Philip Robert

Here’s some video that I shot in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The videos require Quicktime 7

Raft Flipping Out

Rafting Carnage on the Colorado River from Philip Robert on Vimeo.

Here’s a quicktime version you can download. raft-h264-800kbps-streaming

Surfers - Hanging 10 (not really) on the Colorado

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The Kayakers!

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Don Grall surfs the wave. We spoke just as I was getting my video camera out to shoot, and explained to me how a lot of towns throughout Colorado were putting in waves like this one to attract people. From the crowd on the riverbank this seems to be a good idea.
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Don Grall again. Looks like he’s having a lot of fun.
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The city of Glennwood Springs built a rapid on the Colorado river that draws a nice crowd during the summer months. In between the rafts, kayakers and surfers paddle out to the large waves to surf. Here are a few photographs and some video from Saturday afternoon May 31st 2008. If you’re one of the kayakers in these photos you can click on the image three times to get to a full size image that you can download. Leave me a comment.

Arches National Park is home to landscape that is much better served by photographs than word. At least my words. Me standing in front of Double O Arch.

The road into Arches National Park snakes up along the red rock that dominates the area.

Formations known as Courthouse Towers seem to guard the entrance to Arches National Park. Silent Sentinels always standing, always watching.

The double arches of Double O Arch. Just a short hike from the roadway, This is the highest arch in the park.

Nearby Double O Arch a weathered tree.

Another red rock formation at Arches National Park.

Looking up into the heavens in the desert of eastern Utah is a humbling experience. These skies are the darkest I’ve ever seen. The stars sparkle in the great expanse of space, calling, guiding, laughing, crying.

Looking up it is so easy to see the big dipper pointing right to the north star. The little dipper visible as I’ve never seen before. Where is Orion? The hunter hides tonight, I cannot find his belt. OR there are so many stars visible that he is camouflaged among their brightness.

Waking hours later the moon has risen, it’s milky shine brightening the desert landscape. The Big Dipper has shifted in the night. Time passes Arcturus remains steady, shining brightly.

Sleep comes again easily under the star studded canopy of the heavens. Dawn comes slowly. I awaken rested, seeking out the new day, and new adventures.

It’s 6:10AM as I drive through one of the coolest towns in the country, Moab, Utah. I’m looking for a coffee shop where I can plug into the internet and enjoy a cup of java. There’s a police vehicle behind me, but I’m not worried. There is plenty of light, I’m driving about 3 miles under the speed limit, and there’s not much traffic. Coming to the end of town I want to turn around and head back the other way. I begin to turn right onto a side street, hit my blinker, and notice that the police car follows me.

I make a left turn into a laundry mat parking lot, pull up, and stop for a moment as if I’m looking at a map. The police car turns into the next door Burger King and pulls up to the drive up lane. I turn around and pull out onto the street headed towards Main street.

Uh-oH! Johnny Law zips out of Burger King with his lights and siren popping. ??? Lets see what he’s looking for, I stop. The loudspeaker says to pull over. No problem. Sherif’s Deputy W. Stone walks up and informs me that I’m being stopped because of a late turn signal and you look confused. OF COURSE I’M CONFUSED! I’ve never been to Moab before and I don’t know where the coffee shops are. Barney Fife I mean Deputy Stone asks for the usual, drivers license, insurance, registration, and begins grilling interrogating me about where I’m from, where I’m going, what I’m doing.

With all the traveling I’ve been doing I was having fun.

Deputy Stone: Where’re you headed?

Me: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Deputy Stone: Do you live in Fayetteville?

Me: No Sir, my hometown’s in Louisiana, but I’ve been living in Los Angeles for awhile.

Deputy Stone: So where you coming from?

Me: Bend, Oregon

Deputy Stone: I thought you said you lived in Los Angeles.

Me: Yes Sir.

Deputy Stone: But you said you lived in Los Angeles.

Me: Yes Sir, but I’m coming from Bend, Oregon

Deputy Stone: What’re doing in Moab?

Me: Right now I’m looking for a coffee shop. (now Deputy Stone gives me a look…)

Deputy Stone: And you live in Arkansas?

Me: No Sir my hometown is in Louisiana, I’m headed to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Deputy Stone: Oh Right, there’s a coffee shop in McStiff’s Plaza, drive careful now.

