I am a computer engineer with extensive experience in C++ programming,
EDA tool development, hardware/ASIC design and verification as well as
physical place and route. Here is a shamelessly biased view of my
achievements ...
I love to travel , particularly to desolate or scenic places (in most cases desolation and beauty are the same thing for me).
One of my ambitions is to visit all the major national parks and
monuments west of the Rockies (which also happens to be where most of
them are located). So far I have chalked up Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater, Sequoia,
Yosemite, Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, Saguaro, Mesa Verde, Black
Canyon of the Gunnison, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Natural Bridges, Rainier,
Olympic, Crater Lake, Denali, Kenai Fjords, John Day, Newberry Crater, Haleakala, Rocky Mountain, Capitol Reef, Escalante .
I love the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Circle i.e the area in about
a 200 mile radius of the Four Corners (where AZ, UT, NM and CO meet).
The Cascade range in OR and WA is another of my favorites. Interesting
rock formations and prehistoric looking landscapes captivate me.
Sailing
This is a recent interest. I took a sailing class in 2007 and fell in
love with this pastime. Currently I am part-owner of a 1988 Tanzer 25.
I would eventually like to get into long-distance ocean sailing. The
Inside Passage to Alaska is a high priority and sailing down to South
America is a close second.
Outdoors
National Forests on the Web Federal Bureau of Land Management
I spend most weekends in summer and spring hiking in the Columbia River
gorge or in many of the national and sate forests around Portland,
Oregon. See hiking log above.
Some of these hikes (death-marches?) were with groups from the
organizations listed below. The advantages of group hiking are
knowledgeable leaders, carpooling, less danger of getting lost or hurt.
The disadvantages are a rigid pace, less time to stop and gawk at nice
viewpoints, obnoxious granola-types who will try to buttonhole you and
start blabbering about breaching dams and raising gas prices etc. The Mazamas - a large hiking group in Portland that runs hikes most weekends.
Trails Club of Oregon
- another Portland hiking organization with weekend hikes. Mostly
comprised of older folks, however they can cut a mean pace on the
trail. Mountaineers - Seattle equivalent of Mazamas.
Chemeketans - Salem, OR equivalent of Mazamas.
Ptarmigans - Vancouver, WA hiking group
Govt. Camp Pass Camera
