Sometimes Life is Stranger than Fiction

Sometimes Life is Stranger than Fiction

Unusual Bungee Jump

Video involving the shoe incident

Life can be stranger than fiction

The link above tells most of the story:  

*  Dave does a rather unusual bungee jump

*  Dave somehow loses his shoe in the process

*  A boat scoops up his shoe and saves the day

Rather charming headlines but ohhhh, there is so much more to that story….

Glenn's Ferry Bridge

The  first ‘stranger’ aspect comes in the fact that I was even able to post a youtube video. 
We were joined on the Glenn’s Ferry bridge by a good # of adrenaline seekers.  One of them was Tom (last name escapes me).  I did not realize till well after the jump that he was filming many of the bungee jumps or that someone below was snapping photos.   Eventually, I found out about possible footage so I contacted Tom and he gladly shared that he would send footage my way.  He was in the process of piecing the short segments of footage together into a longer loop.  Sounded good to me.  Time crept forward with no footage.  No rush, but I was curious if he had the camera rolling when I did the most unusual  jump I have ever done.  

My Shoe, in flight

A year would roll by……….then it became 2 years.   I would eventually receive the prized footage but would not be able to open the main footage.  No success after many different attempts I closed the file but was glad for some short segments and a handful of photos.  One of which miraculously caught my shoe incident.  

2 more years would pass and after the piece of junk laptop was replaced by a slightly newer version of technology I would again, stumble across the unknown file that sat amidst a random bungee pile .  I had forgotten about the lost and yet to be opened file and accidentally clicked on the attachment.  4 years after the jump I had my surprise footage.  If you catch the video, the boat that rescue's my shoe was the only boat we saw that day and they were only in the area for my jump.  They left after their heroic retrieval.

To Be Alaskan.....

To Be Alaskan......

I had ventured into the Last Frontier a number of times during my brief escapes from work and to a degree, most of civilization.  About 8 years ago, home for me was Boise, Idaho.  A great place, but I was ready for a new adventure.  Having been a bike messenger in the past, I liked the idea of combining work with a splice of adventure so decided that I would spend some internet time and see if I could find a job in the wilds of Alaska.  I had been to Juneau, Skagway, Petersburg and Sitka.  No, no, no and yes.  Sitka had been my favorite stop along the Dave/Alaska trail so I concentrated my search to the Sitka area.  I would land a position with Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau.  I would soon learn that the first step to becoming 'Alaskan' is just getting to the state.  In my case, that would mean almost 3 days on the Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry.  Welcome to adventure!

Brown Bear print

Alaska , the name is probably a corruption of the Aleut work Alyeska, which means “the great land”.  Great is an great understatement.  First of all, Alaska is huge.  If you cut Alaska in half, Texas would be the third-largest state.  There were a number of times that I was asked or it was assumed that Sitka was close to Anchorage.  Do you consider 600 miles to be close?



Bears…….by all means Alaska has bears!  a definite thickness of the fur balls.  And to make it more interesting, we have zero black bears on our island.  If you come across a bear near Sitka, it will probably be very large and brown.  On my trail run today I was stopped by a runner who warned me about a bear he had just seen on the trail.  The trail would be free of large objects but it did remind me that there is a certain feel to Alaska and that I seriously needed to finish this blog. 

 

 Trever Alters on one of our No Limits kayak expeditions 

Oh, and there is that oil fund check that Alaskans receive from the state each year, rewarding us for being Alaskan and for the fact that we are rather blessed with lots of oil.  While at the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau, one of the many inquiring phone calls I received from prospective visitors/residents was from a gentleman who asked what he has to do to receive the $20,000 check we receive each year.  Well, Sir, it might has something to do with actually living in Alaska and no, it does not punch up your checking account $20,000, try $800-1200.  That is easily washed out by the extra expense to live here.  I have been appreciative of the extra cash, though. 

ok, no moose on Baranof Island, where I live, but I like the photo 

Being Alaskan almost demands that you own a pair of Xtra Tuff Boots. 

Halibut Head Toss (Sitka Seafood Festival) with my daughter, Deanna 

Alaskan, it turns out, is more than just somebody who lives up north.  It’s also a language with many words all it’s own, including words borrowed from English but given a peculiar, northern meaning.  Then there are words from Native languages, not to mention jargon and pidgin.

Cheechako-a newcomer to AK, usually one who has not survived a winter here. 

Cold-according to physicians, there is no such thing as cold, only an absence of heat.  Greatest absence of heat ever recorded in ak was -80 at Prospect Creek Camp on jan 23, 1971. 

