Photo(s) of the Day

Still at Taylor's in San Francisco. Heading up to Lake Tahoe early tomorrow morning and we are finally going to be getting some snow so I'm very excited. Hopefully a powder day in the near future. Some photos from the last few days in San Francisco and Sonoma:

Golden Gate Bridge

Bedroom at dusk

Russian Hill

San Francisco townhouse with Golden Gate Bridge in the distance

Sonoma - Ravenswood Vineyard

Sonoma home entrance

Bedroom

Lounge area

Main space

Jenna at the dining room table

Spacey

Photo(s) of the day

Park City

Park City Terrain Park

Photo(s) of the Day

So I felt it was necessary to cut out a few stops in Utah and Wyoming in order to get to Lake Tahoe sooner. Lake Tahoe was having a great winter until I showed up. Now it's warm with no snow in the immediate forecast. I got a few hours of riding in at Kirkwood which was fun. It was good to be back and see a bunch of friends and familiar places.

Now I'm in San Francisco for a few days seeing a few friends and then I'll be back in Tahoe for the weekend. There is a tele comp at Alpine Meadows that I'll be shooting as long as everything goes according to plan and I don't get distracted and end up somewhere else.

For now here are a few photos:

If Crested Butte wasn't cool enough already, it turns out they find any reason/excuse they can to dress up in costume. Every year they have a nordic race through town called the Alley Loop. They pack the streets with snow, groom it and send hundreds of competitors of all ages and skill levels through it. It was a fun event that I'm glad I stuck around for. Some people are very serious about it and some simply get wasted and dress up and cruise around.

Luigi leads

Here he comes to save the day

Ketchup wasn't far behind

Backcountry twin jumps

Gunnison National Forest - Colin

Night shoot in Crested Butte - Seaton

Snowbird

Mineral Basin at Snowbird

The tram - 3,240 feet up in one shot is key

Snowbird

Now I'm off for adventures in SF with Taylor and Jenna.

Photo(s) of the Day

Snowbird

Snowbird - Mineral Basin

Snowbird backcountry access

(some) Photos from Crested Butte and Telluride

I have ended my streak of shower-less days and it was glorious. I feel reborn. I finally have my computer up and running so I can get some work done. Here are some photos from Crested Butte and Telluride:

Monarch Mountain, on the drive from Denver to Crested Butte

Gassing up before backcountry shoot in Crested Butte
Seaton

Seaton snowmobiling in Gunnison National Forest

Lisa, Colin and Seaton, dealing with a lazy snowmobile

Lisa

Seaton - Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Ice climbing in Ouray, Colorado

Telluride Gondola to town

At Telluride

Palmyra Peak and Gold Hill Chutes- Telluride

Palymyra Peak

Riding Telluride

Telluride XC trails

Frosty fence

Late night gondola ride to the village

Main street - Telluride

More details and explanations coming soon.

Salt Lake City

So the van-living has been full blown for about a week now. Its been an experience for sure. No real problems so far, I just have to adapt more than I had imagined.

I find myself looking at hotels/motels differently. I never used to pay attention to any, but I have found them the easier places to park the van for the night. Every hotel parking lot I pass I look at as a potential home for the night. What makes a good candidate? Parking on the side of the building, less street lights, a medium-full amount of cars in the lot (easier to blend and go unnoticed) and preferably trees/dumpsters/fences to park next to. It may sound odd but parking next to a dumpster provides a little comfort because it makes me feel protected on one side, or at least blocked from view from one side.

I won't say how long it has been since I've showered, but I will say its most likely the longest I've ever gone without a shower before. That is one of my bigger complaints. I always thought of myself as clean but it's so hard when my current living situation lacks any real bathroom facilities.

The last few days were spent at Snowbird, which is a great mountain. The terrain is unbelievable and we even got a little snow today. It was snowing throughout the day and it was the typical light as air, and super dry powder Utah is known for. It was a fun day but it just made me a little upset that all this amazing terrain is largely untouchable because of the icy and bare conditions. Beyond looking nice four inches of super light powder does little besides hiding the bumpy, icy layer underneath. That and make every turn dramatic from the cloud of snow that flies away at the slightest touch.

So tomorrow I'm in a hotel for the night so I will be able to set up my desktop and actually get some work done and post some new photos. AND I get to shower and relax. My body has a lot of aches, pains and funks from the van life, including a click in my neck every time I look left. It doesn't hurt, but it just doesn't seem normal.

I quickly typed this from the Cottonwood Canyon Cafe in the 15 minutes before they close, so it may be a little scattered, but that's ok, I'll have a more composed post tomorrow.

Crested Butte and Telluride

I haven't had internet access in a few days, or my desktop to upload all of my new photos, so it's been difficult to post on my blog. But I stepped into a small coffee shop in Telluride to get a little work done and utilize some wifi. So much has happened in the last five days I can't tell it all in the 10 minutes I have to type this up. Crested Butte and Telluride have been my favorite towns and resorts so far, so there is a lot to be said.

I spent three days in Crested Butte and Laci and Kirsten with CBMR PR synced me up with two tele skiers to photograph and show me around the mountain. Colin and Seaton MacMillan made my time in Crested Butte unforgetable. They not only showed me the best runs, the longest lasting powder stashes and the best places to eat in town, but they invited me into their home, took me snowmobiling and even invited me back anytime (which I'm taking them up on and returning tonight). They are two very talented skiers and all around great people who are making it difficult to leave Crested Butte.

The last two days were spent in Telluride which is a breathtakingly beautiful area. A rustic mining town in a box canyon, surrounded by 12,000-14,000+ mountains. My time is up and I have to run. There is much more to say about both places and as long as I can find some internet access I'll be posting more ASAP.

I'm heading to Ouray which is nicknamed "The Switzerland of America" to hit up some natural hot springs and vapor caves (suggested by Colin and Seaton). Then I'm returning to Crested Butte for a backcountry shoot with the twins.