July 08, 2011
Mount Hood
My brother was lucky enough to take a mountain biking vacation on the Umpqua River Trail in south Oregon, and I was lucky enough to meet him and his girlfriend in Portland for some city and mountain life.
After exploring more of Portland (and trying out some of the local vegan fare), and stopping by approximately 0.000237% of Portland's breweries, we left the heat of the town for air of a decidedly thinner, crisper nature.
|
| Erik (bottom center) contemplates going for it |
Laura, Erik, Carla, and I spent two nights at Tilly Jane, and hiked up the Cooper Spur Trail to touch Eliot Glacier. It was a nice and relaxing backpacking trip, and one of the few times that I've ever had a backcountry campfire (always a treat, especially with my thinning hair and forgetful nature -- I had not remembered to bring a warm hat).
 |
| Left to right: Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams |
I hope that, before I leave the Northwest, I get to summit a few of these gigantic peaks. For now, I'll take my Zen off the mountaintop and back to the garage, where a tired motorcycle begs for my attentions...
Hey Reid,
I randomly found this. I live in Portland. Not sure if you're still around, but give me a shout.
-EP
Posted by: Eric Porter on August 5, 2011 06:00 PMPost a comment
Further back...
ArchivesFriends and Family
Search
Previous Trips...
-
Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
![]()
Stealing the Network
I first bumped into the Stealing the Network series when reading the exploits of Joe Grand, one of the book's many hacker authors.
The 'Stealing the ...' series of books follows a rather disparate group of computer hackers as they help a former NSA spook (many of them unwittingly) gather the money he needs to retire.
The stories themselves are not fantastic fiction. The writing is uneven and choppy, the characters are stereotypical and not very well thought-out. What is fascinating about this book series is the technical accuracy of the exploits (at some points *too* accurate, with screen shots and step-by-step instructions).
It's a great series to read if you're a system administrator, or just getting into the wonderful field of computer security.
Rated 
by reid
on March 06, 2011
by reid
on March 06, 2011
![]()
Close to the Machine
Ellen Ullman is one of those authors that somehow avoided my radar. Until now...
Close to the Machine is less a book than a collection of loosely related personal anecdotes from Ellen's time as a very rare thing -- a successful female bisexual independent computer programming consultant.
In the course of her work and relationship life, she learns hard lessons about programming, running a business, being lonely, and loving the wrong people. I found it particularly poignant being a crypto-nerd with difficult times in relationships and a more-or-less NDA'd, secret work life.
This book is a must-read for anyone into running their own business, programming, or anyone dating a person that is a business-a-holic or programmer.
Rated 
by reid
on November 23, 2009
by reid
on November 23, 2009
![]()
The Long Trip Home
I had the joy of dining with the author in Florida. We went to a little Brazilian BBQ where he spoke with our waitstaff in (what I can only assume was) flawless Portugese.
Brian Wyllie spent 1969-1971 living in Brazil working for the Peace Corps. His recent book outlines his trip back to the United States via Bolivia, Peru, and the Carribean chain, by way of bus, train, and sailboat. The format comes spattered with observations from the modern day, and makes me think, "this must be what John McPhee's journal looks like."
The trip sounded like a fantastic one, but I was left wanting more detail...where did the gun (being snuck through customs in a variety of places, no doubt) come from? And how did Geneve's hair smell? Alas, we'll have to wait for another book to find the answers.
Rated by reid
on April 16, 2009
by reid
on April 16, 2009
You may also enjoy my friend's blog, featuring Seattle-area backpacking and climbing:
http://rosiedee101.tumblr.com/
Posted by: Tobin Fricke on July 8, 2011 02:18 PM