Wolf whistles and Fish

My task this week was two-fold. 1) Learn how to wolf whistle. I had it in the back of my head that this could potentially produce a slip up. Nothing of the sort! Check it out.

 

I am genuinely quite proud of that one. It's been a packed week which has seen me attending two gigs, taking part in some gardening, watching Expendables 2 (the bit with Chuck Norris is awesome) and having my first Spanish tuition lesson - which was muy bien.It also saw me ironing out the second fold of my task - 

2) cleaning and preparing a fish. The fish in question was a rainbow trout and I certainly took care of it as this will show...

 

So that was fairly harrowing at points but it wasn't done just for the halibut. I hake not being able to do things and bless my sole, I didn't want to be floundering around the next time a fish needs gutting. Actually it was quite interesting and a tremendous skill to have in the bag. 

So next time, I will have been brushing up on the phonetic alphabet and my main task will be to learn and be able to recognise some common bird calls. That way, if I ever find myself in the presence of a group of 'twitchers', and should I wish to impress them, I will be more than able. Come to think of it, I will also find out what the collective term is for a group of birdwatchers. 

I'll leave you with the dragon that appeared in my pint glass.

Wilderness and beyond

As a small select number may now know, I am back in the UK. But where did I leave you last time you might say? Well I believe it was in the vicinity of San Francisco, so I will continue my account from that point.

Having had a great time thus far, I made my way inland to Yosemite national park and, to what I consider to be one of the highlights. I camped out in this amazing place for two nights down on the valley floor in the busy campgrounds, using the days to walk around groves of more giant trees. Although I saw no more Mountain Lions, I did see plenty of Deer and even a Coyote. This is the view from one end of the valley - pretty spectacular I'm sure you'll agree.

However,  for my last night I decided to make my way to the visitors office to get a wilderness permit and a bear cannister (massive black box to put food in so the bears don't attack you) and packed up my rucksack.

I then embarked upon a 5 hour trek out of the valley into the wilderness with my tent and spent the night at a place called Eagle peak. This was one of the best things I have ever done and here are some of the views I had from my makeshift campsite. From here I made myself a brew and some soup and watched the sun set over the valley - all this with not a human for literally miles.

Anyway, with Yosemite behind me I began to bring my trip to a close with a spectacular drive down highway 1 over a couple of nights, stopping off at some lovely beaches and ended up in LA where I once again met up with my mate Dave. Once again my friend, thanks for putting me up. From there we hit Vegas. Amongst the highlights were seeing Calvin Harris playing a DJ set from our sun loungers complete with ice buckets of beer, and being accosted by two women late at night in the MGM grand lobby who genuinely thought that Dave and I were rock stars.

So, all trips have to come to an end, and this one was no different. I drove around 2,189 miles. I met some quality people along the way. I did some cool things and saw some amazing spectacles. And I am pretty sure I left half of the insect population of the western United States on the windscreen of my rental car. Since I have been back, I've had to regroup and wash lots of clothes but I am now back on it. As such, my next weekly task shall be to learn how to wolf whistle  (something I have always wanted to do). In addition, I shall add in the task of learning how to clean and cook a fish from scratch.

W

P.s.

One last thing. Just this weekend gone, I watched one of, if not the best football matchs of my life and if you haven't seen the videos yet then please watch them. I don't normally mention Watford on here as I am aware many will not have a clue what I am talking about and will inevitably get bored but this is an exception. Quite simply incredible.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nAwOXGIrVQ

Mountain Lions

I began this week where I finished the last, unsurprisingly in Seattle, where apparently Ronnie Corbitt has taken up driving taxis. Nice city, although I stayed in a fairly sketchy area around China town. I managed to cover just about the whole city in one morning after my phone completely died via the city’s underground buses to buy a new cheap US phone. This still all gave me time to head up the space needle where I chilled out to some pretty awesome views. 

From there I picked up my rental car. A brand spanking new Ford Focus which drives like a dream. From Seattle I headed for the cost and ended up in a lovely little place called Cannon Beach which I’m told is where they filmed the Goonies. Here was the view I was met with.

