HeiBlog

I’ve always had a soft spot for creative expression and for music especially. With the general decline of popular music sourcing from the large record companies I started to look toward the smaller companies and independent bands for my fix. After moving to Boston in 1997 music was starting to be promoted on the Internet and come 2003 with the founding of MySpace the number of artists on the net had exploded. Despite this coverage I still found joy in finding that great band on my own. In Boston I had that serendipity on a regular basis from just being in bars or coming early to hear the warmup bands for a show a friend had recommended. May times these were local talent that you’d never heard of because they just played around town and you’d never hear them on the radio let alone see them being promoted in a big record store.

This was the charm of PDX PopNow (August 3-5 2007). Get local bands from a great music city, Portland, and put them all together in an all-ages, free weekend long festival. Every band got 30 minutes of time no matter what their popularity or style. The bands where not presented in any order, so if you hung around for the afternoon you’d hear everything from electronic to punk.

The venue promoted an open feel. AudioCinema is a converted warehouse under the Hawthorne Bridge across the river from downtown Portland. When I arrived Friday evening to hear music flowing from under a dark overpass I will admit I was wary, but once you got closer you could see a sea of people and bikes (part of the Portland culture). No barricades, nobody checking IDs, just a woman handing you a program as you walk in. I think I saw a few police around, but they were just enjoying the evening. In the morning there were of course fewer people, but everybody seemed to know each other, were their to support friends up on stage, and just hanging out enjoying the tunes. They even have an Astroturf room. All of the hipsters needed a place to sit.

All of the bands I heard were good to excellent. A few of them are known outside Portland or are just on the verge of being “discovered.” Some of my personal favorites were the MarchFourth Marching Band which preformed to a full house Friday evening (continuing outside after their finishing), Dragging an Ox Through Water, Ethan Rose, Star Fucker, Copy, Here Comes a Big Black Cloud, Bright Paper, and Corrina Repp. I didn’t catch all of them but the bloggers where then in full force for you to catch up.

If you want a taste for the concert I recommend the compilations CD from the last 4 years (at CDBaby, search “PDX”). Each year is a two CD set selected from submissions by local bands. This year there were over 200 entries. They are cheap ($7 for 2 disks!), you’ll get some great music, and proceeds go to help keep the annual festival free. Portland Radio Authority also put up a series of podcasts recorded live at the festival.

I hope PDX Pop Now! keeps it’s spirit. It’s truly wonderful and unique.

Why do they call it Mount Aix, because that what it will cause after you are done with the hike. A 4,000 ft rise over about 5.5 miles is nothing to laugh at. This trail will give you a work out. The first half of the trail is mostly switch backs up the side of one mountain (the hard part). They you cross over to a ridge and take a more gradual climb up to Aix. The trail is pretty clear, but I could see how it might be harder to follow earlier in the season. The only time I got lost was right at the summit. The easiest (and most erosion friendly) way to attach the summit is to follow the trail along the south face of the mountain, cross around the east side of the summit and come back on the north side heading west. Don’t be tempted to ascend right up to the summit, the rock is loose and you’ll do more damage than good.

The views are wonderful heading up. The day I went up was quite cloudy and variable, so I couldn’t see everything all at once. With no clouds the view from the summit would have been amazing. The trail was deserted except for one father and his two sons. They were turning back because of some “bear p???” they’d seen on the trail. The father had a fairly heavy Chinese accent and I didn’t catch and I didn’t completely understand what he was saying. I just thanked him for the warning and said I’d keep my eyes open. At first I thought he meant to say “puma,” but about 30 minutes later realized he meant “poop” when part of the trail was heavily deposited with very fresh bear crap. Somebody had had too many berries for dinner the previous evening.

