Last Days at Essence Arenal

Tonight is my last night at the farm.  I am feeling anxious to start my journey home.  I leave Costa Rica on Monday morning at 1:00 AM.  Then, I have a day and a half in San Juan, Costa Rica.  I will arrive in Minnesota on Wednesday around 2:00 pm, that is if all goes well.

On my last day off, Ronnie and I were able to borrow Lelander's horses for a whole day.  We walk to another organic farm.  Again, I ran into my friend, Steve, who was on his way out to the farm to make connections for his volunteer company.  It was nice, we drank a couple of beers, then headed back to El Castillo; only to find that I dropped my wallet somewhere on the trip.  SO, we had to make the trip all the way back to look for it.  The first part of the ride was great, but the second part hurt my butt sore.  I am still feeling sore from it.  We didn't find my wallet, but someone did, and it was returned to Essence Arenal.  

On the farm, I mowed the whole lawn.  Today I planted beans next to the coffee, because it produces a lot of nitrogen for the coffee.  I took some picture of some of the people who work on the farm.  

Last night, Phillip, the German, and I met some girls from Holland.  After supper, we all went down to Kelly, the Restaurant Manager’s flat for some drinks and cards.  It was great fun.  

Here are some pictures.  I have to run to the Game.  Oh yeah, It has been raining like crazy.  Everything I have is soaked, it sucks, but it's awesome.  See ya!

Joe

Ten Days left in Costa Rica

I have only 10 days left in Costa Rica.  I have been having the experience of my life here in El Castillo.  The work on the farm is hard, but I am in great shape now.  It is no longer a problem for me to lift and shovel an entire day.  I don't even get sore or winded now!  Nice.

I haven't been doing too much away from the farm.  I meet some really nice girls from Spain.  Yesterday they gave me a ride into La Fortuna, where I met up with Esteban, the guitar player I met my first day in La Fortuna.  We walked around and drank a 40 oz of Pilsen Beer.  After, we took a cab up the free hot springs.  It is one of the best hot springs around, not for the beauty, but because it doesn't smell like sulfar.  I was supposed to get picked up at 11:00 am, but the shuttle neglected to pick me up.  I haven't once been pick up by the shuttle.  However, we got a ride from an American from California. He owns 2 bars in  La Fortuna, as well as a dog refuge.  He has like 30 dogs.  He was very laid back.  In exchange for the ride, we all drank rum and played music for about an hour after our arrival home.

Today is my Monday for work.  I feel healthy and rested.  I am going to be composting all the fruit trees that run along the trail today.  Up and down with a wheel barrel of compost.  This time, the wheel barrel will be empty on the way up... nice.

I am starting to get antsy to come home.  I have so much work ahead of me for the upcoming school year.  I have nerves.  I am also riding the plastic right now, which is a little unsettling.  I am looking for some cash work when I get back.  If anyone has any work for me, please let me know.

One more story,  I never mentioned that I accidentally made my return trip from SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico..... not SAN JOSE, Costa Rica.........  So, before I come back to the states, I am going to be spending a night in San Juan.  Hilarious now, but I had to purchase a different return ticket just to leave the country.  I was able to fully refund the ticket, but I had to purchase a ticket to San Juan for my return flight.  It will work out.

Hope all is well,
Missing a bunch,
Joe

Update from the farm

Hello all,

The last couple of days have quite the workout.  I have been doing a lot of composting and planting. Composting starts with the decomposed horse manure.  Yesterday I shoveled ten, ten gallon bags of poop.  I am officially used to the smell of barn.  After gathering the poo, I mix the compost. It contains one part decomposed organic material, one part soil, and one part dry materials, I used dried leaves.  I made three huge piles of each, then I mixed them all together.  It was tough. Imagine you are stirring up a big batch of chocolate chip cookies, only the spoon is a shovel, and the bowl is 6 feet tall.  I dug it though. The hard work is really making me healthy.

Planting pineapple is really simple.  You plant the top of the pineapple about 2 inches deep, and top it off with compost.  Planting coffee trees is only slightly more complicated.  First you dig the narrow hole for the roots. Then you mix composed in the bottom of the hole.  After that, you trim a ring of soil around the hole to put compost on.  Lastly, you put fill and pack the roots in, and top the dirt with composed. 