 Deanna and that adorable halibut head

 photo by Deanna Rivaldo

Some basic statistics that highlight a really big and varied state:

Lakes: 3 million / 586,412 sq miles / shoreline:  33,904 miles

Climate records 100 to -80

In 1867 Alaska was purchased for .02 per acre.  from Russia.  The end amount was 7,200,000.  $200,000 was tacked on to the final price to cover the lost revenue that Russia would lose by selling ice out of Swan Lake (in Sitka).  Sitka was the capital until it was moved to Juneau in 1906.

SE Alaska contains about 1,000 of the state’s 1,800 named islands

The flag for the 49th state was designed by a 13 year old.

Of special note to being a Sitkan I have pasted one of the top April Fool day hoaxes, ever, that was pulled off by Porky Bickar, of Sitka.

On Kruzof Island, about 13 miles west of Sitka, Alaska, sits Mt Edgecumbe. The extinct volcano is 1300 feet in height and covered with snow about eight months of the year.
On April 1, 1974, a clear, beautiful morning, Porky Oliver Bickar of Sitka woke up early to see Mt. Edgecumbe through the window in all its glory. Porky whispered to his wife, Patty: "This is it. We've gotta do it today." Patty smiled sweetly, kissed Porky on the forehead, and said, "Don’t make an ass of yourself."
Porky rushed to his shop (you can see the name of his shop on Old Blue) and started calling helicopter charters. He called three charters, but when they heard his plan they respectfully declined. One said he was afraid of a white-out (snow), but since the weather was absolutely clear that didn't wash. Finally, with the help of Harry Sulser, the owner of Sitka's Pioneer Bar, Porky struck pay dirt with Temsco's Earl Walker in Petersburg. Although his chopper was fog-bound, Earl loved the idea and said he would be on the way to Sitka as soon as he could see one more telephone pole.
In the meantime, Porky made up two manila rope slings about 150 feet long...each holding about 50 old car tires. He also gathered up a batch of oily rags, a gallon of sterno, a lot of diesel oil, and a dozen smoke bombs. (He didn't want us to mention where he got those. OK, Pork.)
When Earl and his chopper arrived at the old PBY and Goose turnaround (Sitka didn't have an airport then), Porky, Earl, Larry Nelson, and Ken Stedman first loaded up the incendiaries. When Earl and Porky got off the ground and hovered the chopper, Larry and Ken hooked one sling of tires to the chopper and off they went toward Mt. Edgecumbe (with FAA "legal" clearance, of course).
Within just a few minutes, Porky and Earl were flying over Mt. Edgecumbe. They could see for miles--just water and islands--with Baranof Island to the east and the open North Pacific to the west.
Porky and Earl dropped the tires into the up-til-now extinct volcano, then swung around and set the chopper down. Porky got out and unloaded all the fuel...just the right stuff to make a lot of black, smoky fire.
When Earl lifted off headed back to Sitka for the next load of tires, Porky stacked the first load in a big circle, poured on the fuel, and started to spray-paint a huge message in the snow with 50-foot letters: APRIL FOOL. When Earl returned and dumped 50 more tires into Mt. Edgecumbe, the two boys finished the arrangement...set the whole mess ablaze...and happily headed back to Sitka.
On the way back, Earl asked the FAA tower for clearance, and Homer Sutter (the controller) said "I'll bring you in as low and inconspicuously as possible...and, by the way, the son of a gun looks fantastic!" Earl set the chopper down. Mission accomplished...
Although Porky had remembered to notify both the FAA and the Sitka Police (he was a member of the police commission), he somehow forgot to notify the Coast Guard. While Mt. Edgecumbe was busy spewing out its black smoke, the Coast Guard Commander called for a chopper to investigate and sent a whale boat over to check things out. The chopper pilot radioed back to the commander that all he saw was a bunch of smoldering tires and a big April Fool sign in the snow. This was after the commander had called the Admiral in Juneau about the apparent crisis.
Jimmy Johnson, Vice President of Alaska Airlines, had also heard about Mt. Edgecumbe's activity, and called Sitka to instruct their departing plane to fly over the mountain to give all the passengers a bird’s eye view of it all. And, in the meantime, the Sitka radio station and police station phones were ringing off the hook.
We later found out that Porky's April Fool's Day caper had made AP news...worldwide.

Link to Porky's caper on the Museum of Hoaxes website:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/af_database/permalink/the_eruption_of_mount_edgecumbe/

This is the first year in about 7 years that I did not sign up for the Alaska oil fund check.  I will be moving off the island and off the Alaska grid by May 16th.  It has been a grand adventure and I look forward to the next page in my life story.

