Highway 120 Revisited

Bodie State Historic Park

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:28:00 +0000

I don't remember where I first heard of the Bodie State Historic Park, probably some time last year when I was doing research for my cross-country road-trip. But the idea of a deserted town struck me as quite appealing.

Bodie is a town from the Gold Rush era. Once thriving, it was the home of up to 10,000 people, with its own chinatown, red light district, and mining complex. Then it was deserted little by little and the last inhabitants left around 50-60 years ago.

Now a State Park, it is maintained in a state of "arrested decay" in the same conditions as back then. It's a really eerie place, with dead houses creaking in the wind, half buried car wrecks and rusty equipment scattered in the prairie.

Getting to Bodie is rough on the car, I was quite stressed. There's an unpaved road taken straight out of Le Salaire de la Peur, complete with washboard. Lucky for me, I didn't have any nitroglycerine in the car!

Arriving at Bodie

The last remaining church, on Green St., erected in 1882

D.V. Cain's house

Wandering among ghosts

An old car

Inside Miller house

Expecting to see Clint Eastwood somewhere... It's funny because the whole town kind of reminds me of Lago, the godforsaken town from High Plains Drifter, and Eastwood had the set built really close, on the shores of Mono Lake. Visiting Bodie feels a bit like that.

Eerie I told you

Wrecks

It's a really strange feeling to visit this town. People lived there, but eventually they didn't die, they moved. The town died. You half-expect to hear a faint voice in the wind go all Roy Batty on you, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..."

(Heh, third movie ref in a single post, I think that's a new record...)

Park Street shops and Fire station

One of Bodie's current residents

The Mill

More ruins

"Houston, we lost connection"

Continuing the tour

Another resident

The cemetery

View of the town from the cemetery

Back

On the way back to June Lake, beautiful Mono Lake

And I took the June Lake loop instead of following US395 to have some more of these gorgeous mountains-and-lake views

And now it's over. I have to pack my stuff and go, Real Life is calling...

Tomorrow, back to San Francisco.

Gaylor Lakes Trail

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

I did well in taking the harder one first, because I don't know if I would have managed to hike the Mono Pass trail after this one.
It's not really difficult, except at the beginning. The beginning is Hell. The trail starts off right at the Tioga Pass station, super steep all the way to the top. And once you reach the first lake, there's a steep downhill path. (You shouldn't forget it'll be there on the way back. Uphill.)

Then it's relatively flat.

However, the big plus is that right from the beginning, the view is fantastic.

Wildlife, part four

Still climbing.

At the top it's rocky and desolate. And the wind is a bitch, there's dust everywhere. Bad when you wear contacts...

First sight of the first lake

After walking down the path, I reached the shore

And proceeded to stop and doze off for 20 minutes. Nobody around, just the water and the birds and the wind... Totally zen.

Walking towards the general direction of Tuolumne Meadows, another fantastic vista, courtesy of Mother Nature

Doubling back, let's go to the second lake. A last one for the road.

And... after much pain and sweat (still hurting a bit from the Mono hike), I reached the second lake.

There are three lakes, but I stopped right there. I know my limits. Besides, it's not bad for a first timer :p

I managed to climb back the damn thing! To give an idea of the location, the Tioga Pass station is hidden somewhere behind those trees.

Walking downhill is so easier

Wildlife, part five.

And, back at the trailhead. Mission complete!

But oh the pain. Help me here, should I think "Pain means you're still alive" or "No pain no gain?"... Ouch.

Tomorrow, no hikes, fortunately. Instead I'll take a trip to the past, and visit the ghost town of Bodie, California. Stay tuned.

Mono Pass Trail

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:57:00 +0000

Originally I planned to start with the Gaylor Lakes hike and finish with Mono Pass, but at the last moment (literally), I chose to start with Mono Pass instead, since it was longer and harder, and finish with the "easy" one.

How harder I had no idea though. Woah the pain.

Worth it though, I also chose that for the scenery, and it is superb.

Wildlife, part one

Lots of birds and squirrels in here, there's chirping and buzzing everywhere. That said, it's a National Park after all, so the contrary would be surprising...

