Today I biked one of my favorite off-road trails, the John Wayne Trail. The trail itself runs 100 miles. The ride I normally do on the trail, from Rattlesnake Reservoir near North Bend, outside Seattle, to the old train tunnel at Snoqualmie Pass, is 36 glorious, smooth off-road miles and an excellent way to see some of the front range of the still snowy Cascades. Good for running and even horseback riding too. Yes indeed, it is very much alright!
GoPro
All hail the lower back
For more than half a dozen years I have started each day with a morning puja, to greet the morning with thanks and to ease my back and body into wakefulness. This involves stretching, some yoga, and normally 45-50 sit-ups. My back requires this attention, but so does my mind. It is my one chance to be still, to focus on a specific part of my body, and to engage in activities that help me stay healthy. Sometimes the lower back wants to play a joke, and let me tell you, it is not funny. This is one of those times, so I decided to pay tribute to the lower back.
The mighty and beautiful Columbia River, from Vista House
Vista House has one of the best views in the United States, at least for those who want to drive to their viewpoints. I love this perch, and I have been coming here now for more than 30 years. (The fun part was singing happy birthday to Vista House with other visitors and the Oregon State Parks crew, who were giving out free birthday cake. Vista House is 96 years old as of today.)
Market and Leary
I set up my GoPro on the busy corner of Market and Leary tonight, in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, and just chilled for about 20 minutes. Here’s how life slipped by on Willie Nelson’s 81st birthday, the same day the old master earned a fifth degree black belt. There is no connection between this place and Willie, except perhaps in my imagination. And I have been listening to and playing Willie the past few days.
How Seattle looks to my morning eyes
Taken from Highway 99, by the tunnel work site (2014).
Right now, the tunnel project is stuck and engineers are scrambling how to fix a massive and still-broken machine trapped beneath Seattle’s mucky dirt. This is the closest the public can come to seeing the work yard, as seen from Highway 99 (2014).
A long line of trucks usually is found on the service road next to the port and visible from Highway 99 (2014).
There is something comforting to me about this factory, which continues to churn out cement year after year (2014).
A massive tunnel-boring project in Seattle, that is pegged to cost more than $3 billion, is now on hold. Th several-stories-tall tunnel boring machine, dubbed Bertha, is now broken and stuck beneath the viaduct I drive over every day (Highway 99), and theoretically the future tunnel will replace the aging structure that takes me and tens of thousands of other drivers daily. North of the port, crews are digging up things by the Gates Foundation headquarters, making this a landscape of cranes, heavy moving equipment, and grand ambitions that tower like the Space Needle close by. Looking at the cranes in these pictures, I imagine I am seeing the giant snow walking machines seen in The Empire Strikes Back. My favorite landmark, however, remains the massive Ash Cement Factory. Time has not seemed to change this place. It just seems to get more grey.
Biking on a spring day with an old bike
I have a 23-year-old road bike that, well, I just can’t seem to get rid of. Maybe I will this spring. For now, it works, and it is about as old as my bike pump too, which looks worse for wear. Today I experimented with mounting the GoPro on my handlebars to see what kind of angles would be generated and to see what kind of emotions are communicated when someone is caught in the middle of a very aerobic sport. Biking is one of the most aerobic sports I know, and that is one reason I love it so. As I often do, I adjusted the settings in Lightroom to accentuate the contrast, which is a look I am growing accustomed to. Here’s to spring days, the simple pleasures of riding an old bicycle, and seeing rows of blossoming trees along a lovely lake shore.
Abdoulaye Sylla and company showcase Guinean drumming and dance
Guinean traditions take the main stage at the Seattle Center on April 5, at the World Rhythm Festival (2014).
I set up my GoPro at the floor level to videotape a performance by Guinean master dancer and drummer Abdoulaye Sylla and his troupe of fellow Guinean percussionists. I then caught a frame of the videotape and turned it into a still. I think the GoPro lends a style all its own music and dance recording. And, as usual, I enjoyed the show of the many fine West African artists who call the Seattle area home. This is just for fun.
Seattle to Tacoma commute grind, part two
A GoPro illuminates the commuting life on Highway 599 (2014).
A GoPro illuminates life inside the four-wheel box (2014).
A GoPro illuminates life inside the four-wheel box (2014).
A GoPro illuminates life inside the four-wheel box (2014).
A GoPro illuminates life inside the four-wheel box (2014).
A GoPro illuminates life inside the four-wheel box (2014).
The is my second in a series using a GoPro camera to document the commuting life between Seattle and Tacoma. Time inside a carbon-emitting box occupies a massive portion of the daily lives of hundreds thousands, if not more, residents in the region. The effects of stress, speed, and more primal emotions that surge during the hours on the road take a measurable toll, and few of us can stop to contemplate what the cumulative impacts are.
A GoPro view of the Seattle commute grind
A GoPro captures the evening grind on Highway 99 past downtown Seattle (2014).
A GoPro captures the evening grind on Highway 99 past downtown Seattle (2014).
A GoPro captures the evening grind on Highway 99 past downtown Seattle (2014).
A GoPro captures the evening grind on Highway 99 past downtown Seattle (2014).
I am just beginning to explore the powers and possibilities of the GoPro as a still camera. This is the back seat view, as I drive over the earthquake-weakened Alaska Way Viaduct, which will be torn down in about two years (if the tunnel boring machine gets unstuck and fixed). There is a zombie like quality to all of us, in our metal and plastic boxes, heading from who knows where, to our homes or to work. I pass this scene every day, five days a week.
Rip-snorting, skate skiing fun in the Methow
Skate skiing is one of the most phenomenal physical activities I know, and the GoPro Hero 3 video camera is the first camera I know that can capture the pure joy of the sport. I strapped my GoPro to my head and captured the eye-popping scenery of the Methow in mid-February with my friend who lives there. Uphill is great for the lungs and legs, but downhill is what appeals to the brain’s chemistry.
What Beautiful Light 