The beach was so nice and the sand so good that I felt guilty walking on it with my shoes on. Definitely a place to visit again if I get the chance. So time for my first stop off and I was lucky enough to have someone willing to put me up in Portland. Bit of legend called Joey Colando, so once again, cheers dude. 

After picking up the worst chickpea and tuna wrap ever at a cafe the next morning (the only chickpea tuna wrap I have ever and will ever have) I hit some waterfalls along the Columbia River gorge. Apart from being a lovely day, it was also amazing to see. I then carried on a scenic drive into the mountains and out of nowhere got myself involved in a massive blizzard which provided me with some scary moments driving as I was on the edge of a cliff. Thankfully unscathed, I joined the highway south and embarked upon one of the nicest drives I’ve ever had to the soundtrack of what I think was the perfect shuffle selection I’ve ever experienced on my ipod – this  definitely involved AC DC.This was all despite the town of Boring.

After this I recouped at a motel and started out along highway 199, which is the best road I’ve driven along so far. It took me through forest and canyons and threw me out of Oregon into California and the first of many groves of giant Redwood trees. These are something you have to see to believe. Enormous, up to 2,500 years old and 300 foot high. I camped out in this setting and it was awesome.Here is the morning view at the campsite.

The next day I drove down the cost and saw more massive trees, stopping off halfway to hike into one of the forests. The geeks among you may or may not know that this is the area where they filmed Return of the Jedi. The place did indeed look like the forest moon of Endor. 

Anyway, here’s my big moment. After hiking for an hour without seeing anyone at all I turned back satisfied towards the road and the car. Shortly after this I spotted movement on the pathway not 10 yards ahead of me. At first I thought it was someone’s dog. An unusually massive dog. As it turned in front of me and jumped into the bush by the path I saw its massive tail and realised it was in fact a Mountain Lion, or Cougar. I froze and realised that to get out of there I would have to pass the path where seconds ago had been a large carnivorous predator. Thankfully I wasted no time and as I made my way back to the car, now less than relaxed. I zipped up the collar of my jumper around my neck which is the site where I’m told they like to go for first. That night I camped out in another redwood grove, campfire blazing, warm cup of tea and soup, the dangers of the Mountain Lion all forgotten.

From here, and following a brief petrol scare, I moved onto San Francisco and met up with some more friends who helped me out with accommodation. Thanks once again to Liz and Cory! They really sorted me out. San Fran. What can I say, great city and Alcatraz well worth a visit. Then who should turn up by complete unbelievable coincidence on a work training week, but my good friend Craig and his work colleagues. Very random.  As such, suitable celebrations at the bar on top of the Marriot hotel were in order complete with the following view before catching some food with some live jazz.

Great week, great people and great times. Next week... Yosemite, highway 1, La and Vegas.

Week 3

Another week has gone by and once again, it has been excellent. I left off still in Banff and residing in a cracking little cabin with some excellent people. Fresh from the hot tub, and in the presence of some pretty magnificent footwear from one of my fellow passengers...

... I moved onwards via plane to Vancouver where I met up with my mate Dave. After sampling some fine pub food on Tuesday evening, We made an early start on Wednesday morning on the bus and ferry to  Vancouver Island. Our destination was a place called Tofino on the west coast and as such it required a long drive through some pretty spectacular mountain scenery. It was remote in places but it was OK as I'm pretty sure the bus was being driven by Liam Neeson.

It was a miserable day when we left so it was a nice surprise to find lovely clear skies when we arrived. What a nice place Tofino is by the way. Small enough that pretty much everyone knows everyone and the hostel we stayed in seemed to be a focal point. There were certainly some characters staying there. One chap was a typical surfer dude called Troy (also a dab hand at karaoke by the way) who was kind enough to take us out surfing on one of the numerous and spectacular beaches. As it is freezing cold, we donned full wetsuits complete with boots, gloves and hats. I should mention Dave had difficulty in differentiating between the leg and arm holes of the wetsuit with inevitably hilarious consequences. Having said that, we all looked ridiculous. Nevertheless, it was a great day surfing and one capped off with beers, pool and BBQs. The next day, we ventured onto a small boat bound for some remote hot springs an hour up the coast. The journey was punctuated with sightings of Sea Lions (which were massive) and a Gray Whale (obviously also massive).

