Now that I got my 9 hours of sleep, I can take a second to blog about the Green Day concert.
AMAZING. Best money I've spent in a while. Billie Joe Armstrong has a performance charisma that is unmatched. 3+ hours of him belting out thoughtful, energetic tunes that will stay with Mary, Sam and I for a while. He climbed through the crowd, brought them on stage many times (including the dude from Israel who got to play guitar through all of Jesus of Suburbia), laid on his back and played a bit of "Name that Random Tune" ... he even mooned us. The set included MANY non-Dookie/American Idiot/21st Century Breakdown songs - which rocked - totally cool seeing them play stuff from their days of being an "East Bay band.
Sam thought it was the most fun he has ever had. He was jumping and pumping his fist for much of the three hours. And so were Mary and I. We are at that apex of parent/child popular music concert attendance - I guess. Whatever.
At one glorious moment, BJA yelled to the crowd, "Put away your fucking cell phones! Put away your camera. Be here now! We have this moment right here." It was a beautiful interruption into modern culture's obsession with sharing (he blogs...) It really centered me into just living in the experience of the concert - quite beautiful and necessary.
The music, performance and visuals were exhilarating and made the drive to Sacramento, enduring the horrible food options around ARCO Arena and the tired brain all day yesterday (tired enough to get a boneheaded parking ticket!)
I'm going to try something. Noticing that this blog has been going for almost 4 years (I thought 5 ... I'm a bit of an idiot) made me think about doing something different with it. So I'm going to do 5 favorites of the past 4 years. (Gee this idea was much more fun sounding when it was 5 years!)
The obvious first choice is HIKES. Let's start with the obvious, while we work the kinks outta this thing (like counting years correctly).
5) The snowshoe hikes in Truckee
None of us had snow-shoed before this trip; we enjoyed it tremendously. Soft, quiet, peaceful, untouched, beautiful: this hike was the sort of thing that reminded us how lucky we are to have each other and the substantial warmth in our lives.
4) The volcanic hikes of Lassen
OK, I know I just blogged about these ... and they benefit from recent exposure, but Sam agrees with these picks, so I'll go with them also. I've never seen true natural volcanic environment in person; it changed the way I regard this entire planet. It turned theory into reality for me. Most hikes get me closer to the area, these two (Bumpass Hell and Cinder Cone) went beyond; they connected me to what's inside this rock.
3) Our first Point Reyes hike
Within hours of us moving into the San Francisco area, Mary guided me to Point Reyes (one of the main reason she wanted to move to Marin); I was struck by the fact that I was finally living by the ocean! I couldn't believe I was here. I couldn't believe this beauty was going to be available to me whenever I wanted. I saw the immense diversity in life that NorCal was going to offer me and I was thrilled. Point Reyes will always be a special place for me.
2) Maple Pass Loop in Cascades NP
The Birkenstocks in snow hike; how can I not love my wife? One of my students recently did a great segmentation of couple-travelers; she identified Mary and me as "Wanderers." That is so evident in this hike. We had no idea what we were walking into literally. Our path disappeared into snow for miles and we just kept going, despite seeing no people or path. It was a lovely bonding experience with breathtaking scenery ... and completely unexpected.
1) Nevada Falls in Yosemite
The 8-miler (3.5 being climbing) from the Yosemite valley up two waterfalls, including the Mist Trail stairs. It is one of the most popular hikes in the U.S. and with good reason. Non-stop beauty that changes every 1/2 mile, including soaking wet to straight sun. It was an adventure and a raw American experience. This is when we started learning that National Parks are going to be a common part of our lives.
Cool. That was fun. I miss all the silly lists I do on this site. It is fun to remember things!
Oh and do you want to see the difference between the past 4 years? Take a look at Sam, the "By the Water Kite Flyer!"
Please excuse the crooked shot above, balancing cameras on boulders isn't that easy.
Since I have a little time before things get busy (Green Day concert Monday, New school year starting for both Sam and me, Outside Lands), I thought I could briefly recollect our trip. I've always said I keep this blog primarily as a memory repository; and boy as it approaches its 5th year, I am happy to have it!