At about 50 miles past Naches, WA the trail head is easy to get to. Off of Route 410 turn on Bumping Lake Road. Follow the road for 12 miles until the split and take the gavel (not paved fork). At 2.3 miles the road will split again, follow FR 1808 to Deep Creek (the other road was closed). After about 2 miles you’ll see a sign for the trail head on the left (Trail 982), you can park by the trail or in the camping area on the right. If you cross over a steel bridge you’ve gone too far. The road is rock and dirt, but passable with caution by my vehicles.

For my first major hike of the summer season I headed to the southern Cascade Mountains. One web site that said this trail was difficult and not well maintained. They must be talking about a different trail because I found this trail to be of moderate difficulty and well maintained. The views are wonderful and the grade light through alpine meadows. Once you come to the base of the peak you have to make a medium grade accent on a path of sand and broken gravel. The trail got lost under some remaining snow, but you can pick it up again easily. The day I hiked there were several groups on the mountain and from the trail log I gathered it was fairly popular in the area. At 7.2 miles out and back with a 1,300 foot rise this is a good conditioning trail. Less time at the time enjoying the views it took me a little over 4 hours.

The trailhead is about 50 miles west of Yakima on route 12. The final road is dirt and has deep ruts. Take a high clearance vehicle, my little Scion xA barely made it (let’s hear it for manual transmission). From Rt. 12, about 8 miles east of White Pass, take Tieton road toward Clear Lake. The paved road goes around the the lake (a worthwhile visit on it’s own, just for a site seeing drive). At about 5.5 miles turn right onto Forest Service Road 1205. Ignore the turn off a 2.4 miles, but bare right at 2.6 miles after Forest Service Road 742. After another 2.1 miles turn left onto Forest Service Road 757. Continue on this road for 0.7 miles and bare right to another right turn on to Forest Service Road 1205 after another 1.4 miles. As you continue uphill for the last 2.5 miles the condition of the road will vary greatly and you can bottom out if you’re not careful. The trail head is at the end of the road near the parking area.

These directions are pretty close, most of the roads are not marked and I didn’t seen any signs, so you’ll have to go by milage and road numbers. I think the trail head is here (estimations will have to do until I buy a GPS). This a great trail if you get to it. Otherwise just enjoy my pictures.

The Department of Energy (DOE) gives periodic public road tours of the Hanford Site. As with many things after the 9/11/2001 attacks security increased and the tours were less frequent. Recently, the tours started up again. DOE offered five tours this month with reservations taken via a web page. The last round of tour spots were filled within minutes after reservations opened. On whim I checked the site and got the very last spot for this month’s block of tours. No cameras were allowed so we’ll all have to be satisfied with the virtual tour at the Hanford Reservation web site.

The whole tour took about four hours and included the HAMMER training center, the 300 area, the 100 area with a stop at the B reactor where we took a walking tour around the reactor building, the 200 area, and the vitrification plant currently under construction. By seeing these areas in their modern context and learning about their history and future, you gain a sense of the challenges and problems facing the people who run the operation.

The public tour program is an excellent public relation tool and very informative to the public. Our main guide was the federal official responsible the 200 area cleanup, a pretty high level man. He was very open and informative. Never did I get the feeling that he was trying to whitewash any issues. He freely took questions and answered them openly (except for two questions of a classified nature). This seems to be a trend at Hanford, keeping the public informed about the realities and challenges of the clean up effort. He made his point near the end of the tour of the 200 area by stating something to the effect of “We all live here too and want to make sure all this is cleaned up properly.”

If you have the chance to get in one of these tours go. It really gives you a chance to see a unique piece of United States history and legacy. The next tour slots will become available on August 1, 2007.

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When you mention Las Vegas images of hard core gamblers throwing away there money in hugh glitzy, smokey rooms come to mind. All of the hotels are decorated to the giles with neon and lights, beckoning you to some inside and blow more of your hard earned greenbacks. You also think of the Rat Pack, Elvis and a slew of other entertainers from the current and fresh to the washed up with no where else to go. Everywhere you look someone is trying to sell you something. You are visually overwhelmed and saturated.