Indoor Soccer Team

I have been listening to music all day, every day.  I’ve been trying to listen to music I don’t usually listen too.  I have so much music, it makes it difficult to listen to it all.  Some of the albums include Trouble- Ray LaMontagne; Feed back- Jurassic 5; Together/apart- Grieves; Rage Against the Machine- Rage Against the Machine; The Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack; Skin and Bones- Foo Fighters; Time Bomb- Iration; All Day- Girl Talk; Jay-Z MTV Unplugged; and Hunky Dory- David Bowie.  I would recommend any of these albums to music lover’s with eclectic taste.  For people who have similar taste to my mother, I recommend Trouble, Hunky Dory, The Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack and Skin and Bones.  They are NOT RAP, so try them out!

On my day off, Ronnie, the chef and I hitch hiked in to La Fortuna to get cash and have a nice day.  We missed the shuttle in the morning, so we had to walk and HH.  There are many locals driving by, so it isn't dangerous.  Ronnie and I had a full day of drinking and walking.  We also missed the shuttle home, so we had to get a cab.  Ronnie talked down the cabbie, so it wasn't too expensive.  We also bought Tiger Woods, 2006 on the playstation 2, so we have some great entertainment.  

Yesterday, I had an indoor soccer game.  We won 2-0. It was my first shoutout. I am actually respected as a goalie. It is pretty sweet indeed.  I got a good picture of my team after the game.  My knees and hips are quite bruised, which doesn't really make the work on the farm any easier.  

Other than that, I have been working hard, being healthy, and having a great time.  Sorry if this post is a little funky. I started it 4 days ago, and am too lazy to revise it tonight!

Hope all is well,

Joe

My first 4 days at Essence Arenal

The view from my tent. It was like a treehouse.

 Hey all,

I finally made it the Essence Arenal.  It was quite the journey.  First, I missed my arrival date because I didn't plan properly for the bus trip. Once I arrived in La Fortuna, I missed the pick-up for the farm, because the driver didn't know my name (he was supposed to). So, I didn't get in a van with a stranger.  The farm people were a little frustrated with me.  Then I was late for breakfast in the morning, which put them over the edge.  I blame my roommate for the the night, she set an alarm, and was under the impression that it was lax on the time for breakfast.  It wasn't really her fault, but I had to talk to the owner and convince him to let me stay.  It was really stressful.

Anyways, now that I am here, it is all good.  The last three days, I have PUSH mowed the entire farm, and gathered stones for another day.  Both were an incredible amount of work, but I rocked it out.  I am losing weight pretty quickly, I haven't been on this good of track in a long time.  It is because of the hard work and the incredibly good food. There is an in house chef who cooks amazing vegetarian food, all from the farm.  Pretty much every meal is the best I've ever had.

Millipede I found while moving stones. 

I was living in a tent for a night, but then I was moved to another house with the chef.  His name is Manny, he is a cool guy.  We have been chillin out at night.  He is helping me with my Spanish, and I with his English.  We play God of War II, and drink beer.  On my day off, we are going to get food and have a BBQ.  It is gonna be pretty bomb for sure. He will teach me a thing or too.

My roommate Manny.  He fell in love with photobooth.

Yesterday night, Heiro, the farm help, took me into town to play indoor soccer, on concrete. It was intense.  The whole town was there.  The level of competition was very high.  I was playing goalie for the team.  Playing goalie requires a lot of communication with the team.  It was difficult to communicate with them, but they were very nice and understanding.  We played 2 games, and lost them both (4-3), (4-1), but the team was happy with my performance.  For those of you who don't know, I played in high school.

I just finished breakfast, so I need to bounce out to work.  These are some pictures from the farm.  The volcano is called Arenal.

Hope all is well,

Indoor soccer.

Joe

Volcano Arenal.

First Days in Coasta Rica

I made it.  Much has happened since I left. 
1. When I got to the airport to fly out of portland, I found out I accidentally made my return flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of San Jose, Costa Rica.  I had to by another ticket to have proof that I am leaving the country.  I am unable to switch my trip because I already left, so I am going to by a ticket to san juan.  It will be my cheapest option.  It has been a big hassle to say the least.

