Oakland, California: Urban Forest

Wednesday November 24: After months departure, the rhythmic sway and screeching wheels carry me across the urban forest as I shrink slightly in my clothes from the stench of urine. Vacant lots of West Oakland streak by as we speed toward the city.

Thursday November 25: Ten strangers gather in ritual as a downtown studio apartment fills with the aroma of holiday feast. Hours later we realized it was the best thanksgiving we've ever had. SpermAfroKite. One word, Three syllables.

Friday November 26: City thrifting yields a backpack full of cassette tapes as I stalk extravagance and fail. My soul fills with musics of the open mic and I feel home again.

Saturday November 27: Last night Shareef the cowboy from St. Louis, Missouri drove us home to Oakland in a magical motor car with sparkling lights of the bay gleaming in my eyes and 45 minutes of bliss engulfed us whole. Its time to collage.

Text Message Poem:

The ice on the road divides foreseen destinations.

Defrosted comfort.

Any place could take us.

You are.

I am.

We are in company in any stretch of land.

By Jesse Meade

news paper poetry:

Join us on Thanksgiving for roasted goose and gluewien.

I'm a 23-year old female college student whose life consists of going to class and going to the gym.
Nature requires nurture.
You bike to work and your bag is not plastic.
Talk with sexy local singles.
FREE COUNSELING.
Sex advise the easy way.
Closed for Thanksgiving.
In celebration of Thanksgiving.
Bay area habitat has disappeared since the gold rush?
So speak up.
Voices of light.
We can help!

By Jesse Swansburg Meade and Andrew Michael DelGreco

Cafe International Open Mic Found Poem:

Sipple died from pneumonia at the age of 47 on February 2, 1989.

If you live in California and you watch a lot of sports on television...

Getting rid of it is the priority.

Robert Joseph Carr, 60, died peacefully October 24, 2010.

Holidays are coming.

I grew up in Ohio rooting for the big red machine.

Peron said there was no pornography on his computer and he never saw the pornographic material in question.

"I think I run the Cathedral," she said, "I have oversight of everything that goes on here."

Need to retrieve market trends in South Beach?

By David Alexander Navarro Jr, Jesse Swansburg Meade, Andrew Michael DelGreco

I'm Oregon-bound.

Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, OR

One can't come to the Northwest without a visit to the Columbia Gorge..Multnomah Falls, wine tasting in Hood River..any type of adventure or leisure activity can be found in this quintessential PNW landscape. This weekend was an OSU Backpacking class outing to the Eagle Creek Trail of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. As my first Gorge trail (and the most popular, from what I read), I was thoroughly amazed at the abundant Cascadian waterfalls and eerie mountain fog. Hiking from Eagle Creek trailhead to 7 1/2 mile Camp, we crossed quaint upslope creeks, deep river canyons, rushing waterfalls and steep trail-side cliffs.

Eagle Creek Trail is a classic trail for the Cascades. Following the length of Eagle Creek, the trail passes through typical western coniferous forest along the river's riparian zone. Many small side-creeks enter Eagle along the trail, making for some fun bridge crossings and scenic photo opportunities. What really makes this trail unique is its engineering. Many portions of the trail were literally blasted out of basaltic cliffs along the stream, making for some seriously precarious sections which turn borderline deadly on a wet weekend such as this past one. About six miles in, the large and aggressive Tunnel Falls cascades over the trail..literally, as a tunnel has been chipped out of the rock behind the falls.

Though a total of 13.2 miles one way, the trail can be broken up into smaller day-hikable portions to specific features along the trail. From the trailhead, a 2.1 mile hike to Punchbowl Falls is a nice picnic spot with views of waterfalls into what looks like an actual punchbowl. 1.2 miles farther down the trail brings you to High Bridge, an elevated bridge over the canyon portion of eagle creek. About 1.5 miles past High Bridge the trails enters the Columbia Wilderness in which permits are required to camp and certain hiking and camping restrictions apply. Becoming familiar with these restrictions before entering this, or any, wilderness area is always a good practice to follow, and is easy to do ahead of time.

