AtomJohnson Blog

We spent yesterday morning looking at houses in Bend. Every house we looked at had recently dropped their asking price by $50,000 to $100,000. So, while housing is still really expensive in Bend, the market seems to be going through a bit of a correction. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep falling…

After looking at real estate during the morning, we drove to Smith Rock State Park. This park is much more desert like than the parks that we were in yesterday. Smith Rock is one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the US. The rock formations are a result of volcanic ash settling over thousands (maybe even millions) of years. We did the valley hike which runs along the river. There were very few other people out there. If we move here, it will be my new favorite spot for trail running. Paul said that he often sees people doing laps around the four mile loop. This loop eventually climbs up over the rock formations, so those people who do laps around it are clinically insane.

Paul dropped us off at the Redmond airport to rent a car for our Portland return. We got a silver Chevy Cobalt.  It is basically a land rocket.  I’m pretty sure it has around four cylinders.  Its got and AM/FM radio, power locks, passenger side airbag…it is basically loaded.

By the time we got home, Paul had an amazing dinner of pasta ala’ vodka waiting for us. It was delicious like a flavor festival. We closed out the night playing card games and drinking more wine and beer than most healthcare professionals would recommend. I think once we settle back down somewhere, I’m going to spend a week cleansing my system with fruitjuice, vegetable juice and handfuls of raisins.

The problem with a small town is that if some girl opens the door on you at the coffee shop while you are going to the bathroom (and I’m not talking and innocent #1…I’m talking #2), you’re likely to spend the rest of your time in town avoiding your victim. My best piece of advice if you come to bend is to always use a bolt lock on the bathroom door if they make one available. It is probably there because the one on the doorknob does not function…

Short of that little incident, Bend continues to be a wonderful town.  Yesterday we hiked up Pilot’s Butte, which is a cute little mountain right in the center of Bend.  It is one mile to the top.  Once you get up there, you can see the entire town and all of its surroundings.  Paul took us up there to show us the different neighborhoods from a bird’s eye perspective before we drove around and looked at neighborhoods.

We spent the afternoon driving around and looking a real estate.  We got a really good perspective of the different neighborhoods and what they offer in terms of housing.  Everyone here is complaining about how expensive real estate is, but coming from Northern Virginia, it is much easier to swallow.  For the price that I just sold my 1,100 square foot townhouse on the tracks, you can get a nice 2 bedroom house with a yard in a desireable nieghborhood.  The market here has definitely slowed down in the past few months, so it might be turning more into a buyer’s market than it has been.

It is raining today, so we are scheduling showings of some of the properties that we are interested in.  I had called about one house in the Old Mill District (a new up n’ coming retail area by the river) only to find out that the area that ‘looks like a backyard’ is in fact another lot.  I guess the reason that it looks like a back yard is because it is enclosed by a nice wood fence behind the house.  Please don’t let this fool you…the rules are different here in Oregon.  An enclosed grass space enclosed by a fence directly behind your house does not a back yard make.

How in the world do you describe Bend, Oregon? It is amazing! It is probably the greatest place I’ve ever been. After watching the soccer matches today, we decided it would be nice to go for a hike in the moutains. In Virginia, this means driving a couple of hours out to the Shenandoah Mountains, spending money to get in the park, and then dealing with the crowds who have also come to hike. In Bend, it means driving 25 minutes to the most amazing volcanic/glacial mountain lakes you’ve ever seen with 10,000 foot snow-capped mountains in the background. Afterwards, we came back to town to rent kayaks to paddle down the Deschutes River tomorrow. On a normal summer day, there are probably 100 people floating down the river through the middle of town. In fact, the city buses now have open trailers in the back where you can throw your tubes and rafts in order to get back up river. It is a town where the Parks Department is the most powerful force in the local government. They have built an enormous downtown ampitheater that attracts acts such as Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. If you can’t afford a ticket, you can just anchor your inner tube in the river and enjoy the show from there. The town is currently planning a white water rapids park on the river that will be free to the public.

In summary, it is heaven! It is certainly at the top of my list of places to move right now. If I end up here, please come visit…I’ll feed you nature, fresh air, microbrews, coffee and burritos. The bathroom is the second door on the right.

See more pics here…. 