2.  Once I got to San Jose, I met some Austrian and German fellas.  My original plan was to stay in San Jose for a few days, but there wasn´t a ton to do, so I went to Montezuma with the guys.  The place was paradise.  We hung out on the beach and relaxed for 3 days.   We found a trail up to the top of three waterfalls.  There, we found a rope swing and a 35 foot cliff to jump off.  When I think of what I wanted to do in Costa Rica, this was a great start.  We met two girls from France, and we also hung out with a couple from Canada as well.  It is so easy to meet people when traveling alone. 

3. Last night, I missed my bus connection to La Fortuna, so I stayed one more night with the Austrians.  We were in Puntarenes, and the only restaurants that were open were Chinese Restaurants.  It was pretty funny trying to order chinese food in spanish.  My spanish is coming along.  The few months I have been using Rosetta Stone has been paying off.  Although i am not anywhere near fluent, I have been able to ask for directions, hold simple converstations, order food, and tell people that mi español es no bueno!  It´s hard to pick up new words, but I am really solidifying what I have learned.

4.  I just arrived in La Fortuna.  It is beautiful.  It has a volcano, hot springs, and rain forest.  It is very beautiful, but very full of tourists.  I am going to be picked up at 5:15 tonight to start my wwoofing experience.  I am very excited to be in a private place, and not to stand out so much.  The swindlers are getting annoying. 

I dont know if there is internet available at the farm, but if not I will check in next Sunday!

Peace and Love,


 Joe  

7/11/12 Last hours in Portland

Today is my last day in Portland. I am sitting at Brads, sorta doing rosetta stone, sorta pacing around, and sorta watching How I met your mother (great show).  I am really anxious to get to the airport.  I am nervous about how little Spanish I know.  There was a problem at the post office, so the next levels got sent back to Minnesota (I forgot them).  I just got Level 2 of Rosetta stone and I am trying my best.  Right now, I am learning directions and stuff.  It is pretty essential.  

I do have my hostel reserved, it is right in the heart of San Jose.  I think it will be great fun, and it is only 11$ a night.  niiiice.  I will be staying there though Sunday, then I will be off to the organic farm to begin a new adventure.  

Last night, Brad and Janie took me to Kennedy Elementary School.  It is turned in to a hotel complex.  There are 6 bars, a movie theater, pool/hot tub, brewery, smoking room, and a couple other things I am forgetting.  It is really an awesome place.  They brew their own beer and distill their own whiskey.  We had a nice time.  Here are some pics.  

I am going to get on out of here,

I'll check back in Costa Rica.  I will be there tomorrow at 5:00 am.

Voy a la Costa Rica!

7/9/11 Camping at Eagle Creek and Portland Blues Festival

Hey all, 


I have been really busy since the last post.  We went camping, to the Blues Fest, and I had dinner with my aunt.

Eagle creek has a trail that goes along it all the way up the the Pacific Crest.  Because of a time restraint, we camped just 4 miles up stream, just inside the Mt. Hood wilderness.

The picture to the right shows the falls located right behind our camp sight.  These falls had three level, but you can only see the top.  The falls run along a steep, moss and tree covered cliff.  It is beautiful.  Everything was so green and vibrant.  Above the falls, there was a nice calm spot that we used to wash dishes and things.  The water was quite cold, too cold to swim in.  It did, however make a great way for us to refrigerate our mayo.

Because our campsite was so close to the trail, people were cutting through to see the waterfall.  It was an obvious hot spot.  We didn't mind though.  I met a guy from Kalamazoo, MI.  He was nice, and he let me borrow his water filter.  I also met a girl from Switzerland.  She was very nice too. She was staying in Washington and was just there to see the sights.  We also met a couple from Florida. They were camping for the first time ever.

The picture to the right is of me in front of Tunnel Falls.  The black spot by my right shoulder is a man made tunnel that runs underneath the falls.  The falls are huge, probably 200 feet tall.
The picture under that one is of Brad walking on Eagle Trail.  We were walking along a huge gorge with the river running down the middle.

Yesterday we went to the Portland Blues Festival.  It is the second biggest in the county, bigger than Bayfront Festival.  We went on the final day to see Steve Miller.  It was great.  He played a bunch of old song, as well as some great blues.  You can tell he is getting a bit older, but he sang well and the songs are such great singalong songs.  I managed to get about 30 feet from stage, while Janie and Brad sat in the back on blankets.

