Back to the BIG ones.

[Al Smith]

The area those big trees grow is a totally amazing mix of things from what I gather .The largest trees on the planet and the most amazing coast line .

I've seen a lot of coast lines from asea but nothing to ever to duplicate that .

 

[Bodean]

WoW, Stig. Fantastic pictures, I bet your vacation was Heaven on Earth.

Great Looking Cypress, Jerry.

 

[stig]

Cool stuff, sorry we had to work rather than play But it was fun to work a little with you

I really enjoyed that, Willie.
I got to try some gear out that I hadn't tried before.
Richard and I were going to get a GRCS anyway, but having actually tried yours instead of just watching the thing on video really convinced me how good it is.

And those carbon geckos, wow!

Fun to meet your family, too.
You have some nice folks and a real sweet wife.

I must say, you've done real well for yourself, for a punk

 

[sotc]

Did Stig put any karate moves on you, Willie? Any mysterious thuds against your hardhat? Seems to be a man in perpetual training.

No, he tried but I'd whip out a steak, it works like cryptonite!

Stig, don't forget, i'm more than just a punk

 

[treesandsurf]

Wow! That's incredible

jp

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Great Pics. Sounds like a great trip.

 

[Old Monkey]

Glad you had a good trip. I had suspected that Willie ran a crew of illegals and now I have photographic evidence. I hope I can chance to meet you one of these days, either at another get together or over in communist Europe.

 

[thattreeguy]

sorry i missed you and your friends visit

 

[sotc]

Glad you had a good trip. I had suspected that Willie ran a crew of illegals and now I have photographic evidence. I hope I can chance to meet you one of these days, either at another get together or over in communist Europe.

Haha, and I pay them in Japanese food to keep it under the table!

Stig, I was going to cut vegetables with this beautiful knife first just in your honor, but then my wife cut her finger on it, guess it was destined to be a meat knife!

 

[Peter]

Hope she didnt get through to the bone, wouldnt want to damage the edge!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Glad you had a good trip. I had suspected that Willie ran a crew of illegals and now I have photographic evidence.

Stig is almost more California American than most that were born here!

Cool knife Willie
What a nice gift.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Stig got through immigration with that knife? Somebody was slacking. It could have been a terrorist!

 

[mdvaden]

But we did so much better than last time. Jerry Beranek showed us some tricks last time that really helped, also showed us how to maximize the height potential of the Big Shot.

I was wondering where Beranek went.

He seemed to go into "radio silence" on the internet recently.

 

[stig]

Last time was 2 years ago, Mario!

 

[stig]

Stig got through immigration with that knife? Somebody was slacking. It could have been a terrorist!

They certainly weren't slacking at immigration.

This country has gotten absolutely crazy to get into since 9/11.

Denmark has a visa waiver policy with the US, means Danes can travel to the US without a visa, but have to pre-register with immigration before going, a hazzle and costs 14$ as well.

Since my left forefinger has been mashed flat and operated on 3 times it doesn't fingerprint well, so I have dutyfully kept up the permanent visa, I got back before the whole Homeland security deal.
Having a visa means you've been vetted by the US embassy and makes goes through US borders easier.

Normally, that is.

This time the Homeland guy at the "checkpoint Charlie" asked me " Why do you have a visa to the US?".

How does one answer that?

Most obvious answer " I got a visa so it would be easier for me to enter and blow shit up, sir" probably won't work.

So I told him " I have a visa to make things easier because I go here a lot since I really love the US. Would you like to hear me sing the first two lines of " America the beautiful?"".

Fortunately he had a sense of humour.

Place has gone crazy, I tell ya!

 

[mdvaden]

Last time was 2 years ago, Mario!

Oh ... his reply in post #19 had me thinking he was with you both then and now.

 

[Peter]

Normally, that is.

This time the Homeland guy at the "checkpoint Charlie" asked me " Why do you have a visa to the US?".

How does one answer that?

Most obvious answer " I got a visa so it would be easier for me to enter and blow shit up, sir" probably won't work.

So I told him " I have a visa to make things easier because I go here a lot since I really love the US. Would you like to hear me sing the first two lines of " America the beautiful?"".

Fortunately he had a sense of humour.

Place has gone crazy, I tell ya!

You got lucky then, most of them seem to have had a sense of humour bypass!

About 25 years ago, a work colleague of my Dad had to go to the US on business. He was a terrible practical joker, and when he got to immigration they asked everyone as they came through "Do you intend to assassinate the President of the United States of America sir?"

He thought it was some kind of joke and answered yes........

I believe they did let him out eventually.

 

[High Scale]

I talked my way in via Boston back in the 90's, lied through my teeth and got away with it after a two hour interrogation, I could never pull that kind of thing off now.

 

[Al Smith]

I don't even think you can travel from the US to Canada any more without a passport .You might get out but you probabley couldn't get back .

 

[woodworkingboy]

Enroute back to the states, I think it was Vancouver where I went through immigration off a flight out of Hong Kong. Canada had some arrangement going with the US on stopover flights. The immigration screening lady was kind of snotty, and when she asked me my profession, I replied, "What has that got to do with anything?" She got even snottier and scribbled some code on the card I had to give to the inspections part. It probably meant that I gave all the indications of being a major drug smuggler. I gave the guy the card and he shot me a suspecting glance above his half rimmed glasses, and then went through my luggage hell bent on finding something, down to scraping the dust into a corner of the suitcase to examine it. Been checked out before, but never anything like that. I was clean, and learned as a rule to always answer their dumb questions politely after that. By the time they were done with me there was a long line of folks waiting to get checked, all watching the show. I wouldn't put it past them to project any irritation by dropping a little bit of white powder into the luggage, something that would help to make their day.

 

[Paul B]

Al, yes, you need a passport at all crossings from Canada to the US now, it used to be only on air travel.

WWB and others, my momma taught me young, dont piss off your doctor, your dentist, your mechanic or immigration agents.

 

[Richard]

Well I made it back from N.Z. and Stig dragged Anders and I off to sunny California ( or so we thought) But snow or bad weather could not keep us away I would not say we conquerd them but a tree climbers version of K2 or Everest is about as close as I can get to calling it. those trees are just plain BIG

 

[SkwerI]

Fantastic, Richard.
Stig has a grin a mile wide, doesn't he?

 

[Bodean]

Wow, That's cool, was that your vehicle? Just park and Climb. Rad.

 

[Paul B]

Most awesome.