There’s a war going on out there no one is safe from!

For the record, what we do out here is not for the faint of heart. The objective of our mission is always simple. But make no bones about it, “there’s a war going on out there no one is safe from”!

Our routine battle plan is to infiltrate a new wine region with the intention of experiencing the absolute completeness of the local varietals. We’re usually required to execute this battle plan in a relatively short period of time, which often means employing unorthodox battlefield tactics like skipping lunch to simultaneously engage in multiple battlefronts. Unfortunately the outcome is not always casualty free for our family.

Today, in addition to visiting several unbelievable local wineries, we also engaged in a private Library Tasting at LeCole Vineyards. This particular battle was nothing short of epic. We worked our way through a series of blood-dark reds from 2002 to 2007. The fight culminated with a 1997 Apogee Merlot/Cab blend that… well, created our biggest family casualty to date… (see Stevie Picture above. Note Kiki behind the window with a VERY worried look on her face)

Now, staying true to our family rules, we lick our wounds and prepare for the rematch tomorrow. Tally Ho - TREE

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Walla Where???

Walla Walla, Washington. Where the hell, right??? Exactly. Walla Walla is a tucked away country town turned wine region in south eastern Washington. That is where we find ourselves, and not by accident. For 3 months we've been hearing about this little wine region. Comments like "As big as Napa" and "Reds that you won't believe" have been common Walla Walla references during our travels on the west cost wine circuit. Since most regions are fond of saying "We're the next Napa", we initially paid these comments little attention. But as the myth grew, so did our curiosity. Well, today we dove in and all we can say is WOW. Walla Walla is legit. We've only been here for 21 hours, but after 5 wineries I can already say that this place is worthy. We're both very happy that we have 3 more days to explore. Stay tuned for more as we hold nothing back in experiencing this town, and the surrounding vineyards!  TREE

PS... 2 addition comments worth noting...

1) Today we hit our 114th winery

2) Today Kiki was welcomed into 4 out of 5 winery tasting rooms putting her total visits at an estimated 33. Kiki has come to expect entry into these establishments, so needless to say the 1 winery that didn't accept dogs crushed her. 

TREE

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There's no place like home

I never realized how often people ask me where I live until I moved into a van.  At first I lied (and Tree did too).  It just seemed so much easier than trying to explain that I was homeless. Yet, this lying is part of what got us into trouble at the Canadian border. When prompted, I looked down and said “Los Angeles”; Tree said “Hood River.”  The border patrolman paused for a minute and then asked us how we knew each other. “We’re engaged,” Tree said, a little too happily. Another pause. “I spend a lot of time in LA,” he added.  I displayed my ring as evidence but it was just uncomfortable after that.  I felt like a criminal.

So now I look people in the eye and say, I live in a van. This truth may or may not lend me credibility (I think it depends on my audience, kids love it) but it definitely sets me free. 

For one, I definitely agree with the idea that the things you own end up owning you. For space reasons, I don’t own much- hence, all my freedom.  

Two, I’m not a nester, and neither is Tree. When we lived in Venice, our embarrassing furniture set consisted of one bed, one fold-up table, and two borrowed chairs. We never had Ikea catalogs by the toilet or a red toolbox under the sink. Sometimes I talked about painting the walls, but really, we had no intention of improving our surroundings. Living in a van is like a sigh of relief.

Finally, we’re wanderers.  We like motion, unfamiliar places, strange faces, and the heightened awareness that risk and adventure bring.  What better way to find these things than with a set of wheels? (Answer: Sail boat, but that’s in years to come).

In our own way, by cutting our roots, we've reclaimed the Pursuit of Happiness.  So often, the Pursuit of Happiness is thought of as the right to own property, but in our case, the two are not synonymous but somewhat opposite.  Property restricts our ability to express our nomadic nature and hinders our life experience. The more stuff we have, the less likely we are to be happy. (Wine, of course, is exempt from this category).

Granted, I know that this lifestyle isn’t for everyone.  God knows it’s not always cushy. For good reasons, people like their couches and televisions, and I have to say, we like your couches and televisions too (Thank you Cheryl!!!).  There’s nothing wrong with houses, houses are great, but... are they ever really home? -STEVIE

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself" -Maya Angelou

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From Fine Wine to the Y-Not???

