penny for a thought | Patrick on every & anything

For a moment, I didn’t think I’d ever get to my planned holiday destination, Naples, FL, as a hell-storm of winter weather dominated the Pacific Northwest. If you’re not from the PNW you likely saw it on the news – a full week of sub freezing temperatures coupled with a plethora of snow. As if that weren’t enough, mix an evening of freezing rain with 8 inches of snow, then drop another few inches of snow and POW, you’ve paralyzed a city that’s used to no more than an inch-or-so of snow each year.

After being delayed one whole day, my flight was set to depart Mon, Dec 22. I checked, checked, and checked again… The flight was still on, as was the snow and balmy weather. I packed and left my house at 2:00am in search of a cab ride to PDX. At 4:00am I finally found a cabby brave enough to navigate the winter wonderland. I soon found out this particular driver was powered by [probably] an illegal substance. Once at the Delta departure gate, I kissed the ground (not literally, but in my mind), said thanks to a higher being, stumbled into the airport, and was on the tarmac by 6:20am. Nine hours later I was having dinner with my family on a 70 degree Florida evening.

The aforementioned was one week ago today. Since then I’ve procured a sun tan, bicycled more than 23 hours, consumed more food than …., planned two interactive projects, bonded with family, and filled all of my pockets with sand. One more day of fun in the sun, then off to 20 degree Whitefish, MT for the Shaun & Cassidy wedding fiasco!!

As gnarly weather continues to wreak havoc on the Pacific Northwest and I struggle to survive without water do to frozen pipes in my house, I can only dream ahead to where I’ll be next week. Come Sunday I will be soaking up sun, surf, and family in Naples, FL. Mom, dad, two brother and I all packed into a two bedroom rental condo… It should prove to be an interesting, but fun, trip to say the least. I am, however, sad to miss the opening week of skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows, though I will have a road bicycle with me, so I’ll survive.

From Florida I spend 5 days skiing and catching up with friends in Whitefish, Montana… Oh yeah, I’ll also be standing beside my boy, Shaun Radley, as he takes the plundge at the alter… Go Shaun!

Those of you not into snow, surf, or skate sports are probably asking, “What means gnar?” Put simply, gnar is an abbreviation of the word gnarly. It’s an adjective often used among skiers, surfers, snow boarders, and skate boarders to rank conditions on a scale of dangerousness and coolness.

For this entry, gnar is used to express my excitement for the snow which began to blanket Portland this AM. For most, snow is no biggie, but for Portlanders’ it means chaos since the city rarely sees snow stick to its streets. The mountains here are no stranger to copious amounts of God’s dandruff, but this winter has left them relatively bare, thus leaving Portland-based ski & snowboard bums in a state of panic. However, this snowy Sunday brings both gnar and hope that there might be a ski/snowboard season yet.

For urbanites not-so-fond of the white stuff, it’s a different story… One filled with frustration and fear as Portland is not equipped to handle such weather. Being a Midwest native by way of Montana’s Northern Rockies and one who used to Nordic Ski to class, it’s just another day. –Here’s to shredding some gnar!