6:00pm. I had slept for only an hour in 48.

This morning at 6:00 I woke up refreshed having slept for 12 hours and we went shopping for more necessities. Then, at 1:00 we ventured out to check out Kulani.

The ride out was pretty fast considering I had not done any major riding in the past few weeks. I was definity unprepared for trail riding but I was impressed with how well we did on the way out. Must have been all those road miles I did this past winter, it definitely takes some different muscles to ride the road bike, which, sadly I am used to.

We hit the trail and took off down the first section, and found that the trail was needing help in the maintenance area. Not only were there tons of trees down, but the sides of the woods were overtaking the trail. In some areas it looked as if the no one had ridden in months.

Both Sadie and I had some trouble going fast in Kulani today, pretty much it kicked out butts, which we were both expecting, but we'll be back a couple times a week getting in our fair share of rides out there.

The effort it takes to type has caused my entire body to perspire, so I'm off to the cold shower.

Convert the Infidel

It would appear that I am a high-priority target. Who, might you ask, is training their careful sites on my rather large and bulbous head? The Jehovah Witnesses, thats who! Ever since I debated two of them on Noah’s Ark and evolution about 3 months ago I have been receiving periodic pamphlets on my door. Of course I would much rather just debate face to face, but I guess they have chosen a different route, and today they pulled out the big guns, their BFG 9000 so to speak.

The packet I received today had 3 items; an annotated version of the Gospel of John, a leaflet entitled “Are You a Good Person?” (according to the pamphlet I am not), and … get ready… a small booklet called “The Atheist’s Worst Nightmare”. First off, I made it rather clear to them when we spoke that I am a skeptic, I will not commit to a religion, or any system of belief without proper scientific, and logical evidence and therefore on matters of the supernatural I must remain agnostic, no matter how appealing they might be to my emotions. Apparently to the JW’s, anything but died-in-the-wool belief is atheism. Go figure. Anyway, prepare yourself to meet the atheist’s worst nightmare:

Yes, a banana. You are undoubtedly as dumb-founded as I am. I will know present to you the exact words from the booklet:

"Note that the banana:

1. Is shaped for the human hand
2. Has non-slip surface.
3. Has outward indicators of inward contents: yellow=good, green=too early, black=bad
4. Has a tab for the removal of wrapper.
5. Is perforated on wrapper.
6. Bio-degradable wrapper.
7. Is shaped for human mouth.
8. Has point at top for ease of entry.
9. Is pleasing to taste buds.
10. Is curved towards face to make eating process easy.

To say that the banana happened by accident is even more unintelligent than to say that no one designed the Coca Cola can."

Still dumbfounded? I know I sure am. While this is the absolute dumbest argument for the existence of God I have ever read in my life, I am even more floored by the stupidity of the author. 5 minutes of simple research would confirm that not only do most bananas fail to meet his criteria, but the 'banana' as we know it is the product of artificial selection, a human driven varient which works on the principals of natural selection! The following picture is what a truly wild banana looks like:

A pod with little flesh and a mass of seeds. Our modern bananas are the product of selective breeding by humans to choose for the genetic traits which we like in our bananas (basic Mendelian genetics). God didn't design the banana, humans did! The author's ignorance here is blinding and really makes me wonder how people get away with stuff like this. I also can't help but wonder if we follow the authors logic to its necessary end, if mushrooms which look edible, but are really poisonous are proof that God hates us and wants us to die. Maybe pineapples are proof that God wants us to be frustrated, or as Ben Franklin said, 'beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy', of course the stupid examples are endless.

If there is a God out there somewhere I have no doubt he is smacking his metaphorical forehead over this one.

Unfortunately the 'banana argument' is not the only one in my little booklet, I will be exploring more of these little gems shortly!

Good Rides

This weekend was bike filled, and importantly so, since I didn't do any riding after work this week. For some reason I would come home drained of motivation and energy only wanting to sleep. Working in an office will do this to you, its a sad reality, and it must be fought.

Saturday, on a whim I decided I needed a long ride so I set out on a 40 mile trip out into Larrabee state park, my ultimate destination a remote body of water called "Lost Lake". The trip was filled with some great trails and loads of climbing and excellent descending. The highlight had to be a 2.5 mile pure downhill run down a thin strip of single-track with lazy gradual corners and high speeds. Despite some rain the ride was very refreshing mentally and physically, the only downside was a motorist who on the way home nearly hit me as he exited a parking lot at high speed. After we exchanged some words he got out of his vehicle and started to run after me but he was fat and I was not so I laughed and rode away. Those silly car drivers!

