We waited, hundreds of us, in the cold and wet December Pacific Northwest weather. Shortly after 10 AM, the first-ever 787 Dreamliner pulled away from the flightline. It taxied down the runway, turned around and fired up its two Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines. Seconds later it filled the viewfinder of my Nikon as I held down the shutter release, clicking off 6 frames a second as it climbed into the atmosphere. Within moments the 787 was a spec against the cloudy sky, and several minutes later it vanished into the horizon. After almost a decade of hard work and billions of dollars in investment, the flying 787 Dreamliner became reality.

Earlier in the morning at around 8 AM, I walked a mile from another Boeing building to Paine Field. As I made my way across the tarmac, I ran into a couple of friends who had also made the trek to witness the 787′s first flight. The flight line was electric—hundreds of Boeing employees braved the elements to catch a few fleeting glimpses of an aviation first. To shoot the scene I rolled with some heavy artillery, specifically the Nikon D300 and the Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D lens.

While we were waiting for the first flight to commence, a helicopter from Blackcomb Aviation fitted with an IMAX camera panned the crowd from 30 feet above the crowd. It reminded me of the badass rig the guy from Brain Farm Cinema has.

Buzz on the flight line was that the flight could be called off if the weather got too nasty. Sweeper trucks made several passes on the runway to clear off standing water. Apparently the conditions weren’t too dangerous which was evident when a Bombardier Challenger (painted in the Boeing Corporate Fleet livery) landed a few minutes before first flight was scheduled. After hours of waiting, the jetway finally pulled back and the 787 taxied onto the runway. The crowed erupted in cheers as first flight was not almost certainly eminent.

I noticed a large cone attached to the tail of the 787. An engineer later explained to me that this device mechanically measures air speed. It is attached to lines and gauges inside the plane that determine air speed based on resistance—all analog. This seems strange considering the cutting edge technologies harnessed to design, build and operate the 787, but I guess there’s always room for an old school method or two.

After taxiing down the runway, the 787 turned around to face the north. If it wasn’t so stereotypically overcast, the airplane would have pointed straight at Mount Baker. Mike Carriker, 787 Chief Test Pilot, fired up the engines. The chase airplanes, two old military trainer jets, came up from the south and nearly stalled as they tried to match the takeoff speed of the 787. The aircraft quickly reached 140 knots, and with the two trainer jets and an IMAX outfitted helicopter chasing, it lifted off the ground for the very first time. Everett erupted in cheers.

The first thing I noticed about the airplane was how absolutely SICK the wings looked. They gracefully sweep back and look more like a bird of prey than a commercial jet. Bad ass, Boeing. Bad ass.

For more photos of the 787 Dreamliner First Flight, visit my Flickr set. For more information on the 787, check out newairplane.com.

I was not sure where I was heading, I just knew I needed to cross the Puget Sound and head west. After catching a boat to Bremerton, I headed north on 3, caught the 104 to the 101 and eventually cruised along the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the 112. Five hours later the Explorer pulled into a campsite in Ozette, WA. For the next few days this secluded plot would serve as our base camp as Caitlin, Sharat, Emily and I explored the very western edge of the United States. Above is Emily jump standing on the coast of the Pacific at the Dungeness Spit.

After a luxurious night sleeping on cushy inflatable mattress in a rented four person REI Hobitat, I woke up before my fellow campers and noticed a spider spinning a web in our camp. I hauled the Manfrotto, set up an external flash and took a few shots of the little guy.

Later in the afternoon a deer wandered near our F-Noc game (AKA Friz Knock AKA Polish). As there are hardly any people in Ozette, this creature didn’t seem too scared of our troupe.

I did a little photo sesh with Sharat and Caitlin on top of a huge rock on the Pacific Coast. Emily kindly volunteered to be my VAL and held a SB-600 flash outfitted with a LumiQuest Softbox II. I triggered the flash remotely using Nikon’s CLS. Sure, I took some pictures of them looking serious (you can see them on Flickr); but I like this one the best.

The rock we climbed dropped off about 160′ into the ocean. A plethora of flora grew along the edge of the cliff. I crawled around on my belly with a wireless SB-600 and took a handful of shots as the sun set. There is no doubt that I looked very bizarre to the hill billy kids fooling around several feet away.

The Pacific Northwest coast is characterized by big sea stack rocks. Explosion 5K readers will remember a similar geologic feature that I encountered in Oregon.

