RIP Peak Skis?

Remember Peak Ski, Bode Miller’s brainchild? Well, three years after launching with great fanfare and a promise to revolutionize ski manufacturing, Peak Ski Co. the brainchild of iconoclastic ski champion Bode Miller and wonder resort executive Andy Wirth has just shut down its operations, leaving athletes, contractors, and investors in the lurch.

In Montana, the Bozeman factory (?) and headquarters are closed, employees have been laid off, the website is offline, and more than 2,000 skis remain unpaid-for at Elan’s factory in Slovenia. Despite raising $1.2 million from nearly 600 investors in a 2024 crowdfunding campaign, Peak appears to have defaulted on several financial obligations, including vendor fees and promotional partnerships. 

A born-survivor, Bode Miller told The Colorado Sun that operational costs and unmet investor commitments forced the shutdown, but claimed that it’s not over yet and that there’s still a long-term vision to revive his ski production dream. Still most of those who know a few things in the ski industry aren’t buying that Bode-style promise. 

Peak launched with some impressive claims: a patented “keyhole” ski design (Dynastar-style gimmick IMO), direct-to-consumer sales, and futuristic automated manufacturing. But deepening debt, last-ditch giveaways like “buy one, get one free” skis, and a trail of unpaid partners marked its vertiginous tailspin. 

Andy Wirth was supposed to be the marketing genius and Bode Miller the man who knew everything about skiing, but at the end of the day both had not experience whatsoever with a start-up venture from the ground up, and worse they didn’t know about my fundamental “Rule of Two” that’s a prerequisite for succeeding in the ski business, namely, divide by two your sales forecast and multiply by two your projected expenses. 

Today, Miller says he’s trying to sell the remaining skis to settle debts and keep the dream alive. Let’s wish him more than plenty of luck and an amazing recovery like he used to perform so well on his skis! 

Responding to emotions (part three)

When we can easily identify our emotions and what triggers them, the next and final step is how to make the best out of them and respond accordingly. Like for many other stimuli, it always pays off to pause before reacting, especially when strong emotions arise, like anger or frustration. 

What I try to do is pause for a few seconds before speaking or acting. I take a deep breath. This small pause gives me some space for a conscious and more judicious response. Like for most anything else in life, we have options and can consider a variety of responses. So, instead of always having a knee-jerk reaction, I think: "Is there a different way I can respond to this feeling?" 

If I feel angry, sometimes it works best for me to express it calmly. At other times, I prefer to step away, go for a walk, or in winter go skiing and cool down. When I feel sad, I may decide to talk to someone, listen to music, or just allow myself to feel it without judgment. Better yet, when available I seek support, even if that looks difficult, from a trusted friend or a family member, as long as the individual is willing to simply listen without judgment or offer me some insights. 

Of course, adopting these behaviors never comes easy, as it is a lifelong skill that we must learn. Don't expect to master it overnight, get your feet wet and celebrate small successes. There's no "right" way to feel either. All emotions are part of our human experience, we just need to train ourselves to approach them with curiosity, like a scientist observing a phenomenon, rather than with judgment. 

Finally, I try to always focus on the present. While past experiences might inform current emotions, the practice that works best for me is paying attention to what happens in the moment. If we apply it well, our response to emotions almost gives us a way to seeing into corners. We can use at any age and it can be beneficial to all of us. 

If you decide to take the plunge, it will likely bring you a deeper understanding of yourself and a richer connection with the world around you. The more life experience we’ve accumulated, the more we’ll benefit from it in understanding ourselves by unlocking our feelings and reading what they mean and experiencing how they will help us!

Exploring emotions (part two)

Once I have begun identifying my various emotions during the course of everyday life and have understood what they revolve around, the next step for me is to decipher, for the less desirable emotions, the "Why" are they coming around so often, and the "What To Do" about them. It’s now time to explore my emotions more deeply. 

To get started, I need to make a connection between my emotions and the physical sensations they create in me. In other words, when I feel a sensation, I must try to notice where it shows up in my body. For instance, anger might be a tight jaw, a rapid heartbeat, or sudden heat in my face. Sadness might be a heavy chest or watery eyes. Joy might be lightness or a smile. 

By making these connections, it will serve as an early warning system that will help me recognize emotions earlier in their manifestation. As I keep track of all this in my journal, I will start to see patterns and see what situations, people, thoughts, or memories consistently trigger certain emotions. When I know what these triggers are, it will give me more control on them, and also tell me what each emotion that I feel is trying to tell me, as every emotion carries a message, even some that are uncomfortable. 

For instance, anger often signals that a boundary has been crossed, or an injustice has occurred. Sadness signals some kind of loss, a disappointment, or a need for comfort. Fear points to a perceived threat, a need for safety or preparation for something uncomfortable. Frustration signals a blocked goal or a need for a new approach. 

On the other hand, joy signals something good, a desire to connect or celebrate. So the need for me to ask: “What is this feeling trying to tell me?" Even if it doesn’t come naturally for me, I need to use some self-compassion to treat all my emotions with kindness, especially the difficult ones. Imagine you're talking to a good friend who is feeling this way. 