Today I reserved my hostel in San Jose.  It is very centrally located near the capital and many museums.  The cost is eleven dollars a day, pretty cheap huh?  I am still finalizing my wwoof plans because I may be able to teach at one, but they haven't got back to me yet.  I did find one that has plenty of room, so I have a backup.

Anyways, I am gonna hit the sack, I am beat.  Long day of Rosetta Stone tomorrow.

Night,

Joe

Fri 7/6/12 - Disc Golfing in Portland

The view from my napping bench.

Yesterday I spent the whole day in Portland.  My friends live in the suburb, Tigard.  It is just south of Portland.  I took the bus in the city at 9:00 am.  My plan was to disc golf and explore the city alone.

I played at a Pier Park in Portland.  Oregon reminds me a lot of Minnesota, except the trees are bigger, the hills are bigger, and there is are mountains, volcanoes, and oceans all within an hour of Portland.  It is pretty sweet. Pier Park was an awesome course.  It is big enough, and every hole had a lane to throw through.

I met a couple of guys from Lacrosse, WI.  I played with them from about half the course on to the end.  They invited me to play another course later in the day.  I agreed.

After discing, I went took the bus downtown and met up with my Great Aunt Theresa.  She took me to a little restaurant called, The Labrador Retriever.  As you can guess, it was Labrador themed.  It was like heaven to me, because I grew up with black labs,  Max is our current lab at home.  I ate a spicy chicken curry.  It was pretty good, but a bit dry.  I also had a tasty home brewed IPA.

Peacock at the disc golf course.

After lunch, I went and took a little nap on a bench in downtown Portland.  There were a bunch of people sleeping on benches and hanging out.  I rested for about 45 minutes, before deciding to take a walk.  Up the street, I saw a hunger strike protest outside of city hall.  The people were living like hermits in the boulevards.

View from the 8th hole tee box.

I leaned against a wall on the opposite side of the street and observed.  One sign said, "Job loss + foreclosure = homeless." It saddened me to see those people there.  I saw another girl, she looked like she was 18 years old.  She was wearing a dirty dress, and no shoes.  She walk across the street and bummed a cigarette from a guy.  I wondered what her situation was.  Where did she come from to be in that situation.  Or possibly, is she just in the wrong crowd, or is she just lazy.  I don't know, but it was really thought provoking.

The fellas picked me up in the park.  We went to a private course that was about 40 minutes out of Portland.  The course was really beautiful and extremely difficult.  The course was located at a little family owned resort.  The resort had a amphitheater, a stocked fishing pond, peacocks, a campground, and two disc golf courses, one easy, one difficult.

If you know how golf scoring works, I got +17 on the day.  Not only was it a difficult course, but I could feel the fatigue affecting my game.  The course went up and down massive hills.  If I made a bad shot, sometimes I would have to tip toe down 50' drop offs.  It was intensely wooded and steep, but one of the best, most beautiful courses I have ever played.



When I got home last night, I went down hard.  I am gonna hang out today and finalized my Costa Rica logistics.  Once Brad gets home, we are going to hike 4 miles in the woods and camp for the weekend.  Its gonna be ballin.

Peace and Love,
Joe

Wed 7/4/12 - Oregon and Washington Coast

Yesterday, Janie and Brad took me to the coast.  It was a lovely day to spend the 4th.

The Goonies house, Astoria, OR

First we went up to Long Beach, WA.  It is a 26 mile long highways that runs right on the beach.  We didn't get to drive on it, but there were cars rollin up and down it while we were there.  I wish we could've driven it, but the spot where we entered was closed, and we didn't want to drive around looking for another one.  We had a nice lunch there, and we played some music and napped a little too. The water is super cold there, so the swimming was definitely out of the picture, even for a Minnesota boy like me.

After Long Beach, we traveled back over the HUGE bridge to Astoria, OR.  Astoria has been the setting for such films as: The Goonies, Free Willy, Kindergarten Cop, and Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles III.  We was the goonies house, haystack rock (where they matched up the map, the road that the jerk in the car made the brother fly into the woods on the tiny bike was the road up the haystack rock), and the school where Kindergarten Cop was filmed.  It was cool, but I felt like a major tourist.  People are living in the house, and they were getting ready to leave.  I felt like I was prying.

