From San Francisco:
The prevailing answer to questions about my time in Alan's apartment is, "Don't ask..."
From my first drive up the coast:
My old pseudonym was Charles Dubois, but I have found a new fake name: Newton B. Drury. Drury received praise for his leadership as director of the National Park Service and "for his courage, resourcefulness, and adherence to high principles." He was out to save the Redwoods. I think his name is awesome.
From Saturday, when I couldn't find a place to camp and I watched the sun set in Trinidad Bay:
The song that I have been listening to all night, on repeat, speaks to some of what I am feeling tonight. It is "Wayside (Back in Time)" by Gillian Welch but the version I have been listening to is performed by Chris Thile. It is a faster version of the song and it speaks tonally to the speed of my trip.
The lines that really feel like they are hitting me are:
Wasted on the wayside, wasted on the way
If I don’t go tomorrow, you know I’m gone today...
Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall
If I can’t have you all the time, I won’t have none at all
Oh, I wish I was in Frisco in a brand new pair of shoes...
Back babe, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine...
Finally, from today because I have time to write my random thoughts:
When I first visited Eureka, CA, I thought that it was a cool town like Lawrence. Now that I have spent more time here, I like it less. It really reminds me of Manhattan.
Oh, slam!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Robbery and Evidence
If you aren't reading chronologically, you may miss the full depth of this post. Check out the last post to get a glimpse of how joyful things were. Oh, how innocent and virginal.
I drove north from Fortuna, CA to Orick, CA to hike into Redwood National Forest and see the Grove of the Tall Trees. At one time, this grove had the tallest tree in the world, but sometime in the past decade a wind storm blew the top off. These trees are so impressive and I am not sure if the pictures do them justice. There is something so crazy about the width of the base and then looking up 320 feet or so to the top of a gigantic tree that has been around longer than Christianity. The hike was exhausting. I don't know what made me think that I could quickly hike through the forest for 7.7 miles there, a mile loop of the grove, and 7.7 miles back. It was bear and cougar country and I was constantly on guard. I was dreaming of getting into a fist fight with a bear and ending up on The Colbert Report recounting my adventure to Stephen. At a particularly dark part of the wood, I kept thinking that I saw Sasquatch around the bend. I didn't know how I would knock him out, but I hoped I could use my Judo moves on him.
Finally, I made it to the grove and had a good hour sitting, reflecting and calming down in the presence of the old trees. The trip back was psychologically faster, but I was more exhausted. When I saw the parking lot, I was overjoyed.
But only for that moment...
The first thing that I noticed was that there was no reflection from the rear window of my Fit. As I got closer, I saw that it was busted out and there was glass scattered in the parking lot. My thoughts went straight to the stuff that I had left in the car. I saw that the vandals took my bags of clothes, my tent and sleeping bag, my guitar and other things that had been in the 'trunk' part of my car. Luckily for me, the villains were not able to unlock the doors from the back. These horrible thieves cut themselves on my back window and must have given up trying to get stuff through that window. The evil doers took the rock they had used to bust the back and went after the driver's side window. The pictures show the evidence. They threw the rock 3 times and bled on the door, but couldn't get in. Something must have spooked the criminals and they gave up; also, their window-breaking rock broke.
I saw that they left my laptop, my books, my food and some other random things. They didn't find the cash secretly hidden in my car. I called 911 and they transferred me to the Forest Service. A ranger came out and helped me calm down, take evidence and explained the situation. He said that they have been having trouble with two groups of criminals. The locals have been breaking into cars that are parked over night at remote campgrounds. Homeless people living in the park have also been smashing and grabbing from tourists. He believed it was a homeless person because my clothes and tent were taken, but I believe it to be a local. Using my CSI skills, I noted a trail of glass from where it was scattered on the ground away to another parking spot. It would seem that the guilty took my stuff from my car to their car and trailed the glass on the way. The Ranger and I decided that it would be no good to take blood samples.
I drove back to Eureka, CA to try to get the windows fixed.
One positive note: I am now clothes-less and I get to buy all new clothes. My first purchase was some new jeans from Target. They are the hipster style, dark, slim and cool. I got advice from the Target employees, don't worry. Also of note, new boxers are uncomfortable.
So, that is the drama, and here are the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/TheRobbery?feat=directlink
The culprit
I drove north from Fortuna, CA to Orick, CA to hike into Redwood National Forest and see the Grove of the Tall Trees. At one time, this grove had the tallest tree in the world, but sometime in the past decade a wind storm blew the top off. These trees are so impressive and I am not sure if the pictures do them justice. There is something so crazy about the width of the base and then looking up 320 feet or so to the top of a gigantic tree that has been around longer than Christianity. The hike was exhausting. I don't know what made me think that I could quickly hike through the forest for 7.7 miles there, a mile loop of the grove, and 7.7 miles back. It was bear and cougar country and I was constantly on guard. I was dreaming of getting into a fist fight with a bear and ending up on The Colbert Report recounting my adventure to Stephen. At a particularly dark part of the wood, I kept thinking that I saw Sasquatch around the bend. I didn't know how I would knock him out, but I hoped I could use my Judo moves on him.
