It’s been over two years since I’ve ridden a wave. I barely can consider myself a surfer anymore. I miss it. It was a big part of my life for many years. I know I’ll get back into it on a vacation or if I ever move back to the coast. No matter how long I’ve been away, I still get tons of vicarious pleasure staying tuned in to contest results online or following big wave exploits. I think surfers are grossly underrated as athletes; especially big wave watermen. Look closely at this video as the ever-fearless Mark Healey swings his board around at the last second, thrusts himself over the ledge of a 30-foot, outer reef macker, pulls through the collapsing liquid cathedral and makes it out with style points to spare. There are only a handful of people in the world who would be capable of that.
Phil shows us how it's done at the Portland Rock Gym (Photo: T. Blue)
I don’t know how I ignored it for all these years, but I have a new obsession in the world of extreme sports. I’ve always been intrigued with alpine climbing but have never actually paid much attention to the overall sport of rock climbing. Like a lot of people, I probably only read about the
Into Thin Air or
Touching the Void catastrophes rather than looking at the positive side. After seeing two documentaries recently,
180 South and
The Wildest Dream, I came away with a better understanding of the passion which drives these athletes and what it takes to achieve their high-altitude goals. Climbing and adventure accounts in the
latest issue of Outside Magazine piqued my interest. I mentioned this to Phil and, being proactive as he is, we were at the Portland Rock Gym the very next day. Leave it to Portland to have this customized climber’s utopia with 40-foot walls. The spectrum of contoured surfaces are set up with numerous routes of varying difficulty to ascend. On first glance, I couldn’t believe the extensive terrain. Chris and I put on our rented harnesses as we listened to Phil give us the basics on knot-tying and belaying. Phil was the only authorized belayer – meaning that he was responsible for securing us with a rope attached to our harnesses. This enabled him to catch our fall or lower us down when ready.
I went first, choosing the gym’s easiest route which was still pretty challenging. Only 15 feet up, I was already panting as I figured what foothold to step up to next. Shaking off a moment of doubt, I continued up to the top. I’m not afraid of heights nor am I cool as a cucumber so I avoided looking down for now. That’ll be interesting to adjust to in the wild. After Phil lowered me down, I was practically shaking with exhilaration. It felt like catching my first wave. I was already hooked. I can only imagine how I’ll feel when I get a taste of this in nature.
I moved over to the bouldering section which has lower walls which are climbed without ropes. Requiring arachnid-type dexterity, my few successes were exceeded by tumbles onto the thick, awaiting cushions. Several of these sections were completely inverted and it is difficult to fathom how humans are able to conquer them. One was shaped like a mushroom! After a few more climbs on the big wall, we called it a day. What an amazing core and whole-body workout. This totally inspired me to get in better shape and start strengthening my hands and forearms. Getting into a new adrenaline sport which is affordable and easily accessible feels like the opening of a whole new world of possibility. We’ll see what happens…
The nova platter at Roasters n Toasters in Miami is pretty much unbeatable (Photo: T. Blue)
After dropping off Chris, Phil and I went to check out a relatively new food cart pod on North Mississippi. Unfortunately for me, the gluten-free gyro cart I read about had changed into Burgaroyd – a gourmet burger station. It had the most amazing listing of toppings I’ve ever seen including pancetta, sautéed morel mushrooms and Calabrian chile aioli. Phil went to town with a Western Burger and some hand-cut shoestring fries. I settled for some killer chick pea fries from Garden State and a somewhat boring rice and veggie bowl from Native Bowl. When I was in Miami, I indulged in gluten for the week. My number one treat – and something I have to get virtually everytime I’m there – was the nova platter at Roasters ‘n Toasters. Watching them slice these sheets right off the filet is almost enough to bring a smoked salmon worshiper like myself to tears. Draping an excessive amount of nova over an everything bagel with cream cheese, capers, red onion and tomato is truly a thing of beauty. This would be in the running for my last meal on death row.
A snapshot of my typical juicing bounty (Photo: T. Blue)
I didn’t think I noticed a difference at first being back on gluten but it soon became obvious I was more congested, lethargic and prone to headaches. That first morning back in Portland, I was so happy to drink a fresh juice. Phil bought a juicer not too long ago which has made his house an even healthier place. On most days now, juice fills the void for him that coffee once did. I went on a roll, juicing five days in a row. The whole process of washing the fruits and veggies, chopping them, running them through the juicer and then cleaning the machine was time consuming but certainly worth it. Everyday the juice tastes a little different; even with similar ingredients. Some days it’s borderline magical. I still trip out on the way beets pass through the digestive system and maintain their blood-like hue on the other side.
