Life is Life

The travels of the nobel steed

2008-04-26T14:10:00.009-04:00

The horse is here safe and sound and I could not be greatful to Misty, Randy and Joe of Grand Champion Horse Transport for taking so great care of my 'greatest' asset ... my horse.
If you have any transporting needs please do not hesitate to contact them! Pumba has bounced back from the long travel very well and I contribute this to the great care he got during en-route.
Thank you !

Finally after 2 month longer than anticipated I finally straightened out Pumbas transport situation and hired Grand Champion Horse transport. Here are some pictures/videos of his travels:

Approaching the trailer :)

Walks right on like he hasn't ever done anything else in his life.....

Preparing for take off......

Please make sure that safety belts are fastened securely and luggage stored safetly under the seat....

The Grand arrival to Enumclaw Finally!
My friends down in Ga told me that when they loaded Pumba that it was a really big trailer that he was shipped on... I guess I didn't quite comprehend HOW big the trailer was.... :)

Getting of the trailer was no match... barely had time to say hello because he saw the grass and we know that Pumba has his priorites straight...

Ok after being on the trailer for a long while he started off just walking around but as he started to "wake up" he built more steam ....

After a short while he settled down and gave his finally approval....

Atlanta to Arkansas pictures has been posted !

2008-02-24T01:35:00.002-05:00

Here are the first set of pictures of the Roadtrip from Kennesaw, Ga to Seattle, Washington starting February 8th 2008

Tuesday the mad dash ... continued

2008-02-15T00:31:00.002-05:00

Around 8 pm on Tuesday night I hit Portland.... AWE what a beautiful town, hey I want to go back there ! I tried to take some pictures but hasnt had a chance to review them to see if they turned out to be anything at all.
Direct when I passed the Portland city kernel I drove straight into Washington State. The state line seems to go literally directly after portland. Was a little surprised about that. Pushed the pedal to the metal and drove the rest of the 200 something miles. Clocked into Seattle at 11 pm on Tuesday 2/12 after 14:33 minutes behind the steering wheel and 1051 miles passed under the tires of the golden star.

FINALLY HOME !

Tuesday - the mad dash

2008-02-14T09:37:00.002-05:00

As we were on the right side of the continent the excitement level rose and I only saw one thing and that was the final destination. Red hawk said that he could not take it anymore. His wing was broken and it needed to be rested before he could soar again. Found out that his GF were going to fly to the rescue which felt good to hear because it hurts to leave a wounded friend. Especially a really good friend like red rover.

At 7 am I jumped into my car and this ended up being the longest I have driven continually ever. Must say that Califonia is among the most diverse states as far as environments goes... it has deserts, something like a prarie, mountains, lush areas. It was just very nice to see.

Now I started driving 4 hr increments.

Stopped at noon for a 10 min lunch, I will tell you that A big mac does not taste the same in CA as they do in Ga or maybe that was just the cold altering the taste buds but it was quite repulsive.

I dont remember at what time I drove into Oregon but it is too an absolutly gorgeous!

Las Vegas - A scratch

2008-02-14T09:27:00.002-05:00

So if you paid attention now you realizing.... Hey what happened to Las Vegas ??

Well in short... it was cut. Both red rover and golden hawk were feeling so bad so we determined that nothing good would come out of it more than an extra day of driving which we really did not need. So it has been saved for my vacation with mamma
and hopefully K too :)

Monday --- a haul

2008-02-14T09:10:00.002-05:00

We stayed the day/night in Gallup NM. Arrived at the hotel around 3 pm Sunday afternoon and crashed until 6 or so then red rover and golden star had dinner (a can of soup) watched the wickerman (uuh dont like that movie !) and went back to my room at 7pm popped 2 asprin to try to lower my fever and hit the cot for some shut eyes. Slept until 6 am monday morning when we checked with eachother that it would be ok to continue. The head was thumping and the eyes were red and threatning with popping out of my head. Red Rover's arm had decided to give him a break.

We jumped in our cars and stepped on it.

As we drove we hit the contintental divide. If you do not know what it is here is a short synopsis. Continental divide aka the great divide is the mountains that separate the watershed. The water on the west side of the divide drains into the pacific ocean and one the east it drains into the atlantic.

The posterior of the New Mexico landscape was absolutly breath taking.

We quickly scurried along over the border to Arizona. In landscape here did indeed remind alot of the New Mexico Landscape but still vastly different. It is hard to explain but I have pictures that I will upload once I find the transfer cable since my computer does not take the memory card that my camera uses.

Eventually we also hit the Califonia border and drove straight through the desert. It was a hot 80 degrees and I realized that there is something wrong with my AC. Oh well or maybe it was just my fever that was making it feel so hot ? After a short 8 hr drive we landed in Bakersfield CA.