Finally, I made it to the grove and had a good hour sitting, reflecting and calming down in the presence of the old trees. The trip back was psychologically faster, but I was more exhausted. When I saw the parking lot, I was overjoyed.
But only for that moment...
The first thing that I noticed was that there was no reflection from the rear window of my Fit. As I got closer, I saw that it was busted out and there was glass scattered in the parking lot. My thoughts went straight to the stuff that I had left in the car. I saw that the vandals took my bags of clothes, my tent and sleeping bag, my guitar and other things that had been in the 'trunk' part of my car. Luckily for me, the villains were not able to unlock the doors from the back. These horrible thieves cut themselves on my back window and must have given up trying to get stuff through that window. The evil doers took the rock they had used to bust the back and went after the driver's side window. The pictures show the evidence. They threw the rock 3 times and bled on the door, but couldn't get in. Something must have spooked the criminals and they gave up; also, their window-breaking rock broke.
I saw that they left my laptop, my books, my food and some other random things. They didn't find the cash secretly hidden in my car. I called 911 and they transferred me to the Forest Service. A ranger came out and helped me calm down, take evidence and explained the situation. He said that they have been having trouble with two groups of criminals. The locals have been breaking into cars that are parked over night at remote campgrounds. Homeless people living in the park have also been smashing and grabbing from tourists. He believed it was a homeless person because my clothes and tent were taken, but I believe it to be a local. Using my CSI skills, I noted a trail of glass from where it was scattered on the ground away to another parking spot. It would seem that the guilty took my stuff from my car to their car and trailed the glass on the way. The Ranger and I decided that it would be no good to take blood samples.
I drove back to Eureka, CA to try to get the windows fixed.
One positive note: I am now clothes-less and I get to buy all new clothes. My first purchase was some new jeans from Target. They are the hipster style, dark, slim and cool. I got advice from the Target employees, don't worry. Also of note, new boxers are uncomfortable.
So, that is the drama, and here are the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/TheRobbery?feat=directlink
The culprit
Pictures...
from after I left San Francisco, my time with Mike, the Avenue of The Giants and the hike to the Tall Trees Grove.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/MikeAndCostalRedwoods?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/MikeAndCostalRedwoods?feat=directlink
Thank God for Fortuna
After my first night with Mike, I tried to find a place to camp in Redwoods National Park. All of the campgrounds were full, so I returned to Mike's house. He was overjoyed because he wanted to share his church with me. This was a special blessing because you can't imagine how much I miss my Community and my church.
I feel like I am starting to peel off some layers of business and consolation that I had used to make my year as a teacher easier. I remember not enjoying conversations after school because I was completely zapped from work. School became easier, but I don't remember engaging in life to the depth that was a hallmark of Me before teaching. More on this later.
Mike's church was a seeker-friendly, Evangelical American church. I enjoyed their worship band and the good teaching practices of the pastor. As a first-timer, I didn't feel the connection to the message that a normal member may have, but that was only the first part of my 'church' for the day.
After lunch Beverly, Mike's girlfriend, took me on a tour of "The Avenue of The Giants." Though this is the tourista section of the Redwood forest, it was an amazing road trip. In Beverly's generous nature, she bought me a sapling of a Giant Sequoia. Check out the pictures of the Immortal Tree and us as Tree Huggers.
It was such a refreshing trip. I felt calmed by the slow life of the Coastal Redwoods. A certain tree that fell was measured at 2200 years old. That is almost too much to comprehend.
Later that night, I was refreshed again by the Church. Mike was listening to a sermon online and I was reading. He paused and asked me about my faith story. Our discussion of Christianity, politics, life and love made me remember that aspect of my personality. That deep reservoir of conversation that I used to be able to dip in whenever I wanted felt like it was being filled back up after it had dried.
I am thankful to Mike for this conversation and for Bev and his constant giving over the weekend.
I left yesterday morning preparing to go to Redwoods National Park to hike the 16 mile trail to the Tall Trees Grove.
I feel like I am starting to peel off some layers of business and consolation that I had used to make my year as a teacher easier. I remember not enjoying conversations after school because I was completely zapped from work. School became easier, but I don't remember engaging in life to the depth that was a hallmark of Me before teaching. More on this later.
Mike's church was a seeker-friendly, Evangelical American church. I enjoyed their worship band and the good teaching practices of the pastor. As a first-timer, I didn't feel the connection to the message that a normal member may have, but that was only the first part of my 'church' for the day.
After lunch Beverly, Mike's girlfriend, took me on a tour of "The Avenue of The Giants." Though this is the tourista section of the Redwood forest, it was an amazing road trip. In Beverly's generous nature, she bought me a sapling of a Giant Sequoia. Check out the pictures of the Immortal Tree and us as Tree Huggers.
It was such a refreshing trip. I felt calmed by the slow life of the Coastal Redwoods. A certain tree that fell was measured at 2200 years old. That is almost too much to comprehend.
Later that night, I was refreshed again by the Church. Mike was listening to a sermon online and I was reading. He paused and asked me about my faith story. Our discussion of Christianity, politics, life and love made me remember that aspect of my personality. That deep reservoir of conversation that I used to be able to dip in whenever I wanted felt like it was being filled back up after it had dried.
