Restaurants Worth the Trip – Cartlandia

On the less well-to-do West side of Portland off 82nd Avenue is the famous cluster of food trucks called ‘Cartlandia’.

Bring cash and an appetite.

Gear I Like – Salomon Synapse Mid-High WP Train Runners

I have been looking for some time for a pair of light, waterproof boots to take with me on short notice scrambles and peak-bags. Its hard to find hybrids that are tough enough for rocky terrain, supportive enough for uphills and downhills and waterproof enough for the unpredictable weather of places like the PNW.

Salomon to the rescue. Although technically trail-runners these affordably prices boots are burly enough that their goretex exteriors and rubber outsole and toe cap resisted my best efforts to tear them up on Cougar Mt. loop trails outside Seattle and Angels Rests rocky terrain in Portland. Both hikes were between 5-6 miles and both had me caught in rain on several occasions with sloppy trail conditions.

The only moisture in these boots when I took them off was from me. Even that had vented well enough that my socks were bone dry seconds after coming out (Smartwool hikers).

The toggle and lock system of laces kept my heel jammed down in the constant uphills and downhills and my feet (abused by 15 miles walking through Manhattan a week before in Nikes) came out non the worse for wear.

The wide luggy soles were grippy on slick wet rocks, mud and compressed gravel all through both hikes. The mid high cut even gave a bit of ankle support.

My only nitpick would be the lack of arch support… but if you need it you’re already used to putting in your own insoles.

So if you’re a guy looking for a great blend between a hiker and a trail runner this total winner in my books and great for the price.

Restaurants worth the Trip – Beatersville in Portland

Grabbed some breakfast the morning after a long late night drive from Seattle into the island. Good coffee and great short order breakfasts. Nice and quiet around 10am and great friendly staff. If you’re looking for a nice eclectic morning spot in central Portland, check it out!

MacDonald/Cartier has the right idea…

Rocking chairs with a view in the gate area. What a great airport.

Pro Bar

Tried these today;

Pros

– Really tasty, chocolate and mint, lots of chew.
– 380 calories, just right for a grab on the go meal.
– Compact enough to stash in a hip belt pocket.
-Good mix of healthy fats to heat you up and fuel muscles.
– GMO free and organic whole food.

Cons
– Pricey; about 1 cent per calorie.
– Sticky; could turn to glop in really hot weather.

Living in a Van, down by the ocean, in Van.

I had to stop and take a picture of the ultimate surfer mobile home. Solar panels, surf boards on the roof, tent drying on the hood.

Restaurants Worth the Trip – The Wallflower

The Wallflower is a Main St bar and restaurant on Vancouver’s South shore that I wandered into last night after 11hrs traveling.

While on the surface it might look like the average hipster restaurant on Main, the menu and staff broke up that comparison very quickly.

Our waitress was cheery and super-engaged. The menu has a basic bar food function and an entirely vegan option, both of which were delicious. My co-worker and I had options off either menu; he the burger and lightning fries and me the vegan portobello burger and vegan poutine. Food was awesome all the way around.

Great music (Clash, Happy Mondays, Doors), a good mix of everyone from the twenty something hipsters and aging University professors.

Awesome experience for two weary commuter travellers after 11 hrs from Memphis through LAX to Vancouver!

Places I Like – British Columbia

I both love and miss this place. Happy to be here a week.

Gear – Cold weather, sub 20lbs Base Weight

…and it all fits in my GoLite Jam 50L.

I’m one of those guys that will kill time on airplanes daydreaming gear lists. For a while I’ve been trying to get comfortable and condition-appropriate gear whittled down to under 20lbs and I’m geeked enough that I actually keep a library of all my gear (weighted with our little food scale if it’s small) to tool around with.

This is a sub-20lbs Gear checklist for hiking in the winter in the Ozarks and Smokies (my local ranges) where conditions can be very damp and drop below freezing at the night above 5000feet.

Add in 2L or water (4.4lbs) and four or five days food (about 5lbs) and I’ve got a total weight under 30lbs.

Which, I’m kinda stoked about. 🙂

Any other folks this gear obsessed? I think I’m going to give this a go in the Daniel Boon NF sometime in the next month or so.

Outdoor Gear – Innovations – Superhydrophobic Nanotech Weatherproofing

I just caught a look at the demo reel video for a new line of Weather treatment technology that kinda has to be seen to be believed. You can check it out on NPR’s website here;

NPR Article

I don’t normally geek out on things like gear construction, but the video is pretty compelling if real.

One great point the article brings up of course is the cost and durability issue. Most water-resistant (I won’t ever say waterproof, solid rubber is waterproof and you don’t make clothes out of that which aren’t designed to handle level 5 biohazards) clothing is treated with some kind of DWR spray which closes the pores on the exterior but still allows moisture to transfer out the other way (think of it like a doggie door for moisture).

No matter how good it is it does eventually wet-out. Seams leak, water gets underneath and most times it actually wets out from your own perspiration. That would still be an issue with this new treatment.

But still; it wets out from the outside too. No amount of current DWR will keep moisture from getting in if you’re getting dumped on for hours and hours. Best it does is keep it off for a longer period of time. At $50-100 dollars for a treatment… if this product isn’t really durable then it may not be market-viable.

But still; watch the video. Some of the stuff they put this treatment through is just mad, and it comes out clean every time.