Welcome!!

Has it really been 5 months since I moved? My how time flies. I owe so many of you a phone call or some type of correspondence and I know I'm due for a visit to the Bay Area, but, well, it's ski season and we're getting some fresh new snow in the Cascades as we speak so I need to make this brief so I can wax up my skis and do a few turns before sitting down to do some *real* work and then on to my daily workout.

While I miss my friends in the Bay Area immensely as well as some of my favorite bike routes (Paradise...nothing beats that view as you ride in to Sausalito...and the various routes that start on Canada Rd....and the looooooong coffee breaks with Kirsten, and the Captains :-), I am really enjoying my time back in the Pacific Northwest(oh, and I miss all of you who live in other parts of this lovely planet - didn't mean to diss you). I am currently in Issaquah (about 20 mins east of Seattle) mainly because it is easy access to a lot of the outdoor activities all-year round. Issaquah is basically in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range on I-90 so there is a lot to do...there's even a hang gliding jump-off point right up the road from me.

But, as I mentioned earlier, it's still ski season and I have been skiing every week. I'm a ski instructor at Alpental - the most advanced part of the Summit at Snoqualmie ski area located right on I-90 and the closest ski area to the Seattle metropolitan area. (The picture at the top of this blog is from the chair leading to the top of Alpental and the picture on the left is after the record dump we had over a 2 week period that closed the passes and canceled my classes for 2 weekends in a row. I think that was Mother Nature's way of saying 'welcome back!') But, I've also managed to have some fun at other local hills including Crystal, Stevens Pass, and, yes, Whistler-Blackcomb. I think I may do some heli-skiing later on with a local company that does trips in the Northern Cascade area. They still have seats open (especially mid-week) and it's much more affordable. The company is North Cascades Heli-Skiing and you can stay overnight in Winthrop, WA. Speaking of heli-skiing, a friend of mine just headed down to the Ruby Mountains in northern Nevada to heli-ski with Ruby Mountains Heli-Experience which promises you a minimum of 39,000 of helicopter lift! I know I'm supposed to focus on excursions in the Pacific Northwest, but this company sounds awesome and I will make it down there that's for sure. Who is up for a trip next winter? They suggest booking a year in advance. The lodge that they stay in is owned by a woman who runs a brothel in Nevada....how funny is that? I think I'm in the wrong business (LOL). But, I heard the food is awesome and the helicopter picks you up close to the lodge.

So, other updates....yes, I'm still playing ice hockey. I actually belong to two leagues down here. My Friday night league is very similar to the Blue Division (top division) in the NCWHL in the Bay Area and my other league, the Seattle Women's Hockey League, is a little less competitive so I need to watch my "roughing." But, we have coaches and it's nice to have that feedback and work on various parts of your game as opposed to the pick-up style I've been playing for years.

Work-wise, my main source of income is through my work with Peridot which is a small (about 8 of us?) company that does contract work with Microsoft and McKesson. McKesson is my main client and I'm working on web analytics as well as customer satisfaction studies for their various web sites. It's great b/c I can work as much (or as little...which is more the case ;-)) as I need to and everything is done remotely. But, the other work is what I am more passionate about (and having a lot of fun doing) and that is the work I'm doing with my friend Norm and his company, Tantalus Adventures. I am helping out with the marketing and PR and we are currently booking Sea Kayak trips in the Great Bear Rainforest for this coming summer. We can also put together custom trips for you - just ask!

So, that's my update in a nutshell. Please visit regularly for I have some other fun topics to share about the Pacific Northwest. But, more importantly, if you have an activity trip or adventure you would like to share with everyone, please feel free to contribute!!