If you come to Portland to visit Chris and Ben, make sure that you pack your legs and feet…you’re going to need them. After walking what seemed like every square inch of the city on Saturday, we were completely exhausted and ready to never walk again. We figured since Chris was six months pregnant, she would be begging us for mercy, rest and relaxation. No such luck. She and Ben insisted on going on a gorgeous 6 mile hike through Forest Park yesterday. Nat and I did not fight them too hard on this one. In fact, it was incredible. Forest Park is the ‘city park’ in Portland and it is enormous. There are over 70 miles of hiking/biking trails through old growth forests. It feels like you’ve driven 2 hours to get to these trails when you are really right in the middle of the city. We just touched the surfact of these trails yesterday. Oregon is experiencing a heat wave right now, so we got our sweat on.

After an all day hike, we settled into the Portland City Grill for a night of microbrews and $2 appetizers with incredible views from the 30th floor of the such-and-such building. Watching the sun set over Mt. Hood while chomping on your eigth California roll is something I highly recommend to anyone.

We are about to go rent a car to drive down to Bend for the week. I look forward more beer, good food, hiking and views of yet another Mt. Hood looking volcano.

Our arrival in Portland was nothing short of a miracle. After curb checking our bags this morning (at 4:30am!) in Denver, we were told that they could not issue our boarding passes and that we must go inside to a kiosk. So, I put my credit card in the kiosk, and was told that I must see a ticket agent. So, I saw the ticket agent, who couldn’t find her own butt with a compass, a map, two friends and a flashlight. After letting about five people in front of us in line, she was finally able to issue our boarding passes with only 30 minutes until our flight left us behind. So, we ran down to security and got in line before we realized that she had issued 2 boarding passes for Adam Johnson and 0 boarding passes for Natalie Condos. So, with twenty minutes left, we sprinted back up to the counter, got our boarding passes, and turned around for another sprint to Concourse C. The only thing that slowed us down this time was a full body pat down from the TSA attendant, two bad knees, and once again….the altitude!

I must say though that it was completely worth the hassle. Oregon is everything I thought it would be and more. The flight into Portland is amazing. Every time we passed a snow covered mountain peak, we excitedly exclaim, ‘there is Mt Hood!’. Only to see the real Mt. Hood a few minutes later. This went on for about 14 Mt Hoods. By the time we saw the real Mt. Hood, we were all out of juice.

My friend Chris picked us up from the airport and drove us to an amazing place for breakfast called the Tin Shed. I was awe struck by so many different things at once. First of all, the coffee is FREE and it is amazing. Secondly, everyone has a dog and they are allowed to bring the dogs to their table in the outdoor eating area. Thirdly, the waiting area is a gorgeous tree-covered courtyard that I could have sat in all day. I was a bit bummed out that we had to move when they finally called our names. Fourthly, everyone looks the part of ‘Portland’. I imagined that I would see young, hip people with beards, tattoos, cool sunglasses, books and coffee. Check, check, check, check, check, and check…all criteria met.

After breakfast, we drove across the river to the Portland State University campus where they host a huge farmer’s market in the park each Saturday. This was definatley the greatest farmer’s market I’ve ever seen. Everything was organic, sustainable, delicious. A young kid with a skateboard approached us as we were chowing on homemade gelato. I was sure that he was going to try to bum a cigarette. Instead he asked, ‘hey, do you guys know where I could go to get a smoothie?’ I didn’t know what to say. I told him that I had no idea where to find a smoothie, but that he could find great deals on cartons of cigarettes in South Carolina.

(Please note: the line about cigarettes is not true…I only said that in this blog post because I thought it would be funny. If you laughed…mission accomplished. If you didn’t laugh, then I was obviously wrong about it being funny)

We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown Portland. We walked all the way from the south side of the city to the north side in order to partake in beer from the Rogue Brewery. On the way there, I happened to run into the only other person I know in Portland, Carolyn Hart. She is the sister of Emily Hart, who we will be staying with in Bend this week. Unfortunately, she was on her way to get some hair work done, so she was unable to join us for beer. If you are in Portland, be sure to swing by the Rogue Brewery. It is an early peak at heaven.

I am starting to think that Oregon holds several early peaks at heaven….’Hey look, there is Mt. Hood!’

Yesterday was a sad day for American Soccer fans. Once again, our dreams of World Cup glory were destroyed by a rival nation. I can only hope that Ghana will become our latest member of the ‘axis of evil’. Nobody does this to us and gets away with it. Yes, wars stop during the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t start immediately afterwards!

