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Off Yonder Stories Index
The Cam Chronicles - Episode I
East Coast, NSW, AU
01 June 1999
So the biggest and most recent news is that I have just landed a job with the Australian Geographic Society in the newly created position of Website Designer/Developer.
Backcountry Skiing
Dead Horse Gap, Snowy Mountains, AU
20 August 1999
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South Ramshead, our lunch break destination. |
This was a great trip. I took Friday off of work and got a ride down to Sydney from Matt Blackman, who was up visiting his mom, my landlord. He dropped me off and I met up with his brother, Jonathan. We trekked across Sydney with our packs and Joined Ken, our ride to the hills. After picking up his daughter, Larissa, we made the 4 hour drive to Canberra, the Australian Capital city. Crashed there for the night at someones house who they all knew, and drove to the Snowy Mountains from there, another 3 hours.
Start High, Go Low
Grose Valley, Blue Mountains, NSW, AU
28 August 1999
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I went to the Blue Mountains, about 2 hours west of Sydney. A guy I know had a gig with his band up there, so I caught a ride with him and saw his show Friday night, then started on the trail Saturday morning.
New Zealand
N. & S. Islands, NZ
01 September 1999
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Jason & Cameron on the North Island of New Zealand |
It all started as a simple week long trip to New Zealand so Jason could get his Australian Visa. Well, needless to say, when an adventure involves Jason and I, the simple... is made even simpler!
Rock Climbing
Wolgan Valley, Blue Mountains, NSW, AU
09 October 1999
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The rock in the Wolgan Valley. |
After this weekend, I was still on high for the week. It was great to meet and go climbing in the Wolgan Valley with Greg and Ben. Two guys who just live life as it comes to them, layed back, easy going, and super nice. I hope to be climbing with them again soon.
Weekend Warrior
Blue Mountains, NSW, AU
14 November 1999
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Gearing up for the Lithgow Downhill. |
This was more than just a mountain biking weekend as mentioned to me... Basicaly, it was golf on Saturday, pool and dinner at the pub, cards and pizza all night. Then Mountain biking on Sunday Morning, and Canyoning in the afternoon. It was pretty full weekend. And I loved it.
Hut Caretaker
Mawsons Hut, Snowy Mountains, AU
03 December 1999
This weekends adventure was with a group called the Squirrel Ski Club (SSC), but it's not always skiing that they do. Like this time, it's getting towards the middle of summer and there is not very much snow out there. Just in the few shady bits lie small patches, but we never got close to any of them. The objective of the SSC is to hike and ski around the snowy mountains and they are the care takers of one of the huts out there, Mawsons Hut.
Sailing Hobart To Sydney
Bass Strait, AU
01 January 2000
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The photo does the sea no justice. |
You haven't lived until you've sailed. And you haven't sailed until you've sailed Bass Strait. A relatively small stretch of water off the north coast of Tasmania, Bass strait has the reputation of consistently being the roughest stretch of water in the world.
Tasmania Trekking
Walls of Jerusalem NP, The Never Never, Cradle Mountain NP, Tasmania, AU
11 February 2000
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The West Wall of the Walls of Jerusalem range above Lake Salome. |
What amazing country. Mom flew down from Seattle to visit and said trekking in Tasmania was one of the last things she expected to do while visiting Down Under.
Carl and I had started planning this trip in 1999 and e-mailed at least 100 people inviting them to join us... but only an elite few responded.
This is a small glimpse at our incredible journey.
Scientific Study
White Mountains, QLD, AU
29 March 2000
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An arial view of the White Mountains in Queensland, Australia. |
To say they are mountains is a bit deceiving, it would better be describe them as the White Gorge System, but I guess that's not as catchy. Base camp was located at the end of an 50 km stretch of dirt road, 300 km West of Townsville, QLD, making it one of the most remote parts of Australia.
Time spent at base camp, on the plateau above the gorges, was pretty ordinary. Tents, dining area, and a very dry landscape dominated by a 50 - 100cm scrub vegetation and a sparse 10-15m crown.
Hut Caretaker II
Mawsons Hut, Snowy Mountains, AU
20 April 2000
I've just returned from a great weekend in the Snowy Mountains. It was soooooo nice. The first day was bright and sunny, yet pleasantly cool. An easy walk into a place called Mawsons Hut.
Big Red Rock
Uluru, Alice Springs, NT, AU
02 June 2000
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Sunrise on Uluru |
When Dad arrivied in Australia, we made our first voyage into the heartland of Australia. It was an easy flight to to the middle of the continent, and we saw the big red rock as we were getting off of the airplane.