Today I saddled up the big bike and rode Galbraith for a while. One of my favorite trails called 911 had recently received some love, the drops and jumps were buffed and enlarged giving the trail a fresh makeover. Great job to the trail crew, their work is much appreciated. Because of the recent rain, which continued into today, the trails were pretty wet which really helped me feel at home, I was able to get low and slide the corners even more, float over the roots and channel the spirit of the UH Trail, my original training ground.

Pics of the Lost Lake Ride

What is important, what isn't..

One of the many things that can be said about the places where humans live is that they are always busy. People running this way, driving that way, all in a rush to do something, something that in their minds is of the utmost importance. I wonder about this sometimes, is our supposed self-importance really that important at all? Take a look at rush hour in any given city and see the madness that ensues, daily, without thought or hesitation. These people got places to go and they need to get there NOW! All of them too, everyone is so busy that I don't think they ever really stop to ask themselves this very simple question: why? I know I'm no exception to this rule, often when I'm out doing stuff, commuting home, getting groceries, or doing work I feel the stress of anticipation building in my gut; gotta get stuff done! Get here, hurry there, not enough time! But, every once in a while I take a seat and imagine I'm a economic psychologist of sorts. What is the net gain verses the expense? Is all my stressing and worrying delivering a benefit that is worth the cost? The answer is always no.

In this most recent part of my life I've often resorted to taking a cosmic perspective when I have a dilemma I'm thinking about and I believe such a perspective can be helpful here:

Imagine for a moment that you are part of a galactic crew from a different planet in a remote galaxy and after a long journey you finally stumble upon a nice humble star in the backwaters of a quaint galaxy. In scanning the surrounding planets you notice one of them is exhibiting the tell-tale signs of life, methane in the atmosphere, a surface largely covered in water, and high levels of CO2 acting as insulation.
After months of detailed, close inspection of the life on this planet you have learned many things, yet still have more questions than answers. The dominant lifeform, the humans, are a dynamic, confused lot. In much of the world these beings spend their short lives in a hurried frenzy attempting to gain as much of the planets currency as possible. The humans are also divided into different religions almost entirely determined by the land mass they inhabit. Interestingly, each of these religious lands believes itself to be the sole beneficiary of divine truth to such a degree that in their worst form they are willing to kill one another prove their point. These humans believe they were created for divine purposes, that they are the peak of all creation. To you, an outsider, this is a funny idea.

Through your observations you notice that these humans have only recently experienced a technological revolution, but that already they have accumulated deadly amounts of CO2 in their planets atmosphere. They have exaggerated the effect even more so by rampant deforestation efforts and mass pollution, all in the name of their own self importance. With each passing year the humans increase their CO2 production by leaps and bounds, and at this rate you calculate that the ensuing green house effect will cook this planet in a very short amount of time. Saddened, you have seen this fate played out a million times all across the universe; upstart civilizations realize technological adolescence only to snuff themselves out in a short matter of time. The humans you surmise are quickly on their way. You see little hope in their ideologies, imagined importance, and lack of foresight.

I think a cosmic perspective offers us just that, a perspective removed from our own short sightedness. There are goals worth pursuing in our small lifes, but they compete with a lot of useless distractions. This is something we all need to think about, we are all responsible.

Fatalism vs. Existentialism, A Thought

In a society still completely and subconsciously rooted in Platonic essentialism the existentialist battle cry that "existence precedes essence" falls on pretentious ears. What does it mean to create your own existence when you believe that your fate is in some other hands? Answer: it doesn't mean anything. But were the ancient Greeks right? Plato believed we all possess a wealth spring of residual a posteriori knowledge left over from our numerous reincarnations. Thus, 'learning' is actually a process of remembering what we already experienced in past life's (hence why I called the knowledge a posteriori instead of a priori). When evolutionary psychology began to really catch on in the 1980s Plato was, in a loosely symbolic way, justified. The habitual behaviors of our ancestors, the actions which served to convey adaptive advantages, became rooted in our collective genome. The question therefore becomes to what extent are we actually in control of our own actions, and to what extent are we simply instinctually responding to (residual a posteriori) stimuli? I don't know, but I can however attest to the fact that this is now a multi-disciplinary hot-button issue in philosophy and biology, and in a way it forces us to look back at the Greeks; perhaps a proper reexamination of Platonic epistemology would help us understand this issue in a fresh light. Why do we do... what we do?

