Google is great, yes.  I know, and I have for a long time. I have been using their search for a long long long long long time, I’ve used Gmail (but don’t currently), I’ve used their domain tools, I’ve used Google Earth, which is an incredible feat of technology, I use Blogger for some projects, and so the list goes.  I am not unfamiliar with Google.

I haven’t however, gone all the way yet. I have always thought the Google tools were great, but the didn’t all specifically fit my needs, so I used other solutions.

I have come into a situation where my work and personal computer are no longer one and the same, and I cannot use my personal laptop at any time throughout the work day. Consequently, I have had a good deal of trouble keeping my information life in sync between two computers.  Over the past two weeks, I have been experimenting with tools and methods of reducing and managing my traveling data and Google is it.

Between my new trinity of iGoogle Home Page, Google Reader, and Google Documents, and the High Priest of FireWire Hard Drive, I can move my personal projects anywhere and still be productive. Plus, when Google takes over the world, I will already by one of the fold.

I’m running with about 25lbs. of equipment, I’m in one of the hottest places on earth, named for Hell, and I’m cold. I’m cold because the sun will be setting soon and I’m surrounded by mountains. I’m running across some washed out scrub. The dirt is hard packed, and seasonal runoff has exposed and carried rocks of sundry sizes across the flat I am trying to cover. The washouts and rocks make this ground very difficult to navigate and I’ve already fallen once, scraping my palm, wrist, elbow and leg.

I am about a mile Wast of Hell’s Gate, one of the Eastern entrances to Death Valley National Park. It’s early January, and I’m running because I’ve spotted an outcrop of bedrock that I think will make a decent place to photograph the sunset. Before the sun sets I have to make the outcrop, scale it, and setup my gear. It occurs to me, as I wipe my bloody palm on my pants, and stabilize my camera bag with my other hand, that I don’t share this experience with many other people.

Lots of people have been to Death Valley. Most choose to go in the summer, hoping for a merit badge, or death I suppose. They don’t go in the winter, when it’s cooler and less crowded or in spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom.

On top of the outcrop, I have my gear setup and am experimenting with an ND Grad while failing to produce an interesting photograph of the sunset. Clouds are one of the most important features in sunset photography and the winter sky has been either clear as a bell or hazy my entire stay. Once the light is gone, I pack my gear, curse, pack some more, and try to keep warm.

Walking back to the car, in the dark, lighting my way with the headlight from Karl, something else occurs to me. I’ve never referred to myself as a photographer. When pressed, once or twice I had said I was an Amateur Photographer, but even then, I felt uncomfortable. What I realized was that people, categorically, don’t make solo winter camping trips to photograph National Parks. They don’t buy, carry, and use 25lbs. or more of camera equipment. They don’t sprint across rough ground in the dark for the possibility of taking a decent photograph. Photographers do these things.

So I guess I’m a photographer.

We had a few days of freezing temps and snow last week, unfortunately it didn’t stay cold long enough to accumulate. In fact, it was in the 70′s yesterday. So here are some pics from the freeze.

I left California on December 29th. That was the last I’ve had any Mountain Dew. Yes, comrades, that’s right, I’ve given up The Dew cold turkey. It’s actually been pretty easy, being on the road and camping helped. Since then I’ve only had soda a few times – pretty much only happens on our monthly trip to the Costco food court for kosher hot dogs.

I had also implemented a Snacks and Candy program at MSS which made junk food easily available, I have significantly reduced such foods as well. I don’t think I have had any candy since leaving Cali, and my junk food consumption has been reduced to heathly tortilla chips every other week or so.

We haven’t had a functional bathroom scale for a long time, but I weighed myself at Mimi’s before leaving Cali and found I had made it up to 255lbs.

We just picked up a scale last week and I weighed myself for the first time since giving up soda and candy, and found I’m down to 233lbs. That’s 22 pounds of HFCS I didn’t bring to TN with me.

Congrats to me.