Batkid Saves City

  Batkid Saves City



November is Diabetes month and a couple days ago the planet acknowledged World Diabetes Day on November 14th.  I will touch base on diabetes a little later, but first we have a super hero in our midst and he is Batkid, otherwise known as Miles Scott.  While I spent the day behind my desk pushing papers and computer keys,  the pint sized 5 year old rescued a damsel in distress, saved "Gotham" (San Francisco) from the Penguin and the Riddler and rescued the San Francisco Giants mascot.  Also on his batkid itinerary was a stop for a hamburger and some cruising around in a sweet lamborghini (aka the Batmobile).

For anyone who may not already know him, this is Batkid also known as Miles. (Courtesy: Make-a-Wish)

Nearly 12,000 volunteers and adoring fans holding signs crowded streets for the full-on transformation of the city so Miles, who has been battling lymphoblastic leukemia since he was 20 months old, could spend the day with Batman at his side.  This was coordinated by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Miles' cancer is in remission.

Batkid's adventures captured the hearts of residents and transfixed the nation on social media.  He has also captured the hearts of many who are dealing with a wide variety of different medical conditions.  Sometimes we need our hearts stirred.  Sometimes we need encouragement and sometimes we need the right mindset, the right attitude.  While she is not donning a comic book hero custom (that I am aware of), Anne Marie Hospod recently shared, "I did not choose diabetes.  But I can choose life". She shares that life changing attitude in her blog. Well worth the read!

http://drannemariehospod.com/2013/11/14/a-personal-post-for-world-diabetes-day-why-today-matters-and-why-you-and-the-media-should-care/



 

Fort Rousseau Causeway, Matt Hunter and 'the Mermaid'

Fort Rousseau Causeway, Matt Hunter and 'the Mermaid'

Military construction in Sitka commenced at break-neck in September 1939 to ensure that the Alaskan coast would be defensible if and when the Japanese arrived.  The Sitka Naval Air Station, located on Japonski Island in Sitka Sound became operational. When the U.S. recaptured Attu and Kiska (in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska) in the summer of 1943, the U.S. Army decided to close its Sitka establishment (including Fort Rousseau).  On August 15, 1944, the Sitka Naval Operating Base on Japonski Island was decommissioned. 

On April 2, 2008, the Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park was created.  6 tiny islands scattered off the end of the Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport form the Causeway.  The 8,100 foot causeway was mostly finished by the end of 1942, at a cost of approximately two million dollars.

In 2012 State Parks completed a management plan for the site.  Through Sitka Trail works, the State Parks and the community the work has begun. 

 

The Allen Marine Boat slowly nudged the shoreline and the walkway was dropped for our small group to scramble onto Makhnati Island.  The area lacks a dock for easier exploration.  We didn't have a dock, but we did bring along a 'Matt Hunter'. 

While only 31 years old, Hunter is gifted at wearing hats.  He is a school teacher at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a state of Alaska-run public boarding school in Sitka.  The school was actually begun in a deserted WWII building.   He is a life-long Sitkan, Sitka Assembly Member and EMS volunteer.

I had met Matt during my time involved with Sitka Mountain Rescue.  If you get into a tough spot with nature (my hand is raised), you fail on your 50 foot snowboard jump, you meet Mr. Grizzly, etc., he is a great person to have nearby.  If you decide to visit the Causeway, Matt Hunter is beyond great.  He is a walking text book.  No, more like a walking Google. 

Inside Battery 292

 My video inside the building above (Battery 292) 

Matt would take us into a number of buildings, including the impressive Battery 292.  This was the main headquarters building.  Matt would lead our 'tour' with details on how most of the rooms were used.

Would have been an ideal post for Halloween!

Hunter estimates that up to 8,000 soldiers, sailors and aviators were stationed in Sitka, along with a few hundred private contractors and a contingent of Marines.  This in a town of only 2,000.

 New Archangel Dancer, Angela McGraw, enjoying the "Dancer Explosives" sign

"The Mermaid"

He would even lead us to the "The Mermaid".  I had heard stories of her existence.  She actually does exist and spends her time under a disco ball.  The Causeway is cram full of history with some stories thrown in.  We all learned so much about the Causeway, Sitka on the brink of war, the many lives lost during the construction of this facility and that Matt, surprisingly, does not even teach history.    

Fort Rousseau Causeway teaser

'Halloween' photo taken at the Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park(Sitka, Alaska).  The fort was developed in response to military threats to U.S. soil from the Pacific just before World War II.  Looking beyond this graffiti, the Causeway is very historic and is an amazing place to explore.  Story to follow with photos and video.  

R.I.P. Mario Richard

R.I.P. Mario Richard

 

I am guessing that if I said "Mario Richard" the response of almost everyone would be "who?"  I would have said "who" not long ago, but my friend google would share with me that Mario might help me scratch off another empty box on my adventure tick list. I found Moab Base Adventures and thought that I would email Mario regarding a new airborne challenge, off the canyon cliffs of Moab, Utah. 