Monday Thoughts

Henry David Thoreau once suggested that we test our own individual resolution by opposing "what are deemed 'the most sacred laws of society,' through obedience to yet more sacred laws," I can think of no more 'sacred law' than the use of automobiles. The automobile centered life is without a doubt the most sacred cow in the western world, so much so that life without the casual use of an internal combustion engine is completely unimaginable to all but a very, very small minority. The fervor; financial devotion, societal pressure, and physical dependence automobiles foster is unparallel, even by religious beliefs.

If the oil and auto industries were to be trusted, then a life without their teat to suckle would be horrid, poor, and despicable. This lie is bought into by so many people I've simply come to accept the attitude as a given. The infection has festered to such an extent that people actually feel ashamed to not drive a car; as if being seen walking on the sidewalk was a sign that they had failed in life. A mind f*ck as insipid as this is pure genius on behalf of the companies who benefit from it, but terribly sad for anyone who would like to see our collective will liberated.

Until things change I'll continue to bite my tongue every time I see another utopic SUV commercial only to have those I know tell me, as if reciting the industry line, that I'm missing out on life by not driving a car. The best change is brought by example: live simply, enjoy the trees, read good books, learn about the natural world, exercise the body along with the mind, and of course, Ride the Revolution!

Weekend Update

I'm in Starbucks again, enjoying another 42 dollar iced coffee. Whats a guy to do when the only place with air conditioning is a corporate establishment? Well, pay the man, thats what. At least the couches are comfortable. The lack of rain and high temps are making all the plants a little less green, almost like fall is coming. The trails are getting a little crumbly too. I was coming down a section of a trail up on Galbraith and I hit a corner at high speed, but instead of my tires grabbing like normal the ground just crumbled under them making the bike and I do a 360 into the bushes. Fun!

Today I did some exploring around town and discovered some more parks and greenways, even a nice little beach. Good times. Its nice to just get out and forget about work, society, and all the little things that accumulate at the back of the mind. Now if I could just do something about the car epidemic...

I haven't done this in a while, but I finally have a few pictures to put up: 7-14-2007 Weekend in Pictures

Mercury Busting

I've been a prisoner the past two days. No, I'm not speaking of the monotony that is the burden of every wage slave stuck in the cyclical 8-5 game, the oppressor this week has been the heat. Bellingham didn't just break the all time high temp, we also broke the record for having the highest low temperature in recorded history. Think mid 90s today, thats how hot it got. My morning commute was ok, but it was already in the 70s when I left at 7:05 am, and by the time I left work at 4 it was in the 90s. As I hammered home I felt pretty good, and didn't really start sweating till I got off the bike.

Idealism Gone Wild

When it comes to the car-driven lifestyle, there is a growing amount of global criticism, but a literal famine when it comes to actual resolve and action. This point is so frustrating when you encounter it; take for example the "Live Earth" concerts which occurred yesterday and were estimated to be viewed by upwards of two billion people around earth. Impressive by any standard, and even more so I thought when I considered the purpose; to raise concern about humanities growing conflict with the natural world. I set out to do a little hands on research by directing my browser to youtube to watch what all the hype was about and imagine my surprise when after clicking on a 'Linkin Park' concert the opening video was a call to action to start to dump cars and start commuting by bike. My first though was awesome! Finally the revolution is being televised - global exposure, I thought, would serve to broadcast a lifestyle far too few of us actually live. But then I watched a few more videos by other popular bands and I started to do a little more thinking. Linkin Park was playing in Tokyo, Foo Fighters in Europe, Metallica was over in London, and a whole smattering of other headliners dotted the rest of the globe. If their collective purpose was to raise awareness of environmental concerns, why travel on private jets all over the world, drawing in tow millions of enthusiastic fan? If the end goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% over a two year period, why metaphorically shoot yourself in the head by collectively producing an estimated 31,500 tons of deadly CO2, 3,000 times what the average British citizen produces in a year? In this respect the Live Earth concerts are analogous to lynching a black man to raise awareness about racism.