We got right on a bus to Kajen Junja (The Olgas) which is a slightly smaller rock formation than Uluru, and is actually a different layer of bedrock than Uluru.
Planet Hunter
Coonabarabran, NSW, AU
05 June 2000
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Laurance and Cameron at the One-Meter Scope. |
While Dad was visiting, I got an e-mail from Laurance saying he was going to be in the country observing his binary star systems up at Coonabarabran. This was just across the mountains and a bit north from Sydney. So, Dad and I packed up our car and headed up.
Submarines and Kayaks
Gladstone, QLD, AU
08 June 2000
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The USS Salt Lake City docking in Gladstone. |
Dad and I were just sitting down to dinner with Brian and Marie Fox, my ex-landlords in Newcastle, when my mobile rings.
"Yo Ed! I'm in Guam and will be in Gladstone, Australia in a few days. Can you and Dad come see me?"
It was my brother, Chris, the Sonar Tech on the USS Salt Lake City fast attack submarine. Well, I'm sure you can guess what happened... Dad and I flew up to Gladstone to see Chris. Then we had to figure out what to do with the boy!
Back in the Homeland
East Coast, DC, NY, NJ, MA, US
01 July 2000
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How'd I get in here? |
After returning from my year in Australia, it was time to travel around my own country for a bit, and where better to start than our nations capital.
It was a great time of visiting friends, seeing the sights, fireworks (4th of July), and just hanging out.
But, part of this was also a job hunt. So keep your eyes open for some work!
SW Road Trip
SW & West Coast, US
28 July 2000
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Canyon De Chelly |
This adventure was spontaneously developed by joking around on Instant Messenger while coordinating to see Meg on a lay over I had in Dallas while flying back to Seattle from Washington DC.
"My layover is only half an hour," I typed, "maybe I could take the flight after that instead. Of course, if they don't let me on that next flight, you'd have to drive me back to Seattle!" I remarked jokingly.
"OK!" Meg enthusiastically responded. Half joking herself... I thought. And so it was.
Jamaica Mon!
Spanish Town, JM
16 November 2000
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Jeff and Cameron in the Blue Mountains |
Jeff runs a top notch show down in Jamaica.The trip to the Blue Mountains was spectacular and I really enjoyed seeing where Jeff works and lives.
2000 Portfolio & 2001 Calendar
World Wide, 0
25 December 2000
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Tractor and Field - Middleway, WV |
This is really my first batch of photos taken with my new camera, a Canon Rebel 2000 with an Ultrasonic 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Canon lens. Towards the end of the year, I put together a monthly calender featuring 12 of the shots I liked best.
Happy New Year!
San Diego, CA, US
31 December 2000
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Nick, Cam, Chris, and Rob on the sub. |
Updated: 01.01.01
It was simple, but excellent. Rob and Nick, both friends from Principia, drove down from San Jose, CA to join my brother and I for the turn of the new year. We checked out some of the festivities going on down town and caught the fireworks on the bay. Rob had a digital camera with him and he's going to send me a few shots as soon as he gets a chance. Other than that, there's still a countdown on my books, and that's counting down to January 4th when I get to go on a ride on the submarine with my brother. I've actually been down to the boat quite a few times since I've been here and crew members are starting to wonder if I've joined up. More news on the ride when that happens!
Immersive Video
FL, US
24 March 2001
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This past week I was down in Florida with a company called Kewazinga filming baseball, golf, and tennis pros with the Kewazinga K-System. It's an immersive video technology that provides a similar effect to what was seen in the movie "The Matrix" or what was used in this past Super Bowl.
California Coast Cycling
Route 1, Monterey-SLO, CA, US
05 April 2001
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Wrongway, Peek-a-boo and Walker in Monterey |
The cycling trip kicked our butts. We had planned to cycle from San Francisco to Los Angles, but our time frame was marginalized by other occurrences. Secondly, we did a poor job researching how much vertical involvement there was with this trip. Especially in the section between Monterey and Point Sierra Nevada along Hwy. 1.
Horse Jumping - Tado Style
Tado, Mie, JP
04 May 2001
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Riding hard and fast for the big jump |
This was one of the crazyist things I've ever seen done with a horse. I have to admit, I don't have stacks of experience with horses, but this is really out there!
This event is meant to predict, or encourage the coming year's rice crop. I'm not sure which way the influence works, The test is to see how many horses are able to run up a hill then jump up on to a 2m (6ft) wall. Simple? No. You jump that high.