On arrival at the spot in question - only reachable by boat- we hiked through some stunning rainforest led by a mysterious dog which appeared from nowhere, until we reached the hot springs. It was completely natural and connected by a small inlet to the sea which maintained pretty much a perfect temperature. This allowed us to relax and drink some beer. It was frankly, an absolutely brilliant day.

Back at the hostel, I learned of an impressive talent held by one of the other guests. Tremendous guy called Alex he was, and he had cycled all the way from San Diego to Vancouver Island. His claim to fame however is being the world record holder for juggling the most balls at once...11. He showed us a video and everything and here's a link if you don't believe me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWX4QSmnw6g

We met many most excellent people and it was a pleasure to exchange stories and shoot some pool with all of them. Alas, as nice as Tofino was, we couldn't stay for ever and so we journeyed back to Vancouver for a night of more barbequed meat and beer at our friend Ed's house. Think beer pong, impromptu guitar singalongs, dancing in the living room to Michael Jackson and generally having a good time. Once again, thanks for having us along Ed.

So that pretty much brings us up to date. I am currently writing this in Seattle where I've bussed it down to today and I now have a free night to get things together before the next leg. I've said bye to Dave, so once again cheers for being a generally all round good guy my friend, and I move to picking up the rental car tomorrow for my road trip. Stand by for some insane road trip action.
W

Week 2: Banff and Weddings

So this is the second of my blogs on the subject of my month long excursion across the pond. What a splendid week it has been. Most importantly it has seen the wedding of two very good friends but it has also been an opportunity to meet some great new people and forge some new friendships. Everyone involved has been exceptionally welcoming and good spirited. I left off having been snowboarding and to an authentic ranch type bar, which I’m told was the actual setting of a scene in Cool Runnings. Then came the stag do. It took place in the town of Banff as did the wedding, deep within the Rocky Mountains, in a location befitting dignity and decorum. The Groom in question wore a dress all night and was significantly intoxicated. I should add, he wasn’t the only one. I went home with his handbag although I’m not quite sure why.

For the week leading up to the wedding I thought I would stay in a hostel to save a bit of money. It was a nice hostel actually although its only downfall was the fact that (as in most hostels) the showers were outside the rooms which all had locks on. This meant that you had to take your key card with you whenever you went for a shower – a task I excelled at until one particular afternoon. It resulted in me having to venture down to the main hostel building, through the subzero temperatures outside, in nothing more than a towel in order to regain access. Not my finest moment. 

In the absence of any tasks during my travels, I thought I should at least make myself a bit useful, and so I devised a mini task. Sewing. One of the sleeves on my jumper had split to an unacceptable degree and so, in a spare moment, I bought a sewing kit and stitched up the offending split. I figured, if I can sew up people, I can sew up a jumper. Unfortunately, the repair job in question has displayed ominous signs of disintegration as of this evening, but nevertheless it holds fast for now.  Below you can see my handiwork.

The wedding itself took part in a cracking location amidst mountain forests and reports of bears waking up from their winter slumber. Bride and groom were glowing and the speeches were both moving and hilarious. The food was tremendous and I attempted line dancing with varying success. Another nice touch involved the father of the bride sneaking an old song into the DJ set that the groom and I played together in a band long ago, which was a lovely gesture.

Here’s a link to the latest version of the song if you wanted to listen. (Sorry, couldn’t resist a plug).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEIabK65pQ4

After the wedding, a group of us moved into a cabin for a few days to enjoy the rest of our time in Banff. At the risk of repeating myself, everyone was brilliant. We spent a lot of time listening to some band called ‘Alt J’ or something, and I can only be thankful that our visit also coincided with some sort of Arnie season on the Canadian movie channel. We spent time in the hot tub, we perused the town of Banff and its numerous gift shops and pubs and we snowboarded.Then this happened.