I am thankful to Mike for this conversation and for Bev and his constant giving over the weekend.
I left yesterday morning preparing to go to Redwoods National Park to hike the 16 mile trail to the Tall Trees Grove.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Yesterday, I was ready to give up
Sorry to be dramatic. It's fun and mostly true.
I woke up in Fort Bragg, CA feeling that the routine of coffee shop, the road, and brew pubs similar to Free state was wearing me down. You can scoff and say, "Oh, how tough, poor Tyler, enjoying the coast and drinking beer, boo hoo." And I agree. This trip has been a beautiful, fun, refreshing experience, but I am traveling with high expectations.
Part of these high expectations involve actually talking with brewers and owners and learning from them. I am interested in what makes a professional brewer tick.
"Why did you get into this business?"
"What is the goal of your brewery?"
"How can you measure if you have met this goal?"
"Why did you chose to make this or that beer?"
"How is your brewery involved in the community?"
These are the type of questions that I could answer, when I was a teacher, about any of my teaching choices. I feel like these are still the important questions for me if I pursue brewing. I cannot be about 'the bottom line' - it is not my personality. I can try to make a profit, but only if I am doing so for the right reasons. With teaching, it is easy to say I am doing the right thing. In beer, it is a harder decision. Many people are addicted to alcohol and could ruin their lives because of a product that I manufacture. This is a danger of the industry, but is something that I think can be redeemed instead of 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater.'
Back to yesterday.
I woke up worrying that I wasn't ever going to have an intentional conversation with a brewer. I spent my previous evening enjoying great beer at North Coast Brewery where I couldn't get a tour because they were remodeling. I was looking forward to a trip to a brewery that I heard about from a nice man at the North Coast Bar. He said, "As long as you are going north, you should stop by Eel River Brewery." I was impressed by their claim to be the first certified organic brewery in the US, but I couldn't find any thing on their website about a tour. I called to ask their address and ask about a tour. The secretary told me to hold on and went and asked someone in the back if he had time to give a tour. I was told to come by, and someone would be there to give me a tour.
Mike Smith, the head brewer, met me at the door of their warehouse/brewery.
Mike, I came to find out, came to the industry as a home brewer (eh, like me!) and found a home at Eel River because they had similar goals. He took me on the best, most in depth tour I have ever been on. Most tour guides assume brewing ignorance. Mike asked me about myself and skipped large sections of the tour because I knew about the malting process, etc. At the same time, he took me deeper into an industrial brewery than I have been. I saw their mash and boil kettles up close and inside. Mike even pushed some buttons on their equipment and I got to see how some things worked. I had an idea from my home brewing and such, but seeing the parts move around really inspired me. I know that a large scale brewer is a part of the machine, but it is still beautiful to see it work. We talked about how they get their organic hops from New Zealand because they don't have spider mites, so they don't have to use pesticides. We discussed how they ferment, bottle and keg and the reasons for each of the choices they made.
In the end, Mike asked me if I wanted to try some. I was impressed with their beers and we talked more about his history and the brewery. I felt comfortable and threw out ideas about a brewery without a pub (Speakeasy?) and Mike told me that he thought that it wouldn't work because of some slow yearly times in the brewing industry that could hinder a small brewer. We talked for over an hour and he sent me off with a six pack of their best stuff.
I was renewed. I felt more encouraged about my choice to take this trip. I was excited about continuing up the coast with high expectations for meeting great people and discussing beer.
Later last night, I was at the Eel river pub watching the Mizzou game (damn them, they pulled it out) and I met another local named Mike. He struck up a conversation with me when the bar tender asked me for my ID and he saw that it was from Kansas. He told me that he grew up in Kansas - just outside of Ottawa! We talked for a while and I asked him if he knew a cheap place to camp in the area. He was gracious enough to offer me the use of his new mobile home. I couldn't turn him down because of his amazing hospitality. When the game was over, we talked into the night about his church, Earthquakes, the beauty of the coast, and life. I am planning on going back south to go to church with him tomorrow. He was a real blessing.
Today, after I finish watching the KU game on ESPN gamecast, I am going to head to McKinleyville to Six Rivers Brewery. I am told that the brewer, Carlos, is very open to discussion. I have high hopes to catch him this afternoon. Even if I don't, I feel confident that there will be other brewers down the road who are willing to chat. I expect to learn a lot and catch a vision.
I woke up in Fort Bragg, CA feeling that the routine of coffee shop, the road, and brew pubs similar to Free state was wearing me down. You can scoff and say, "Oh, how tough, poor Tyler, enjoying the coast and drinking beer, boo hoo." And I agree. This trip has been a beautiful, fun, refreshing experience, but I am traveling with high expectations.
Part of these high expectations involve actually talking with brewers and owners and learning from them. I am interested in what makes a professional brewer tick.
"Why did you get into this business?"
"What is the goal of your brewery?"
"How can you measure if you have met this goal?"
"Why did you chose to make this or that beer?"
"How is your brewery involved in the community?"