That Is Japan (TIJ)
Yunoyama, Mie, JP
05 May 2001
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"TIJ" - goes the saying, That is Japan. For the unexplainable, of which there is plenty in this world of extremes. Like the little car I drive, and all the little cars here have a "reverse beeper!" Look out, little car backing up! And there is not a "piece of crap" car on the roads either. Some sort of pressure in this ultimate consumer society to constantly have the latest and greatest... all the cars are in great condition, and I'm told that's the case with TV's and stereo's as well. The roads are all in excellent condition and painted with all kinds of lines and stripes which makes them feel like a race course and promonts fast driving. That explains why nobody follows the speed limit.
Sea of Japan
Komono to Fukui, JP
21 May 2001
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Purple Casting |
With the limited weekend time I have, Saturday night to Monday afternoon, I decided to make a run for the border and see how far I could get, and if I could get back in time for class! Well, the short of it is I did, and had an excellent trip to boot.
The Grand Shrine
Ise, JP
03 June 2001
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Chikako, Hiroko, Cameron, Miki |
Well, it was a simple trip down to the southern end of Mie. Some of my Japanese friends invited me down to their home town and the festival going on. It's a pretty serious event as it was a re-enactment of the Imperial Princess making her tri-annual visit to the Grand Shrine of Ise. And it's not just called the Grand Shrine in Ise, but is considered the most significant shrine in Japan. I believe I was told it is the biggest and oldest one in the country.
Universal Studios Japan
Osaka, JP
17 June 2001
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It's pretty much what you'd expect: lots of fun. The longest wait we had in line for a ride was about an hour and a half, but that provided good time to chat and for me to work on my Japanese. And of course there was some learning of English going on, too.
It's about a three hour drive from where we live to USJ in Osaka, and we ended up paying about $20 each in tolls getting there! But with four of us in the car, it made it cheaper than the $50 bus and we could set our own schedule milling around.
Hiroshima & Kyoto
Honshu, JP
06 July 2001
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Heian Shrine and Gardens |
The first trip Natalie and I took after she arrived was on the train south to Hiroshima. It was a pretty wet and gloomy day... sort of appropreate as we toured the Peace Park and A-Dome, one of the few buildings still standing after the bomb.
We then headed over to Miya-Jima (island) to see the famous shrine and water gate (torii) of the same name. But that wasn't enough for adventureous souls like us. So we had to hike to the top of the hill in hopes of getting above the clouds and getting a view.
From here, it was an easy train ride back to Kyoto where we met up with some Japanese friends of mine and spent a beautiful sunny day touring the city.
The Big City
Tokyo, JP
09 July 2001
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Bridge over moat at Imperial Palace |
Natalie, visting Japan from Australia, had a pretty full on introduction to Japan. After being picked up from the Nagoya airport we were on the midnight bus to Tokyo. The 5am Tokyo streets were bare, but that quickly changed as the sun rose and temprature follwed suit. By 10am the Tokyo crowds lived up to their name as the biggest metropolous in the world.
Following is a narative by Natalie as she takes you on her pictorial tour of our visit toTokyo.
The Far North!
Rishiri-to, Hokkaido, JP
12 July 2001
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You wouldn't know it... the summit. |
After spending a day and a half on the trains we wasted no time as we hopped from our last train arriving in the sea side city of Wakkanai straight onto the 6:30am ferry to Rishiri-to (island) where we pushed up all 1719m to summit Rishiri-zan (mountain) by 3pm. The wonderful view of the inside of a cloud that had engulfed the mountain peak, didn't entice us to stay very long. Our decent took us to the far side of the island and into town by 8pm with out anywhere lined up to stay the night.
Mt. Fuji Climb
Mt. Fuji, JP
15 July 2001
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The shadow of Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji) from the summit. |
We arrived at the base of Mt. Fuji about 10am Monday morning and easily found the cabin. We then drove up the mountain to 5th station on the Subaru-line. This is a very popular take off point for Fuji-san climbers, it’s also a very popular tourist stop. There are stacks of shops with all kinds of the usual souvenir junk, all with the mountain peak looming overhead. The sea of clouds below us was obscuring most of our view of the land below, but we could get a glimpse through here and there. This was just a survey round. We weren’t going to start climbing the 3776 meter (12,385ft) peak until 10pm with the intent of being on the top for sunrise the next morning. This was to make sure we knew were to go, to scout out parking and have a general feel for the area, as it would be dark at 10pm. And as it turned out, it would be pouring rain as well.