What would you say? I do my best to avoid criticizing myself for feeling a certain way. Emotions aren't right or wrong; they just bubble up into existence. Tomorrow, I’ll try to explain how I should respond to my emotions, so please stay tuned…

Learning about emotions (part one)

In recent years, I’ve tip-toed into the world of emotions and the first thing I’ve learned is my deep ignorance about that universe that many deem to be very important to a fulfilled life. I’m not sure about the wisdom of opening Pandora's box at my age, but since I love adventure, let’s jump right into it. 

It’s a fact that many of us, regardless of age, struggle with emotional awareness, as we're often taught to suppress or ignore feelings rather than understand them. I’m told by some friends that it's a journey, not a destination, but it can be a deeply rewarding one. 

To get me started into that quest, I was told to follow a simple, easy, and practical method. It consists in getting to know my emotions in an approach called "Name It to Tame It". So to get the process started let me introduce the daily check-ins. I begin by noticing and labeling my emotions. I’m not supposed to work on them or analyze them deeply yet; I simply have to acknowledge their presence. 

To schedule a regular "Emotion Check-ins", I first pick a specific time each day. It could be when I wake up, right after lunch or before bed time. At that point, I ask myself "How Am I Feeling Right Now?", pause for just a minute or two, close my eyes briefly if comfortable, or just focus inward. I then scan my body. Where do I feel sensations? (tension in shoulders, tightness in stomach, lightness in chest, throbbing in head). 

It’s now time to name what I feel, without censoring myself. The labeling of emotions should be simple, like Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared, Calm, Stressed, Tired, Frustrated, Content, Annoyed, Excited, Bored, etc… Over time, I can expand the nuance of each emotion by using an “emotion wheel" like the one pictured that drills deeper into nuances to help expand the exact definition of what I feel.

At this point, it’s highly recommended to keep an "Emotion Journal" to write down, at check-in times, the exact time and the emotion(s) I’m feeling. It’s also an opportunity to expand why I’m feeling a certain way in a few words, for instance "Frustrated, because the TV remote isn't working again," or "Content, after a good walk". 

This is not a place for judgment or criticism on how I feel, but all emotions are valid. Tomorrow we’ll explore the “Why” and “What to do” about emotions...

The recent Iran, Israel and USA war

“Taco” Trump, the man without a plan, wanted to show his military might and yielded once more to Netanyahu in testing the US penetrating bombs hoping to “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear program once and for all. The jury’s still out as to whether that operation succeeded, but what we know pretty much for sure is the cost to us, US taxpayers. 

Yep, it seems that “Operation Midnight Hammer” involving B-2 stealth bombers and bunker-buster bombs, will cost us approximately $68.84 billion, covering aircraft, weapons, material, personnel, fuel, and maintenance. Let’s hope it broke a few things and killed a few weasels instead of just drilling some big holes. 

What it did for sure, was unite some 92 million angry Iranians under their crazy religious leaders with a strong desire for revenge, in spite of a Trump-engineered cease-fire that doesn’t seem to stick too well. 

I bet that the angry Iranians will be getting even more friendly with Russia and uncle Putin will see how he can help them kick the West and the US in the rear end, perhaps with tactical or dirty nukes allegedly Iran-made, but supplied by the Kremlin. 

Hopefully, the warrior Trump who operates so well by the seat of his pants will learn something useful at the end of the day. 

I suggest he bills Bibi Netanyahu $80 billion for the holes he’s drilled to defray his taxpayers, and keeps 10 in his own pocket, but as always, I’m getting ahead of myself...

John Winter, 1938-2025

My neighbor John Kools Winter, Jr. passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of June 13, 2025, at his home in Park City, Utah. He was 86. He was born in Holland, Michigan and graduated from the University of Illinois School of Architecture. Although trained as an architect, his career ultimately led him to the financial world, where he worked as a floor broker, commodities and trader. 

John loved both the mountains and golf, but skiing was his true passion. Vail was is early stomping ground, but when he moved to Park City, 17 years ago, nearby Alta ski resort held a special place in his heart as he used to commute from Park City each day (a one-hour commute), and he often shared vivid stories from his early ski days in Vail, Colorado, during the 1970s. Remarkably, he continued skiing until the age of 83. 

I first met him in 2011 and he told me about his passion for skiing and it wasn’t until February 2017—when he was 78—that I truly understood his remarkable spirit on the slopes. That day at Park City Mountain, we carved our way down Portuguese Gap at Jupiter Peak, one of the resort’s most challenging runs. John skied it with the grace and grit of a man half his age, and together we had fun skiing 10,844 vertical feet that day! 

John left us with his wife Cathy and daughter Alice by his side and after his passing the Alta flag flew over his house. Over the years, Evelyne and I cherished our frequent talks with John, often stopping by his home to hear his endless trove of hilarious ski tales—each one delivered with his signature wit and twinkle in his eye. 

While we’ll miss him deeply, his stories, his laughter, and his love for the mountains will stay with us forever. 

Managing nostalgia (Part Two)

On the surface, nostalgia seems all well and good, but I see it also as a double-edged sword that can soothe me as well as hurt me if I’m not careful. Today, we’ll explore how we can get the best of it, without getting depressed if we let it pull us down. 