These are the type of questions that I could answer, when I was a teacher, about any of my teaching choices. I feel like these are still the important questions for me if I pursue brewing. I cannot be about 'the bottom line' - it is not my personality. I can try to make a profit, but only if I am doing so for the right reasons. With teaching, it is easy to say I am doing the right thing. In beer, it is a harder decision. Many people are addicted to alcohol and could ruin their lives because of a product that I manufacture. This is a danger of the industry, but is something that I think can be redeemed instead of 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater.'
Back to yesterday.
I woke up worrying that I wasn't ever going to have an intentional conversation with a brewer. I spent my previous evening enjoying great beer at North Coast Brewery where I couldn't get a tour because they were remodeling. I was looking forward to a trip to a brewery that I heard about from a nice man at the North Coast Bar. He said, "As long as you are going north, you should stop by Eel River Brewery." I was impressed by their claim to be the first certified organic brewery in the US, but I couldn't find any thing on their website about a tour. I called to ask their address and ask about a tour. The secretary told me to hold on and went and asked someone in the back if he had time to give a tour. I was told to come by, and someone would be there to give me a tour.
Mike Smith, the head brewer, met me at the door of their warehouse/brewery.
Mike, I came to find out, came to the industry as a home brewer (eh, like me!) and found a home at Eel River because they had similar goals. He took me on the best, most in depth tour I have ever been on. Most tour guides assume brewing ignorance. Mike asked me about myself and skipped large sections of the tour because I knew about the malting process, etc. At the same time, he took me deeper into an industrial brewery than I have been. I saw their mash and boil kettles up close and inside. Mike even pushed some buttons on their equipment and I got to see how some things worked. I had an idea from my home brewing and such, but seeing the parts move around really inspired me. I know that a large scale brewer is a part of the machine, but it is still beautiful to see it work. We talked about how they get their organic hops from New Zealand because they don't have spider mites, so they don't have to use pesticides. We discussed how they ferment, bottle and keg and the reasons for each of the choices they made.
In the end, Mike asked me if I wanted to try some. I was impressed with their beers and we talked more about his history and the brewery. I felt comfortable and threw out ideas about a brewery without a pub (Speakeasy?) and Mike told me that he thought that it wouldn't work because of some slow yearly times in the brewing industry that could hinder a small brewer. We talked for over an hour and he sent me off with a six pack of their best stuff.
I was renewed. I felt more encouraged about my choice to take this trip. I was excited about continuing up the coast with high expectations for meeting great people and discussing beer.
Later last night, I was at the Eel river pub watching the Mizzou game (damn them, they pulled it out) and I met another local named Mike. He struck up a conversation with me when the bar tender asked me for my ID and he saw that it was from Kansas. He told me that he grew up in Kansas - just outside of Ottawa! We talked for a while and I asked him if he knew a cheap place to camp in the area. He was gracious enough to offer me the use of his new mobile home. I couldn't turn him down because of his amazing hospitality. When the game was over, we talked into the night about his church, Earthquakes, the beauty of the coast, and life. I am planning on going back south to go to church with him tomorrow. He was a real blessing.
Today, after I finish watching the KU game on ESPN gamecast, I am going to head to McKinleyville to Six Rivers Brewery. I am told that the brewer, Carlos, is very open to discussion. I have high hopes to catch him this afternoon. Even if I don't, I feel confident that there will be other brewers down the road who are willing to chat. I expect to learn a lot and catch a vision.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Two Excellent Days
Sorry for the delay in posting. San Francisco has been great, but on Tuesday I was feeling that the beer part of my trip was lacking. I haven't heard back from the contact that I believed I had made and the breweries have been brew pubs similar to Free state in Lawrence. Nothing about their business models shocked me.
So, I thought that I would play the tourista in San Fran! I hopped on the F line which uses antique streetcars from other cities. I was on the streetcar from Louisville. I felt like a tourist when I got on, but slowly the F line filled with foreigners. A young British boy sat down next to me - total cockney accent. We rode the F line to Fisherman's Wharf, a tourist trap. I decided to walk on and found the 28 bus to the Golden Gate Bridge.
When I reached the bridge it was shrouded in fog. I could not see where the bridge began from 20 ft away! I asked a gardener what the chances of the fog clearing were and he said, "You'd have to be real lucky to get it to clear."
So, I decided to walk across in the fog anyway. If you check out my pictures, you will see how wonderful the Golden Gate Bridge is. It is so majestic sneaking through the fog. The fog horn blows deep and loud like the bridge is grumbling. About half way across, the fog started to clear. I was able to enjoy the second support structure without any fog. It was a real lucky trip across the bridge.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in Golden Gate Park reading and hoping that someone would see the Frisbee that I brought and ask to throw it around. At the end of the day, Alan and I went and got sushi. It was astounding. There is no comparison in Kansas to fresh sushi. The texture, flavor and even amount is better here in San Francisco. It was a great day.
Yesterday, Alan and I went surfing in Bolinas. We rented from 2 Mile Surf shop and had lessons with Nick. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to "get up." Everyone has been asking, 'Did you get up?' and I don't know what type of surfing they had experienced, but Alan and I both got up on our boards.
