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Sailing around the world ten years later!
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School Spirit Week Video

Location:  International School, Nido de Aguilas, Santiago, Chile

Rundown:  Teachers throw down for spirit week.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAJArGnMlJM

Notice the nerd eating it on the skis?  That's me?  Notice the camera that goes flying out of my pocket and disappears into the chest deep snow?  Stay tuned...

Location:  Bariloche, Argentina

Rundown:  Spent a week in the ski capital of Argentina, Bariloche.

After the whirlwind trip to Detroit and back, I had a week of school, then we were off to Bariloche, the ski capital of Argentina.  Flew to Puerto Montt, then bussed over the Andes.

 

Bariloche has a strong German heritage, which can be seen in the architecture...

... as well as the cuisine.  The chocolates were fantastic.  We made ourselves sick.

The most impressive part of Bariloche is the fusion of alpine lakes with the mountains.  The fingers of the lakes reach and twist into the peaks.  You're never far from snow or water.

  

Although it was spring in the valleys, the peaks were still covered with snow.  We spent some time walking around town.

 

Spent some time doing a little spring skiing with the lakes in the background.

And the rest of the time eating and soaking up a little down time.

Got a little hiking in as well!

Nice to be back in Argentina!

Chilean Winter 2012

Rundown:  Fun in the winter wonderland of Chile.  When's the last time you were skiing in July?

Location:  The Andes mountains around Santiago.

Not a great snow year in Chile, but one can't complain when skiing for free!  

Spent this season in La Parva.  Every Saturday we bring ~60 kiddos up to the ski hill, making sure they go up and return with all their limbs and gear, find their instructors, and have a good time.  

We are on point when if they crash and burn which earned one of my buddies a helicopter ride down to the hospital with a damaged teen.  Not very common though.

Days we aren't with the kiddos we have free skiing!  Despite the wanting base there was still plenty of off piste to be had this season.  

Only beat up my new randonnee skis a little bit.  Thank you P-tex.

INDOOR CLIMBING SEASON:

Due to the early sunsets this time of year, and the cold, we've been climbing inside!  Not my favorite, but has been great for my endurance and technique.  Not that it matters, I suppose.  I still climb like a jerk when I'm on the real thing...

I did, however, make it a couple of times to the roof and stalactite.  Pretty fun.  Cost me a few long whippers though when I was getting used to the route.

We did get outside a few times to climb on nice days.  We were pretty excited to use our practice from the gym.  The cactus was pretty excited to see use too.

Hard to get good climbing shots when there are only two of you and both need as many hands as possible.  We make due.

BACKCOUNTRY SKIING:  VOLCAN SAN JOSE.

Got my new (to me) randonnee skis fired up for a day backcountry on Volcan San Jose in the Cajon de Maipo with Jean the Frenchman, Oscar the Chileno, and Sergio the Mejicana.  Here's a sneak peek...

Got up WAY early for a Sunay... 3AM, piled into my buddy Sergio's Mahindra and drove two hours into the Cajon de Maipo.  Geared up and left the truck before the moon set over the mountains.

Crossed a snow field undercut by a river.  The popping and groaning of the snowpack covering the river could be heard.  I was glad to be on skis.

Started our climb and just kept going up and up.  My new climbing skins worked great!  We had a gorgeous day as well!

Up and up and up and up.  Climbed for six hours, sometimes together, sometimes alone, taking breaks here and there.

Once the snow started getting hard packed it wasn't worth skinning up to ski down.  We paused, had a bite to eat, then stripped the skins off of the bottom of the skis.  Locked the boots in and down we skied.

So fun to be in the backcountry, making fresh tracks in deep, undisturbed powder.  We wore beacons and carried shovels and avalanche probes just in case.  We paused here and there to regroup and marvel at the skiing.

So here's the full film... edited by Oscar.  If it doesn't come up, try the link:  http://youtu.be/uUgbzCkzMy4

And that's the ballgame.  The adventures left me as needy for more as these neighbor dogs are for affection....

Summer in Charlevoix 2012

Rundown:  Summer adventures with family and friends in Northern Michigan!  

