Valle Elke

Location:  Valle Elke, Chile

Rundown:  Surprise birthday trip to the Pisco capital of Chile!


Our first weekend into the school year and we're already off to parts unknown!  Miranda whisked me away to a secret destination, which became apparent only after we had driven a couple hours north, then hooked east into the mountains.

Valle Elke is a sleepy valley town with steep, stark mountain walls rising in close proximity.  In spring, they are wallpapered with deep green grape vines for production of Pisco.   Chile's national firewater is often mixed with limon de pica, sugar, and egg white and blended into Pisco Sours. 

 

One of our first stops in Valle Elke was the Mistral Pisco distillery.  We learned about the process of making and aging Pisco, while walking through great rooms full of barrels as oak and fermented grape wafted through. 

 

Had several tastings too!  Definitely different flavors between the liquors.  Smoother finished in the longer aged Piscos.  Not sure I could be a proper connoisseur, but it was fun to pretend.

Stayed at a cute little place with orange trees and blooming flowers.  Even just a few hours north, the landscape is distinctly more desert like.

Miranda had presents for me as well!  It takes a lot of forethought into getting presents down here.

The next evening we drove an hour over to the next canyan out to take advantage of the dry, clear air to check out the night sky at the observatory Mamalluca!

Wound our way up the dirt roads to the observatory around dusk.  The stars started popping on, one by one, and the sky went cerulean to black.  There were a dozen other people up there with us, so when they said there was a separate tour in English, we shamelessly pounced on it.

We would have been fine on the Spanish tour with everyone else, but we were the only ones on the English tour, so we had full reign of the telescope!  Fortune smiles!  Our guide showed us nebulae, gas clouds, Venus...

My favorite was Saturn though!  The shot below is with my camera through the telescope with manual focus in the dark.  Not a great shot.  But looking through the telescope the individual rings and even the swirly colored body could be seen.  I've seen pictures of Saturn from the Voyager space probe, but assumed that you couldn't see the planet with such clarity and detail from Earth. 

Overall, an impressive, humbling experience.  Makes one feel very small, but not all together insignificant.  Fraser Cain of Astronomy Cast said something to the effect of this:  We fill an interesting niche.  If we were more omniscient beings and knew all there was to know about the universe, things would be pretty boring for us.  On the other hand, if we were less cognizant of our existence in the universe, say, lobsters, we wouldn't be able to ask any of these interesting questions.  We live in such an interesting place and time.  We fill such an interesting niche.

 

Summer in the States

Location:  Northern Michigan and Wisconsin, US-of-A

Rundown:  Home for a summer of Great family, friends, and Lakes!

Made the Midwest tour with Miranda by way of Michigan first.  There are fantastic places in the world, but few that really top northern Michigan in the summer.

Spent our first few days out on the boat, windsurfing, and eating.



Kayaked the Jordan River and also brought the boats out into Lake Charlevoix.  Sweet water!

Mikey and Jessie showed up and we, again, were out on the boats. 




Wake surfed on the sailboard and took the sunfish out.  Just like old times, except no sinking.

Went out to Beards, a new brew pub in Petoskey with a good cohort and had some samples!

Also made it down to Traverse City for a Beach Bums game!  I like the sausage race.  My money is always on the Brat.  They really shouldn't heckle the poor guy so much though!

Then our Michigan half of the tour came to an end.   We packed up my trusty Honda 400 Nighthawk with saddle bags and backpacks and drove north around the lake to Green Bay!  Hit a few rain squalls along the way, lost half of my butt cheek to blood loss, and eventually made it.  The bike was a champ though.  (And Miranda too!)

It was down-home fun from there on out!  We hit up the bar, the barn, and the river.  Went with Miranda's HI-larious group of friends and brethren to the Wolf River for a float day!  Sun's Out, Guns Out, baby!  The tractor picture at the top really says it all.

Six people, two coolers, eight tubes, and untold fun.

Also had some engagement pictures taken.  Our photographer, Kendra Schussman made us look like a million bucks.  Or Miranda anyway.  No hope for me. (facebook.com/k.schuss.photography)


Can you tell where we are?  I'm not letting the secret out.  We sure had fun though!

They told us not to play in traffic, but we didn't want to listen! 





Drove down to Milwaukee to see Miranda's college friends whom I had never met.  Had a great time checking out their rebuilt classic cars, playing bocce in the park, and eating great food!

 

 Back in Green Bay for Fourth of July.  No one does it like cheese heads.  Lots of music, rowdy people, food and fireworks.

And then I was off again.  Back on the bike with the road calling.  John fired up his (much louder and manlier) Harley and rode with me for the first leg of the trip.  What a cool father in law!

Made it back to Charlevoix with some layover time.  Ended up in Traverse City again to hang out with Ian, a gentleman of the highest caliber, and a whole lot of fun too.

He took me out with his lovely wife, beautiful daughter, and amniotic proto-child on a sunset sail.

I think his daughter was a better skipper than I was.  She only hit four swimmers.  I got seven.

You'd think I'd tire of the lakes.  They're endless enjoyment, above, below, and at equilibrium.  Hit the Straits of Mackinac for a some diving on the Cedarville and the Barnum.

 Getting kitted up makes you feel a little bit like Gumby.  The promise of weightlessness and cool water draws us in.  Our fearless deck crew (Diane) kept close watch as we were under. 


 "A plunge, a splash, and our task was o'er, and the billows rolled as they rolled before."   -Eliza Cook

The Cedarville becomes more and more comfortable every time I dive it.  Initially, the sheer bulk, odd angle, and unfortunate history of the wreck make it a formidable dive.  Not to mention the depth, cold water, and proximity to shipping lanes. 

But after diving on her for several years, the Cedarville has become an old friend who greets you with open portholes.  Exploring the pilothouse, decks, aft, and the grizzly crevice where the Topsdalfjord broadsided her never fails captivate.  Here's a little video I made a few years ago about the feeling I get diving the Cedarville.  Take a look.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjXqDw-9YDw

The Barnum as well, though her wooden deck and timbers collapse further and further into the hold every year.  There is more vegetation every year from the warmer waters, exacerbating the decay of these sunken museums.

No rest for the weary.  Flew to Atlanta for a week of IB training!  Ate good food and listened to great music.  And did math.  Lots of math. 

Went to the incredible Atlanta Aquarium.  Mantas and whale sharks swimming overhead.  Fantastic.

Then it was back in time to see my Germanic sister and continue the feasting!  Huzzah!

Apparently, fohawks were all the rage in Europe this summer.  So Liza cut a chunk out of either side of my head.  So continental.

It sure did make me look the part kiteboarding in Petoskey!  With my shorty (wetsuit, not significant other) in Chile, I used one of our loaner 80's suits!  Made people not really notice that I was flying a huge 9 meter kite.  They just gawked at my head.

 

I love the blue of the water here, but we could use a touch more wind sometimes during the summer!

Had some fantastic dinners!  Can't beat being home for the summer!  Shirt off!

Drove the bike up to Cross Village and swam to the rocks with a turbulent sky passing to the west.

I think I'm going to be out there one of these days.  Soon... maybe too soon.

And then it was time to head south one more time.  Crammed so much into such a short time.  It makes the time fly, but it's so worth it.  Had one last bonfire on the beach at McSauba and flew out.