Now, it became increasingly harder as the day went on because our arms became like jelly. The difficulty lies in paddling out against the tide, through waves, against the wind and then turning around in a timely way to catch a wave right before it crests and paddling again, faster, to hope to be on top of the crest. If you fail, then you are twice as far in as you had just paddled out. Work, work, work.
Yet, I am addicted. I cannot wait for another trip out to the coast for some surfing.
Today, I am leaving San Francisco. It will be good to be back on the road; I want to be a road warrior. The time I spent in San Francisco, though, was excellent and I couldn't have asked for more from Alan and his roommate. I will try to come back sometime in the future.
So, I thought that I would play the tourista in San Fran! I hopped on the F line which uses antique streetcars from other cities. I was on the streetcar from Louisville. I felt like a tourist when I got on, but slowly the F line filled with foreigners. A young British boy sat down next to me - total cockney accent. We rode the F line to Fisherman's Wharf, a tourist trap. I decided to walk on and found the 28 bus to the Golden Gate Bridge.
When I reached the bridge it was shrouded in fog. I could not see where the bridge began from 20 ft away! I asked a gardener what the chances of the fog clearing were and he said, "You'd have to be real lucky to get it to clear."
So, I decided to walk across in the fog anyway. If you check out my pictures, you will see how wonderful the Golden Gate Bridge is. It is so majestic sneaking through the fog. The fog horn blows deep and loud like the bridge is grumbling. About half way across, the fog started to clear. I was able to enjoy the second support structure without any fog. It was a real lucky trip across the bridge.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in Golden Gate Park reading and hoping that someone would see the Frisbee that I brought and ask to throw it around. At the end of the day, Alan and I went and got sushi. It was astounding. There is no comparison in Kansas to fresh sushi. The texture, flavor and even amount is better here in San Francisco. It was a great day.
Yesterday, Alan and I went surfing in Bolinas. We rented from 2 Mile Surf shop and had lessons with Nick. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to "get up." Everyone has been asking, 'Did you get up?' and I don't know what type of surfing they had experienced, but Alan and I both got up on our boards.
Now, it became increasingly harder as the day went on because our arms became like jelly. The difficulty lies in paddling out against the tide, through waves, against the wind and then turning around in a timely way to catch a wave right before it crests and paddling again, faster, to hope to be on top of the crest. If you fail, then you are twice as far in as you had just paddled out. Work, work, work.
Yet, I am addicted. I cannot wait for another trip out to the coast for some surfing.
Today, I am leaving San Francisco. It will be good to be back on the road; I want to be a road warrior. The time I spent in San Francisco, though, was excellent and I couldn't have asked for more from Alan and his roommate. I will try to come back sometime in the future.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Chico and San Francisco pics
Not all of San Francisco, I'll be here for a couple of more days.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/ChicoSanfran?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/ChicoSanfran?feat=directlink
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sierra Nevada Brewery - providence
I feel God's leading in this time. I felt in the planning stages of this trip that there was a right way to go about this trip. I felt unsure of myself when I was trying to make definite plans and send out emails to the owners/brewers of the breweries that I was planning to visit. It seemed like I needed to be "open" to whatever happened along the way. When I talked to some people about my trip in this way, I received positive replies, "Awesome, dude." (In surfer accent) Other people seemed supportive, but had a doubting way of asking, "What will you do if you don't meet any brewers? How will you learn about the industry?" I could only reply that the process of planning was as important as the trip itself. I was needing an emotional posture of being free and open. Submissive and willing to try.
I thought that I may have some luck along the way, but I had no idea that it would come on the First brewery tour.
Sierra Nevada Brewing was a beautiful, gigantic, natural compound. I'll have pics later. I didn't expect to pick up any bits of wisdom from their brewery tour considering that they are the 6th largest brewery in the US and the #1 privately owned brewery. They ship to all 50 states and the UK. Damn, they are big. On their compound - I think that I wrote down the numbers right - they have ten or twenty 500 barrel fermentation tanks each holding what will become almost a million bottles of beer. So that is a scale that I don't want to shoot for as a start up. They do some cool things like get 90% of their electricity from Solar panels in their parking lot and grow hops and barley on site for a brew called Estate Harvest - excellent. Overall, the tour was fine.
But I spent some time in the taproom before and after the tour and met two important people.
(I don't know if I should use names or not... I am not going to, for now. feedback please)
I met an actual brewer coming off his shift! I slyly moved in for a conversation when I heard him talking to the bar tender about the day's brew. I told him about my trip and asked him questions about his path to get into the industry, etc. We have similar paths. He was in bio-tech and was fired for succeeding. He found passion for homebrew. He then went to brewing college at UC Davis, something I have looked into and had his internship at SN. He was on his last week as a functional brewer and was moving in to R&D. He enjoyed the brewing, but told me things that I have heard before - long hours, hard work, hot, wet, and tiring. He told me about a couple of breweries that I need to check out in the Santa Cruz region - south of San Fran. I may or may not check these out, but he said that there was one where the owner was always more than happy to discuss brew.
I was overjoyed at this interaction and went on the tour thinking about what he had said.
