The GREEN RUSH - Part Deux

Fairly early on in my blogging career (last year) I wrote about the continued focus on the push to legalize marijuana in the State of CA. Since my first post I have read countless local articles that have covered this currently hot and seemingly divisive topic. It is now starting to get some serious national coverage as well, as evidenced by this front page article from CNN.

CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA TOURISM

(Damn! Nice looking buds.)

Come this November all of us Californians will vote on whether or not "da weed" (some ah dem call it) should be legalized for medical and recreational purposes. They say that polls are showing that 56% of us Californians would favor legalization. I can tell you right now that if there ever was a time to pitch not only the medicinal benefits of "ganja", but the financial too, now is the time. A state wracked in debt, local governments taxed starved, recession, unemployment at 12%, teacher lay-offs, critical curricula cut and schools facing the ugly possibility of 4 day school weeks... time for the ole "cacker" to save the day. Two words:

REGULATE & TAX

Who knows what CA has to win with this arrangement but the estimations on tax income are showing favorable signs. The losers in this whole deal... unfortunately the small towns in Northern CA that have subsisted for years and years on the cultivation of marijuana. A non-existent lumber industry and failing or shrinking fishing industry, marijauna has been the last stand for many behind the "Redwood Curtain". As the CNN article states perhaps SONOMA, MENDOCINO, HUMBOLDT and DEL NORTE counties will become the Napa Valley of the "kush". Once legalized, a flood in the market (that already exists) will drive down the price of marijuana considerably. Already a pound of "boo" has dropped to roughly $2500, down from a high of $5000 years ago.

An interesting photo slideshow HARVEST TIME ACTIVITIES courtesy of GOOD.

A Treasury of the Sierra Nevada, A Book Review

Kit Carson, Jedediah Smith, John Muir, James Marshall, Grizzly Adams, Jack London, David Brower and Yvon Chouinard. If this list of mountain men, adventurists, conservationists, environmentalists, writers and experienced outdoorsmen peaks your curiosity then I definitely have a book for you. It is titled...

..."A Treasury of the Sierra Nevada".

It is a collection of previously released articles, essays and personal accounts from the individuals listed above (and many more not listed) regarding the mighty Sierra Nevada of CA. It was first published in 1983 by Wilderness Press located in Berkeley, CA. It was compiled and edited by Robert Leonard Reid.

Let me start off by explaining that I chose this book to review after being laid up in bed for 24 hours with a flu bug at my brother's cabin in Tahoe over the New Years weekend. Very appropriate locale, yet I would have preferred to have been drinking, eating and romping around in the snow surrounded by all of my family. Regardless, when life hands you a lemon... might as well learn something while shivering under the covers of your bed!

It was not the first time that I have picked up this book at his cabin. Aha! A sign of a truly good book. One you can pick up time after time and enjoy reading. The factual stories and perspectives contained within help to give you a real picture of what the Sierras were like 150 years ago. What it was like trying to cross with some of the first immigrant wagon trains.

It also helps to shape the history of environmentalism and conservation that focused on the Sierra Nevada through John Muir's work all the way up to David Brower's work in the 60's and 70's. A classic quote from David Brower that struck me as so perfect was his reaction to Disney's refusal to embrace his recommendation for either tunnel or fly-in only access into a remote and secluded valley Disney was eyeing for development. These would obviously be less of an impact than a paved road. When Disney brushed off these alternate plans as way too expensive, Brower responded, "you are going to change something FOREVER, so you can amortize the costs over a thousand years".

If reading a 17 year old boy's account of surviving the winter alone at Donner Lake in the mid 1800's sounds interesting then put this book on your to read list. If getting a little taste of what native american/CAian life was like back before the automobile, again, put it on the list. If you want to know what the Sierra Nevada's flora and fauna were like before Ronald McDonald and Starbucks reigned supreme, you'll like this book. All of this with a few interesting maps, diagrams, sketches, photos, and a first hand account of cannibalism, what more could you ask for.

Many of the stories surrounding the first explorers/immigrants made me realize just how soft we as a society have become. I'm sure if Jedediah or Kit woke up covered in four feet of snow with a spot of the 24 hour flu they would have laced up their old snow shoes and been off before I could have made my cup of coffee, scrambled my eggs and toasted my bagel around the ole campfire.  

Enjoy!

December Surf

Wintertime is in full effect in Northern CA and our beach is doing it's thang!!! A great weekend of shooting photos, bodyboarding, family time and some Holiday shopping wedged in between. Fall/Winter is truly my favorite time of year here in Northern CA.

I recently made a comment to a couple of buddies of mine that there is a dearth of guys out on boards that do not seem to know how to surf very well (ie: "bouys"). I can't count how many times I have seen perfect head high peaks roll in with guys perfectly positioned to paddle and drop into them and then pull back suddenly and not take the drop. Obviously a lot of beginners out which is usually not the case for our beach break.

Regardless, still fun out there and have been scoring some fun waves!