Isidori Drumming Festival
Kuwana (), Mie, JP
05 August 2001
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The Drum Crew |
I made sure to postpone my departure from Japan, because everybody said this was a festival not to be missed. How right they were.
Each of the townships in the city of Kuwana has a huge cart/carrage of some sort that carries a big drum like the one I'm beating on in the photo shown here.
The festival consists of each of these townships beating on their drums, accompanied by the sharp ringing sound of brass bells being hit by other members of the group.
This is all on parade through the town, with the ultimate goal being the big temple in town where judges rate each of the township teams.
All I have now are a few photos taken by a Japanese friend which were e-mailed to me after I got back to the states!
The Hunt For Sea Turtles
Monterey Bay, California, US
07 September 2001
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The 45' research vessle in the morning fog. |
Patience is key in the world of scientific research. Dr. Scott Eckert of the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute (HSWRI) with Dr. Peter Dutton of National Marine Fisheries Service and their crew are working to learn more about the lifestyles of our huge ocean faring sea turtles. They continue to press on after years of research and a few weeks of blank results. Or so it seems.
Japan Photo Gallery
JP
01 October 2001
After living in Japan for about 5 months, I got a few travels in and came home with about 50 decent shots.
Nagoya Festival
Nagoya, JP
14 October 2001
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Battle Reenactment |
Jumping right back into things when I got back to Japan, I got word of the big festival hapening in Nagoya, and was off like a shot. There were plenty of traditional Japanese displays, including various battle re-enactments, which were amazing. But along with that came the western influence of the marching brass band, uni-cycles, batons, and more.
That evening also resulted in visiting another festival in the small town of Tomida, where the annual "Lion Dance" was underway, photos from that follow as well!
Sadoriffic!
Sadogashima, Niigata, JP
02 November 2001
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The island of Sadogashima, just off the coast of Niigata City in the Sea of Japan proved to be an amazing discovery, one of Japans many treasures.
Of greatest interest to me were the traditions that I only got a glimpse of through the trinkets at the souvenir shops. Some very interesting artwork and craftsmanship alluded to an amazing dragon or demon dance, as well as what looked like a very elegant and graceful dance done by Sado women wearing the unique large brimmed straw hat which was folded down the sides of their faces.
Turtle Talk
Takanabe & Kagoshima, Kyushu, JP
15 November 2001
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The NW coast of Yakushima Island |
In keeping with what has turned out to be somewhat of an island fetish, my trip down south to Kyushu, the southern most island of the main Japanese islands, I also visited Kagoshima, a small island even further south!
Yea, English!
Kuwana, Mie, JP
15 November 2001
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Camera Phone (in '01!): Lunch in Kuwana |
A community center in Kuwana that we teach English at felt it necessary to take us English teachers out to lunch. It was a great meal of Udon noodles or Soba noodles accompanied by the usual array of Japanese side dishes: Tempura, Tsukemono (crunchy pickles), Miso soup, Sashimi (raw fish), Sushi rolls (raw fish rolled in rice and seaweed), Chawanmushi (a pot steamed hotch-potch), and various other dishes, the names of which I cannot release for national security reasons.
But, it was great fun and the members of the class tell us they enjoy the English class very much. Many of them are also avid offyonder.com followers! So, to the right, as recorded by phone, are a pair of pics proving it all truly happened!
Meeting Folks
Seoul, KR
21 November 2001
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Hiroko, Jin, Cameron & Suzanne in Seoul |
I made it to the flight no worries, but would have never expected what happened next.
While waiting for the plane to board, an American sitting next to me in the lobby asked me what I was carrying, pointing to my dijeridoo. So we started talking and found out we were both going to have long layover in Seoul, Korea. She had 9 hours on her way to Hawaii, and I overnight to Shenyang.
First Impressions
Shenyang, CN
24 November 2001
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The unimpressed parents of Jin with Ev and Cameron... |
It was quite a shock going from the very modern and new airport in Seoul to the old, congested, and poorly organized airport of Shenyang. The sky was just as dank with smog as Seoul, but somehow, an indescribable extra layer of filth was present.
Everett gave me the lowdown in the cab ride on the way into town. That the Chinese seem to pride themselves on the grotesque living situations. Quite the contrast from the very image and cleanliness conscious society of Japan.
China Express
Bejing, Nanjing, Shanghai, CN
03 December 2001
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The route through China |
Back to home base in Shenyang by air after a great trip to Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai by train.