That was my image of the city and in that regard I was not disappointed in the least during my first visit to The Strip. Several months back my mother got the idea in her head that she wanted to celebrate her birthday in Las Vegas. This was the fourth trip and my parents, so needless to say they get some enjoyment out of the city. They don’t go to gamble, they go for the shopping and the shows. This is the other side of the city and seems to be the reason why a growing number of people are visiting. I saw quite a few families for example. All of the other stuff you’d expect is still there and I think is still were most of the money is made. Everywhere you want to go you have to walk through a casino. What I saw was a 4.5 miles long stretch of road that is completely dedicated to the satisfaction of people’s non-necessary desires.

While in Vegas we saw four shows and had some pretty good food. I didn’t need any of that and I can’t say that it was all that enriching, but I did have a good time. Seeing the Cirque du Soleil put on a show centered around the music of The Beetles (Love) or seeing there version of a battle scene choreographed on a vertical stage (KA) was amazing. Seeing tons of Star Trek props and related paraphernalia complete with a multimedia experience was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Spamalot is amazingly funny for an almost complete rehashing of old Monty Python material (mostly from Monty Python and the Holy Grail). Throw in a magic show and you have a fun pack (and expensive) long weekend.

All that said, it seems that the only reason Vegas exists is to satisfy frivolous desires and to many a few people very rich. It’s in the middle of the desert. But people are coming in drives. The local chamber of commerce cites that over 6,000 people move there each month. The area is booming. Large construction projects were going on on at least 3 different sites around our hotel. The city just put in a pretty convenient monorail system along the strip, but the 6 lane road that runs through the middle of The Strip was constantly congested. there are plans to build a new airport. You have to wonder how long the area can support this type of system. All of the water, power, and fuel being use for really no necessary purpose. I’m not the only person raising these questions. This city is the perfect example of people putting human desires ahead of any other considerations. Like New York City, there is no place on Earth like Las Vegas, but you do have to wonder if it’s worth it and how long we will be able to support such places. In the mean time, like many things, lots of people are making money and others are paying money to enjoy themselves. So, we just turn a blind eye and move on to another issue.

Sasquatch was my attendance to a large music festival. It’s held once at year at the Gorge Amphitheater. If you haven’t been to this venue you should try and catch a concert there. The view is amazing. With the stage facing west you can watch the sunset during an evening concert. Just gorgeous (no pun intended). I went for the whole weekend with a friend from lab and a few of her friends. Two days, 12 hours each of concerts on three stages. We camped for the weekend along with I’d say around 5,000-7,000 other people in a field adjacent to the festival grounds. About double that number attended each day.

The crowd was more subdued than I expected, even after everybody was done for the night and the field parties started up. I got more sleep than I expected. The nights were cold. One evening my friend and I were freezing our asses off since we’d dressed for a warm day. The problem was the winds were so high that some of the the bands had to be rescheduled from the main stage. It also really knocked the perceived temperature down. Fortunately, her friend Ivan went back to the car and got some blankets. Watching the Beastie Boys under the stars while everybody around us was lighting up was a very memorable experience. They really showed there old school colors and their raw talent as rock musicians. Bjork of course was from another world, opting for a heavy brass orchestra and electronic section. She continues to reinvent herself.

In all 40-50 bands performed, with Bjork and The Beastie Boys finishing up Saturday and Sunday respectively. I went to see those two groups as well as Spoon, The Dandy Warhols, Interpol, and Neko Case. As hoped, I found some new groups that I need to investigate further including: Arcade Fire, Citizen Cope, Patrick Wolf, Earl Greyhound, Jesse Sykes, and The Polyphonic Spree. Not all of them are new, but they are new to mee. All said it was a great festival. It has a smaller feel and some headliners along with some new faces. Much recommended, but bring your own food or you will be visiting the Honey Bucket, frequently.