OK. Here we go.
Sunday 08/16 We spent all day Saturday getting ready (which worked nicely since Sam had just returned from a week of overnight kayak camp and Mary wasn't feeling well), so that we were ready to go by 10 on Sunday morning (well except for having a tough time finding Dixie since she was trapped in the towel cabinet!). We stopped in Willits, CA for some Chinese at Yum Yum and a break from the car.
We got to our first campsite, #81 Hidden Springs at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It was a good site, away from the main road, backed up to the woods. A bit of a hike to the bathroom, but it was the one with hot water and showers (which made Mary quite happy). We had no problems setting up camp and our huge larder!
Our first day we took a hike down to the Eel River to check out the swimming possibilities. It is a short hike downhill to a great swimming area. We chose the campground because of its proximity to the swimming and it's relatively sparse population, and it didn't disappoint. We just chilled for a bit in the evening in the water before heading back for a campfire, dinner and some smores. We had a bit of difficulty getting the first night's fire going, but it didn't turn into a trend.
Monday 08/17
We headed back to the South Fork of the Eel River for our first full day. We ended up just hiking up the river, swimming with the fishes (who ate off our toes) until we found a great spot to spend the day. There was a section of swift, shallow current next to a huge emerald pool for swimming. We had a lovely day playing and hiked back in the evening - for another campfire, dinner and smores!
Tuesday 08/18
Our last day at Humboldt, we decided to really see some Redwoods, besides just the ones on the Avenue of the Giants drive, our campsite and around the Eel. First we hit Founder's Grove, which was a bit depressing - it was one of those things that make you disgusted for being part of the human species. The crowds were a bit annoying, but the worst was the carvings people did in the fallen giants and kids climbing on the trees despite the numerous signs asking them not to! So, yes it was amazing to see one of the largest creatures to live on this planet at the same time as me (the Dyerville Giant), but sad to see "JT hearts KD" and several similar less permanent expressions carved into it while a kid climbs over it knocking chunks off.
We drove down the road a bit to find a hike in the Rockefeller Loop Trail and up Bull Creek. It was much more quiet and natural - probably because it is a bit of a pain to find! However, it was quite lovely walking among some of the tallest trees in the world and then finding Bull Creek for a lovely water jaunt. It restored my peaceful place with the natural world. And yes, back again for campfire, dinner and smores! Hat's off to Trader Joe's for their many great boil in a bag options and various dry good variety for camping treats.
Wednesday 08/19 We packed up early and headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We stopped at Golden Harvest Cafe in Eureka for some breakfast fuel (and real coffee!). We got gas in Bluff Creek, which turned out to be the place where the Bigfoot video was shot - yes THAT Bigfoot video. We drove into Lassen and were immediately stunned by its beauty. It is Yosemite-esque but without the crowds. Our drive up to our campsite at Summit Lake North was gorgeous. We did find out that unfortunately the hike up to Lassen Peak was closed due to a tragic rock slide. However, we knew there was plenty to do.
After setting up our gorgeous campsite, we went for a swim in the ridiculously close Summit Lake. It was so refreshing! Sam and I decided to gather wood (love places that let you gather firewood!) while Mary drove down to the showers and store for some sausages. Unfortunately, upon her return, she left the keys in the turned ignition with the doors locked! The camp hosts weren't much help to her and we just figured we'd deal with the dead, locked car in the morning. The star-gazing was nice.
Thursday 08/20
After Mary hitched a ride to the store/phone and Geico sent someone to pick her up and get our car going again, we headed to Bumpass Hell by noon. Bumpass Hell is an amazing hike. It is a lovely uphill walk that ends with jaw-dropping awe. You feel like you are on another planet! Bugs that clatter like a sprinkler (as Sam noted), the world's hottest hydrothermal fumarole named the Big Boiler belching rotten-egg-smelling sulfur clouds with industrial sounds, rapidly bubbling pools of mud including one of black pyrite, aqua water, yellow rocks, gray streams and beautiful mountain views. It is extraordinary. Sam really enjoyed applying his Mr. Shern taught lessons about volcanic activities. I really enjoyed redefining the word unearthly in my understanding.