While it can bring us comfort, joy, and a sense of connection, without control, it can lead to yearning, sadness, and even contribute to depressive feelings, especially if and when we have specific reasons to be discontent with the present. 

To get the best out of nostalgia without getting depressed, I try to have a measured, mindful engagement with my memories by focusing on their constructive attributes to make me appreciate the present and hope for the future. Specifically, I try to zero-in on its "sweet" side while gently being aware of its "bitterness" that clearly belongs to the past.

I also make a conscious effort to not let it “eat up” my time, instead, I always move quickly to another subject in the present. My goal is not to deny the past, but to appreciate it for what it was. I also use it to reflect on the many challenges I’ve overcome, the skills I learned, or the growth I’ve experienced during those nostalgic times. 

For the most part nostalgia has strengthened my sense of self and continuity. I’ve made it part of my core values as well as my achievements and the person I've become. Another way not to get over-influenced by nostalgia, as sweet as it may feel, is to actively engage in creating new, positive memories in the present. Like trying new hobbies, visiting new places and meeting new people. 

By actively managing how I engage with my memories, focusing on their inspiring and connecting power, and ensuring that I remain anchored in the present, I’m able to draw the best out of nostalgia and insert it into a rich and meaningful life.

Visiting nostalgia (Part One)

It seems to me that the older we get and the more memories, good and bad, are piling up into our minds, we have so many opportunities to reminisce about our most precious or most dreadful experiences. I must admit enjoying revisiting past memories whether I’m recalling them on purpose or when they’re randomly popping in my mind or suggested through my senses. 

In fact, nostalgia often is a bittersweet emotion characterized by a sentimental longing or a lingering affection for the past. Not just a simple memory recall, it's an emotional experience that blends positive feelings (warmth, happiness, comfort) with a tinge of sadness or longing for something that is gone and can't be relived. As I first mentioned, many things that trigger nostalgia involve sensory cues, but can also be psychological or social in nature. 

Smells for instance could be the most potent trigger. Some specific scents (perfume, food, cooking, flowers, freshly cut grass) can instantly transport us back to a specific time, place, or person. What is even stronger with me are the songs. When I hear certain songs, most often than not, they evoke strong feelings especially when I’ve linked them to significant moments of my life. For instance “Love is Blue” by Paul Mauriat, reminds me of flying over the Pacific Ocean between Tahiti and L.A. in 1971.

Certain photos can also evoke some strong feelings and bring me back in time. Then nostalgia often serves as a coping mechanism, triggered when we’re experiencing certain negative emotions or transitions. Situations like loneliness, when I’ve felt disconnected or isolated, often prompted me to reminisce about times when I felt more socially connected and loved. The same could be said of major life changes in my life like moving to a new place or taking a new job. Talking with old friends or family is another source leading to collective nostalgia. 

Finally, an interesting side of nostalgia is that, at least for me, it tends to color past events more positively than they might have actually been, filtering out negative details. This selective memory retrieval is perhaps what makes nostalgia comforting as it often embellishes the nature of our nostalgic feelings. Tomorrow, we’ll explore how we can best manage that powerful, multifaceted emotional and cognitive experience. 

Iran, Israel and Nukes

In the current war started by Israel to eliminate Iran’s perceived nuclear threat, one question that should precede any discussion on the subject is “Why in the world, is Israel so secretive about its nuclear program and, according to the Federation of American Scientists, its estimated 90 nuclear warhead arsenal?” 

Right, why is Israel hypocritically objecting to Iran getting nuclear weapons too, while that country as never acknowledged that it has nuclear weapons? My sense is that Netanyahu needs to always be fighting a war in order to stay in power and evade prosecution, and this at US taxpayers’ expense. Just like a biker needs to keep on pedaling to stand on their bicycle. 

Some say that Israel’s implied nuclear capability acts as a last-resort deterrent against existential threats from hostile neighbors. By neither confirming nor denying its arsenal, Israel hopes to avoid escalating regional arms races while signaling it could retaliate catastrophically if attacked. Openly declaring nukes might incentivize its adversaries to strike first or justify their own programs. 

Ambiguity keeps enemies guessing. Of course, Israel never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), avoiding inspections or obligations to disarm. This lets it maintain capability without legal scrutiny. Then, there is a host of hypocrisy, beginning with the US that tolerates Israel’s ambiguity (despite non-proliferation norms) because it aligns with shared interests in Middle East stability. 

Acknowledgment would force Washington to legally sanction Israel under the Symington Amendment (banning aid to nuclear proliferators). It’s clear that without complicity from other US allies that pretend not to know that Israel has a significant nuclear arsenal deliverable via missiles, subs, or aircraft this charade is seen as a means to avoid diplomatic crises. 

All of this confirms Israel’s hypocrisy, as it condemns Iran’s program while ignoring its own and it makes a mockery of democracy by claiming it values transparency while militarily embracing secrecy. Israel’s nuclear secrecy isn’t just about bombs—it’s a high-stakes game of psychological and geopolitical chess. 

The policy endures because it works (so far) to deter threats without triggering all-out arms races. But as the Middle East changes, so might this theory.