The day started off innocent enough. Cheryll and Stevie took Kiki hiking through a poison oak forest while I went paddle boarding on the Columbia. After watching them pull stickers out of her fur with latex gloves on, we all decided to head out for an afternoon of wine tasting. We hit Jacob Williams in Lyle, which was tops. Solid reds across the tasting flight. Then we went back to Marshals, the best kept secret in the gorge. Over at Marshals every taste is actually a glass of wine and for better or worse, the flight consists of about 12 varietals. Between tastes, visitors may graze from the all you can eat bowl of Cheetos sitting on the bar. We killed one bowl and Stevie and I walked out with 4 bottles of wine. Cheryll bought 1. 

Needless to say we all thought it was a GREAT idea to stop by the Y-NOT Tavern in Dallesport on the way home. This make-shift bar is owned by Ron Jr, who is the son of Ron-John, the owner of Marshals Winery. The Tavern is built right into the front of Ron Jr's home. Ron Jr is Ron-John's son from his first marriage. Ron Jr should not be confused with Ron-John's other son, Marshal, whom the winery is actually named after. Marshal is the heir to the vineyard and Dad pays his cell bill. Ron Jr, although the proud owner of the Y-Not Tavern, does not have a winery named after him. He pays his own cell bill and is facing jail time in the near future for crimes that were not discussed.  Stevie and Cheryll left their mark on Ron Jr's bar and we escaped the Y-Not Tavern without incident. 

Life is Good. TREE

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Back in the HOOD...

We spent most of yesterday at Van Specialities in Portland. The van techs went through the electrical systems of the Sprinter checking all the parts including the Fridge, stove, and water heater. I'm starting to feel like we're finally ready for the 3rd world. All systems are solid, parts upgraded, and the Sprinter is humming.

Last night we headed into Hood River to regroup. Cheryll and

Kiki had their reunion and Stevie cooked up a great meal to celebrate! Tonight we hooked up with Walter, Cass, and Shinpaugh for dinner. It was great to see those guys.

We plan to lurk around Hood River for the next few days before heading to Walla Walla for

another wine tasting bender. In the last 3 months we've hit 108 wineries in regions all up and down the west coast, but we've been anxiously waiting to visit Walla Walla. They are know to have the best big reds outside of Napa.

Can't wait to see how they stack up.

TREE

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Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These...

Today’s mission was to procure a new mattress for the Sprinter Van. Stevie and I consider sleep to be the second most important luxury in life (the first of course being quality red wine). Suffice to say we weren’t messing around when we walked into to mattress store and confronted our lonely salesman.

The guy gave us his very best sales pitch right off the bat. This included a long list of attributes proving that the Tempur-pedic was the best mattress in the whole wide world. I let him go on and on and on, but he had me at... “this mattress is a breakthrough in sleep technology that has forever changed the way millions of people sleep”. SOLD.

Stevie was a tougher sell, but not by much. She quickly jumped on the band wagon after learning that conventional mattresses exert counter-pressure that contorts your body into unnatural positions, restricting blood flow and causing pressure points resulting in tossing and turning, pain, and a lack of quality sleep. We were both quickly convinced that conventional mattresses should not even be sold anymore. It’s borderline criminal that these things are still on the market. We intend to contact the consumer protection agency to make sure they are also aware of this serious problem.

As you can see in the image below, the patented TEMPUR material conforms perfectly to your body, allowing your shoulders and hips to sink into the mattress just enough so that support is provided along your entire body. I guess we were just tired of living in the “Sleep Risk” category, and we smiled at each other as we bended and pushed our new 8-inch thick Swedish Tempur-Pedic mattress into the back of the Sprinter.

Life is good. Nighty-Night. TREE

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Toyo M-55 - Built for Military Vehicles, Commercial Big Rigs, and 1 Sprinter Van

Although we are still in Oregon drinking fine wine, we’ve been realizing that our date for crossing the border into Mexico is rapidly approaching. We’ve loved this northern part of our road trip, but we both consider the southern border crossing into Mexico to be the beginning of the real adventure into the unknown.

Stevie is doing research each day on the different countries in Central and South America while I’ve been planning routes through the countries to determine the safest passage. On of my biggest concerns is the van. It’s vitally important that the van is in perfect condition when we head south. We plan to drive through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. I want to make sure the Sprinter is ready for the terrain.

My recent focus has been on procuring new tires. And good ones. The last place I want a flat tire is on some desolate road in South America!

After tons of research we decided on the M&S rated heavy-duty 10-ply all-steel belted Toyo M-55, with anti-rock-chip protection.  Over kill? Yeah maybe. But these tires are straight wicked. The M-55 is an all-terrain traction tire for heavy-duty work trucks. They were built to handle the most demanding commercial applications. This is the same tire the Government puts on US Forest service trucks and it is widely used on Military vehicles. Now it is also used on 1 sprinter van!