Sunday --- ohh so sick

2008-02-10T17:23:00.001-05:00

Woke up early Sunday morning with a low grade fever and a cold that had been overcasting for the last couple of days. Went outside the motel room and what a view ! Santa Rosa, New Mexico. What a place. It was desert / prarie like. I guess it is comparable to Eastern parts of Washington states which also has a good desert just past Cle Elum.

My head was thumping as we took off and we hit Whole foods in Albequerque since my travelmate likes their food :) you know treehugging loafer wearing vegans ..... But what would I do without a friend like this ?

Red rover's (v's walkie talkie name) shoulder started hurting profusely about 2 hrs after Abequerque so we stopped at a motel. And not me against, since it will give me a while to try to fight off the fever and the cold... Yuck ! Todays tripleg ended at 200 miles about 400 miles short of the goal so we have plenty of driving ahead of us ! Now I am going to rest. See you tomorrow !

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Vaknade tidigt pa sondags morgonen med en forskraklig forkylning och feber. Forkylningen hade hotat flera dagar men gjorde sej kant i natt. Gick utanfor hotell dorren och vilken view ! Santa ROsa, New Mexico. Vilket stalle ! Klimatet har ar oken och prarie liknande med stapper sa langt ogat nar. Antar att det ar jamforbart med Ostra Washington statens oken utanfor Cle Elum.

Mitt huvud lekte dunka dunka nar vi korde ivag och vi stannade vid Whole Foods i Albequerque, NM for att min rese kamrat gillar det stallet. DU vet hur dom dar toffel barande trad kramande veganerna ar .. :) Men vad skulle jag gora utan en sadan kompis ?!

Red Rover ( vin's walkie talkie namn) borjade gora ont ca 2 timmar efter Albequerque sa vi har stannat pa ett motel. Inte mej emot sedan det ger mej tid att forsoka bekampa forkylningen och febern ocksa.... blah . Dagens rese ben slutade pa 200 Miles vilket ar 400 miles mindre an beraknat sa det blir styv korning dom kommande dagarna. Nu gar jag till sangs, God natt. Vi syns imorgon !

Saturday travels

2008-02-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

Drove from Russellville, Arkansas Saturday morning thru Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It wasnt very exciting just predominately very very flat. We held a good 680 miles at the end of the Saturday's journey. We were targeting Albequerque, New Mexico but when 10 hours drivetime came around we were exhausted. Checked into a hotel for a nights sleep.

Saturday morning

2008-02-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

We cruised into Rollingsville, Arkansas this morning at 12:30. Last days travel was 659 miles and took 10hrs 30 mins.... Today we are trying to reach New Mexico. We have changed route and have decided to go up to HWY 40 to reach las vegas, grand canyon and hoover dam. Was going to upload the pictures from yesterday but I realized that I have packed the transfer cable somewhere and I do not know exactly where.... ooops my battery is dying... will write later. Thank you all for your wonderful emails and blog entries it touches me! :) Hugs ! -al

woot woot

2008-02-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Reached Nashville tennesee !! If you have never been through tennesee you should try it, it is absolutely beautiful !

We packed v's truck and my car last night and thought that there were alot of space left but this morning when I finished up packing the rest of my room it sure took up all the avail space. Sitting at whole food stealing some wifi for a sec before hitting the road again. Hope to be able to upload some pictures tonight !

Woot !

Ready, Steady, Go

2008-02-08T01:14:00.001-05:00

Eagerly awaiting the morning :)

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Vantar med spanning pa morgonen :)

uh oh ! Trouble !!

2008-02-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

Just talked to the hauler which is going to ship my horse Pumba to Seattle. He said that due to the storms up in the NW corner they will have to wait for a while before taking off... I guess weather will decide when that is. I am bummed. I really wanted to be there to load my horse. Phil will call me on Monday 2/11 and let me know about expected leave date.

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Pratade just med hast transportoren som ska skjutsa min hast Pumba till Seattle. Han sa att pga stormen som regerar uppe i Nord vastra hornet av US sa maste dom vanta en stund innan dom kan hamta honom och skjutsa ivag. Jag antar att vadret bestammer nar det blir. Jag ar bekymmrad. Jag ville verkligen vara dar nar dom lastade pa min hast. Phil kommer att ringa mej pa Mandag 2/11 och ge mej en updatering av datumet som dom forvantar sej att aka.

Challenge

2008-02-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

You might have seen the pictures of my future apartment if everything goes as planned. If you havent seen them you can find them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/benk1976/FioniaApts?authkey=A0U3Q2-uc_Y

It is a small cozy little abode on 590 sqft. So the challenge for the day is that the apartment should be fully furnished for $150 or less [that is including that it should be nice furniture and not look like crap]. Anyone want to place bets ?

