Summer

Hello! Lots of posts today. Scroll down to see them all. I'm trying to catch up on the massive amounts of back photos I have. We've been very busy this summer, traveling all over the country. I must say, there's a lot of beauty and interest to be had here, and a lot of culture and history. And, of course, some awesome views of these Eastern Skies.

You know, a lot of people don't think the sky has much to offer around here, but I beg to differ. Of course, I do live in a place known for its clear and beautiful skies. The weather this past week has been the best we've ever experienced--definitely better than when we arrived a year ago!

It's been a year, can you believe it? School starts again in less than two weeks, we go in a week before that, but for now, I'm going to squeeze every last drop out of my remaining vacation. Here's a few pictures of the past year that I don't think I've posted before. Enjoy.

Heartbeat - Fame!

I've been working on the Heartbeat! video a bit over the summer, so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak. Here is the opening number, "Fame!"

Laoshan

Last fall, we went out to a place called Laoshan. Some of us decided to cycle there. It's about 30 miles away over some rugged mountains. Cars can take a tunnel through the mountain, but bikes aren't allowed, so they have to go over. But, hey! One of the guys had heard about a shortcut, so we decided to try it.

In retrospect, we like to say that we invented a new pastime: the Hike'n'Bike. See, sometimes you're biking like you'd expect, sometimes you're pushing your bike up steep, underused footpaths, sometimes you're team carrying bikes across ravines, over boulders, and through old, washed out riverbeds, and sometimes (all too rarely), you're flying down the side of a mountain, bouncing over rocks, dodging trees and peasants, and trying not to fly over the front of your handlebars. The Hike'n'Bike. Try it today!

In the end, we made it to our destination, and it was worth it. Enjoy the pictures below. I didn't take all of them, but I thought they were worth posting nonetheless.