(Note: The previous paragraph was a joke. I am just this side of a peace loving hippie. While I am devastated that we did not advance to the Round of 16, I do not condone starting a war over some other nation beating the most powerful nation in the world in soccer. However, I do think we should look for some WMDs in Ghana. Who knows?)

Regardless of the outcome, it was still lots o’ fun watching the game. Mike and I headed over to an English owned bar called The Hornet. It was my first ESPN ‘High Definition’ experience. This is another situation where I should just destroy my credit card right now. If not, I’m likely to have HD TV within a week or so.

After watching the game, I came back to the house, ironed my suit, retrained myself on the art of tying a neck tie and headed down to Colorado Springs to work for the day. I had a great lunch in downtown Colorado Springs with two of my collegues. They shared with me their experience of living and working in Colorado Springs. It seems that they both love how gorgeous the area is, but culturally, it is not very diverse and extremely conservative. I had heard this about CO Springs, but it was really driven home when I got into the elevator and realized that they play Fox News 24-7…even in the elevator.

The setting though is unbelievable. The town sits right up against the moutains. Every window office in the Booz Allen office has a panoramic view of Pike’s Peak. Unfortunately, the Media Team there is crammed into a interior space. I guess this makes the mountains much sweeter when you finally do get outside at the end of the day. Of course, you have to take into account that you are then either depressed or scared out of your wits because you’ve just endured Fox News on the elevator ride down to the groud level.

Upon arriving back at Mike and Ashley’s, they had prepared an huge platter of homemade sushi. They are basically MacGuiver when it comes to food. Give them bubble gum, duct tape, a toy wagon wheel and a potato…and you’ll feast like Kings on holiday.

Things are pretty much coming down to the wire with my work deliverables, so I continued to work late into the night. Once again, the altitude was doing me now favors.

It was late in the afternoon before the day turned sour. I had a tour of an amazing bungalow in Washington Park. I worked much of the day and even solved a few mindbenders for my coworkers. I watched the Argentenia vs. Netherlands soccer game. Then I decided to go to the Verizon Wireless store for some tech assistance with the ol’ Bluetooth headset.

I went online and got directions to the store. After calling the store twice to announce I was lost, I called a third time to announce my arrival. With this much forewarning, I figured the technicians would be at the door, ready to solve all of my problems. Instead, there was Andrea. Andrea is the nicest bouncer in the world. She took my name and phone number and then handed me what looked like a 20,000 volt Zapper wand with the Verizon logo and the number 18. She assured me that even though I was third in line, the wait would not be too long. She pointed me towards the mall and explained my boundaries where the Zapper would still work. So, for the next 10 minutes I wondered around the store and pressed buttons on the hottest new phones.

Then I noticed a guy walk up to the empty space at the customer service counter. I knew the Charissa was in front of me, and this guy looked more like a Phil or a Timothy…perhaps even a Mr. Farty Bottom. Definately not a Charissa. So, I ambled up to Andrea and asked if he was ahead of me on the list. She gave me an apologetic look and expressed that he was not on the list. I said, ‘not on the list at all? how did he get up there?’. She said that he just walked up. So, I said that I was going to have a word with him. She panicked and begged me not to. I said, ‘Ok, then you go tell him.’ Through puppy eyes, she said ‘I’m a nice person’. I thought, ‘…well, I’m a nice person too, but I’m not about to let this jackass cut in line without pointing out the error in his ways’. So, I walked up and said, ‘hi, is your name Chris?’ He assured me that it was. I expressed that he must be the Chris who was just behind me on the list. He mentioned some garbage about how he was having Bluetooth trouble…as if this was an OK excuse. I held up my Bluetooth headset and gave him a look that said, ‘yeah…me too….jerk store’. He then tried to lay on the charm and exchange stories of Bluetooth woes. I directed my attention to the customer service rep and told her that he cut ahead of 3 people and should not be served. It was obvious that they had never dealt with such a situation. So while he and I argues about how he cut in line and I was now just holding up everyone else, they pulled on an emergency customer service rep to handle his situation while the lady who was helping him dealt with my Bluetooth situation….

In the end, everyone walked away with working wireless headsets, but justice was only half served. I did assure him that Karma can be hell and he should avoid spicy foods in the near future.