Haystack Rock, Canon Beach, OR

Anyways, it is extremely beautiful, AGAIN, and I recommend it for anyone.

I am gonna a hop a bus and go play one of the best disc golf courses in the country.

BYE,

Bridge between Astoria, OR, and Washington State.

JOE

Tues 7/3/11 Washington Park International Test Rose Garden

Today I went to the Washington Park Experimental Rose Garden.  It was a nice, pretty garden.  Here are some pictures to show.  I am lazy tonight... Tomorrow we are going to the coast for the 4th of July.

Joe  

Tues 7/3/12 - A Week in Portland

I have been in Portland for about a week.  Brad and Janie have been great to stay with.  We have eaten some really great meals in and out, play some interesting music with some interesting people, and had the opportunity to see some beautiful nature.  That's pretty neat.

Last week, Brad, Janie and I took a trip out to Silver Falls.  I have a couple pictures here, but there are lots more on the slideshow.  It is been rainy here, so the flora and fauna was incredibly bright and vibrant.  The greens were were especially beautiful when contrasted with the clear blue water and moderately cloudy sky.

The falls you see to the right are the tallest of the series.  There are ten waterfalls in all.  To put this picture in perspective, the dark shadow in the center of the picture running right to left, is the hiking traile.  People look like ants from here.  The path ran under the waterfalls.  There were caverns and voids that ran all along the walls.  Some of them
we could climb in.

This photo to the left was taken just to the left of the falls, revealing the winding path and voids found on the rock walls.  We there was a mist that filled the air.  It was a nice cool off from the exercise and the mild weather of the day.

Because of the constantly moist biosphere during the rainy time here in Oregon, the conditions are perfect for moss and lichen to grow.  Their symbiotic relations can be witnest easily through most of the forest.  Entire trees would be green from their bases to most of their branches.  Hanging from their branches would be the lichen.  It was pretty neat.



Salmon berries grow abundantly along Silver Creek.  The are cousins to raspberries, but they are much more tart.
They are not quite as tart as rhubarb, but they are sour.  I loved them.  As we walked down the trail, I pretty much was eating them the entire time.  I wish we would have remembered to bring a bag, but what can you do?

Silver Falls was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.  Not only were the falls wonderful to look at, but the sound of running water gave me a relaxed peace of mind.  There wasn't too many people out, which was nice.

I would highly recommend this area to anyone who enjoys nature and the out doors.  The trails are kept in nice shape too, so people with bad ankles could handle it!









The following day, Brad and I went up to Mt. Hood.  Mount Hood's peak is just over 11,000 feet.  The summit didn't really look that high and dangerous, but apparently it is quite treacherous.  It is one of the most popular mountains to climb in the world.  There are many ways to reach the summit, difficulty ranging from medium to high.  The newer, less experienced climbers account for most of the deaths. Click to read about deaths on Mt. Hood

The summit photo shown above was taken from behind this building, the Timberline Lodge.  This lodge has great history.  It was dedicated by FDR as a place where people can enjoy skiing through all four seasons.  The Timberline Lodge was also shown in Stanley Kubrick's, The Shining.  It is used in the opening scene, and is the building the film is supposed to be set it.   They didn't, however use it for any of the indoor scenes.  During the winter months, the lodge is completely engulfed with snow.  To prevent too much weight from building on the roof, it is extremely long and slanted, so the lodge is literally engulfed. 




During the trip, I read a book on Billie Holiday.  I am writing a song about her life. I will share it when I am done.  Should be sometime this week.

Hope all is well,
Joe

Thu 6/28/12 First days in Portland

I made it to Portland.  The bus ride was quite tolerable compared to the first.  It was only 13 hours, compared to 36 hours.   Plus, I learned a trick: make friends someone before you get on the bus, so you have conversation started before you get on. This way, you will not get stuck sitting next to someone you do not was to get stuck with.  There are some smelly, gross people you don't want to get stuck next to.  People can smell all they want. If fact, I usually smell, but not as bad as some people.

I arrived in Portland and about 10:30 in the morning.  Janie and Brad were both working.  I had to walk about a mile through downtown Portland to meet Janie to get their house keys.  Once I got them, I sat in a park and played guitar.  It is a cool feeling; playing music and seeing people turn there head or start tapping their feet.  I didn't open my guitar, because I didn't want charity, I just wanted to sing.  I caught my bus, I was home about 1:00.