Utah and US skier days

Ski Utah just released its skier visitations numbers and they show a slight decrease of 3.6 percent over last season, yet it’s the third-highest skier-visit total in state history and a 3.3 percent increase over Utah’s five-year average, according to the state’s trade association, Ski Utah. 

Our 15 alpine ski resorts recorded 6,503,635 skier visits during the 2024–25 winter season, the slight decrease coming mostly from a delayed start of the season with plenty of natural snow coming just after Christmas, and of course, the disastrous ski patrol strike at Park City Mountain, a resort that accounts for most than one quarter of the State’s skiers days. 

While the trend follows closely that of Colorado, it runs a bit counter-current with the nation that after enjoying a 2022/23 record year of 64.7 millions visits followed by a disappointing 60.4 last season, but bounced back to 61.5 skier-days this year. 

As always, I scratch my head and try my very best to guess who-did-what among our resorts, and while larger ski resorts have held their own because of their better snow-making and some expansion (Deer Valley), Park City Mountain and its terrible management paid the expected price and brought significantly down the total Park City’s three resorts combined (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain, Woodward) from 2,825,000 to 2,770,000, that is over 40% of the entire State!

My Solstice

Where I live in Park City, the summer solstice is happening today. Of course I know that it doesn’t always fall on June 21. For instance, this year it’s on June 20 for me and can go to June 22, while happening simultaneously for all of us. Weird, isn’t it? 

This variation is due to the difference between the calendar year and the Earth's orbit around the sun. As you astronomers know perfectly well, the summer solstice is the moment when the sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator. 

So why in the world do I celebrate it at 8:42 pm on June 20, while my friends in the European Community get it on June 21 at 4:42 am and the folks from Sydney, Australia enjoy it at its fullest on June 22 at 2:02 am? Just because it happens precisely at 2:42 am in Greenwich, and all the other places see it at their own respective local times! 

What else can I say? Obviously, that it’s going to be downhill from there in terms of daytime length, except of course for my friends living in the 32 countries located entirely or partially in the Southern Hemisphere. They can expect longer days! To make the matter even more complicated, thirteen of these countries straddle the equator, meaning that they’re in both Hemispheres.

As I was told when I was younger, life is complicated, so instead of wringing my hands, I wish everyone a good solstice, just make it summer or winter depending on where you live and how hot or cold you feel!

Chronic pains…

Today, I won’t be talking about rheumatism-arthritis, or any chronic pain that penalizes many people including those that are my age, but problems linked to recurring chores that aren’t easy to perform at all. Cleaning up my furnace flame sensor is one of them. 

Why is this? Because my particular York furnace made by Johnson Controls was poorly designed, in total disregard for its future servicing needs. The most common problem with the gas furnaces used in America is flame sensors that cease to work because they’re badly needing to be cleaned. After years of problems and the inconveniences they bring, I’ve learned my lesson and do it yearly. 

My current furnace is 11 years old and has worked perfectly so far, but access to its flame sensor is near to impossible. Over the years, I had to develop special tools and procedures to get the job done, but this week, for some reasons, I couldn’t get it done. Call it back luck or just old age creeping in, but I wasn’t as lucky as usual in replacing that pesky sensor the first time around. 

I struggled a lot and even though my hands don’t tremble at all, I have big, fat fingers which don’t help inside tight corners. I tried to imagine other approaches, buy different tools and tweak my process, but nothing helped. In the end, I reapplied my original and time-tested method and bingo! It worked like a charm. 

This of course says a lot, not at all about aging, but much more about persistence, luck, not getting too uptight, knowing when to take break, and always doing these delicate tasks when we’re fully mentally relaxed and confident! 

Turning Anger into Humor and Derision

Anger isn’t my favorite emotion! I find it to be cumbersome, painful and very hard on me, so when I can, I love to turn it into a humorous comment or even turn it into derision, whenever I can think well enough on my feet. Many see this as a convenient coping mechanism that can be constructive when it’s well executed, but can also backfire as it is often perceived as not being constructive in the long term, especially for resolving conflicts or improving relationships.

The main idea for me is to re-channel anger, by taking its source and blowing it out of proportion to a ridiculous and comical extreme. I keep that kind of reaction constructive by using humor or derision as a temporary way to vent frustration and prevent anger from festering internally. It's a coping mechanism that reduces the stress I get from anger and even derisive laughter, physically releases tension I have. 

This also helps defuse tension, especially in a non-confrontational setting, where a well-timed, witty (but not cruel) remark can sometimes break a tense atmosphere. Of course, I’m cognizant that humor and derision can’t resolve the whole source of the anger as it won’t necessarily attack the problem. I also am aware that derision, is often demeaning and disrespectful, so I do my best to avoid hurting others, eroding trust, and damaging my relationships. 

It’s a bit tricky from that standpoint and requires a definite tactic and to know in advance what I’ll talk about and how I’ll stay away from hurting anyone. I limit myself to using humor to express frustration as a valuable coping mechanism for minor irritations, provided it's light, self-aware, and not directed at someone in a demeaning way. Think of it as a pressure valve for my own well being!