Although it looks like the aftermath of a viscious bear attack it is actually the result of a nose bleed suffered by the groomsman after  punching himself in the face during an elaborate leap from the mountainside.

Anyway, although I have enjoyed my time here, it cannot last and I must move on. Once again, for those who may read this, a massive thanks goes out to all who have been so welcoming and I genuinely wish I could stay longer. However, I must continue onwards towards Vancouver and Tofino and beyond. May the adventure continue. 

Ps. While I was bored at the airport I put together this little video using some trance music. Hopefully you enjoy! Until next time! 

Canada

So it's been a great week frankly! It is week one of my travels and I am currently writing this blog from the balcony at the lodge I'm staying in. This is the view.

It started off pretty well back in England last week when I managed to get included in the round of drinks that a random American chap was ordering for letting him go first at the bar. I was rewarded with a cocktail flamed with a blow torch and served in a ceramic power ranger's head. The round came to £130 which I felt more than a little guilty about.

Midweek I flew out to Calgary where I was kindly put up by my good friends and things have been fairly non stop since then. Big up to Jake and Meg! So far I have line danced in a proper cowboy club, I've survived a cracking stag do in Banff and have fitted in a day of snowboarding as well. I'm also pretty sure I was initiated into a massive group of Japanese skiers all wearing identical yellow jackets who surrounded me in a car park while I was eating a subway. They pointed and laughed at me a lot.

Any way, it's pretty beautiful out here so long may it continue. I'll keep things updated as and when they happen.

W

Odd jobs and BBC

My task this week was to learn odd jobs and assorted skills that frankly every man should possess. I won't lie, Youtube has been even more of a friend in this than usual. Aside from that I also enlisted the help of my aptly named book which  you can see below. For some reason, this is in mirror writing so, to translate - 'How to Fix Everything For Dummies'.

I am now fully versed in the workings of most home boilers and plumbing systems as well as being a dab hand at dealing with faulty electrical appliances. If you need your radiator bleeding then look no further. I now roll like this...

So as well as the task, this week also saw the last days of BBC Television Centre. It is a place that conjured up many aspirations as I was growing up and I thank myself lucky that I have been able to walk past it most days this year before it is mercilessly ripped down to make way for flats and a new cinema (of which there are two a mere 5 minute walk away). It's closure marks the end of my dream to one day go there in some shape or form, perhaps as part of one of the large charity events such as Children In Need, and seduce Fearne Cotton in those hallowed corridors. Of course, the end of that dream more likely came about when she married the son of a Rolling Stone and subsequently bore his child.

On Friday you may or may no know that the occasion was being marked with a gig by Madness. I was going past at that time anyway and so I thought I'd hop off the tube to see if anything was going on and this is what I saw.

Pretty cool eh? It was quite a site to behold and I felt pretty privileged to be witnessing it all. Something which all seems to be happening with a bit of a whimper and far less fanfare than the occasion deserves in my opinion. And although it looked good from the outside, Madness?! They were almost literally rubbish. Maybe they've not heard of a small band called Gun Hill Riffs. 

In other events, I attended a rather nice gin bar in central London even though, despite the best efforts in the past of one person in particular, which I appreciate, I still don't actually like gin. It insists upon itself. In a separate event, I believe I saw the tallest man I have ever seen walking around the shops. He can't have been shorter than 7 foot so I followed him for a little while just so I could look at him. Phenomenal.

So, I must sign off the usual blogs for around a month now, as I am about to embark upon a rather lengthy trip over to North America. As a rough outline, I will be hitting Calgary, Banff (snowboarding!), Vancouver, Tofino (?surfing), Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Yosemite, Coastal Redwoods (where they filmed the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi), LA and Vegas. Should be alright. I will of course bring some holiday blogs to the table and keep it all updated with how I'm getting on. Normal service shall resume on my return. Until then...

                                                                                                                                  W