At Mondo coffee the girl behind the counter told me that Deputy Stone is the local hardass. I guess, he must’ve been bored when he caught site of my California plates. I was particularly intrigued by the way he kept trying to catch me up in a lie. I wonder what he would’ve done then? Would I be looking out from the inside of a Moab jail cell? Who knows.

In the early eighties there was a television commercial about a guy who bought a General Store in Cascade, Idaho.

“Monday at the office
They’ll notice I’m not there.
They’ll look around, unplug my phone
And take my favorite chair.

‘Cause I started out two days ago
On a life they’ll never know
I bought myself this General Store
In Cascade, Idaho!

Me and my RC, me and my RC…”

I’m not sure about the RC cola, but Cascade would be a great place to own a General Store. Traveling across this country I feel privileged to be able to visit places like Cascade. To sum up the the majesty of these mountains with mere words seems an impossible task. How do I describe the skyline of a snow covered crest? The hushed whisper of wind through tall firs? The rivers musical plunge down the boulder studded gorge?

Idaho is known as the Gem State, and it is a gem for outdoorsman of all sorts. Kayakers, skiiers, hunters, hikers, and others. Idaho is a gem.

Bend, Oregon is an amazing town. Nestled under the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains I think that Bend may be one of the best places I’ve ever visited. Having been her for less than a day I can feel the small town friendliness of this place. There is an outdoor culture here that I couldn’t find in Ashland. The people seem much more excited about the recreational opportunities of the place. I feel at home here even though I don’t live here.

The Deschutes River flows through the center of Bend, meandering between green banks. Bend has created a pleasing mix of riverside parks and neighborhoods providing both public and private enjoyment of the river.

Downtown Bend is populated with a number of small retail, restaurant, and coffee shops. Thump Coffee on Minnesota Avenue serves an excellent organic roast, and has a fun adventure filled staff and clientele.

There is a reason that this river is called the Rogue. In many places it is quite unruly. I have seen the Rogue in quiet repose meandering slowly across a valley floor. Now I’ve seen its violent nature constrained by mighty lava flows.

Here at the Chasm the banks of the Rogue River narrow to within 25 feet of each other and the unruly current running between flows fast enough to fill up an olympic sized swimming pool once every minute. The force of the current is tremendous. You can feel the strength of it vibrating up through the lava rock beneath your feet. It is an astounding sight.

Mill Creek Falls from Philip Robert on Vimeo

This is what an extended road trip with no time constraints will get you. The opportunity to impulsivly go check out all the cool sights that we normally would have to miss because we’re on a schedule. Just a short little hike off the main hwy (62) to get this view. It was taken with my still camera. Now lemme tell ya! I’d much rather have used my video camera for this, but… I was hikin and I didn’t wanna break out the heavy artillery. So this video was shot on my Panasonic Lumix digital camera. Not too bad.

Road trips are a lot like life. We decide to go on a journey, and we are faced with an unending string of decisions. My plan had been to stay in Ashland for the summer, and with the exception of a family reunion in Arkansas in June, and Burning Man in August all I was going to do was learn to kayak on the Rogue River.

After having several rooms and apartments slip through my fingers I came to the decision to make a long road trip from Oregon to Arkansas for the family reunion. Take 10 or 15 days to make the trip. Take the time to visit some cool places, meet some cool people. There’s no rush, just the thrill of the journey. So I had come to a fork in the road. It was time to travel.

When I left Ashland I had an idea that I would camp out at Crater Lake for a couple of nights. When I got to the intersection of Hwy 230 and 62 I had a choice. Go right to Crater Lake or continue straight ahead to Bend, Oregon. The weather wasn’t helping that much. The clouds were threatening snow, but I didn’t actually make the choice until after I took the picture. Pulling out I was intending to turn right and head to Crater Lake. Then I saw another sign that said that the North Gate to Crater Lake was closed.

It didn’t say why it was closed. It didn’t say that the park rangers just hadn’t gotten around to unlocking the gate. It didn’t say that the road was covered with snow, or had washed out. It just said that the north entrance was closed. In a split second I changed my mind and headed straight for Bend.

It would have been nice to see what Crater Lake looks like. I wanted some photos to show y’all. But if the weather was going to turn bad, I also wanted an exit strategy. So this time I bypassed Crater Lake. Did I miss out? There’s no telling what the adventure would have been had I made the turn. At a single moment in time my life had two futures branching out from one another. Now my future lies on the road to Bend.

Thoughts on life and the roads we travel brought to you by Philip Robert.