Two Mormon missionaries…

Last weekend, two female Mormon missionaries rang our door. My wife opened and I joined the party, starting a conversation between us and these two young ladies. It was the second time in almost 40 years in Park City that we were visited by LDS missionaries. In that pair, one was from Eastern Washington State and the other one from Alaska. 

They said who they were and asked us if we were religious. I began by saying: “Absolutely!” and gesturing to the outside, I said “This is our Church, the great outdoors, nature with all its mysteries and unbound beauties…” 

I continued, “We don’t need organized religion and have no need for an afterlife. That’s too complicated, why would God go through the pain of inventorying people twice, keeping track of them, getting them entertained and organized. Besides, I get bored really fast in any sort of life, unless there’s unlimited, good skiing, tough terrain, powder face shots and huge vertical to roam everywhere. I couldn’t live eternally without great skiing.” 

I’d barely catch my breath and carry on “We also realized that before we were born we didn’t exist, we were nothing, and that upon our death we’ll cease existing and we totally are fine with that idea. Belief in afterlife is the expression of fear of dying. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt so aptly said, 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself' and it too applies to death. Why would we have to go through one mediocre life on earth, just wishing or hoping we’d have a better one elsewhere with absolutely no guarantee about it. One time alive is largely sufficient.” 

I could see I was getting their interest high as they looked to me as sort of mesmerized. My wife was just afraid I’d go mean on the two innocent looking missionaries. I couldn’t stop:”Look, a guy like Trump that claims to be religious, behaves more like the Antichrist and still is supported by some big organized religions, isn’t that hypocrite and giving a black eye to good folks like you? I don’t know about you, but I believe we can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!” Both nodded and said, “True!” Relentlessly, I added: 

“On Monday, I have to write a check for my quarterly taxes and it breaks my heart to know that some of my monies will be used to kill innocent women and children in Gaza! Why in the world are organized religions in America not denouncing this genocide? I could go on and on, but just remember that one doesn’t need religion to be more moral than those who claim to believe in God. In our family, we’re not perfect, but we are as much, if not more moral, than many of those who spend their time in Church. Have a good day, young ladies, remember what I said and best of luck to you both!”

Global economy

During our last mini-vacation, we had (bad) sushi in more than one place. Generally run by Chinese these eating establishment offer quantity at the obvious expense of quality, presentation and taste. 

Not only that, every time we eat sushi we order a Japanese beer. More often than not it happens to be Sapporo, sometimes it's Kirin and one time during that trip it was Asahi. 

The beer was okay and after a cursory look at its label, my eye got stuck on an innocuous be highly revealing detail: “Product of Italy”. Wow! I couldn’t believe my eyes! 

A fast searched on Google denied that fact, but a second one with is photo as a backup, confirmed that Asahi Super Dry wss also brewed in Italy due to Asahi's acquisition of Peroni Brewery in 2016. 

This allows them to produce the beer locally for European markets (and evidently US) for obvious production cost reasons. According to Kirin, the beer is brewed using the same recipe and ingredients as in Japan, maintaining its signature "Karakuchi" (dry) taste. 

This goes a long way in showing how futile and out of step with reality Trump’s tariff battle is and that the global economy is here to stay...

Shocking color?

My wife gets into our neighborhood grocery store and says: “Wait for me here, and don’t you runaway with a young girl!” Stoically, I answer: “Absolutely not, no one younger that 40!” At that moment a strange sport SUV stops next to where I stand. 

Its special blue color gets my attention. Its driver, a 50 something, blond, elegant, and good looking lady steps out of the car. 

As she gets near me, I go: “Fantastic color!” She smiled and nods, “Blue Uranus” she said, and I continue: “What kind of car is that, I’ve never seen one like this, it’s beautiful?” She replied: “Lamborghini, thank you”. 

The color, not particularly beautiful was shocking enough to get plenty of attention and that was the central idea…

 Later on I found out it was a Lamborghini Urus, right, in Blue Uranus (a custom color), that would likely range in price from around $240,000 to over $300,000 depending on its options. 

My spouse was right to be worried!

Rental car booking through Costco

Prior to leaving for our West Coast jaunt, I booked my rental car through the Costco Travel website as I always do when we travel domestically. We were going to pickup the auto at San Francisco airport and dropped off at the en of our trip in Portland, Oregon. 

I selected a rental car from Avis for an all inclusive cost of $374.82. For reasons I can't explain, I never got a Costco confirmation number but did receive one from Avis reflecting the $374.82 price. 

When I showed up at the San Francisco airport Avis counter I was told that my cost would be in excess of $1,150 three times more than the cost I was quoted and was expecting. I wasn’t pleased, but had to take the car and give my credit card to satisfy the full amount. 

I had not even bothered clicking on the hyperlink shown on the document below the estimated price of $374.82 that said “See full rental summary”, assuming this was the detailed calculation arriving at the cost. 

Obviously, the final $1,133.40 total bill was grossly out of proportion with the $374.82 I was expecting to pay. 

After quite a bit of back-and-forth with Costco and Avis, I was finally able to resolve the problem in my favor upon returning home. This said, I didn’t let that incident cast a shadow on our vacation and was very good in compartmentalizing that bothering issue!

