(click for pics)

Tokyo is my new favorite city.  I’m not sure what I expected,  but  the architecture, trains, and fashion of the people on the street all made an impression.  Huge thanks are due to our our hosts, Henry and Diana who showed us their favorite spots, translated, and fed us some amazing food.   We got an unexpected treat when they took us to the American government club where we celebrated Oktoberfest with Japanese Beer Tent Cover band and real German food (which we inhaled).  But I had probably best meal of my life at an Izakaya joint around the corner from their apartment and learned that sake is not supposed to taste terrible.

There are also a few pics from the beach BBQ we went to for  the Mid Autumn festival earlier in the week in Taiwan.

(New pics start here)

We arrived in the late afternoon.  It was even hotter than Bangkok.  Checked in, had a drink at the beachside bar at sunset , shopped around the fake goods street and had Tex-Mex for dinner.   The rest of our group of 5 has been in Thailand for weeks and is sick of the food.    They also don’t eat seafood  I’d be sick of 2 weeks of Pad Thai too.   Yesterday was much more pleasant weather wise, swe took a speedboat trip island hopping with stops at 4 small island beaches and a snorkeling spot.  All the beaches had much finer sand than Ao Nang, and the snorkeling was pretty good – not much reef but many fish.  My mask and snorkel were a bit uncomfortable but I made due.

The guide suggested a dinner spot and all six of us loaded up in a tuk tuk to get there.  It was a seafood places so people were scared to each conch (delicious, just don’t eat the bony foot) and terrified of a whole grilled fish.  Since Cyn and I are now Asia veterans, we filleted it with aplbomb and dug right in.   This isn’t much of a partying group, so we retreated to our rooms at 7:30 or so . . . they have wireless internet so we watched the Winter Olympics on Slingbox.  Cynthia and I did stop at the dive shop to invest in some better snorkeling gear (mask and tube <$30 for the set) . . . I’m excited to try out the new mask that actually fits and a snorkel with a splash resistant top and a valve for clearing water.

Right now, we’re riding in the van to heading on a two hour ride to Trang Province where we’ll say goodbye to air conditioning for a few days and meet our beach bungalow.  Thailand really reminds me of Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic – same constructions techniques and similar farming and vegetation, just different writing on the signs and everybody drives on the left side of the road.  It still “feels”" the same.

Megan, I used one of your photos from Bev’s wedding, please don’t sue me.  You can make one of your own at obamicon.pastemagazine.com

(HT: EDSBS)

The pic neatly encompasses the sort boat mayhem that was one of the unexplainable running themes of sabbatical.   This was when the guide surprised us by intentionally flipping the boat;  I like how gravity yet to figure out that I’m not supposed to still be sitting in the raft.

I’m suffering from a big case of sabbatical hangover brought on to this thing called going to work everyday.  The treatment: Cynthia and I are heading to Paul and Rachael’s wedding this weekend.  It’s going to be good times.

The plaques around the edge are various “degrees”, apparently to go with my other three (which are at home, not in my cube) in with such impressive sounding names as “Master of Gaseous Expulsion” and “Master of Smug Superiority”.  There was even a “Bachelor of Freak Dancing” from Brigham Young (they know their dancing in Utah).  Besides the all the boxes and other junk placed inside, there were also tiny Ohio State insignia leaflets scattered about (thanks Jeff).

My first day back was not especially surreal or depressing, just another day at the sawmill.   I have a lot to catch up on . . . and get right back in the saddle with a trip to Oregon this week.

Some have asked about the future of this “blog”.   This site has historically carried the tagline “free of blog-like substance”, though it was on hiatus of late in lieu of 37 sabbatical related entries in 8 weeks.  This was by design – I don’t have the passion for writing necessary to really make this work on an continous basis, (especially in the face of a peer like Dave).  There are two fundamental issues – the first is one of ideas.  Despite my extroverted nature, I just don’t have that much I need to share with the world each day.   I had inspiration for this travel journal, but sabbatical is over.  The second issue is one of motivation, especially over the long term – it took me at least an hour or so to do each of these entries, and even then I didn’t find the passion and energy to make them as well written and engaging as I really wanted to (Cynthia is a better writer and it comes much easier to her).  So, the frequency will go down as my life returns to mundane normalcy, but if I come up with something else feel inspired to share, I will.   Certainly, this will not be the last travel journal, and I’ll continue to post pictures as I always have.

