Methow Madness

Winter fun for me includes cross country skiing, and recently includes Sarah as well. She's a medical practitioner who skis me into the ground every time we head out.  

Except once. I was on turbo demo skis a day that she was sick. I actually kept up with her somehow. 

Maybe she'll keep me around awhile. Maybe she'll be tired of waiting for me!

(oh, btw....she's from MN and has a 300 page family genealogy going back to the early 1600s...the name on the book is the same as my former Navy roommate from northern Iowa...yep, they are very distant cousins! He has the same book....such a small world sometimes)

People in our area take their skinny skis up to the Methow Valley in North Central Washington, a magnificent network with 120 miles of groomed trails connecting the towns of Winthrop and Mazama. A few hours north of Lake Chelan, it's a place I've wanted to visit for years. 

Back story; I noticed (friend of a friend) Jim online and saw that he was all over the athletic world as well as the military, so I reached out and started a dialog 4 years ago. In 2021, I took a Seattle consulting job and had an awesome meetup with Jim, not far from the first house I ever owned near the Bremerton shipyard. 

Turns out, Jim and his lovely wife Janet are huge nordic skiers, and they own a house in Winthrop. 

As Sarah and I tentatively planned on a 50k ski race, we figured a training camp would be helpful. I reached out to Jim for advice on the area, and he graciously offered housing. Game on!

About an 8 hour drive north. We stopped in the German hamlet of Leavenworth. Ribs, braut, slaw...

And a monster pretzel...

Onward. Jim was nursing a cold, so we brought some medicine in the form of Pendleton Whiskey (Janet fired up the old fashioneds shortly after this picture). 

I have NEVER seen a private setup like this madness; a garage worthy of the (Nordic) Smithsonian...I'm going to invest in ski wax futures, because Jim is driving the prices way up. 

Mama, I'm home...

 

Not sure if this is Mt Bachelor in Bend, or Methow Valley. Just a pretty shot regardless...

First day was a warmup loop with our hosts on Sun Mountain, one of several major areas in the Valley. Then we ventured out on our own. My initial goal was to do 4 hrs a day at a slow pace. 

Anyone ever bit off more than they could chew? 

We somehow did 4.5 hours, albeit with plenty of stops, and somehow limped home. Jim and Janet's neighborhood has ski in, ski out capability, so we slid into the driveway hooting and hollering (and coughing up a lung or two). 

Dinner was incredible pizza at Rolling Huts. Jim noted that I nearly did a face-plant in the marinara, eyes drooping. 

Second day was for demo skis. We stopped at Winthrop Mountain Sports where Jim introduced us to his good friend Erik Bjornsen, 2-time Olympian, brother of another Olympian, and husband to yet another world class skier. 

The store is decked out with photos. Can't remember if this is Erik, or Gus K (another world class beast). The form looks a bit better than mine. 

This is Marine, aka Mrs Erik

This is what a gold medal looks like....HERE COMES DIGGINS!!

Pretty sure Nordic skiers are among the most fit. Below is Jessie's Olympic relay teammate Kikkan, her good friend Kris Freeman, and all of their abs. 

Tuesday was two easy hours to recover. Sarah's demo skis made her even faster, so I might have to hide her poles or something

Tried to have lunch at the Four Seasons below, but they lost our reservation. 

Dinner was a bison beef Bolognese that I whipped up. Bear approved...

Day 3 was Thompson Ridge, a 3-4 mile uphill grind with 1400' of climbing. I needed a gurney and an IV bag while Sarah just kept yawning thru the climbs. At least the return trip was easier, though some of the trails hadn't been groomed for a few days. 

Day 4 was a one way, $1 bus ride to Mazama. A quick run through the Country Store, where I saw this good looking beast that I was hungry enough to eat raw...

Now it was a 30k, 19 mile trip home down the Methow Community Trail (MCT). The first third was a gorgeous, slight downhill, including the Suspension Bridge. 

The middle section of the MCT is in the woods and the foothills. Meaning, uphills. Ugh. Speedy Gonzalez took off, and I slogged my way up in her wake. Brown's Farm to Wolf Ridge (lower blue section) was a bit of nastiness....

Then the last third was in the open valley, also gorgeous. 

Bear and Sarah are around the same weight, but his ski form isn't quite as good. 

Loading up and heading out after a fantastic week. 

On the trip up thru Leavenworth, we stumbled across a few amazing looking restaurants after lunch. So we made a note and went back to try Ludwig's. 

The spaetzle was ok but needing something....maybe some healthy vegetables. Or lots of bacon gravy. 

Pretzels always work!

As do pork chops, schnitzel, braut, red cabbage, potato salad. 

As a young-un, I remember driving cross country for hours without stopping. At my current, uh, ADVANCED age with three lumbar surgeries on my CV, it's much better to switch drivers every hour and stretch for 5 minutes! The trip went very smoothly. 

Many thanks to Jim and Janet for an amazing week and incredible hospitality. 