It was fun spending Tuesday with Raven on the one day she had in between her trips to Baltimore and Colorado. We headed to our favorite food cart – Nong’s Khao Man Gai – as Phil had yet to sample its heavenly goods. Of course the poached organic chicken and rice with ginger-chili sauce left nothing to be desired as usual. The little cup of chicken broth it comes with would be the ultimate sicktime soother.
Shari at Argyle was a sweetheart. Love those bubblies! (Photo: T. Blue)
Later that afternoon, Raven and I headed out to the Willamette Valley for our first experience wine tasting in that region. It was a nice drive to Dundee where we hopped around to four different wineries: Duck Pond, Erath, Argyle and Joe Dobbes. They were all enjoyable in their own rite. Duck Pond was complimentary, the women were sweet and it had one of the best winery gift shops ever. Erath took us along a bucolic road and introduced us to several top notch pinots. There we met up with a cool woman visiting from Colorado who ended up accompanying us on the next two stops. Argyle is famous for its sparkling wines and rightfully so. The brut was my favorite, hitting all the right notes in terms of flavor and bubbles. The radiant woman pouring for us – Shari – explained how the winery is haunted by the spirit of a girl who committed suicide there almost 100 years ago. Ghost Hunters even came there looking into it.
Jessica, Raven and our new friend from Denver getting loose at Joe Dobbes Winery (Photo: T. Blue)
We squeezed in a tasting at Joe Dobbes where a woman named Jessica took good care of us. The warm ambience in the wood building made me feel like we were in a wine barrel, as we sipped an array of delicious vino. Dobbes sounds like a dynamic figure who continues to make significant contributions to the local wine scene. Apparently he makes wine for several other wineries and is one of the few in the area to produce a syrah.
Could you say no to this lamb? (Photo: T. Blue)
I told myself not too long ago that I wasn’t going to eat lamb anymore. It wasn’t like I was a serial lamb-eater but it ended up on my plate a handful of times over the past few years. I felt a ping of guilt each time. I don’t want any animal to suffer in the name of consumption but especially not one as cute as a lamb. When I heard that it was on the Easter menu at Carrie and Cosimo’s house, resistance was futile. Of course I was going to eat it and I was going to love it. Creating a parallel between the Northeast and Southwest, both Phil and Cosimo were roasting legs of lamb at their respective Easter gatherings. I’m sure Phil’s turned out great but I can only speak for Cosimo’s which was good enough to make a PETA member turn a blind eye. The bone fell right out like he wanted and the flavors of garlic and rosemary crept in gently. Topped with a mint chimichurri sauce, it was succulent as could be. The leftovers tasted even better last night.
About 15 people passed through CnC’s house on Sunday. It was nice to meet a few new folks like Alyssa and Terry. She’s a yoga instructor, personal trainer and bouldering enthusiast. He’s a serious climber who goes to the Portland Rock Gym thrice weekly. In the week since I’ve gotten more interested in climbing I’ve already connected with several people who are into it. It was great to pick Terry’s brain and get even more excited to delve into my new pursuit. T.J. and Sarah were fun to talk to as well. He is a hardcore Phish fan and we have been at many of the same shows including one exceptional, darkhorse performance in Spartanburg, SC on 10/29/94. She just opened an eco-friendly dog store called NoPo Paws in North Portland. I look forward to paying a visit with Quincy the three-legged wonder dog maybe later this week.
Alex and Shawn's lamb sliders threw people for a loop (Photo: T. Blue)
Alex and Shawn ventured from their northeast corner to join the Easter festivities too. Whenever Alex cooks, anybody who knows what he’s capable of holds their breath in anticipation. This time it was juicy, perfectly-seasoned lamb sliders. Sorry Little Bo Peep but it was that kind of day. I had one sans bread and tzatziki which was still incredible. If we were eating lamb, at least it was prepared by a couple guys who knew how to make it sing. My shrimp and sweet cherry pepper stuffed mushrooms more than held their own. Carrie put me in charge of cocktails which was an apt move. I made a ginger simple syrup which lent to some exotic, refreshing mojitos. I finally figured out how to make a mojito which probably qualifies as a blessing and a curse.
