2008: The Top 100

I'll forewarn you, this is a long one. I wrote these entirely for me, but I thought I would share them as they are my best memories from what was truly a sensational year. I am blessed to have so many opportunities and good people around me. Without further ado, here you have them:

1. New Year’s Day in Sihanoukville, Cambodia with Daniela and the CAR Team -- an uninhabited island, champagne, euchre, Frisbee, and warm Cambodian sun.

2. Rim to rim to rim. Traversing the Grand Canyon on foot twice in two days with my friend Liv. I never been so tired, and a beer has never tasted better than at the top.

3. Cycling to the coastal town of Kep with a group from PEPY, including a 140km day.

4. Mom and Dad’s 40th anniversary weekend. Great time with the whole family and old friends. I enjoyed cooking the meal and keeping my mom out of the kitchen for once!

5. “Babysitting” my nieces and nephews. I gave them a cardboard box and bubble wrap and they played for 8 hours and needed no supervision.

6. Motorbike adventures in Lao, including a breakdown near the Chinese border, running out of gas in the middle of endless rice paddies, and getting quite lost for about two hours on a forested back road.

7. Obama wins. What a night that was, even in front of the TV in Gurley Holler.

8. Teaching mi compadre Andrew how to fly-fish, and watching him catch his first fish on a fly. He’s a natural.

9. Coming home to NC late spring. Beautiful.

10. The stark naked roller skater on the river boardwalk in Portland Oregon.

11. Dawn bike rides around the temples of Angkor with Adam and Daniela. At ban chop k’nyom!

12. My first Backroads trip in the Canyons with Chuck, Courtney, Jason, and Sarah. My first time cooking for 30 people—chaotic, but so much fun!

13. The best ever day fishing with Pop on Secret Creek. Best Ever.

14. Camping, fishing, and hot spring-ing with Asha in Oregon.

15. Lao New Year—a 3-day water fight in Luang Prabang.

16. Chopping firewood in the fall. Hands down my favorite chore at home in Gurley Holler.

17. Seeing Marc and Erika, just after the birth of their first son, Forrest B.

18. Learning to make Khmer curry from scratch with Thavry.

19. Cooking at home with Mom, both in the spring and fall.

20. Dawn on the river near Chi Phat, Cambodia.

21. Scrabble, cards, and PB apples in Chanleas Dai with Adam and Karina.

22. Chatting to monks at pagodas in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. So warm and peaceful.

23. Finndependence & the Punk Party, because blue-cross Mohawks and costumes are just plain fun.

24. Playing ‘Merica with Mike and Adam from Utah to Wisconsin to Cambodia.

25. Finally seeing Ryan Adams again, and the buildup to the show.

26. Wakeboarding with Danny and Dad on Lake James.

27. Hiking the Narrows in Zion with my Sarah.

28. Hiking the Art Loeb trail with Andrew and Brian. I don’t know why I never did this while growing up, it is a stunning hike in WNC.

29. Fishing with Pop on Cane Creek in Bakersville. So much fun early in the season before the worm fisherman get to them!

30. Biking on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, a great 50-mile solo ride out to Point Imperial.

31. Meeting a young Lao university student, who kindly stopped me on the street and showed me around Luang Prabang for the day.

32. The last day of the Davita trip. Packing up 140 tents for the 4th time in 5 days wasn’t necessarily fun, but the early fall day was gorgeous and it felt great to finish a huge undertaking.

33. Eating mango sticky rice for breakfast on a restaurant terrace overlooking the Mekong, along with petroleum thick Lao coffee and a coconut shake.

34. Hiking on Mt. Hood with Mike and Ikuko.

35. Jonathan’s rooftop musical performance at Chez PEPY.

36. Dutch oven cooking all summer. Because baking cakes and bread while you’re camping is downright delicious.

37. Hot apple cider in the fall. Felt like a kid again.

38. Thanksgiving with the gang @ Chateau PEPY in Siem Reap. My favorite holiday, and while I never seem to be home with family (7 years running), I always end up in amazing places with great people.

39. Spending the night in the Cambodian jungle. Not particularly comfortable in sardine hammocks, but a memorable night nonetheless.

40. Planting some flowering trees with my Pop in the spring. It just feels good get grab a shovel, get your hands in the earth, and plant a tree.

41. My first-ever time rock climbing, near Phnom Kulen. A great day with Adam, Daniela, Thavry, and a fun group of Japanese folks.

42. Leader Rock on the North Rim with carrot cake and wine. Unbeatable.

43. Asheville Tourists game with Andrew. Nothing like a minor league ballpark, hotdogs, a beer, and some old Republicans behind you talking politics & baseball.

44. Meeting Lina and Puu @ Siem Reap Town, my favorite local spot to eat in Siem Reap. I am often the only customer and they never fail to welcome me like family.

45. Buildup to the Election. Watching the debates and discussing politics was interesting and fun for a change, with liberals and conservatives alike.