I’m not sure how this whole Zen rock stacking thing got started, but I see it a lot now that I live on the West Coast. I found this particular stack while we wandered up the spit, a long sliver of sand that extends out into the ocean, in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

Sharat the flower child on the spit.

On our way back to Seattle, we timed the Edmonds-Kingston ferry so that we caught the sun set over the Olympics. This shot is looking southeast at a passing ferry with Mount Rainier and Seattle catching the last red rays of the day.

Check out these pictures and more on Flickr, or watch the slideshow below (be sure to go full screen).

The following is a case study of a group of 20 somethings from Seattle, Washington as they battle cabin fever near Mount Baker.

Part I: How to diagnose Cabin Fever.

Card Games.

A rapidly developing affinity for vintage card games is one sign that you’re coming down with a case of cabin fever. Good luck trying to actually play these card games though. It requires multiple players, which means you’ll need to encourage participation and explain rules to fellow cabin fever sufferers (who are likely self-medicating already). One possible solution is to infuse a “boozing element” into the game—more on this later.

Chasing Cake with Beer.

This only seems like a good idea when a severe bout of cabin fever has set it. Be careful. “One bite” often turns into eating half the cake.

It’s also recommended that you cover the cake and hide it after the initial birthday celebration. One poor, inebriated soul will inevitably decide it’s a suitable alcohol sponge and drunkenly finger the cake into crumbs and smudges of frosting. Read about previous incidents with cake and beer.

Pets acting like humans.

If you notice that your dog is acting like a human, you probably should get some sun and go for a run or something. Or just look at more pictures of Bella.

DJ REDDY.

If Sharat starts playing non-bloghaus hits (read Ariz/Pullen playlists) off of an iPod that he DOESN’T own, he’s probably lost his effing mind and you should proceed with caution. Exercise extra vigilance if he starts doing a Brooklyn/Hipster-ish dance to JT’s “My Love” or similar jam. A quick way to re-route this debacle is to put on Ratatat’s “17 Years.” (Don’t worry, it’s on Kristen’s iPod).

Seventeen Years – Ratatat

Labeling “baking a rack of cookies” as a “productive day.”

If you feel accomplished and all you did was bake, you’ve got some serious CF.

Adding ‘boozing rulez’ to innocent games.

If you and 10 other people agree on a way to play Spoonz that requires consuming mass quantities of Coors Light, you probably are experiencing the early stages of Cabin Fever.

Pets talking to stuffed animals.

It’s actually okay to think your pets are talking to you. Bella kept staring at me all weekend and I kept asking her, “why so serious?” However, if you find yourself enthralled by the discourse exchanged between a boxer and a stuffed bear, you might have Cabin Fever. The bear definitely cannot talk.

Imagining things to be instruments.

I wish those crutches were guitars. Then breaking your leg would be AWESOME. It’s actually okay to rock out with a pair of crutches. Just don’t rock out too hard—you don’t want to actually need them.

Head Bands.

Fashionable and progressive accessory? Or an indication your friend has a “duele me cabeza?”

Photog.

If you see this guy without his camera, the best thing you can do is give him a beer. CF is likely setting in, and he’s probably spent too much time updating his blog. An Amstel or Coors will do the trick.

Part II: How to cure cabin fever.

The Laura.

If The Laura has been unleashed, you’re actually in good shape. The ridiculousness that is about to ensue will cure 90% of Cabin Fever cases.

The Detroit Lean.

As demonstrated here by Mr. Cappel, the Detroit Lean is an effective way to burn calories and stave off CF during the long winter months. Give it a try in front of your computer.

Plaid vs Argyle.

Sharat and Liz are demonstrating classic anti-CF looks. Sharat sports a scarf and argyle sweater. He’s sticking his tongue out because it is too cold to flick me off.

Hoods.

Keep those ears warm, Liz. An important part of reducing Cabin Fever is listening. If your ears get too cold and fall off, how will you be able to hear the Backstreet “OMG-you-have-this-on-your-iPod-let’s-play-it-for-irony’s-sake-yet-I-secretly-still-like-this-band” Boys song coming from the stereo inside? You won’t. Keep the hood up.

Can’t raise the roof? Pound the floor.

Security deposits are nice to get back. You’d like to tear the roof off the sucker, but you should probably just ‘beat down on the ground.’