The rest of my evening was much more fun. Ashley brought home a Blood Alcohol Meter from work and we sat outside eating homemade pizza, chugging bear and charting our progress. I am most certainly the lightweight of the group. After two beers, I was double the BAC of Ashley and triple the BAC of Mike. Pizza has no effect on blood alcohol level….nor does Bluetooth.

I have been in Denver all of a day and the altitude is already killing me.  First of all, I cannot seem to hold my liquor here.  Two beers and I’m goofy.  Secondly, there is very little oxygen.  It is the opposite of being in a Casino.  All I want to do is save my money and go to sleep.

When Mike got home from work, he invited me out on a run.  My gut reaction, was ‘no thanks’, but I knew after being in the car for six days that I should probably get some exercise.  This is easier said than done.  My entire body was screaming at me.  Finally, at about the two mile mark, my lungs felt like they were going to explode, so I had to throw in the towel.

After an amazing meal of rotisserie chicken, vegetables, wine, and spicey tomato juice…I’m ready for bed.  With little oxygen in the air, I should sleep like the dead.

Knowingly or unknowingly, there is a list of phrases that none of us ever wants to hear. I’m not sure that I’ve been keeping a concious list throughout my life, but I definately have a new #1. And our new #1 phrase that you never want to hear….survey says:

“Hey Adam, the entire bike rack blew off the roof of the car. The bikes flew incredibly high and then bounced a little….”

Yeah, that is definately my new #1. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Nat murmured on the phone this afternoon.

We split ways earlier this morning. She followed me just past the Crazy Horse monument and then headed west. She is taking Willow to western Wyoming to be cared for while we are in Oregon.

I guess the ‘Wind River’ Range in Wyoming can get pretty windy. She said that she only got 100 miles to an entire tank of gas. At one point she looked out the driver’s side window to see the handlebars of her mountain bike. By design, the bike is supposed to be vertical on top of the car. She stopped to fix this and tightened up the entire rack. It was not long after this that the entire rack ripped off, taking my beautiful carbon fiber Trek road bike with it. The good news is that everything looks OK…except for the fact that my rims now have angles that are closer to 90 degrees than round.

On the bright side, my drive was great! Eastern Wyoming is not the most interesting place to drive across, but I did find some beef jerky to chew on and did not run out of gas. You’d better get gas though when you have the chance, because there is not alot going on in Eastern Wyoming. I’m pretty sure that I only passed through two or three towns in the entire state.

This week I am staying with my friends Mike and Ashley in Denver. They have another college friend staying with them tonight. I knew I would get along with him when I discovered that his belt buckle had a bottle opener on it. I asked if I could take a photo of him opening a bottle with his pants….he admitted that this was awkward, but was a good sport about it. Things are still very awkward, but I got my photo….please enjoy.

See more pics here… 

Sadly enough, it is our last night here at the Microtel. After four days, it was really starting to feel like home. I’m even starting to prefer the smokey, ionizer odor that lingers in the air. But, as all chapters must come to a close, so must this chapter…at $77/night with free continental breakfast.

There was alot of car time today. After watching the Brazil vs Australia match at Boston’s, we headed downtown for a cup of coffee. Our usual spot was closed, so we ended up finding a Starbucks. The coffee was quality, as usual, but I’m concerned that Nat might forever be addicted to the dark chocolate covered graham ‘crack’ers.

We then decided to tour some of the area neighborhoods to get a better feel for Rapid City. We stumbled onto an Open House, where we met Barb, the super friendly realtor. She gave us enough hints for other houses and neighborhoods, which resulted in a daylong housing tour between Rapid City and Spearfish. We saw some gorgeous areas and some really nice houses. Most of them were very well priced (especially if you consider where we’re coming from).

We ended the day back in Spearfish at the 7 Grill. The name comes from the 7 homemade soups that they offer each day. I’m guessing that they weren’t expecting a big Sunday crowd because you would have thought they were under attack. With a bit of patience, we finally got some beer, salads and sandwiches.

After four days of touring the area, I am mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. I am looking forward to a few days where I don’t have to weigh the pros and cons of moving to wherever I happen to be. Tomorrow I drive down to Denver to work for a few days and stay with some good friends. Nat has to drive Willow out to her home in Western Wyoming. She will meet back up with Sadie and I on Thursday before we head out to Oregon on Saturday.