I was beat by a party gal

I have been working on a small SEO project for my friend who owns the home accessory store Festive Living in Victor, ID. In the past few weeks the site has been bumped to #2 on Google for the keywords "Festive Living". Apparently, some music lover started a blog about her travels to festivals in the Northeast and she has jumped to #1. Do you think she went to any Dead shows back in the day?

The Festival Gal

I wonder if she has taken time to optimize the blog or if Google rated the site higher due it being a blogger site with more text. The site http://www.festive-living.com/ is mostly graphics which effects its Google rating.


Anyway, it looks like I need hit the books and knock her from the top spot.

Building Up

Building Up
Originally uploaded by krughb

The foundation is finished and we are offically building up! Stay tuned to watch the garage being built.

Will it be finished by Feb 1?

How did you work from Argentina

Travel Set
Originally uploaded by krughb

A number of people have inquired into the logistics involved with working from Argentina. This picture shows my mobile office (starting on the left):

1. Corded telephone (these are hard to find – everything is now cordless)
2. Vonage box for phone calls and provides me with a US contact number
3. USB Headset for Skype (used as a backup for Vonage)
4. All in 1 power adaptor
5. Laptop
6. Assorted power cords and Cat 5 cables
7. Backcountry ski pack / mobile office pack

Vonage is a VOIP (internet based phone) service that requires an hard wire internet connection and a standard phone. When the small device is plugged in your phone will ring anywhere in the world. This allowed me to have a US number while traveling abroad. Skype is a phone system that runs on computers and was a good backup for Vonage. It allowed me to use the phone when I only had a WiFi connection. Skype also provides a US number for inbound calls. When a USB headset is used the call quality on Skype is crystal clear.

The most complex issue with the mobile office is juggling 1 power adaptor between a laptop and the Vonage box. I only brought 1 adaptor because I figured the probability of having 2 power connections and 1 internet connection within the length of my power cord was fairly low. I have a laptop battery that holds a charge for 4-5 hours limited the power issue from becoming a problem.

The mobile office worked great and a number of colleagues who I spoke with regularly never knew that I left the country. I am looking forward to my next mobile office excursion.

The Wyoming Project

Brad Feld, a VC blogger in Boulder had an interesting post today about the ability to work from where you want to live. He calls this the Montana project, a named coined during a conversation in the early-90's with a group of friends.

Personally, I prefer the Wyoming project. Jackson has a number of young technology professionals who work on a remote basis and have the ability to travel and bring their work on the road. A prime example was my 2 month stint in Argentina.

With email, Skype, Vonage and a good Internet connection location is no longer an issue.

Back in Jackson Hole

3 days after returning from South America I departed for a 1 week trip to the Northwest. The trip included watching a wedding where the couple had been dating for 14 years along with a trip to Seattle for a few days of work.

I enjoy traveling to Seattle because I can bring home great food:

- rainier cherries

- chanterelle mushrooms

- spices from the spice store, including vanilla beans for ice cream!

- 2 whole salmon

- 1 monk fish (see below - tastes better then it looks)

Wedding Tour

After a few days of golf and biking in Jackson we are on the wedding tour again. A flight tonight to Oregon, wedding on Saturday, work in Seattle on Mon - Wed.

New Kiva Loan

I was speaking with a loyal blog reader from Atlanta yesterday and the person asked a few questions about Kiva. It occurred to me that after receiving repayment on my 1st loan I have let the money sit and earn interest for Kiva for the past 2 months. This morning I jumped on the free wifi at our hotel in Charlottesville and I found a new business in South America in need of a micro loan.



A special thanks to SG for prompting my memory!

Heading Back Home

Today we board a flight for DC. We are attending a wedding this weekend before returning to Jackson on Monday afternoon. I can't believe the trip is over, but I am looking forward to getting back home and have things be "easy". Mainly, this refers to exercises, cooking, and being able to access the outdoors from my backyard.