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Ni har kanske sett bilder pa min nya lagenhet ifall allt gar som planerat. Om du inte har sett bilderna sa kan du se dom har: http://picasaweb.google.com/benk1976/FioniaApts?authkey=A0U3Q2-uc_Y

Det ar en liten och mysig lya pa 54 kvm. Sa utmaningen ar att jag ska skaffa mobler for totalt $150 (ungefar 1500skr) eller mindre [ includerat att lagenheten inte ska se ut som skit efterat utan jag vill ha det stilfullt]. Sa har jag nagon som vill sla vad ??

-al

Barn party !!

2008-02-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

Heather, Dory, Tammy, Melanie and all the rest ! Thank you so much for the wonderful party with the awesome food and not to forget the cheese !!! Pumbaloo and i will miss you all!! As I said my offer stands, please come and visit ! Pictures will be posted shortly ! Bax wants to move to seattle, he needs his COLD Water and Pumbers needs his hot water !

The countdown has officially started

2008-01-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

Hey yall,

As I promised to keep you updated over my whereabouts so this is a good spot to start. If you take a look a little further down the page you will see route that I will be chiseling about on. Once the trip starts then I am planning on posting pictures for everyone to do the travel with me. Hey if you feel like it post a comment with some fun stuff, hopefully I will be able to read it along the way !

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Hej Allihopa!

Precis som jag lovat sa har ar en blog dar jag kommer att documentera min resa till min nya hemstad. Om du tittar lite langre ner pa sidan sa kan du se routen som jag kommer att hacka mej fram pa. Nar resan val har borjat sa har jag plannerat att satta upp bilder sa aatt ni kan resa med mej. Ifall du kanner for det satt garna dit din kommentar me roliga saker , forhoppningsvis sa kan jag lasa det under min resa :)

Party party party

2008-01-27T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tammy, Lisa, Joe, Heather, Natalie and Rosalyn ! It was so good to get together!
Mycket Tack !

Kram,
-al

2008-01-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

Thank you Vicki and Kathleen for the wonderful dinner party Jan 26th !!! Vicki what a wonderful house you have :) Come and visit, will ya ?!

Sweden

2007-11-22T11:24:00.000-05:00

Heading home from Nov 24th 2007 to Dec 27 2007. Stay tuned for more info..

Here is the map of the route for the roadtrip

2007-11-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

View Larger Map

Yikes

2007-10-20T00:10:00.000-04:00

well good folks it has been a while since the last post. Lemme tell you there has been quite an intrest of the Swede shirt.. dontyouwanna have one ??? ;)

The prep for the upcoming roadtrip has officially begun. I just purchased another harness for luna-li (AKA loca luna or Rocking luna-tic). She has not put her foot down outside the door in a year and half and guess if she was happy to be out. For the first time ever she did not roll and carry on like it is the very last second of her life and that she will surely die from the demise of the torture device. She was happy to get outside the door and I am happy to see it otherwise it is going to be av very long trip up to Seattle in February.

So the date is set to Feb 8th 2008, and the trip route is :
Atlanta >Dallas > Wichita Falls TX >Amarillo TX>Kingman AZ >Las Vegas NV > Salt Lake City

a pretty map can be found here

Well good folks stay tuned to new and exciting updates...

cheers,

al

Get your own Swede shirt

2006-12-07T16:07:00.000-05:00

Everyone wants a swede shirt, right ? It can be yours for a mere 20 molas.

Calendar of Events for 2006/2007

2006-10-23T13:33:00.000-04:00

This is the agenda for coming up events:

November 2006
Over thanksgiving 22 - 28 Ski trip to Colorado. Thought about Telluride but it seems abit pricey so it might be a trip to Vail or Breckenridge. If anyone wants to come along and split hotel room , well, then it is good for both!

December 2006 - January 2007
DTD Going home for the holidays! Hopefully with a lot of good skiing!

February 2007
Week of 5th. As many of you already know that G-luv and I we, are going up to Whistler and y'all are invited. We need to know who is planning on coming along so we can book a suitable condo since that will be the cheapest alternative for all. Yes, Mike hopefully the condo will have a mixer so we can fix drinks :). Just a heads up! I read somewhere that Americans going over to Canada will need passport to get into the country. I think the change of requirement is taking place late Jan 2007 so you will need your passport if you are coming with. PLAN AHEAD!

June 2007
Time for another round of punishment. Going home to Sweden for Stockholm Marathon. We will be a group going so if you are intested let me know.

best,
-al

Skiing USA

2006-09-24T16:43:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

Just wanted all to know that there are two ski trips planned for the near future.

The first one will take place Nov 22 - 28 (yes folks this is thanksgiving) nothing official but I am going to Telluride, CO to ski the opening of the ski season. If anyone wants to come along and split hotelroom then it is good for all.

Second trip, Second week in February we are going to Whistler, BC. It currently seems like we are atleast 10 people going so if you want to go please let me know for sure since this will determine what size condo we are getting. There are some good deals ATL - Vancouver via Expedia going on right now so just check it out and let me know via email or something.

/ -al