After the tour, I intended to sit back down and shoot the shit some more, but the bar was full. I asked the host if I could get a table, but as he pointed me in the direction, a place at the bar opened up near a white bearded older man. We began talking when he asked me what beer I ordered. When I described the flavors and aromas in such detail, he had follow up questions about brewing. I told him my story and we began to talk about beer and teaching. He had been in and out of the industry working mostly as the investment capital and business support person. He talked about the hard side of making it in the industry. He talked about how increasing production, bottling and kegging don't always equal more profit. We were chatting about Lawrence and the market there. We talked and talked.
He told me about a few breweries that I needed to check out, also, but he went further and gave me the name and contact info for the brewer/owner of Auburn Alehouse. As we talked more, he ended up saying, "When you give him a call [at Auburn] make sure to mention my name and tell him to call me. I'll come down and have a beer with the two of you."
I was overwhelmed at the providence. That is all that I can say at this point. I haven't called because I don't know what my time here in San Fransisco is going to look like. Alan and I need to figure out when we are going to Surf and I need to figure out what breweries in the Bay area I am going to visit and then I will call. I hope to see him this next week, but if I need to back track, I am willing.
I am open and willing to see these adventures through. I am walking in high expectations that things similar to this will happen all throughout this trip. I feel God's leading in this time.
I thought that I may have some luck along the way, but I had no idea that it would come on the First brewery tour.
Sierra Nevada Brewing was a beautiful, gigantic, natural compound. I'll have pics later. I didn't expect to pick up any bits of wisdom from their brewery tour considering that they are the 6th largest brewery in the US and the #1 privately owned brewery. They ship to all 50 states and the UK. Damn, they are big. On their compound - I think that I wrote down the numbers right - they have ten or twenty 500 barrel fermentation tanks each holding what will become almost a million bottles of beer. So that is a scale that I don't want to shoot for as a start up. They do some cool things like get 90% of their electricity from Solar panels in their parking lot and grow hops and barley on site for a brew called Estate Harvest - excellent. Overall, the tour was fine.
But I spent some time in the taproom before and after the tour and met two important people.
(I don't know if I should use names or not... I am not going to, for now. feedback please)
I met an actual brewer coming off his shift! I slyly moved in for a conversation when I heard him talking to the bar tender about the day's brew. I told him about my trip and asked him questions about his path to get into the industry, etc. We have similar paths. He was in bio-tech and was fired for succeeding. He found passion for homebrew. He then went to brewing college at UC Davis, something I have looked into and had his internship at SN. He was on his last week as a functional brewer and was moving in to R&D. He enjoyed the brewing, but told me things that I have heard before - long hours, hard work, hot, wet, and tiring. He told me about a couple of breweries that I need to check out in the Santa Cruz region - south of San Fran. I may or may not check these out, but he said that there was one where the owner was always more than happy to discuss brew.
I was overjoyed at this interaction and went on the tour thinking about what he had said.
After the tour, I intended to sit back down and shoot the shit some more, but the bar was full. I asked the host if I could get a table, but as he pointed me in the direction, a place at the bar opened up near a white bearded older man. We began talking when he asked me what beer I ordered. When I described the flavors and aromas in such detail, he had follow up questions about brewing. I told him my story and we began to talk about beer and teaching. He had been in and out of the industry working mostly as the investment capital and business support person. He talked about the hard side of making it in the industry. He talked about how increasing production, bottling and kegging don't always equal more profit. We were chatting about Lawrence and the market there. We talked and talked.
He told me about a few breweries that I needed to check out, also, but he went further and gave me the name and contact info for the brewer/owner of Auburn Alehouse. As we talked more, he ended up saying, "When you give him a call [at Auburn] make sure to mention my name and tell him to call me. I'll come down and have a beer with the two of you."
I was overwhelmed at the providence. That is all that I can say at this point. I haven't called because I don't know what my time here in San Fransisco is going to look like. Alan and I need to figure out when we are going to Surf and I need to figure out what breweries in the Bay area I am going to visit and then I will call. I hope to see him this next week, but if I need to back track, I am willing.
I am open and willing to see these adventures through. I am walking in high expectations that things similar to this will happen all throughout this trip. I feel God's leading in this time.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
So far
I feel like I have traveled so far away. I am amazed at how similar and different my destinations are from things that are familar. Both nights' camp sites were dammed-up-river lakes, just like Clinton. The mountains near Salt Lake City were the same Rockies from Estes Park or New Mexico. There were subtle differences in the foliage, but it felt the same.
The people don't have accents, or at least no noticeable accent. When I traveled to Georgia, I knew when I had crossed into The South. Not so with California, Nevada, Utah or Wyoming.
The hills that I was in last night were similar to a trip to Branson and Table Rock Lake. Cicadas.
The differences, though, are astounding. Near the Great Salt Lake is the Salt Lake Desert. It was miles of white, salty sand and occasional mud. It is hard to describe and the picture doesn't do it justice. It was brutal.
So too, the Sierra Nevadas are the best mountains ever. I couldn't stop to take a picture because I was coasting down hill for an hour through noble pine. The smell seemed fabricated, it was so overpowering. The afternoon light cut through the canopy from the byway's path and blotched my view of the misty down slope.