I'm reminded about the South Park episode where the town became overrun by thousands of hippies who put on a concert to 'change the world man!' but who ended up just patting each other on the back and listening to music. I fear the Live Earth concerts will only serve to cheapen the resolve of those of us who actually do care about the environment and truly live our convictions. No amount of idealistic hypocrisy, hybrid cars, or egotistical rock bands will help put an end to global warming. I anticipate no change at all, selfish Americans will keep driving their cars, their asses will continue to grow larger, and temperatures will slowly rise. In the meantime the true revolution will not be televised by will continue to live on, as it always has, in the silent pedals and feet of those who truly 'get it'.

Two Wheelin'

As I sit and write, there can still be heard the occasional explosion of a firework. This past week I had flashbacks from my days in 'Nam, or at least I think I did, and who can blame me, it sounded like a war zone out here! I think every last knuckle dragger in the whole state spent their pennies on boom-boom sticks this week and proceeded to explode them with an enthusiasm I could only imagine. The cat literally freaked out thinking every passing "POW!" was me slapping my hands in reprimand for a crime she didn't commit. But, the 4th is in the books, and so too will pass my friends, the fireworks.

This week marked a milestone I had been anticipating for a couple months; my first publication. "Dirt Rag" finally printed the piece I sent them in their "Last Chance for Gas" column on the last page of the magazine. My excitement was surely noticeable as I purchased two issues from the local newsstand (one to read, one to hoard away) on my lunch break. A welcome surprise was the illustration that accompanied my piece, it seems the artist was able to appreciate the vision I attempted to paint with words, for while it was simple, his efforts added an welcome flavor. All in all, I'm pretty happy about it.

I've been listening to another Richard Dawkins audio book at work in order to further my understanding of gene-centered evolutionary biology. Dawkins is surely a master in his scientific field, but his literary skills are also undeniable, and its a good thing too because the topic truly demands it and shines when served properly. When one starts to understand evolutionary biology from a gene centered perspective the narrative present throughout human development is so fulfilling; from humble beginnings to the evolution of conciseness, we truly are as Carl Sagan says "A way for the Cosmos to know itself."

Here are a couple pictures from a small wooded trail I found above the work grounds. It is nice to spend my breaks among the trees and bird calls; a welcome diversion from the computer screen!

Mount Laffeyette

Well, we're back and our trip was cut a little short. Not for lack of food or planning, but after our first night the rain and wind were a little much for us to handle, that and during the night our tiny kids tent we used slid several feet downhill inch by inch. I woke several times in the night with a new tree pressed against my ear or back whichever the occasion called. Needless to say, I got very little sleep. The following morning we arose and packed at 6:30 and headed back uphill (as we had gone over the mountain to the other side). The clouds ripped past us at an impressive rate and we felt tougher knowing we were the only ones awesome (dumb) enough to be on the mountain such ungodly weather. Going down I found was harder than going up because I had some pretty sore knees from the day before. We took much longer way back, hiking over 3 more peaks before finding another trail down which prolonged our exposure to the elements long enough to actually see some sun break through the clouds before we headed down.

Pics From Mt Lafayette

We're planning a few bike rides for the next few weeks but we are having trouble finding trails that keep going long enough to allow for a few days camping. Most places either dont allow bikes on the trails or charge too much per night for us to go. Luckily the power lines behind the house offer a great 1 mile loop with a really fast, rocky downhill section that we can ride over and over again.

A New Month

Todays update is coming from a slightly different local. For whatever reason, I got it in my head that I wanted to head down to Starbucks and sit in one of those comfortable couches. One $27.35 coffee later and I'm feeling like a yuppie, minus the townie road bike; my mud splattered beast locked up out front, with the double crown fork, stands out for sure. The last time I spent any considerable amount of time in Starbucks was in Hilo studying for a gnarly symbolic logic final, time passes fast.

I managed two rides this weekend, today and yesterday, both of which were hot and fun and most importantly, with minimal bodily carnage. I think this coming week I will spend most of my time riding the singletrack trails on my prophet; its good to switch up the riding and alternate between bikes.

No recent pictures to post, although I am actively adding to the 'pictures' page. Oh, and I must say, Nate and Sadie's pictures from their recent hiking adventure are just breathtaking, so check out Nate's page.