46. Playing the KneeKnocker game in Siem Reap with Aaron and the locals during Khmer New Year.

47. Meeting Kung Nai and the Instrument Maker, artists who survived the Khmer Rouge, and watching young Cambodian perform traditional Khmer dance and song.

48. Exchanges with the moto and tuk-tuk drivers outside Chez PEPY in Phnom Penh. We always said the same thing and it was always entertaining.

49. Bubble Tea and dumplings with Mandy and Tech.

50. The smile on Meth’s face when I gave her a loaf of homemade bread.

51. Watching the river dolphins, and then the sunset on the Mekong River.

52. Dancing Meringue on the beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. This made no sense, perhaps why it was so enjoyable.

53. Hiking and swimming at Kuang Si falls, outside Luang Prabang.

54. Playing “Celebrity” and hanging with the Gunshop crew.

55. Cooking and eating with Erin, Achaya, Mandy, Wonton, and Tech.

56. Driving in the Canyons and making cakes with camp assistant Sarah.

57. Exploring Portland on a bicycle.

58. Exploring Phnom Penh on a bicyle.

59. Dropping a transmission in Middle of Nowhere, Wyoming with Mike and Adam.

60. Road trip with Morgan across the Heartland and the many truckstops along the way.

61. Kayaking the Nam Ou with a playful guide and a fun couple from the Czech Republic.

62. Playing euchre with Aaron, and reliving our days in Peace Corps Panama.

63. The few times my whole family was together for a meal.

64. Hiking Paintbrush Canyon in the Tetons with Justin, and a long discussion about religion.

65. Fishing with Keon and Brad outside Victor, and the hamburgers afterward.

66. Angels Landing in Zion with Liv. Simply exhilirating.

67. Kitesurfing with Daniela in Mui Ne, Vietnam. There isn’t a better rush than being locked in to the wind and zipping across the waves.

68. The kindness of three Lao families who invited me into their homes for Lao New Year meals and celebration. Well two of them invited me. I am still not sure how I ended up at one home. They were completely baffled by my presence (as was I), but were kind enough to not turn me away!

69. Mountain biking in and around Dalat, Vietnam, the City of Eternal Spring. And strawberry fields forever. Really.

70. Getting robbed in Dalat. This was strangely a good experience. The thief snuck into my hotel room at night, and was kind not to wake me while taking only $16, and leaving my camera, iPod, credit card, and other cash.

71. Teaching for two days at the PEPY Ride School in Chanleas Dai. Eager students make teaching so much fun.

72. Visiting Beng Mealea with Aaron K. Its like playing Indian Jones.

73. Leading a PEPY trip with Peppi, and losing/recovering the generator.

74. Fishing the Davidson River for the 1st time outside Brevard. I went on a whim, had a beautiful morning and caught a monster.

75. Canyoneering in Zion. Indescribable, and Zion became one of my favorite places.

76. Emily’s wedding in Celo. After a hail storm delayed the event, the service was blessed by one of the most beautiful late afternoons I had seen in a long time. Good times with old friends.

76. Sleeping outside under the stars all summer.

77. Visiting Lambeau Field. What an incredible place, just for football. Only football.

78. Homemade Tonkatsu with Mike and Ikuko in Portland. Natsukashii!!! Felt like Japan again.

79. Cycling on crisp autumn days in NC on my newly purchased road bike.

80. Little Tokyo in LA with Matt. Felt like a tiny slice of Japan.

81. Speaking Spanish at the Mexican taquerias in Grand Prairie, TX. Also, the tacos.

82. Returning to Phnom Penh, and wandering on foot. So much character.

83. Mountain biking in Chi Phat, and the best cold shower I’ve ever had at the waterfall.

84. Mountain biking around the Western Baray, and on top of the ancient wall of Angkor Thom.

85. Dinner and wine on the back porch with Andrew, Mom, and Dad in early summer.

86. Reunion with Mandy and Wonton in San Francisco Airport.

87. Seeing the Tetons for the first time.

88. Returning to PEPY. What a wonderful group of people to live and work with.

89. Falling in love with Portland.

90. Camping in eastern Idaho and western Montana with Pop.

91. Visiting RDIC for the third time, and seeing their projects.

92. Watching the Olympics, especially sports I generally have no interest in like archery and gymnastics.

93. Routinely getting up at 5am this summer to get the coffee and breakfast started.

94. Trying to perfect the tomato bisque.

95. PEPY Paintball.

96. On the swings with Asha.

97. Barefoot in the white sand dunes of Mui Ne. A bizarre feeling to be alone in the desert.

98. Going away party from PEPY at Sovanna and Pontoon. Incredible friends, delicious steak, and ridiculous dancing.

99. New Years Eve Midnight. With good friends in a hot tub on a hotel rooftop terrace in Siem Reap, watching the fireworks and floating lanterns over the city.

100. Making countless plans for 2009. I never seem to tire of dreaming up new places to go and new things to try.