Back home, finally!

An intense road trip comes to an end there is no better feeling than making it home! 

Spending one night in a different town ended up being a lot of work and anything but restful. 

Glad to find ourselves at home again, our own stuff, an internet that works and just a few pieces of snail mail waiting for us. 

Did I stay that our lupines just waited for and were all blooming?

Hood River, a watersport Mecca

On Tuesday morning the air was still cool when we left Government Camp, and we headed towards the kite and windsurfing community of Hood River where the wind blow fiercely over the Columbia River. 

Very soon, we got an eyeful of riders of all abilities contending with the strong wind blowing at counter-current from the gorge. 

We did a long hike and ran into Rob, from Park City’s Mountain Top, a neighbor in fact, who said he new a few ski biz “celebrity” and that’s when I heard my name, albeit a tad butchered.  When asked, he confirmed it was me he was talking about and remembered me making fast, wide sweeping turns down Thaynes. Funny… 

In the afternoon we stopped at Multnomah Falls, Oregon’s tallest at 620 feet, picnicked at the base and hiked to the top and had fun while passing out of breath or exhausted hikers, and telling them “Better hurry, Elon Musk is giving away his left over $1 million dollar checks at the top!” 

For the most past this was a great icebreaker and elicited many comments like this one: “Only French people would think of lies like that one!” Soon we reached Portland and stayed downtown at the Mark Spencer Hotel. 

As we walked around the area to spot a restaurant for dinner, we were shocked by two things. One was the emptiness of the downtown area on a work day and by the number of vagrants and homeless sleeping on the sidewalks. 

Even though the room was very nice, the bed super comfy and the linen luxurious, the hotel had zero internet and that didn’t work well for me as it was the first place in 6 nights that was so bad, in spite of the front desk employee denying the problem.

Timberline Lodge’s magic

Another day filled with a tons of small events. After breakfast, we returned and walked alongside the Deschutes River this time in the opposite direction and again, had another great walk. 

The temperature was toasty, even more than the day before, but we managed the extra degrees quite well. We then brave a more serious heat as we climbed the Pilot Butte, an extinct cinder cone offering a 360-degree panoramic view of Bend, its surrounding high desert and the Cascade Range, including Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Black Butte, and in the far distance, Mt. Hood. 

After that, we drove through Sisters a charming western town, had lunch there and proceeded driving North towards Mt. Hood. Before getting there I got stopped by an Oregon State Trooper for driving at 50 in a 35 mph zone. This had not happened to me in my 20 years of retirement! The officer was cool and let me go just with what I badly needed: a warning. 

Later we made it to the Timberline Lodge, at the foot of Mt. Hood, a place I hadn’t seen anymore since the 90s. When we got there, there was very little activity and barely any skier in sight, not ski teams for sure. 

Skiing was still on, skiers could get down to the lodge in spite of a warm 75 degrees temperature, a lot at an elevation of 6,000 feet!

Bend's crazy growth!

Sunday was a bit more relaxed as we began the day early in the cool morning air, walking along Medford’s Bear River. We did one way on the seedy side of the small river where homeless folks camp and returned on the groomed portion of the course, on a paved multi-users. 

The festival of trees continued as we drove out of Medford and all the way to Bend, with a huge variety of trees from redwood to lodge pole pine and Oregon pine. In between we stopped at Winco for groceries and discovered a huge warehouse style grocery store that sell a pretty good French baguette for just $1.98! 

We reached Crater Lake in the middle of nowhere between Medford and Bend and enjoyed the sight and the snow that was still there in impressive depth. 

The worst of Bend was the sushi place we had dinner at, while the best part of the day was my rediscovery  of the city of Bend that has grown into a population of 105,000!

The best part though is the Deschutes River surrounding that seem to be the central active playground of the locals. Beautiful, vibrant and exciting! That in of itself is a worthwhile reason to visit that mountain city!

From California into Oregon

The next day being a Saturday, we left fairly early in the cold, foggy morning and drove through an impressive quantity of redwood trees, stopped to admire these tall trees (300 to 350 feet high) and marveled at the healthy look and conditions in spite of thousand of years on the planet. 

That sight was humbling and revealing about the beauty of the west coast and its peculiar tree species. 

We stopped for the night in Medford, a medium sized city where the temperature was 95 in the afternoon, a real scorcher after the 65 degrees with lots of wind on the Pacific Coast. 

We went to visit the small town of Jacksonville, its cute Main Street where we found our first delightful meal at any Mexican restaurant!

A Pacific Coast cold and foggy

On Friday June 6 we were off to Fortuna, California after crossing the impressive Red Cedar trees that are bordering the Highway 1 on its way to the North. We loved our spot in Mendocina, a very special village which reputation seemed to us to be a bit overblown. 

That day was Farmer’s Market in the small village and as we picnicked we share our lunch with huge and fearless raven that kept us company from beginning to end.

The last section of the roadway almost made me dizzy, nauseous and almost caused me to fall asleep at the wheel as much as it was incessant and insane. 

All this beautiful coastline is rugged, beautiful, doesn’t get much sun and appears to be hopelessly poor and struggling. 