Some of the sights included were the Great Wall, The Imperial Palace (Forbidden City), The Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, and that was all just in Beijing!
Familiar Ground
Komono, JP
07 December 2001
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Flight back to Nagoya, Japan |
The photos from my tour of NE China are finally up and maybe you'll understand why it took me a few days to process them all, as there are more than 50 photos and captions in this series.
China is a world of constant bewilderment. Be it the extreme contrasts of wealth, society, and even something as simple as cleanliness; to the hypocrisy of variable and inconsistent do's and don'ts that plague the most populous nation on the earth.
Anchors Aweigh
South San Francisco Bay, CA, US
15 January 2002
I'll state again: "You haven't lived until you've sailed." This trip was not like the long yet invigorating five days I spent battling Bass Strait in January of 2000 but it was slow in a very different way.
We had all the preparations in place. Hot cocoa in one thermos; hot tomato soup in another, just what you need for a winter regatta in the San Francisco Bay. The crew, already on the boat when my Uncle Mark and I arrived piped the captain aboard the Mer Linda, a well maintained Catalina 30.
Halloween '02
San Diego, CA, US
26 October 2002
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Chris and Cameron in what's left of their costumes |
It was party time and my bro and I take this party thing seriously! A friend of ours put on a great party here in San Diego and all were required to dress up.
Ski Austria
Graz, Austria
28 December 2002
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Ski bums: Chris, Cameron & Alastair |
We had great week in Austria, taking day trips to Ljubljana and Bratislava, and then bringing in the new year in Graz, with Alastair. The three of us then headed to Western Austria to ski!
Chris and I took the train into Germany to hunt down our long lost classmates from 20 years ago!
Gale Force Winds
South San Francisco Bay, CA, US
01 February 2003
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The Mer Linda Crew |
I didn’t even have a chance to finish digesting my French Toast. I mean, I had started, and was well into it, but while I was out on the bow of the boat, trying to untwist the headsail, the 8-10 foot wave undulations in the 30+ knot wind just took my breakfast right out of me.
The race hadn’t even started. In the two races before this (one per month), we have found ourselves in the typical winter weather pattern of San Francisco Bay with next to no wind. Oh, how we yearned for a little puff or anything to give our bow some push through the nearly mirror calm bay. Careful what you wish for. This month we found ourselves in gale force winds ripping parts of the boat right off the deck.
Whitney from the West
High Sierra, CA, US
12 September 2003
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Mt. Whitney from Timberline Lake |
There may be two routes to approach hiking up Mount Whitney, but as far as I'm concerned, there’s really only one way to go. Come from the west my boy.
The highest peak in the lower 48 has been developed into a very straight forward hike up to the 14,496 foot summit. I say hike, not climb, in respect for those who really do climb Mount Whitney. The term ‘climb’ needs to be reserved for those who take the Mountaineering trail up to Iceberg Lake, then proceed to place protection and belay each other to climb up the hand over hand 5.7 eastern face. It’s not a hard climb, but it is a true climb, and not the hike that the masses do.
Volcano Climbing
Mount St. Helens, WA, US
24 September 2003
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Volcano Morning |
After 4,000 feet of vertical gain, cresting over the crater rim of Mount St. Helens was way beyond my greatest expectations.
This trip was all very spontaneous. I had finished a great trip up Mount Whitney (from the west side, the only way to go) and was driving to Seattle when I intercepted some friends in Portland. The next thing I knew Ricky, Susannah and I were waking up, crammed in the bed of Susannah's truck in a lot at 3,700 feet. It was a beautiful clear day and we got an early start on the trail just as the sun started to crest over the ridgeline and reflected a warm glow on the trees to the west.
Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains NP, NC, US
22 October 2003
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Sunrise view from Icewater Shelter |
Getting to and from the Smoky Mountains can be pricey if you're on your own, but well worth it. I, however, was not on my own, and was able to split the $75 shuttle ride to the southern end of the park with my friend Dawn.
Vertical Ice
Cathedral Ledge, North Conway, NH, US
09 December 2003
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Looking down the ice wall |
I always suspected I'd like ice climbing, but after getting out there, and giving it a go for the first time, I realized it was more fun than I could have possibly imagined!
Telemark Skiing
Stevens Pass, WA, US
03 January 2004
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Grace abounds |
Telemark skiing feels as beautiful and as graceful as it looks, even for somebody just getting the knack of it for the first time.
My friend Blake invited me to go skiing with him, and when he said "Oh, by the way, I’ll be telemarking." I couldn’t help but exclaim how I’ve always wanted to try that.
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