Sessions No 3 & No 4

Safe to say most of the surf community around these parts would agree this has been a pretty dismal Fall surf season. The surf and good surf conditions really have not been in alignment and shown up with much gusto until this past weekend. So it hasn't been since August that I have been out with my waterhousing to snap some water shots. Felt good to get out. The pic above was from a session of overhead + surf the biggest I've been out in so far - a bit sketchy at times. The pic below was from a session up in the far reaches of Northern California.

Sonoma Coast Camping Trip

We pulled it off! My wife and I are excited that our first "car camping" trip up along the Sonoma Coastline with our daughter was a great success. All family members on tail-end of colds and with CA Winter just starting to show it's face we were not sure what to expect from our daughter. Our biggest fears being:

Would sleeping in a tent be too foreign and create nothing but a sleepless night of crying?

Would it be too cold for her at evening time and night time in the tent?

The answer to both questions was no! She had a blast. We had a blast. The weekend was filled with campfire, hiking in the redwoods, tossing the ball around, setting up the tent, eating together, little beer and little vino, meeting friendly camp neighbors - great family time! We can't wait to do it again.

We stayed at the Stillwater Regional Park run by Sonoma County - site 19 to be exact. A great campground with good facilities and great hiking close by, making it very family friendly. We were supposed to stay at Reef Campground (10 minutes South) but the State decided to close it due to budget cuts. Sad.

A few pics from our trip.

Bay Nature Magazine: Great White Sharks Submission

I have mentioned Bay Nature magazine previously within this BLOG. I find it to be an outstanding magazine focusing on our natural world surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. They have a great website filled with interesting content too.

Beyond just recently joining their FLICKR Group online, I submitted my first set of photos for an up coming article slated for the next issue. The article focuses on Great White Sharks and will be written by the SF Chronicle's former environmental reporter Glen Martin. Within the submission request they asked for photos of the Sharks themselves. Photos of the sharks I could not help out with, but I do have a collection of images that I submitted that could essentially help to tell the broader story of the Bay Area's connection to Great White sharks. The following text is the introduction I sent to Dan Rademacher of Bay Nature:

Dan, Greetings. First time submitting. I've fallen in love with the Bay Nature Magazine. It is my personal goal to get some of my photographic work published in your fine magazine. This may take awhile as it seems you are connected with some very talented photographers! While I do not think the attached images fit the exact description of what you described on the website, I did want to send them to you anyway. As a local surfer and photographer (I live with my family in SF), I am constantly reminded that I recreate within the home waters of Great White Sharks. It humbles me and I often think how incredible it would be to run into one of these creatures - while on a boat of course! I do have a couple friends that have had confirmed run in experiences while surfing. I often find myself shooting images that relate to GWSs when they present themselves. This collection of images are random but definitely a part of our daily fabric that intertwines with these awesome creatures habitat - small reminders they are never that far away from us - even heavily populated City Centers! Isn't that what makes the Bay Area so special? So enjoy, I hope there is something you find interesting here, if not no harm done. Again, hope to contribute to the magazine someday.

Just joined the FLICKR Group. Take care.

DAK WAS HERE

Below are the images that I submitted. Enjoy and please leave me a comment if you are inspired by these images or if you have a Great White story to share.

Car @ Ocean Beach

Posted Flyer @ Stinson Beach

Posted warning at front gate to Stinson Beach

The Farallons, seasonal home base, Mile Rock Light

Posted warning @ Ocean Beach near deceased whale

Pt. Reyes, North Beach, "Shark Area"

A Bolinas "welcome/warning"

Perfect CA Hiking Trip

As far as I'm concerned you know you've had a great hiking trip when:

- You've come back uninjured

- Your hair still smells like camp fire 4 days later

- Only a small patch of poison oak

- Your muscles are sore but not too bad

- All your gear performed well

- You've come back with good pics & memories

I wrote earlier in my BLOG that I was going on a hiking trip and I've just recently gotten back. I even went so far as to say that the location we hiked into was my own personal definition of Paradise. It had been (2) years since I had been into this area and it did not disappoint. It still holds the title of most beautiful spot in CA.

All in all a great trip. Hiked in with two close buddies for four days. It was forecasted to rain most of the time and we only experienced rain on the way out, last day. Fall is a wonderful contrast to the last time I hiked in which was during the Spring of '07. What lacked in colorful wildflowers (the area is loaded with them in Spring) was made up with the turning colors of Fall foliage.

The following is a collection of images from the trip, enjoy. And if you are curious about the location I'm sure with some investigative work you can find it.

Buddy #1, start of the hike

Buddy #2, start of the hike & solar powered

Buddy #1, halfway in the weather gets moody

Buddy #2, leads the charge around one of several points

Buddy #1, negotiating a 1/4 mile of small boulders

Our camp spot in the trees

Backdoor to our campsite

Camp life, tree climbing

Camp life from above

Young Alder thicket

Buddy #1 after mediocre surf

Ran into my second rattlesnake, kinda looked like this

Day Hike, this trail was washed out two years ago

Day Hike, the creek we hiked up

Day Hike, Fall color

Day Hike, lavander vine

Day Hike, Buddy #2 deep in the creek valley

Day Hike, hike out of the creek valley

Day Hike, steep country

Back at camp

One of our many great camp fires

Weird things wash up on this stretch of coast line