So, some final words about sabbatical.  I didn’t describe absolutely everything that’s been going on, but feel like I made the most of the time.  I went the all places and wanted to go and had enough downtime to recover and hang out.  It’s an addictive but ultimately unrealistic lifestyle.  That’s what made going back into work today bearable – no regrets.

Wednesday, I got up early and Charll and I went fishin’ on Lake Natoma. I’d found some recommendations on the internet, and after putting in his canoe at Negro Bar, fished among the rocks at the rainbow bridge. Charll was on spin tackle and I used my freshly resurrected fly rod. We had no bites.

Upon further reading of the recommendations, we realize a more desirable spot would be closer to Nimbus Dam. So, after a stop at Wild Sports for more lures and the splitting of a Subway $5 footlong, we put in at the Nimbus ramp. We eventually found the recommended spot, a hidden bayou that stretched on an on. We saw a couple of huge fish, but by then we were in the heat of the day and they weren’t interested in eating. We also spotted a couple mule deer on different occasions – one of which took a swim across a narrow channel. We enjoyed the Lewis and Clark exploration aspect of the trip, and vowed to return again when fishing conditions were more favorable.

Yesterday, Jeff invited Cynthia and I to float down the lower American River with his old group for his job change celebration- a classic trip we’d taken many times before, and as usual the drinks guaranteed that we’d have a good time. The river was lower than I’d ever seen it – there were 10 or so small rapids instead of the usual 1.

Today, I mowed the lawn, and met Charll for lunch at Mongolian BBQ, and tonight we head to Dave’s for dinner. I’ll post something on Sunday with some final sabbatical thoughts.

Wednesday:

• Woke early drove into Yellowstone.
• We see Bison and Elk in Lamar Valley
• Went to the backcountry office in Canyon and got permits for an overnight spot at Grebe Lake for Friday night
• Secured a campsite at the coveted Norris campground
• Toured the all the major Geyser basins except Norris – Monument, Midway and Old Faithful as well as Fountain Paint Pot
• My favorite spot, Artist Paint Pot, is closed for a boardwalk rebuilt
• Attend Ranger campfire talk on the lives of Bison
• Attempt to repair leaky air mattress
• Cynthia and I forcefully befriended by Chris, the 10-year old Colorado boy from a nearby campsite
• Buy firewood and build an anemic campfire

Thursday

• Wake up on a flat air mattress.  No park stores have a new one (should have bought it in Teton when I had the chance)
• Tour Norris Geyser Basin
• Drive through Mammoth.  Cynthia unimpressed after a day and a half of thermal features
• Swim in the Boiling River at the designated spot where a hot spring meets the cold river
• Showers at Roosevelt Lodge – I think we were supposed to pay for this, but no one charged us.
• Buy fishing license, flies, bear spray at Canyon Sport shop. Also buy 6 wt fly line marked down to an irresistible $5
• Do some fishing on the Gibbon River near camp with my back-up rod.   Bison bull comes out of nowhere and walks within 25 yards of me when I’m trapped in a bend.  I walk away avoiding a sure goring.
• Fish are rising, but not to my stuff.

Friday

• Hike 9.6 miles from Norris to Grebe Lake campsite 4G5 through lots of burned forest.
• Set up camp.  Mosquitos are biblically oppressive
• Fish and actually catch fish – 3 Fluvial Arctic Grayling.
• Cynthia builds roaring campfire that barely helps keep mossies away
• Tent not attacked by bear during the night

Saturday

• Wake up, decamp, walk back the way we came, arriving in 4 hours.
• Both of us are seriously blistered
• Lay low rest of the day staying near camp
• Checking out Museum of the National Park Ranger
• Fish the Gibbon some more, but the fish aren’t active
• Go to ranger talk on Grizzly Bears
• Burn rest of wood in campfire

Sunday

• Wake up, decamp.  On the road by 8:45am
• Leave through East Entrance, turn on cell phone