That night, Brad and I hung out, drank some beers and passed out.  The next morning, I literally slept until 5:00 in the afternoon.  I have so much trouble sleeping on buses.

After I got up and took a shower, we hit the road for Multnomah Falls.  They are located approximately 25 miles out of Portland.  Although the falls were located near the main highway, it was still very beautiful. Multnomah Falls are tallest falls in the US.  It was about a mile and a half walk up a  windy path.  The path was washed out near the top, so Brad and I walk the river to the look, being careful not to be seen.  It is a pretty harsh fine, if you go of the trail.  It few was beautiful.  The trees across the Columbia river marks the Washington state line.  The trip took us about 2 and have hours.  


When we got home, Janie went to bed.  Brad and I cooked some steaks on the grill and went to bed around 1am.  Now, I am just kickin it at their pad.  Gonna do some cleaning and Rosetta Stone.  Should be a good time.  

Tonight, we are going to chill around here and rehearse music.  We are going to go to downtown Portland and play on the street for beer money.  Niiiiiice.






Joe

Sun 6/24/12 - Last night in Forestville

Tonight is my last night in Forestville, CA.  I haven't checked in recently because until today, we haven't done much.

Pete and I have been playing tennis every day.  I haven't play consistently in like 3 years.  It is great fun.  I improved each day I played (I usually beat Pete).  HOWEVER, we were playing yesterday, when I saw this dude walk in and start warming up.  I could tell he had skills, but I wasn't intimidated.

Pete and I continued to play, until I tired him out.  He was done.  He tightened his gluteus or maximus, I don't know which.  I was feeling quite accomplished.

By this time, the warm up dude was practicing serves a few courts over.  He was serving pretty well, but again, I had a completely unearned confidence brewing up in me.  I walked over and ask him if I could return his serves for some extra practice.  He was cool with it.  His name was Noah. He was crazy good.  He shot is so incredibly hard.  Sometimes, I had to try with all of my might just not to get hit with hit.  I almost got it in the groin like 5 times.

After some time, he says, "Now I am going to work on second serves." I couldn't touch those either. They had so much crazy spin on them.  It was ridiculous how good he was.  I found out later that Noah is playing in the US 18's tennis tournament, and that he is going to play division 1 tennis.  I can't remember the name of the school.  Anyways, it was a humbling experience.


Today, we all piled in to their Ford F150, and headed out to the Coast.  It was beautiful.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I will say though, the ocean was crazy cold; on par with Lake Superior.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

 Also, here is a recording I did of the song I wrote, "My Night." It isn't totally done yet, but I still thought you might like to hear the progress.  Click the play button to play.

Off to Portland tomorrow at 3:00 pm.



An update that I just realized: it is really hard to write this without using some appropriately place cuss words.  Fuh.

Joe

Mon 6/18/12 - Santa Rosa, CA - Disc Golfing

Today, Jesse and I went disc golfing on the rolling hills near Santa Rosa.  The course is in vineyard country, so all the rows you see behind are all vineyards.  The vineyards were the only green around, besides the leaves on the trees.  Everything else natural is dead grass.  There were all kinds of lizards and snakes in the long grass.  I tried, unsuccessfully, to catch a lizard.  Although I consider myself to have reflexes comparable to those of a puma or mountain lion or rabbit or dingo, the 4 inch lizard out hustled me.

As far as my game went, I played like nuclear microwaved dog doo at the beginning; but I managed to pull out some pars in birdies towards the end of the game.  It was not my best outing; it wasn't my worst.  Jesse improved drastically.  It is always a good time when someone figures out disc golf enough to actually want to play again.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.

When I got home from discing, I ate some super mac and cheese, followed by a nice cesar salad.
I did a lesson on Rosetta stone and that brings me here.  I am not sure what we are going to do tonight...


Hope all is well where ever you are,

Joe

Sun 6/17/12- Forestville, CA

Yo all,

The last two days have been busy.  Yesterday, we spent all day painting a room at the fella's house.  We painted it white.  After we painted, we went to the local Safeway and bought us some fixin's for shredded chicken tacos.  I made pico de gallo, salse verde and guacamole as well.  It was quite delicious.

