Mt Oakden

Some co-workers and I wanted to get out and do a day hike, so we decided on a "hill" (Mt Oakden) near Lake Coleridge.

As beautiful the area was, the hike was a pain in the ass, it was all bush-whacking and scree climbing. Didn't make it to the top. But had some great photos!

Mt Oakden, doesn't look bad

Mikael climbing up the scree

Wilberforce River

Wilberforce River

Lake Coleridge

This is one of my favorites (I didn't do anything to the color)

unreal water color

it's been three months

and a lot has happened! Sara and I hiked 60 miles over five alpine passess in the Sierra, during which trip, we got engaged! We both have now moved to New Zealand and found a house in an amazing location in the suburb of Sumner.

View from inside our house

Sunset

Sunrise

For more on what happened in the past three months, it easier to view Sara's Blog.

918 miles from Cambridge, MA to Cincinnati, OH

Drove 15 hours and over 900 miles. Grabbed coffee at Dunkin Donuts one last tine before leaving Massachusetts. Plowed through Connecticut. Skipped across New York State at its almost narrowest. crossed the vast ranges of uninhabited hills and forest during the 5 hours of trans-Pennsylvania crossing and finally amazed at fireflies along the freeway as evening set in while crossing Ohio.

Leaving Massachusetts for Connecticut and then into New York.

Passing Scranton, PA

and finally, Cincinnati, OH

The Cube is on its way

Our (the front one) ReloCube (Relocation cubes by ABF U-Pack) leaves Aberdeen Court in Cambridge, MA and sets off on its 3300 mile (5300km) trip to the Bay Area. Using ReloCubes was about a $1000 cheaper than PODS for the same size and distance. Once in California, we will reorganize, put some in storage and set up the the rest to be picked up by Crown Relocations to be shipped to New Zealand.

onward...

The Road Home

3304 miles (5317km)

A - Leave Boston, MA

B - Pass by the start of Interstate 80 in the New York City Metro Area and start following it westward to San Francisco.

see amazing New Jersey

C - overnight in Cincinnati, OH

Eat BBQ in Louisville, KY

D - Pass by the St. Louis Arch

Photograph the Arch from the freeway

E - camp somewhere in Nebraska

Look at flat land and corn

F - camp near the Great Salt Lake

Check out the salt flats

G - Arrive in the San Francisco Bay Area

Awake from two years of slumber

After two years of hibernation, I'm reactivating my blog!

After my second year in Afghanistan working for USAID, I moved to Boston with Sara in November of 2010. New England's winter was pretty hard, the worst they had in 22 years.


Christchurch and the Southern Alps - New Zealand

Now Sara and I are both heading out to New Zealand in September working for engineering companies working on the reconstruction after the Feb 2011 Christchurch Earthquake!

Summing up the second year in Afghanistan in a few photos

embassy dodgeball games

walking in the Hundu Kush

speaking my mind

riding and crashing dirt bikes

riding MI8s 

Vacation meetings in Dubai

flying in military aircraft

building forensics

hooches

meeting Natalie Cole (Nat King Cole's daughter) 

meeting US Congresswoman Jackie Speier, California's 12th congressional district (San Francisco Peninsula) 

beer

more beer

yetis