Ah, I should have spent a day in those mountains.
I thought that I would feel the weight of the trip when I got to Wyoming. I didn't. The drive has been weighty, but only the exhaustion of a long trek. Today, I will visit Sierra Nevada Brewery and I hope to feel more of the coolness of this trip.
Camping and driving are cool, but I am here for beer.
Important side story. I was preparing to camp in Utah, when I saw a sign that said that I couldn't gather wood from the park. I went into town to buy some wood and the attendant at the gas station told me of a guy in town who sold wood. I went to him and he was out, "It rained all day, but there is a guy on the other side of the lake. He's just past the cemetery, look for the piles in the driveway." So, I traveled and found the house. But only half a house. It looked like half of it had been torn down including the front porch. I pulled in the driveway next to the CAT with the grabbing-claw-thingy. I would have rung the door bell, but I couldn't get to the door. I saw a little girl in the window and waved. She called for someone inside. A man stepped out and I apologized, "but I was told that I could buy some wood from you."
He said sure and began to load me up with kindling and good wood, "That will keep you warm tonight."
I was surprised how much he put in my car and I thought it was going to cost me a lot, but he refused to let me pay him.
I went away with a wave and a smile.
The people don't have accents, or at least no noticeable accent. When I traveled to Georgia, I knew when I had crossed into The South. Not so with California, Nevada, Utah or Wyoming.
The hills that I was in last night were similar to a trip to Branson and Table Rock Lake. Cicadas.
The differences, though, are astounding. Near the Great Salt Lake is the Salt Lake Desert. It was miles of white, salty sand and occasional mud. It is hard to describe and the picture doesn't do it justice. It was brutal.
So too, the Sierra Nevadas are the best mountains ever. I couldn't stop to take a picture because I was coasting down hill for an hour through noble pine. The smell seemed fabricated, it was so overpowering. The afternoon light cut through the canopy from the byway's path and blotched my view of the misty down slope.
Ah, I should have spent a day in those mountains.
I thought that I would feel the weight of the trip when I got to Wyoming. I didn't. The drive has been weighty, but only the exhaustion of a long trek. Today, I will visit Sierra Nevada Brewery and I hope to feel more of the coolness of this trip.
Camping and driving are cool, but I am here for beer.
Important side story. I was preparing to camp in Utah, when I saw a sign that said that I couldn't gather wood from the park. I went into town to buy some wood and the attendant at the gas station told me of a guy in town who sold wood. I went to him and he was out, "It rained all day, but there is a guy on the other side of the lake. He's just past the cemetery, look for the piles in the driveway." So, I traveled and found the house. But only half a house. It looked like half of it had been torn down including the front porch. I pulled in the driveway next to the CAT with the grabbing-claw-thingy. I would have rung the door bell, but I couldn't get to the door. I saw a little girl in the window and waved. She called for someone inside. A man stepped out and I apologized, "but I was told that I could buy some wood from you."
He said sure and began to load me up with kindling and good wood, "That will keep you warm tonight."
I was surprised how much he put in my car and I thought it was going to cost me a lot, but he refused to let me pay him.
I went away with a wave and a smile.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
We're Not in Kansas anymore
Sorry about the cliche - I'm still working on creative titles.
Yesterday was significant, but I believe that today is going to be more so. I have traveled to Denver many times for skiing or JD or the Row Boat Retreat, but I have never traveled West of the resorts. I am about to do this and I believe that some of the monumental gravity of this decision will hit me. A drop hit me yesterday when I was saying good bye to Nick. I felt the butterflies.They were calmed, though, by Western Kansas' endless fields and domed sky. I was also lulled into comfort by the hospitality of my childhood friend Kyle Winders and his wife Janelle. He had saved dinner and good beer to mark the beginning of much more drinking to come.
He also gave me a great idea for the reality of starting a brewery in Lawrence. I will have to put reality on the back burner for a tick, so that I can enjoy that tonight I am going to be sleeping 30 ft from a lake.
Bam!
Take that normal life!
Yesterday was significant, but I believe that today is going to be more so. I have traveled to Denver many times for skiing or JD or the Row Boat Retreat, but I have never traveled West of the resorts. I am about to do this and I believe that some of the monumental gravity of this decision will hit me. A drop hit me yesterday when I was saying good bye to Nick. I felt the butterflies.They were calmed, though, by Western Kansas' endless fields and domed sky. I was also lulled into comfort by the hospitality of my childhood friend Kyle Winders and his wife Janelle. He had saved dinner and good beer to mark the beginning of much more drinking to come.
He also gave me a great idea for the reality of starting a brewery in Lawrence. I will have to put reality on the back burner for a tick, so that I can enjoy that tonight I am going to be sleeping 30 ft from a lake.
Bam!
Take that normal life!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Brewfest / Banff day 2
Banff day 2 was more environmental than extreme sports, but the last film was a tour-de-force by Ryan Leech (similar video). In the Banff film, he jumped from a chain to a chain on his bike! On the way out, I was talking with Nick about it. I said, "I couldn't do that from my feet."
Nick said, "Neither could he."