(Hey Simko, is that manly enough for you?)

Over and Out - TREE

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You get what you need

We were supposed to be enjoying sunshine and surf on the Oregon coast, but Mother Nature had something more akin to a cold winter in mind for us.  At first we were disappointed, maybe even grumpy, or downright ill-tempered. But finally, we let go of our attachment to what we wanted and instead opened ourselves up to what is. 

What is, you ask? Wine tasting. Wine tasting always is….

Just 50 miles east the sun was shining! Now, it’s grey and muggy but, oh well, at least it’s still warm here in the Willamette valley, and the wine is superb.  We’ve yet to hit Walla-Walla so the jury is still out, but as of now, the Willamette is our favorite region besides Napa.  And, the craziest thing is, it’s Pinot country.

We tasted at Willamette Vineyards, Panther Creek, Anthony Dell (photo #3 of Anthony and Tree), Eyrie (the first to plant Pinot in Oregon), and Anne Amie yesterday. Not only did the Pinots blow us away at the first four stops, but we met some wonderful people pouring for us along the way.

I can tell that both Tree and I are really excited about our new appreciation of Pinot. After having tasted so many smooth, silky, medium-bodied, complex, earthy, juicy, touch of spicy Pinots, we finally understand what all the fuss is about. The only problem is, we can't afford it.  We don't seem to like a Pinot under $40!!! (With the exception of Anthony Dell, great buys on fantastic wine!)  

Musing about my newfound love, I determined that passion is like Cabernet- big, bold, undeniably delicious- but trust, trust is like Pinot.

As quoted by Miles in Sideways:
"It's a hard grape to grow. As you know. Right? It's, uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it's neglected. No, pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And, in fact, it can only grow in these really specific, little tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression."

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Bloggin Ain't Easy

As sad as it is, Kiki rarely "volunteers" to model for the family blog. As responsible loving parents we do what every other parent would do... We use force to bend her resistance to our will. We've developed a simple method for capturing wonderful family moments.

Photo #1 - Phase 1 entails physically placing/forcing Kiki into the shot. The level of family embarrassment escalates with the size of the surrounding crowd. Although not the most difficult step, do not underestimate the task. This can be fairly challenging, especially when props are involved.

Photo #2 - Once placed, phase 2 entails wrestling Kiki into submission. This is without a doubt the crux of the entire photo shoot. In terms of resistance, we're not talking Apollo Creed in Rocky 1. This is more a combination of the Russian from Rocky 4 with a little Clubber Lang attitude from Rocky 3. You have to bring your A-game if you expect to progress to the next phase.

Photo #3 - Phase 3 is all about securing the Canine and this has become one of Stevie's specialties. Here you can see her applying the air-choking headlock maneuver made famous in the 1980s by Macho-Randy-Savage during wrestle-mania 4.

Photo #4 - And finally, once subdued, I snap the shot that captures the moment and all of you enjoy the fruits of our effort. Loving Mom, fluffy black dog, and some brass statue dude who never leaves the bench in downtown McMinnville, OR.

Priceless. TREE

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Lurking on the Oregon Coast

We've set up our procrastination station on the North Oregon Coast. Kiki is very happy to see the ocean again. She loves to run and play on the beach. Stevie is a little shell shocked. She doesn't quite understand how it can be July, yet she is wearing long-underwear under her pants with a triple protective poly-fleece layering system under a Mountain Hardwear wind jacket. I feel her pain. I tried to surf once so far. Every freezing cold duck-dive felt like someone was pounding my temples with a ball-pine hammer. The effort to get outside the break was in vain considering it's impossible to surf in 50 knot winds. When not fighting the riptides that were threatening to send me to Japan, I was constantly paddling against the wind so as not to end up back in Washington State. Oh yeah, and then there was the great white shark report. Joy. I'm not feeling very "native tough' anymore. TREE

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Childhood Dreams Do Come True!!!

Since I was a little boy I always dreamed of visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook Oregon. As a young native Oregonian I not only viewed this as my god-given birthright, but I also saw it as an opportunity to indulge in the free all-you-can-eat cheese sampler line that awaits every visitor after the self-guided tour. This was my destiny. I knew it at the age of 5 when I begged mommy for more mac-n-cheese. I knew it at the age of 9 when I lived on grilled cheese sandwiches. I knew it at age 14 when I invented my own meal, Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese melted on Popcorn and dipped in peanut butter.