Locaiton:  Charlevoix, Mackinaw, and Marquette, Michigan!

Flew back into Charlevoix after not being home in the summer for too long.  Had plans to take full advantage of being on the water...

... see a few good friends...

... and spend time with my family.

Bought a motorcycle!  My new beauty is a 1985 Honda 450 Nighthawk.  Bought her in Traverse City with 4,000 miles on it, barely broken in!  Had to clean up the front calipers and give 'er a good scrub down, but she's a fantastic bike!  Rode her every day that I was home! 

Hit the Jordan River and also the Bear river.  The old van sure got a workout this trip.

Any time there was a hint of wind, we were out on Lake Michigan practicing with the windsurfer.  Didn't get the hang of the turn... but will soon.  Got out in some big wind and waves a few times, with a chase boat of course.

And for the days there was no wind we brought the board out and paddled around.  I forget how much I miss living on a big body of water.  I know the ocean is an hour away from Santiago... but it's not the same...

My dad got into road biking this year!  We ripped around Lake Charlevoix on a fantastic, hot day.  Being used to knobby-tired mountain bikes these felt like we had rockets strapped up our backsides.  

Spent a day on Mackinaw Island.  Hiked around to the forts...

...climbed on Sugarloaf...

...and at fudge in the park until I felt like puking.  Good times.

Hit the Straits of Mackinaw to get some diving in with my dad.  Had been a long time since I'd been diving up there!

Dove first on the Cedarville, a 700 foot freighter that sank after getting schmucked by the Topsdalfijord in heavy fog.  The wreck is almost capsized on the bottom.  Makes for a surreal dive.  Here's the almost inverted brow of the monster, complete with zebra mussels.

So great to hit these wrecks again.  I was weaned in the cold water... used to get nervous about diving on these, what with the depth and dark and cold.  But now it's like seeing my old friends again.

Speaking of old friends.  After surfacing to see a boat tied up to the stern buoy of the Cedarville I hear, "Pete!  That you?!?"  Apparently there's only one Michigan diver who wears a wetsuit so ugly if can be identified from 700 feet.  Me.  And there's only one diver who can bellow a coherent message from that distance.  Big John Miodowski.  Didn't get to spend too much time catching up, but was sure great to see him.

Hit the Sandusky on our second dive.  She's in a little more disrepair than I remember, but the scroll figurehead is still doing fine.

Also great to dive with my dad again.  It had been about a year since we dove in the Galapagos with reef sharks!  I still had Pacific sand in my BC!

Check out the video!  Make it full screen!

Marquette, MI

Shadowed Liza and Felix up to Marquette on the motorcycle.  She ran like a champ, even across the Mighty Mac.

Had to drive on the metal grating... a disconcerting proposition as it wobbles the front fork.  The whole thing feel like you're sitting on a washing machine.

Check out the video!  There's an error with the last 15 seconds of the video, but the bridge shots worked out just fine in.  Complete with awesome music (Motorcycle Driver by Satriani).

So fantastic to be back in Marquette.  We drove past all our old haunts, ate at our favorite places, hiked our favorite trails.  Felt like coming home.

People pulled their children close whenever we rolled in somewhere... like the gypsies showed up or something.  The canoe makes for a great drying rack though, provided you remember your underwear before driving off to another adventure.

And we had lots of adventures.

Really nice to be back in Marquette with Liza.  We never had a ton of time when we were both there together, so it was fun to revisit the things we did together and individually.  

Did some canoeing in Echo Lake, after the long portage in, that is.  The canoe keeps the rain off, but the bugs were well fed afterwards.

Paddled out to Partridge Isle from Presque on a gorgeous, sunny day.  Spent it bouldering above the crystal clear (and cold!) Superior water.

Although there are plenty of places to stay in Marquette we kicked it every night camping off Wetmore Landing in the woods, just like old times.  

Swam every morning after rolling out of my hammock.  

And with that I packed up the bike and cruised back to Charlevoix.  I could do that drive in my sleep but was all the better being on a motorcycle!

Spent a day unpacking and repacking.  Said goodbye to my really old dog, Gretta...

... then flew back to the Andes... and winter.