This got me thinking about about some of my reflections from Brewfest. I was not impressed with the beers that the Lawrence Brewers Guild made for Brewfest. This could be a fluke of my choice (there were 97 beers of which I had 10-12 half beers) but I think that I started to see a pattern in the brews. Patient quality was sacrificed so that the beers could get consumed as soon as possible. They tasted sugary and like they weren't fully fermented. Wort tastes and unfiltered floaties ruined some creative brews.
This relates to Ryan Leech because I saw a group of people that I implicitly respected let me down. Leech is a giant in his craft, but isn't flawless.
When I strike out on this adventure, I am going to see the breweries close up and may see some negative aspects of the industry. I could become disappointed by this fact, or it could motivate me to be the Ryan Leech of brewing.
Either way, Banff and Brewfest were a good introduction to my trip.
Nick said, "Neither could he."
This got me thinking about about some of my reflections from Brewfest. I was not impressed with the beers that the Lawrence Brewers Guild made for Brewfest. This could be a fluke of my choice (there were 97 beers of which I had 10-12 half beers) but I think that I started to see a pattern in the brews. Patient quality was sacrificed so that the beers could get consumed as soon as possible. They tasted sugary and like they weren't fully fermented. Wort tastes and unfiltered floaties ruined some creative brews.
This relates to Ryan Leech because I saw a group of people that I implicitly respected let me down. Leech is a giant in his craft, but isn't flawless.
When I strike out on this adventure, I am going to see the breweries close up and may see some negative aspects of the industry. I could become disappointed by this fact, or it could motivate me to be the Ryan Leech of brewing.
Either way, Banff and Brewfest were a good introduction to my trip.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Banff - Night 1
Highlight of the night for me: Three of the world's best base jumpers travel to China to jump from a tight wire into the Heavenly Pit and fall almost 2000 feet to their almost certain doom. Beautiful scenery, amazing Tension and Release (when they were OK) and wonderful joy sitting next to Parker Guidry who said as one of the jumpers launched, "oh, Jesus Christ in a fried chicken basket."
Yup. Banff.
Yup. Banff.
Friday, September 11, 2009
First Post - Molting
Hello,
I just finished packing up most of my life and it only took me an hour. I think that this is metaphorical to the way that I feel now, before this trip. I feel that there are only a few things that are tying me to the routines of my life - my friends and family, my dog, and my love of Lawrence. The rest of the things that have until recently defined me are still a part of my life, but are no longer hold the same weight. Like an animal that is molting, I feel that I am going to go through a time of shedding my dead skin, fur, or feathers. This is different from the metaphor of the butterfly. Butterflies are completely different than caterpillars. A snake that molts looks and acts almost identical to the snake it was before.
Maybe that is just a wish, though, for this trip. I have been using the phrase, "hitting the reset button" to describe my trip, and I have been talking about how I have to be willing to accept however I change. But another part of me thinks that things are fine status quo. This may become a tension that I need to work through.
This weekend before I go is going to represent some of the aspects of my trip. Tonight and tomorrow night, I am going to Banff Mountain Film Festival. This amazing film festival shows films about the outdoors and adventure sports. I am hoping to experience a bit of these things as well on my trip.
Tomorrow day, I am going to Brewfest. This is part of the Lawrence Brewers Guild and will be a full on Beer experience.
I will try and blog about both these experiences.
I will also try and reflect in the near future about how I got into this trip. For now, imagine you are in a mystery movie - you'll find out the back story later.
Your assignment: I am going to say "trip" at least a million times unless you readers give me creative alternatives ie. synonyms. I like the word, but it is good to use varied word choice in essays. So, if you reply, do so with a synonym of "trip" that will be useful for my blog.
I just finished packing up most of my life and it only took me an hour. I think that this is metaphorical to the way that I feel now, before this trip. I feel that there are only a few things that are tying me to the routines of my life - my friends and family, my dog, and my love of Lawrence. The rest of the things that have until recently defined me are still a part of my life, but are no longer hold the same weight. Like an animal that is molting, I feel that I am going to go through a time of shedding my dead skin, fur, or feathers. This is different from the metaphor of the butterfly. Butterflies are completely different than caterpillars. A snake that molts looks and acts almost identical to the snake it was before.
Maybe that is just a wish, though, for this trip. I have been using the phrase, "hitting the reset button" to describe my trip, and I have been talking about how I have to be willing to accept however I change. But another part of me thinks that things are fine status quo. This may become a tension that I need to work through.
This weekend before I go is going to represent some of the aspects of my trip. Tonight and tomorrow night, I am going to Banff Mountain Film Festival. This amazing film festival shows films about the outdoors and adventure sports. I am hoping to experience a bit of these things as well on my trip.
Tomorrow day, I am going to Brewfest. This is part of the Lawrence Brewers Guild and will be a full on Beer experience.
I will try and blog about both these experiences.
I will also try and reflect in the near future about how I got into this trip. For now, imagine you are in a mystery movie - you'll find out the back story later.
Your assignment: I am going to say "trip" at least a million times unless you readers give me creative alternatives ie. synonyms. I like the word, but it is good to use varied word choice in essays. So, if you reply, do so with a synonym of "trip" that will be useful for my blog.
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