If you like that kind of skiing, you can't do much better than Methow Valley. 

NYC 2024

 "Hey Dad, this DJ producer guy I've been following is doing a show in Brooklyn this year. Can we go?"

Sure. It's been 5 years since Zoe last destroyed NYC. 

6 hours of delays and 4 flight changes in Salt Lake City moved our arrival from 10pm to 0430. Oh well; at least our hotel room was waiting for us. 

I woke before noon while the kid was still out cold. And I found our first meal destination!

Yes, we split that monster! No way I was eating it solo. 

Incredible pastrami!

Zoe first told me about this new play in 2016, i had no idea. So glad I finally was able to bring her to the show. 

Front row balcony is a really good vantage point!

Friday's main event; subway to East Williamsburg. First, some ridiculous Korean food...

Had time for a stroll thru a nearby park; we should have just eaten there!

The club, 'Elsewhere.' Kid was up front all night. 

I punched out, grabbed a subway, and went to visit buddy (and fellow umpire) Lloyd for a bit. Spent a nice hour meeting his lovely family and watching the Olympics. 

Next day, Zoe again is out for the count. I find out thru bizarre coincidence a day ago that Hayward Field Backstretch Bandit (also two time NCAA champ and professional runner) Claudette is in town visiting her son, who literally lives a block from my hotel. So we hit the Chelsea High Line...

Zoe found another DJ mixer performance thing for Saturday at the Museum of Modern Art, so we put that on the schedule as well. The MOMA Design store is super cool; so many ways to make coffee!

I asked for royalties on the skateboards below, with no luck. 

Zoe wanted a prime spot for the performance...zoom in. 

I called this exhibit 'Chihuly Lite.' Looks like that display at the Space Needle, but cheaper. This literally is recycled stuffed animals. 

Paris 2024? In the words of Ricky Bobby, "that...just....happened!"

No royalties here, either. Can NBC the person sue NBC the station for copyright infringement? 

Sigh. No better reason to visit NYC than to spend an evening in classmate Craig's superlative digs. 

We even got the Captain's Table!

Craig was tied up; his lovely wife Kay and GM Tom took great care of us. 

Lobster ravioli, branzino, and the 'small' plate of carbonara that was anything but. And the tiramisu ended up being breakfast. Incredible food!

Sunday morning, I'm up early...my body rarely sleeps late, time change notwithstanding. So, a WTC walkabout. 

For the life of me, I don't understand how the WTC courtyard sphere wasn't pounded flat into a pancake. 

Three USNA guys in this photo below, one that i knew well (Billy D).

Confirming: AHam is still dead. 

Took the subway to Brooklyn, and found this great pizza place folks told me about years ago. When I tried to visit in 2019, I saw that the health inspector had closed it down! And it's still down. 

Walked the BBridge back into the city...

Chinatown...

Last day was in my Somerville NJ hometown....the train took us past the hometown of 4x Olympic Gold Medalist Sydney. 

Martino's was our favorite restaurant back in the day, exquisite Cuban food. Now they've moved a block or two away. 

Our old neighbors across the street weren't home. Bummer!

Fun trip with my kid!

The Passing of a Hometown Legend

A few years ago, I flew into Mexico City, and had the immense pleasure of seeing the 1968 Olympic Stadium right before landing. That view brought back some memories...

When I moved to Oregon in 2007, Kenny Moore had just published "Bowerman and the Men of Oregon." There were many wonderful pages dedicated to one Charles Wade Bell: UO half miler, Olympian, CPA, and longtime Clerk at Hayward Field. I think he just earned his 50 year volunteer pin!

If you haven't read "Bowerman," it's a treasure trove. Kenny talks at length about Wade's first (only?) sub-4 mile, and there's a bittersweet section about how Wade contracted food poisoning in Mexico and didn't advance. Bowerman was adamant in saying Wade would have passed Ralph Doubell in the homestretch for the 800m win. 

Wade later became Bowerman's accountant, and was clear about never having invested in Nike, nor not once made any recommendations to Bill about endowments. Wade wanted no appearance that he had a conflict of interest....The man had integrity. 

At every home meet, Wade and his clerking partner in crime Jenifer made sure that each event started like clockwork, keeping a steady flow of competitors moving onto the track. He might have been his best during the hundreds of 4x400 relays, juggling the third and fourth leg lineups like a chess master. 

Before the 2016 Prefontaine Classic, OTC invited the first 10 UO sub-runners back to share some stories. Arne, Roscoe, Archie, Jim G, Jim B, Wade et al.....lots of laughter that night

After the new stadium was completed, I asked what he thought Bowerman's impression would have been. Wade chuckled and said, "Bill would have thought it was a big much, and then he would have enjoyed it." 

During the World Championships two years ago, I was leaving the track and happened to see Wade hugging John Carlos. I have to say, my breath caught for a second. Fortunately, I was able to get a few shots of a great moment. 

Rest in peace, sir. You made track meets fun.