The trail alternates between shade and open paths

Some stream

Awesome vista all along

Wildlife, part two

Another view of blue sky, pines and mountains, if you're not bored yet. I'm not :)

Chillin'

Spot the bird!

Final stage of the trail, a long, relatively flat path through an open plain. Stunning alright, but at that point also kind of painful.

And I finally reached the end of the trail. Well, technically not an end since it actually continues on the other side in the general direction of Mono Lake, through barren, rocky wastelands perfectly suited for a post-apocalyptic movie set. But I digress. Main thing here is, I reached the pass. Elevation 10599ft.

Just out there there was a beautiful lake, so I walked a bit farther to spend a few minutes there doing absolutely nothing at all.

Wildlife, part three

Then I left, after a last pic

I made it!

7.5 miles (12 kilometers)
Trailhead Elevation: 9,700 feet (2,950 meters)
Mono Pass Elevation: 10,599 feet (3,230 meters)
Elevation Gain: 900 feet (275 meters)

Time spent: five hours.

Funny tip: "This is one of the highest-elevation day hikes in Yosemite. If you live near sea level, you may want to spend a day or two acclimating to Yosemite before hiking to Mono Pass."

I wish I had read that before doing it...

But I survived!

Highway 120 Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Yes, I love Bob Dylan :)

On a chilly Monday morning almost, but not quite entirely unlike last year, I left Monterey and drove off towards Yosemite National Park.

A beautiful day. I'm so lucky.

Arriving at the park, the views were as stunning as before.

Last year's biggest fear was almost fulfilled when I ran across these two suckers who were crossing the road in a nice turn with no visibility whatsoever.

First encounter with Yosemite wildlife.

Yeah, I'm talking to you, stupid

Moving on, stunning views again

Bikers!

And after Tioga Pass I arrived at the US395 crossing, with this magnificent view on Mono Lake

And I arrived in June Lake, which is exactly as I remembered it. I so have to buy a home there by the next 40 years. It's a retirement dream... :p

Tomorrow, HIKING!

Play "Misty" for me

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Sunday is traditionally Family Day here at the Festival, and it's also the day where most of the next generation of jazz talents come and show off their l33t musical skillz.
If the ones here in Monterey are any indication, there's no need to worry, they got the future of jazz covered.

After watching a few of their performances, I headed to Dizzy's Den, where a discussion was being organized about sax legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom I had never heard of before this year, although he played with such stars as Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The discussion, which was more or less centered around the tribute CD "Cannon re-loaded" by saxophonist Tom Scott, involved the following:

Gregg Field

Tom Scott (obviously)

Orin Keepnews

and Roy McCurdy

I can't really go in detail into what they said, as they basically shared anecdotes and memories of Adderley to discuss his style and philosophy, but everything I heard or read about him this weekend makes me like him. I definitely have to buy some of his records.

And then, came the moment I was waiting for. I finally got to see the great and only, Clint Eastwood. Himself. For real.

It may seem like a cliché since it is after all the movie that kind of put the MJF under the spotlight, but I discovered the Festival thanks to Eastwood's movie Play Misty for Me, years ago. It went to the back of my head, and it kept bugging me time and again although at first I didn't know what festival it was. Then I read about Monterey and the pieces just clicked together. Then last year, I finally got the chance to travel to California and see it for myself.

And missed the opportunity to see Clint Eastwood because of some darned good jazz player on the Garden Stage. I totally forgot.

But not this year, no siree.

A discussion scheduled with Clint Eastwood and Jamie Cullum about music in movies. I couldn't miss that.

Clint Eastwood

Jamie Cullum

I didn't know the guy, but I'll keep an eye on him. Check him out, he's a fairly cool bloke. The discussion went from how they got into music to their collaboration and how they worked, their creative process, their influences... Very interesting stuff, and lots of jokes and quips as a side dish.
Excellent!

After the panel, I hurried to the Garden Stage to catch the other Eastwood. Yes, Clint's son Kyle Eastwood plays jazz, ladies and gentlemen, and let me tell you, he's pretty good at that!