Eagle Creek trail can be accessed off of exit #41 on I-84 in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. For more on Eagle Creek trail, the following link provides more in depth information. My final words of wisdom? Just remember, if you visit Oregon, you have to have an adventure in the Columbia Gorge!

Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne, OR

This past weekend marked the SECOND trip of the OSU Adventure Club, with an epic journey to Smith Rock State Park in central Oregon. Armed with 15 students and 4 amazing OSU guides, the Adventure club found its way to Koala Rock for some nifty top rope climbing to build skills and confidence in outdoor climbing and of course to engage in some shenanegans. For those who are unfamiliar with Smith Rock, it is a popular destination for people all around the Beaver State. The beginnings of Oregon's high desert, Smith Rock is actually known worldwide for its sport climbing, with over 1800 total climbing routes on tuff and basaltic cliffs. With 651 acres dedicated to climbing, hiking, mountain biking and horse riding, there are bountiful recreational opportunities for everyone here.

A mecca for climbers in the Northwest, Smith Rock State Park is located in central Oregon about 3 hours east of I-5. Managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation, Smith Rock is just a few minutes off of HWY 97 east of Terrebonne. A $5 daily parking pass or annual state parks pass is required for day use in Smith, and a bivouac is located just outside of the park within walking distance. For those in search of more remote camping, Skull Hollow campground is a quick 15 minutes drive outside of the park off of Lone Pine Road, and is a chill spot to unwind and crack a beer.

Of course, alcohol is prohibited on OSU sanctioned events, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Saturday began with a 1 1/2 mile hike out to Koala Rock. Starting out down "the Chute," the only trail with a crossing across the Crooked River, we swung a right on the Wolf Tree Trail, then followed the Burma Trail to Burma Road. Koala is the first big rock off Burma Road and is a chill spot to climb as its a little off the beaten path. Overnight rains soaked our climbing hopes for Sunday, but instead we embarked on a bomber scramble through the gorge of the Crooked River, ending at the infamous janky ladder back up to the parking lot.

Though not a part of this trip, Smith offers a few other trails worth mentioning (I am a hiker by trade, sorry climbers). For a good loop hike in Smith, cross the Chute and turn left onto the River Trail. At 2 1/2 miles, it is the longest trail in the park and follows the meanders of the Crooked River. Banked by sagebrush/juniper woodlands, the River trail shoots off to the Mesa Verde Trail, which quickly meets the Misery Ridge Trail. Misery Ridge Trail switchbacks up to the top of Misery Ridge with fantastic views of Monkey Face (a feature often dotted with climbers, it literally looks like a monkey's face) and the entire stretch of the Oregon Cascades on a good day. The 710 foot ridge actually towers over the flat terrane east of the Cascades, giving the feeling of being on top of the world- a cliche feeling that frankly, for me, never gets old.

SO if you find yourself with some free time, I highly suggest a visit to Smith Rock State Park, if not for the climbing, then for some chill trails spanning across a sagebrush landscape. And if you're in Corvallis, dropping the line "I went to Smith" results in at least a few darting glares of envy.

Check out a National Park..

Hmm..when was the last time I was at a National Park? Oh, I remember about 4 months ago I went with a couple of friends to Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It was gorgeous, a beautiful sunny day and we had a picnic. For reasons I don't recall, we only stayed about 20 minutes (even though it took over four hours of driving and a sketchy overnight in Grant's Pass to get there) before turning around to head to the coast. On our way down Hwy 62 toward Medford a close call to a head on collision resulted in one busted door and a flipped car with the driver trapped inside. Fortunately, we were the ones with the busted door. Maybe it was the universe telling us we should have stayed and enjoyed the sights..but for what its worth, if you visit a national park, stay to appreciate it.

Here's a list forwarded by a friend of 10 cool NP

to visit across the U.S. Happy travels.

"1o National Parks to See Before You Die"