Pacific Highway 1 North of San Francisco

This past Thursday, Evelyne and I flew to San Francisco to re-issue our French Passports as we were having growing concerns about the current White House’s occupant mercurial behavior. 

Should things were to go south for us, we’d love to have Macron get us out of El Salvador or South Sudan if that proved necessary. 

We rented a car and drove from the airport to the City and we loved the drive. We spent most of the day around the Presidio section of town prior to our appointment with the French Consulate and had a long walk along the bay, along Crissi Field.

We loved it! As we were driving all over the the City, from the airport to downtown and over its famous bridge, we even caught the glimpse of a Waymo fully autonomous taxicab with its invisible driver, which made my wife's day! 

Unlike as the MAGA republican describe it, we thought that San Fran’ was clean and pleasant and nothing like the dystopian view they had of a City that remains, by far,  my fave in the world, since I discovered it in 1971! 

The formalities a the French Consulate went smoothy, easily and pleasantly and soon we were in the midst of rush hour along with all the San Franciscans rushing out of town and crossing the Golden Gate bridge into Marin County. 

That wasn’t too pleasant, but quite urban and an experience we never have in Park City. We finally made it to our destination for the day, on the Pacific Coast, near Jenner where if the room was terribly small and nostalgically furnished, we had a wonderful seafood dinner facing the ocean. 

Wow, what a beautiful place always has been and still is!

Fire inside a dumpster?

As I was “cleaning up” my photo and video files a few days ago, I stumbled upon a few strange photos that I had to replace in context in terms of “Why in the world did I shoot this?”. 

Seen from a distance, this one could have shown or suggested a fire inside the black trailer used as a dumpster by the construction crew. As one walked closer it was easy to discern a willow turned almost red and not a fiery furnace. 

It’s amazing how our eyes can be fooled sometimes...

Welcoming faces for US international tourists

Tourism is a significant economic driver in the United States. In 2023, it amounted to $1.2 trillion and contributed to 2.6% of our GDP. International tourism accounts for $155 billion or 13% of the total revenue. 

Both Mexico and Canada dominate that segment with 40% due to geographic proximity, while Europe (UK, Germany, France) accounts for another 20% of overseas visitors. Asia (Japan, China, South Korea) is still small in comparison with about 12%. Knowing this, one could wonder if the US political troika (Trump, Vance and Musk) will have an impact on these foreign visitations or if a weakening dollar will suffice to offset that?

The potential impact of Trump’s policies (tariffs, immigration rhetoric), JD Vance’s perceived isolationism and extremism, or Musk meddling into foreign politics, based on early indicators and historical precedent suggest possible risks. Tariffs on imports (Chinese goods, EU products) could inflate costs for travel-related services (hotel supplies, rental cars, food), making US trips more expensive. 

Also, countries hit by US tariffs might discourage tourism to the US. as a symbolic or economic response. In addition, Trump’s proposed merit-based immigration, past policies (like travel bans), rhetoric around border security and "America First" may fuel perceptions that the US. is less welcoming and therefore not encouraging tourism. 

Vance’s skepticism of NATO, Ukraine aid, and trade deals could signal the US. disengagement, alienating allies whose citizens are key tourists, same thing with Musk supporting extreme right in Germany and the UK and threatening those who don’t like him with his chainsaw. 

So, will foreign visitors still show up in large numbers to the US over the upcoming months? We’ll see...

The risks of mountain living

Having been raised at the bottom of a steep mountain valley in France, I’ve always been conscious of what hangs up above my head and quite cognizant of the saying “What goes up must go down...” After what happened recently in Blatten, Switzerland or last year at La Bérarde in France, one logical question is whether there are more alpine villages, or for that matter, mountain villages the world over, running a very high risk of meeting the same fate? 

These communities are naturally vulnerable to disasters due to their locations in deep valleys below steep, unstable terrain and the increasing results of climate change. For one thing melting glaciers destabilize mountain slopes, leading to landslides and rockfalls, like what happened in Italy when the Marmolada glacier collapsed in 2022. 

Permafrost thawing not only caused the Blatten slide as it weakened the rock faces, increasing the risk of massive collapses but it’s close to what also happened in that same country during the 2017 Piz Cengalo landslide. Other Swiss communities like Gondo, Randa, and Saas-Balen are also at risk due to historic landslides. On the French side, towns in the Écrins Massif (like La Bérarde) and the entire Chamonix Valley face glacier and rockfall threats. 

On the Italian side of Mt. Blanc, a town like Courmayeur and further away, Valfurva near Passo Stelvio, are also significantly exposed to glacier instability. In Austria, Galtür is threatened by avalanche and Heiligenblut by glacial floods. Up in Norway, Longyearbyen (in Svalbard) faces landslides due to permafrost melt. In North America there’s the Alaska’s Barry Arm landslide threat and in Canmore (Alberta) the town is at risk of rockslides. In the Himalayas, many villages in Nepal, India (Uttarakhand), and in Bhutan also face glacial lake outbursts.