 

Mario Richard - Photo by Hunter Imagery

 

Moab Base Adventures is one of only two companies I know of that offer tandem base jumps.  I have jumped with Tandem Base (Twin Falls, Idaho).  Rather crazy to step off of the platform on the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho (486 feet).  Leaping with out a back up parachute does take a different mind set. 

 

A couple of emails gravited into phone calls to possibly set up a jump date in October.  October was approaching, but a date was not set........or would ever be set.  On August 18, Richard and his wife, rock climber and base jumper, Steph Davis took a cable car to Sasso Pordoi in the Dolomites of Italy.  They would be making wingsuit flights and had made the same jump three times the day before.  Something went wrong in-flight, and Richard hit a cliff close to the Piccolo Pordoi towers .  Davis would land, alone. 

 

Mario Richard in a tandem base jump near Moab, Utah - Photo by Hunter Imagery

On the fatal jump, the Alpine rescue service believe that he miscalulated by only three meters.  He was 47.

Richard had 20 years of B.A.S.E jumping experience and over 2000 B.A.S.E jumps all over the world.  Richard moved to Moab in 2007 and soon met Davis.  They married in 2011, atop the majestic Parriott Mesa outside Moab, and celebrated by running and leaping off the meas and gliding to earth with parachutes.

I am sorry to hear of the passing of Mario Richard.  I am inspired by the life he chose to live and I regret not having made a cliff reservation, for earlier on the calendar.  Take full advantage of life and the opportunities that you have.  Life can change in the blink of an eye. 

The Toughest Bicycle Race on the Planet

The Toughest Bicycle Race on the Planet

If you love to travel, can deal with seriously rough levels of sleep deprivation, and enjoy serving, then you are open for amazingly unique opportunities.  Although I do not see myself classifying with all of the above mentioned traits, I seem to get myself aboard with the unique opportunity to ride along with the Race Across America (RAAM) almost yearly! 

Outside magazine voted RAAM the most difficult athletic event.  While the debate could rage on, it certainly is sheer madness!  A very special kind of madness that covers 3000 miles, 170,000 feet of climbing, and crossing 12 states.  There is no other race in the world like it.  RAAM is a nonstop blur!  Once the timer starts, the clock doesn’t stop until racers reach the finish line. 

 Rick Schultze dealing with the Mojave Desert

  

Many tasks for the crew.  Andre Richison crossing one off the list, above Sedona, AZ

By the time 2013 rolled around, I was on my 5^th tour with the RAAM parade.  This year I was on the crew for Team ON/ABB.  A crew is made up of a number of positions, or roles that assist the team rider(s) to cross the country in speedy fashion  The racer just rides, but the crew makes most of the decisions, and must constantly improvise, adjust, and adapt.  It is an adventure that unfolds minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour and mile-by-mile. 

Dave Preston in the magnificant Monument Valley, Utah

The Crew Chief is the CEO, the boss and leader of the team.  They provide the overall direction for the crew and have to be ready to make decisions, even unpopular ones.  They must always think of the racer, and balance with that the crew needs.

 

The Team ON/ABB crew worked hard to keep Rick Shulze and Dave Preston rolling east.  We started the race in Oceanside, California with 10 crew members.  By the sunrise of the second day, no one was a ‘rookie’ crew member anymore.  Our team consisted of drivers, navigators, a crew chief, a photographer and a bike mechanic.  The note-so-popular roles included sandwich making, fetching water, scrubbing dishes, scurrying to peg requests on the racer’s list, tracking down route changes, were done by any available crew member, at any hour.   

  Matt Hoffman at the base of the dreaded Yarnell Pass, AZ

America the beautiful, is also America with the often searing Mojave Desert, the mountainous Rockies, the wind-swept plains and the steep and rather wicked hills of the Appalachians.

 L to R:  Manny Casillas (crew chief), Rick Schultze (rider), John Wood, Andre Richison and Matt Hoffman

After a tough series of events, Team ON/ABB lost one of its 2 riders, due to possible heat exhaustion.  Through grit, determination, encouragement and dedicated support from the remaining crew, Dave Preston rode the last 450 or so miles solo to the finish line in Annapolis, Maryland.   

  Rolling into a distant gas station in Kansas

Dave generously shared, “Much of RAAM’s spotlight is usually on the racers, but the lion’s share of the heavy lifting to get a racer or team across the finish line is in the hands of the crew.  I am certainly humbled by the dedication the crew had to get our team across the finish.  So thank you crew – you truly taught me some valuable life lessons.”

 Most of the crew at the finish line in Annapolis, MD.  L to R:  John Foote, Adot White, Joe Felder, Manny Casillas, Alan Low, Dave Preston, Denny Preston, Rick Schultze, John Wood.