Well guess what people. Dreams do come true! Don’t ever give up. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Over and Out! TREE

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TEAM JACOB... THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE

Because when someone bites you, you frikin bite back!!!  TREE

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We love you Indra, Brent, Nica, Theo, Jeremy, and Pornos!

Seattle is such a great city for so many reasons.  For one, it’s home to Indra (Tree’s sister), Brent, Nica, and Theo, and words cannot express how much we love hanging out with them. On this trip, Indra and Brent helped Tree switch from a PC to a Mac, an act of love if there ever was one. After he made the big switch, Indra, Tree and I went to Chateau St. Michelle and drank a couple bottles of their Summer White and ate Paninis in the garden to celebrate! Later that night, Indra and Brent and Tree and I saw Eclipse (Go Team Edward!!!) and ate delicious Argentine food at El Gaucho.  As always, we had a great time with the kids as well. We love you guys and miss you already!

Seattle is also home to our favorite restaurant, Pomodoros, which we affectionately call Pornos instead. I don’t think Tree christened it that for any real reason, but the nickname is surprisingly appropriate. Matter of fact, if I had to choose between pornography and the cannelloni made with a lamb ragu topped with béchamel and mint, I’d choose the cannelloni every time as a far more tasty and inspiring mood enhancer. It’s my most favorite thing to eat in the entire world, and if I could, I’d eat it every day. I miss you too Cannelloni!!

And finally, Seattle is home to one of my favorite people and most longtime friends, Mr. Jeremy Jones!!!! Last night we partied it up on Capitol Hill with great drinks and even better conversation.  Check him and Jimmy Hendrix out! No more Cannelloni for those two :)

This morning we said our sad goodbyes to the fam and headed to the Oregon coast where we’ll be for at least a week.  –STEVIE

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Another day on the job... hanging with Laird Hamilton

I got the email from my pals over at Tsunami Sales. Laird Hamilton was flying into Seattle to do an event for REI at the flagship store downtown. But first he was doing a small industry only Surftech demo on west lake. Stevie and I were extended an invitation. How the hell are you going to say no to that???

My good buddy Mike runs Tsunami and pimps Surftech. He is by far the most bad ass rep I know in the business. He gave me the total hook up on a new LAIRD 10’6 Stand Up board and off we went. The new board is really sweet, especially with the autograph on the nose! It is a great addition to the quiver. Stevie’s not too happy though. She claims the new board has totally blocked access to her shoe rack. I’m also receiving dirty looks from Kiki who has lost real estate to both surf boards and wine. I promised both of them that I’d move some boards to the roof rack as soon as we get back to Socal.

Laird was super mellow and humble. Not the type of guy you'd think would surf an 80 foot wave! We had fun paddling with him. I must be sailing under a lucky star because in the last year I’ve SUPed with Jerry Lopez AND Laird Hamilton. If I somehow manage to get a surf session in with Kelly Slater I will have completed the trifecta of surf gods! It could happen… tree

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Moving South

Just wanted to say thanks to my AMAZING Mom. Thanks for opening up your home, for taking us sailing, and for all the love. We'll see you before you know it! Take care and live in the moment!
TREE

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Riding the winds of life

Today we had a fun afternoon sailing with John and my Mom! The wind was perfect. We ate cheese and salami and drank beer and chatted about the day when they'll come sail with us on our boat in a far away tropical place.

We've offically gone as far north as we plan to go and tomorrow we start our journey south. I miss the ocean so much and can't wait to surf again. We're sad to leave though. But we'll have one more chance to hook up with my Mom and John next month. We're going to all meet up in San Francisco to sail on the bay in early August. In the mean time, we've got a lot of coastline to explore in Washington as we poke our way south.
Over and out. TREE

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World Famous 4th Of July Party!

Someone has been following the blog and is intimately familiar with our growing list of Family Rules For Surviving As A Nomad, specifically rule #4! When we showed up at Aunt Debby and Uncle Barry’s house for the 4th of July party, everything was “World Famous”. We had a great time celebrating the day we whooped the Brits.

Photo #1 – Stevie with Aunt Debby after arriving at the “World Famous” party
Photo #2 – The Fam getting ready to kick it off
Photo #3 – Indra showing off her “World Famous Ceviche”
Photo #4 – Barry passing around his “World Famous Mai Tai”
Photo #5 – Theo showing off his “Trujillo Blood”
Photo #6 – Nica and Stevie – flowers in the hair is all the rage

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