Natural catastrophes have happened in the mountain for centuries. It’s called erosion. In my hometown of Montriond, its pristine lake was formed by a massive collapse of the “Rocher de l’ Échelle” a limestone cliff standing 2,500 feet higher that obstructed the local brook (Dranse de Montriond), creating a natural dam 600 feet high that formed a mile long lake, 100 feet deep. 

 

This incident dates back approximately 500 to 550 years. Over time, the lake has experienced significant fluctuations in level between spring and autumn. To stabilize its water level, sealing work was carried out in 1990.  

In the majority of cases, all these villages or places are visited by tourists and rely on skiing, hiking, and mountaineering for survival. Once a catastrophe hits, like it just did in Blatten, relocating the entire villages elsewhere isn’t always feasible. When it is, it often proves to be costly and logistically difficult. As temperatures rise, glaciers retreat faster, and as jet-streams tend to get stuck in place for a much longer time, extreme rain or snow falls increase leading to more intense landslides, floods, and avalanches. 

This means that many alpine and mountain villages worldwide are at risk, particularly those near glaciers, steep cliffs, or unstable slopes. While mitigation efforts (like early warning systems) help, some communities may eventually need to relocate—or face tragic consequences.

Another record from Park City’s urban forest!

Complaining about our urban forest getting out of control has become a recurrent subject. If we needed to be reminded about it, this year’s record setting pollen is one very valid reason! It’s a fact that evergreen trees don’t necessarily shed the same quantity of pollen every year. 

Their pollen production varies due to a bunch of environmental and biological factors, like the warmer spring we just had in the Rocky Mountains that has caused more pollen production. Our windy conditions have done their part by dispersing it much more effectively than usual. The situation is also exacerbated by trees planted 40 to 50 years ago that now produce more pollen as they’re reaching maturity. 

Pollen production varies also from year to year as many spruce species show synchronized, intermittent years of high pollen and seed production, followed by lower-output years. Quite obviously, this is a record breaking year! Our mild winter has seen evergreens pollinating earlier and more intensely than ever before. Higher atmospheric CO₂ may have also played a role in increasing their production.

Our pollen covered deck at the end of May

Finally, I’ve always asked myself if pollen production was sex-oriented, and I found out that evergreens like pines, spruces or firs produce both pollen and seeds on the same tree, but in separate structures (male cones vs. female cones). For instance, male cones (small, often clustered) do release pollen, while female cones (larger, woody) just develop seeds after pollination. 

Now that I’ve learned all that stuff and shared it with you, will you give me a hand cleaning my deck when I’ll get to doing it around the middle of June?

Musk’s mission accomplished?

When he was drafted by Trump to head The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk was boasting about his ability to save up to $2 trillion, a lot of dough. 

As his chaotic stint at DOGE is coming to a fiery crash, the government can only claim to have saved approximately $175 billion, which translates to about $1,087 per individual federal taxpayer. 

However, only $65 billion of that amount has been itemized (3.1% of the promised number), leading to skepticism about the accuracy of the total savings and dealing a lethal blow to Elon’s credibility.

Clearly, just like his boss, Musk has a problem with basic arithmetic and should try to acquire some badly needed social skills if he wants to save Tesla, make his big rocket fly and just discover and learn emotional intelligence. 

Good luck Elon, enjoy making more kids, get a math tutor, a shrink and have a fun summer!

PS: I'm not mentioning the personal tragedies endured by the Federal employees fired by Musk, nor the thousands dead individuals (soon to be half-a-million) because of USAID shutdown.

Liberation through cleansing

For the past three months I’ve transitioned from a Windows 10 desktop computer to a new Windows 11 model, and as that chore is finally done, I’ve been able to remove the old machine and declutter my small office that was a total mess.

After doing it and getting rid of useless paper and documents, I’ve never felt so well to the point that I want to keep doing it with the stuff sitting in my office or around my workshop downstairs. The feeling was so soothing and exhilarating that I’d like to do this year round. 

That led me to research the subject and, in the process, I found that the deep sense of satisfaction I felt wasn’t just about tidiness, it was much beyond that! It was about regaining control, as clutter overwhelms our brain’s ability to focus (what some call "cognitive overload"). Organizing restores our sense of control. Likewise, a messy space subconsciously signals "unfinished tasks", triggering low-grade stress, so getting rid of it is highly beneficial. 

Medical folks say that cleaning up triggers dopamine release, the brain’s "reward" chemical that creates a virtuous cycle of motivation. At the same time our cortisol level drops, calming us a bit. They’re also psychological benefits, like one called the “ Zeigarnik Effect” that claims that our brain fixates on incomplete tasks, and organizing provides a kind of closure, freeing some mental capacity. 

An added benefit of reducing physical clutter is that it minimizes those pesky daily dilemmas, like “Where’s my credit card?", saving us both time and energy for much more important decisions. Psychologists also say that letting go of unused items does mirror emotional release. There are cultures that associate cleaning with purification, like spring cleaning or Japanese “oosouji” for year-end scrubbing. 

Of course, early humans learned to benefit from organized living spaces and were craving for predictability. Our need for neatness may be hardwired for survival, as modern life chokes us with digital and physical clutter, organizing our space is a tangible response to that, being in fact a rare area where effort yields immediate, visible results and return some sense of control to us!