2. 2009

Bend, OR

This posting marks the beginning of the most committing journey I have yet embarked on, with a week's trip to Bend, OR for thanksgiving with the family, to be followed by a one-way trip to Beijing, China, with only a vague plan for the rest of the trip. Keep an eye open for galleries to follow in the weeks and months to come.
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Ryan takes advantage of helping hands to cruise over the snow in a manner far more fun than wa
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Ryan takes advantage of helping hands to cruise over the snow in a manner far more fun than wa

2009

  • A day and a half after leaving home in Alaska, morning (er, afternoon...) greets us with a beautiful view overlooking some of the rest of nature's south-bound travelers.
  • Tracks in the snow show that some parts of this golf course may be more thoroughly fertilized than others come spring.
  • The interesting twists and lines of the Junipers at a local park, while commonplace around here, are always a pleasant difference from what we're used to in Alaska.
  • Afternoon light plays with nature's colors at Tumalo State Park.
  • Tracy's mother drove up to see us and brought along the dog, who had a great time in the snow.
  • Given insufficient time to strike a standard posed face, Tracy is captured forever.
  • The Deschutes River flows along rather placidly, with the remnants of an old bridge still standing midstream.
  • Ryan takes advantage of helping hands to cruise over the snow in a manner far more fun than wa
  • Tracy catches the soft winter light on a Juniper in the parking lot.
  • We toured the factory for Metolius Climbing gear and got to check out the manufacturing process for some of their equipment. These are freshly milled cam lobes part way through the manufacturing process.
  • A rack loaded with strips of cam lobes, freshly milled and ready for individual separation.
  • Rows of Metolius Hexes sit still connected by the remains of the aluminum bar they were milled from.
  • Tools of the trade, used for measuring freshly milled pieces.
  • A bin of finished Metolius hexes awaits cables for completion.
  • From fresh bar-stock aluminum to small individual hexes not quite ready to be shipped out just yet.
  • A tumbler loaded with small rocks smooths out the rough edges of the freshly milled metal, taking off the burrs and such.
  • New and used gear alike are tossed in this vibrating ring full of small balls of metal and a polishing fluid. The bouncing action rolls and rotates them for a while, and when they come out they're bright and shiny!
  • Cam stems are mildly deceptive in appearance, capable of supporting an enormous amount of force on this small cable.
  • Metolius curve nuts rest in a jumbled pile in a bin, awaiting completion.
  • Cam parts await assembly with the rest of the product.
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