And I wasn't alone

Kyle Eastwood and band

And the Festival ended with a tribute to Coltrane by Kurt Elling, fantastic classic jazz full of spirit and soul.
It was followed by Wayne Shorter, which was a polar opposite, a disappointment (to me), as it's the kind of jazz I really don't like: improvisation without melody, just notes without a coherent thought behind it, coming and going just like that. No logic. Just... notes, detached, without foundations. Maybe it's supposed to mean something for the musician, but I for one don't get it, it's really not my style.

Buuuut all was not lost, for the closing act was nothing short of awesome. Two words: Herbie Hancock. Need I say more?
Blowing everyone away with style and humour, great music, great jazz, great beats. Phenomenal.

And thus will be remembered the end of MJF 51.

time for some thrilling heroics!

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

So, not quite out of the blue since I've been waiting to do that for years, I decided to take advantage of my stay on the gorgeous Californian coast to look for a skydiving club and just, you know, jump out of a plane.

At 18.000 ft.

Seeing the giganormous grey clouds that morning, I got very concerned since I had pretty much only that day to do it, and no room to reschedule. Fortunately, by noon the sky cleared and it became the most beautiful day ever. I could not have wished for more.

The tarmac and plane.

It's a King Air, which happens to be the kind of plane I'd buy if I had the moneys to get one. Cool coincidence! :)

After a couple of hours the sky was blue and the sun was shining. So they got us ready.

All suited up and ready to go!

Meet Andrea and Benjamin, two UCSC students who became my de-facto companions on this adventure.

They decided to do that after a dare. Can you believe that? Kudos to them, and thanks for coping with my incoherent babbling while we waited for the skies to clear up. I even managed to sneak Doctor Horrible into the conversation, that's how much of a nerd I am.

Here's the warning promising all kinds of doom if regs are not followed. (and some even if they are)

We all noticed with a certain amusement that it is conveniently placed on our backs, just so we can't read it, become rational and run away to a world of sanity.

Anyways.

After the club got the greenlight from the powers-that-be, things were rolling and the time came for serious business. They got a first round of skydivers before my turn, as I was in plane number 2. We all watched them and one of the other guys had this brilliant idea to say "Well, they're all open!".
Heh. Nervous laughter ensued.
Getting in the plane was when it got kind of real, like, OK, now I'm actually doing this??

Yes, I am DOING THIS!

I know I look nervous here, but I am actually enjoying the view. True story.

All set.

And then, the moment came. It all went so fast, one second Benjamin was there in front of me, the next he was gone. And it was MY turn.

The "Holy shit" moment

Quick smile for the camera

And WOOOHOOO, off we go!

You know, honestly, I may have yelled. I don't remember. Suddenly I was out, tumbling around, with the wind blowing in my face at 200 km/h. Totally confusing. It took a while to manage to breathe, there's too much air coming in. But then, I could actually enjoy the freefall...

... and the view, oh my!

No time to think. Sensory overload is pure fun.

Freefall is such a thrill. It doesn't actually feel like a fall. After the initial tumble, once your speed is constant and you're stabilized, it's really smooth, a bit like body-surfing, except with air instead of water. And yeah, 500% more intense.

Eventually, my instructor opened the chute.

And there came the scariest part, for it was not the fall, mind you, that stuff was all kinds of fun. No, the scary part was when my instructor, after opening the canopy, gave me the handles and then casually told me "Ok now you're in control!"

WHAT?? I was already kinda very careful not to touch anything on my gear, lest I open something I shouldn't and plummet to the ground like a certain sperm whale, but then, I got pretty much petrified.

But that's part of the fun, right?

Yet all went well, he made me do some turns and stuff before taking the controls back for the landing. And after a flight of, I don't know, six or seven minutes, we touched the ground.

And we all rejoiced in the fact that I am now a certified lunatic. :D

This is the most mind-blowingly fantastic thing I've ever done. So exhilarating, I've never felt more alive.

If you get the chance, go for it!

I'll add a big, big thanks to the very friendly and very professional staff over at Skydive Monterey Bay for the experience of a lifetime. Always there for any question, or to clear any doubts, on top of everything... Big props to them.