We also took a dip in the Russian River, both yesterday and today.  Yesterday we took a quick dip; nothin too fancy.  But today, today we brought down some beers and my guitar.  I jammed music with dude from Brazil.  It was fun. Some girl paid us twenty dollars to play her girlfriend a song.  It was her girlfriends birthday, and she had a bad day.  It was great fun.  People were getting into it.  I am going to play at an open mic night on Tuesday in a town nearby. Weeoo.


Tomorrow, we are going to either play tennis, go to the coast, or buy inner-tubes and float down the Russian River.

Night,
Joe

Fri 6/15/12 - First Day in Cali

A photo of the Colorado Rockies taken from the bus.

Barley and Hops- A german themed pub in Occidental, CA.
I had a French Dip- it was ok, it was a bit dry.

I finally made it to Cali yesterday around 5:00p. It was was a grueling two day trip, but weehoo.

Last night, I made a tasty meal for the fellas.  We relaxed and watched, Tim and Eriks Awesome Show Great Job.  It is a random show about two guys who have a show.  I think it is on Adult Swim.  (If you like Robot Chicken, you will enjoy the show, otherwise you will find it quite annoying)

I had a nice, relaxing morning today.  I woke up, rocked out some Rosetta Stone, wrote a new song (sorta), ate some brunch and figured out my finances for the trip. It was well needed.

Then Matt, Pete, and I traveled to Armstrong Woods Nationals Reserve today.  It is a small, redwood forest reserve.  Never in my day, have I seen such large trees.  They are massive, and this park isn't filled with the BIG redwoods.  It is hard to describe in words how big they really are, and pictures really don't do them justice.

Anyhoo, after the redwoods, we went to a pub called Barley and Hops.  The food was fine, but the atmosphere was lively and full of energy.  The restaurant is inside a renovated house. People were spread out on the porch and front stoop drinking beer and wine.  The restaurant was packed.  There were lots of beautiful women about, which is always a good thing.  I had good company and a great time.  Oh, the bruschetta was tasty- it had zucchinis in it, which was a nice twist for the pallet.

The Armstrong Woods National Reserve, CA.

Now, I am chillin back at the house; soaking in the night air.  It gets pretty chilly here at night, I think it is in the low 60's or so.  I am diggin it. Reminds my of Minnesota, only not as humid. I am going to bed in about an hour. I think we are
going to play a game a yuker before bed.

Night!
Joe

Tue 6/12/12 - Omaha, NE

Yo,

I am currently sitting in downtown Omaha, NE, at a restaurant called Jazz.  It is a little cajan joint located 4 blocks from the bus station.  It is about 9:00 pm; I don't start loading on the bus until 10:15 pm.  Budweiser beer is delicious at the moment!!

I met an interesting gut on the bus today.  He was a 40 year old heavy metal head.  He doesn't like the new stuff.  He is more into the godfathers; Pantera, Slayer, Metallica... He told me about his drug ridden life.  I don't want to go into too much detail, but it really gave me a new perspective about people who are trying to get clean.  It's a good one.

Oof, my food just came.  I ordered Chicken A La Mer; a parmesan cream sauce with shrimp and krab meat.  It looks delicious.  I am gonna bounce and eat up!

ps: it is delicious as delicious can be

Later,
Joe

Sun June 10, 2012 - My Journey Begins

Hey whoever reads this.  I have never done a blog before.  I am blogging it up, because many people have asked for updates from me on my trip.

Right now, I am getting amped up to go.  I just bought a whole bunch of hiking/camping gear.  I have been trying on my new granite gear pack and looking in the mirror too much already.  I am feeling like a kid who is getting ready for summer camp; I am crazy excited to go, yet nervous to be so far away from home.

I am traveling to Northern California, Oregon, and Costa Rica.
I will be gone from Tuesday, June 12 - Wednesday, August 15.

I am leaving on Tuesday.  I am taking a bus to Santa Rosa, California.  I will be spending a week and a half with my good friends from high school.  We are planning on going camping in the red woods, spending a couple of days in San Francisco, and doing plenty of nothing.

I have 3 MAIN goals for the summer: 1. to experience things I have never experienced before, 2. to practice and become as proficient as possible in Spanish, 3. to write lots of music.

I will check in later.
Joe