The Ground Was Shaking

I just felt a strange shaking sensation today when working at my computer. It sort of felt like the bed was moving, a gust of wind hit the windows and a few strange noises from the building. After a quick search online I found that a 5.0 earthquake happened just north of Santiago.

I am staying on the 12th floor of an apartment building so I am glad it was only a 5.0 quake.

The Meat Cart

meat cart pic
Originally uploaded by krughb

This cart was found inside a meat store behind a service counter in Los Andes Chile. Los Andes is a small town 1 hour away from Portillo. We stayed in Los Andes because Hotel Portillo was full over the weekend. Generally you have to book Portillo for a week and they only offer less then 1 week stays last minute if space is available. Staying in Los Andes gave us more options for food and wine, but we are surprised at how expensive Chile is compared to Argentina. In Mendoza this cart might cost $50 and in Chile they would charge you $200. I wonder how much the meat would cost in the US?

Anyway, the butcher was cracking up when I took this picture. I guess it's normal to stack a cart with a chopped up cow.

Portillo Skiing

I guess you can say the skiing was sweet at Portillo. 1-2 feet of powder on top of a bomber snow pack = steep couliors.

See the pics below.

Charlotte at the end

day2exit
Originally uploaded by krughb

Finishing the run after 3,000 ft.

Charlotte in the bottle neck - Day 2

day2choke
Originally uploaded by krughb

More long, steep and deep ski runs at Portillo.

Steep Shot

steep show
Originally uploaded by krughb

Day 2

day2
Originally uploaded by krughb

On Day 2 we skied the couloir on the left of this picture after skiing the couloir on the right the first day. It took about 45-50 minutes to skin to the top of the run from the nearest lift. 15 minutes and 3,000 feet later we were at the bottom standing on Lake Inca toasting one of the best runs of our lives.

More Pow - Day 2 Portillo

powday2-4
Originally uploaded by krughb

Portillo Day 1

day1pow
Originally uploaded by krughb

Skiing the S-Couloir

Skiing the S-Couloir
Originally uploaded by krughb

The S-Couloir at Portillo. It is located close to the famous Super C Couloir, but it is lift accessed. Generally, the steep lines at Portillo do not get skied because most South Americans prefer to stay on the groomers. This changes in August when Americans arrive by the boat load. Last week we meet 1 group of Americans when skiing and this week (now the first full week of August) we meet 10 groups of Americans and stuff was skied in 1 day as opposed to 1 week.

It appears that I need to improve my form. What is up with the hand behind the back?

2 Days at Portillo

We spent the past weekend skiing at Portillo. A quick summary

• Powder


• Couloirs


• High speed 5 person Poma lifts

Coulior from Day 1 (more to come):

Fall Creek Road

I just read in the Jackson Hole News and Guide that the county is planning to chip and seal Fall Creek Road in Wilson. This is a very popular road bike route and C&S will make the road less safe and not much fun to ride.

All of the readers from Jackson should bomb the county with email if you oppose this plan: commissioners@tetonwyo.org.

You can even copy my message:

Commissioners,

I am writing to express my concern over the plan to chip & seal Fall Creek Road. This road coating will make riding on Fall Creek much more hazardous. As any Wilson resident knows, Fall Creek has significant bicycle traffic throughout the summer months and is one of the only long rides in the valley without continual auto traffic. Using Chip & Seal will detract from the recreational opportunities in Wilson and has the potential to lead to more bicycle accidents along Fall Creek Road.

Thank you for taking time to understand my perspective.

Best regards,

Top of the Hill at Las Lenas

Lifts at Las Lenas

High Speed Detachable Poma Lifts. Hard on skis, impossible on a snowboard.

Las Lenas has a number of lits, some even cross over the top of each other. Also, one Poma has a 90 degree turn to the right mid way up.

Along the wine route

Our tour guide at the Andulana vineyard in Mendoza.

Our driver complete with a ski rack! This was before he knew about his long trip that night to Las Lenas.