W00t!

MJF51, day 2

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Back in Monterey!

I grabbed some alligator-on-stick for lunch (and I say that oh so casually! ), and yeah, it still tastes like chicken. Haha.
The highlight of the afternoon to me was the Garden Stage performance of great saxophonist Maceo Parker, who claims he only does 2% jazz.

The other 98% are pure funk.

Long intro by the band

And Maceo arrives at last

Such fantastic beats. I just hope I can play half as well as he does, he's awesome.

I plan to practice over his CD. Too bad for my neighbours...

Afterwards I went indoors and most of it was simulcast from the Arena, so pics were not an option. Speaking of the Jazz Theater, I'm a bit bummed this year by the Best Buy sponsoring of the festival, not for the fact that it's Best Buy, but the billboards and signs were so conspicuous... Last year's sponsoring by Borders was much, much more subtle.

Anyway, we got the Maria Schneider Orchestra giving a great performance presenting the commissioned "Willow Lake", and then Terence Blanchard at the Night Club, which I saw from the outside since it was packed and I couldn't get in.

Thus endeth a phenomenal day. But wait, there's more: Sunday got another lifelong dream fulfilled! :D

On the road again

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Following my own footsteps, I went back to SFO in the morning to pick up my car and proceeded to take the 101, then the 92 to Half-Moon Bay, where I finally connected with the Pacific Coast Highway. I don't know if I'm particularly lucky or if it's the usual weather at this time of year, but once again I got a very sunny day and driving to Monterey was a breeze.

Lone Ranger

Here's my ride for this year.

Can you believe I found the exact same spot to take the pic?? Hehe... It's a Pontiac G6 and the nickname for that one is "Nelly".
New for 2008: Sunroof upgrade! Yay!

More rocks and waves from that gorgeous coast

Another lone ranger

Approaching Santa Cruz

Just before arriving in Monterey, I decided to stop and go to the beach

And once in Monterey, I discovered that my adapter wouldn't fit in the motel's plugs because they used antiquated ones with no ground pin. Cheap bastards. Thankfully, I had recharged the camera's battery in SF so there was plenty of juice to cover the festival.

Which will be the subject of the next post. Stay tuned.

MJF 51, day one

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0000

With the motel just 5 minutes from the Fairgounds and remembering the lesson learned last year, I was able to enjoy much more of that first evening than in MJF50.
Just after the gates opened, and having 30 minutes to kill before the first show started on the Garden Stage, I stopped by the awesome New Orleans cookery and had some mighty hot jambalaya. I'm thinking this could become a kind of ritual...

Festivities kicked off with the George Young Quartet

I couldn't catch their names, but here they are:

Sue Downs was still playing beautiful pieces by the pond

I then headed to the Night Club to hear that guy called Spencer Day

Check it out, he's really good.
Here's the rest of his band

And the evening ended (for me) with the beautiful notes of Anat Cohen

And band

Great start for a memorable week-end, in more ways than one.

Well, here we go again...

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:24:00 +0000

Either it's because I was on the oppposite side of the plane or we took a different approach this time, but we had a splendid view minutes before landing.

Hello SF, I'm back!

San Fran, version 2008

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:37:00 +0000

One of the things I was impatient to see was whether my first impression from last year would come back. And, somewhat surprisingly, I felt exactly the same. I officially love San Francisco. :) It's a lot more laid back than NYC, everything feels more relaxed here. Don't get me wrong, I love New York, but it's definitely a different vibe.

I scheduled the Golden Gate for newt week, I didn't want to spent the rest of the day running around catching BART and cabs and stuff just to get there, and only have 5 minutes at that. So I strolled through Chinatown.

And I chilled out in beautiful Washington Square, since San Fran has one too ;)

I have to say, between the two, I do prefer NYC's Washington Square Park. :D But it's very nice nonetheless.

Initializing...

noreply@blogger.com (raph) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Just shy of two weeks away from a return to NoCal, Monterey, June Lake and more. Can't wait to see the Coast again.
Oh, yeah, and I chose the same layout as last year because, let's be honest, it just works.

Rock on!