After Bumpass Hell, we drove down to the less fascinating Sulfur Works and South Entrance Visitor's Center. After some more sight-seeing, Mary decided to crash for a nap as Sam and I swam some more in the Summit Lake. I really wouldn't mind one day living on an alpine lake! Sam really enjoyed playing on the logs in the water. That night we experienced our first noisy, bright-light-emitting neighbors - coupled with Mary being quite cold again at night and all of us a bit worn from all the adventuring, we decided to make the next day our last day.
Friday 08/21
We packed up quickly and hit the road for the West entrance of the park. On our road out of the park, we saw a mother bear with two cubs (which was a theme as we twice saw a mother deer with two fawns)! After a bit of a drive, you hit a 6-mile gravel road to Butte Lake- definitely a bit out of the way. Mary still wasn't feeling fabulous, so Sam and I took off for the Cinder Cone hike. The Cinder Cone is a 700 foot volcano of loose scoria; it is no simple task climbing this monster! But the views and sights were well worth the climb, and Sam really dug the descent. He is also excited that he can say he climbed a volcano from base to crater. We returned from the hike and took a quick wash & cool off in Butte Lake. (Thus fulfilling every vacation day being a water day!)
On our drive home we broke up the drive and avoided rush hour by seeing District 9.
Phew! OK, there it is (and here are the pics and videos again). A wonderful trip! We enjoyed our time among the Redwoods and Eel River and I highly recommend the magic of Lassen (although I selfishly want people to stay away).
All that being said ... it is good to be home! Thanks to Mary and Sam for loving the outdoors as much as I do; you guys are such wonderful traveling companions! Love you!
Just a quick note to let those of you who follow us here know that we have safely returned from our lovely vacation!
We had a wonderful time in Humboldt Redwood State Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Not a day went by that we didn't swim or hike through a river, stream or alpine lake.
I'll have more later, but you can check out MANY pics and videos here (I still need to add titles, descriptions, etc ... give us time and we will.)
Dear friend, Heather LeFevre just posted the results of this year's planning survey. This is such a wonderful project she started a while back. I can remember how frustrated she was with salary info in the industry back then and now she is the hub that has led to the industry resource. Well done, Heather! The students are very lucky to have this insight into the industry.
This year, she asked Planning Directors, "What skills would you need to see to promote an assistant planner to a planner level. Or what would you look for in a planner level?" Since I am currently training the future Asst. Planners, who want to know what to do to become planners, I'm deeply digesting these answers. But first, I started with a skim ... a word cloud via Worldle. (Despite valuing originality, we are very predictable lot.)
Do you have an idea that you want to throw into the student work mix?
Our Fall semester at Academy of Art University is about to kick-off and we offer many classes in creative development. Some of the classes have student planners working in them, some classes have student briefs submitted, but even with all this, we have classes that need brands/briefs!
I'd like to try crowd sourcing this a bit. Can you help? Submit a brief and if it works for us I'll put it in a student class. I don't mean anything for a real client, just some insight or idea that you'd like to see someone tackle. (This is probably an especially great exercise for jr. planners out there. Or planners seeking work?)
I'll send you images of the completed work and you can see your idea explored (with no client/legal burden, wink). Maybe you'll get a letter from the class or something? Imagine being a student and getting a brief penned by an actual agency planner?! Very cool.
The brief can be real simple (this is a school ... so some classes are crawling, others walking and some running full speed into this mess of an industry.)
You can simply answer these questions (this is our standard student brief, right now):
1) What is the challenge? 2) What are we going to accomplish? 3) Who are we going to connect with? 4) What are the most insightful things we know about them? 5) What is the single most effective message we can tell them? 6) What else do we need to know?
or try your own thing (I know there are many types of briefs and students should learn to work off of many ideas.). BTW: I won't share ideas on this blog without your permission.
If you want to play, send your idea to cameron@cameronmaddux.com with the Subject BRIEFS FOR STUDENTS or leave a comment. Feel free to shoot me questions/concerns and yes, you may tweet them @artofplanning.
