Michael Tucker - Bits & Pieces

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Anguilla

Took a trip to Anguilla. Probably one of the most simple places I’ve ever been to in my life. We went down to pitch a concept to the National Bank of Anguilla to build a cultural and entertainment portal for all of the Caribbean, basically, a way artists, entertainers, and content producers to get their creations out to the rest of the world.

I was blown away with the culture. The people were so friendly and welcoming. I was fortunate to hear some amazing music, eat some great food, and spend some time getting to understand what Island Culture is all about.

Just west of Bankie Banx ‘Dune Preserve’ club, there is an area where visitors leave tribute along with a little piece of themselves. Bankie started this tradition many years ago. This is someone’s tribute. The mountains in the background are St. Maartens

A shot down the beach at The Great House

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Bouldering @ Stoney Point

Went to Stoney Point on Sunday to boulder. This was my first real time to boulder outdoors. I gotta say, this really proved I need to get outdoors more. I thought I was climbing pretty hard in the gym, but being out here… it’s a whole different story.

In this photo, I am standing on top of Grandfather Boulder. I just sent a problem called ‘And That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles’ (V0)

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Manhattan Pier Sunset

A nice sunset over the pier in Manhattan Beach. I only got to take 1 shot because my battery ran out after one click.

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Cranes in Vegas

A somewhat cool shot of some cranes at sunrise in Las Vegas.

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Crashing Waves… Manhattan Beach Pier

There were some really big waves this day. These pics didn’t have the biggest waves, but they were my favorite shots. The first one is HDR, the second one is a little wider of a shot.

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Flying Southwest

When I started traveling frequently, I made a promise to myself that I would never fly Southwest Airlines. You see, as one of those guys that is always the last one to the airport, I’m fundamentally against open seating. I know I would end up last.

Well, after traveling almost 1million miles in my career, I finally had to fly Southwest on a recent business trip from LAX to Vegas… I figure, it’s an hour flight, I can tolerate it, right?

It pains me to say it, but it really wasn’t bad at all. Now, granted, the flight was empty and I was pretty lucky to get B18 (I think that’s bingo) so I ended up with a whole row to myself at the back of the plane.

Ok, so I made the flight… I’m pretty happy. On the way back, I need to change my return trip. I call SWA, pull out my credit card and prepare to pay the obligatory ‘we’re gonna charge you $100 for changing your flight’ fee present on most airlines. The very helpful customer service agent gives me my options and helps me select a new flight, and bam… done. “What?” I said, “No change fee?” She explained that SWA never charges change fees on tickets and you can change your flight whenever you want, as many times as you want for a year. I’m impressed.

Maybe all these years of being stubborn wasn’t worth it. I will fly SWA again, they have a new customer.

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Feeling accomplished…

I feel great. I’ve made it a point to try and push myself harder and farther while climbing at the gym this week, and I’m seeing the results. After 6 months of climbing, I reached two goals that seemed insurmountable before:

I onsighted a 5.11a route- my first try at an 11.
I projected a V4 boulder problem, and got in on about the 6th try.

Now, granted, these were both at the gym, so it’s not that amazing, but still… I did it. And I feel like it won’t be too long until I make it to the next level. I’m going to start documenting my training here a bit more. I’m about to actually implement the training methods outlined in the book Self Coached Climber. If you’re a climber, new or experienced, and you haven’t read this book, you should pick up a copy.

Info Links:
About Rock Climbing & Bouldering Grades @ Spadout.com
Rock Climbing Dictionary @ rockclimbing.com

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MT - Lead Climbing

My first lead climb - The route is called Bushwhacked, a 5.9 at an area called Echo Cliffs in the Santa Monica Mountains, in between Malibu and Thousand Oaks. I gotta say, it was terrifying… the whole back clip thing takes a second to figure out, but I got it!

MT - Lead Climbing

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Red Rock Cactus

We went to Red Rocks National Conservation Area to try and climb after the weather didn’t hold up for us in Zion. Unfortunately, our luck was about the same in here. We did however get a chance to take a nice hike through Pine Creek and check out the area. Can’t wait to go back here and try some of the routes, they look killer. IN case you’re not familiar, Red Rocks Canyon is just outside of Las Vegas, NV.

Red Rock Cactus

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.

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Zion Mystical Meadow

I honestly feel like Zion National Park is the most beautiful place I’ve been in my life so far. We went just after the New Year. Although it was windy and rainy the whole time we were there, it was still amazing. The Park takes on a different kind of beauty in the rain with all of the waterfalls and the clouds obscuring the peaks. There are many more photos in my Zion set on my Flickr page

Zion Mystical Meadow

Originally uploaded by michaeltucker.