Jean Jam.

You are probably wondering how your parents’ generation were able to fight Cabin Fever. They didn’t have all kinds of great technology like iPods, wide-mouth beer cans and DJ REDDY. I hate to say it, but nothing cures the winter blues like a little ‘blue on blue.’

Meet new people.

This is also a reason why you should always leave the house with a clean pair of underwear on.

Do the Pullen.

This dance has similar benefits to the Detroit Lean, but it takes an advanced user to properly maneuver.

Ears are safe.

Cabin fever cannot be transmitted through the ear. Have fun!

Sing to the beer bottle.

That bottle has given you so much, why not give a little back via singing it a song? Also a great CF reducer.

Hopefully you are now prepared to diagnose and treat cabin fever. If you have any questions, please see the slide show below. Thank you.

Bonus!

One lucky commenter will win an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 t-shirt. Share a story about cabin fever or comment on the nonsense you see here by Monday, March 9 for a chance to win. Be sure to leave a website, Facebook or MySpace link in the “website” section of the comment form. Also, check out last year’s Baker trip on Facebook.

Epilogue.

There are always a few loose ends to tie up in the aftermath of a weekend like this.

Notes on the Photography.

All of the photos here and in the Flickr set were shot with a Nikon D300. Picture control settings are Neutral with +1 saturation. I alternated between the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8mm lenses (the difference should be pretty obvious). I used a Nikon SB-600 on many of the shots with the Tokina. I typically use this flash at 45° or 60° with a Sto-Fen cover as it bounces the light and evenly lights the foreground and background. To get that “Last Night’s Party” look (bright foreground, dark background), I removed the Sto-fen and shot the flash straight on at 90°.

Leavenworth, WA. October 4, 2008.

Let someone else make the plans.

The first thing you need to do to take great photographs is simple: wait for one of your friends to organize a party/weekend/camping trip. It is important that you make little to no effort in planning this event as you’ll need all the time you can to plan shots/buy lenses/charge batteries. Also, it’s easier and stress free to just ‘go along for the ride’ instead of ‘sending emails and collecting money.’ If you want to send emails and collect money, that’s fine, but you’ll probably get to distracted and lose your camera (like I did at Riegling’s Vegas bachelor party—oops!). In this example, Laura did a wonderful job of getting the gang together for an Oktoberfest weekend in Leavenworth.

Don’t drive.

If you are the artistic type, (let’s face it, if you own a DSLR you probably at least think you’re a ‘creative who gets art/music more than your friends’) you might have the tendency to ‘overindulge’ in things that fuel your innovation. Since a cop has never pulled me over to compliment me on my ‘creative’ driving, I’ll leave motorized pursuits to the willing during ‘photographic/party pixxxxxxxxing expeditions.’ Be careful though, not every DD is cool with you sipping single malt scotch from your flask to stay ‘inspired.’

Rocking at the lodge: Drew on melodica, yours truly on guitar.
Photo by Lara Gamberg.

Express Yall’selves.

Once your friends have made reservations at a lodge in the middle of the mountains, and you have safely arrived riding shotgun with one of your bros, it is now your responsibility to ‘take the party to the next level.’ Walking through the door half drunk with a case of beer and yelling something positive sounding (it doesn’t need to be in English or any language—see Sigur Ros) always makes for a great entrance. Since you are not the first to arrive, (I don’t need to go over that, do I?) your friends should be 15-25% more buzzed than you. Leverage their buzzedness by suggesting everyone do shots of strange foreign liquors or encouraging sing-a-longs with musical instruments. Bringing a trunk full of acoustic instruments for you and your friends to play is a must for any camping/mountain experience. Rocking out several late 90’s anthems that everyone knows the words to will also help you establish yourself as the ‘guy/gal-who-always-likes-to-have-a-good-time- yet-is-also-sorta-artistic/gifted.’ If you don’t know any Dave Matthew’s Band songs, girls might be disappointed, but all the dudes at the party will respect you. Also, make sure you can at least play some Beatles’ songs because everyone likes those.

Desiree at the lodge. Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f/1.8, wide open.

What about the DSLR?

Once you have helped bring the party to ‘the next level,’ it’s a good time to bust out your Nikon D300/Canon 50D. Throw on a fast lens, let your ISO float to 1600 or 3200, and dial in a wide open setting in Aperture Priority. Since you’re probably not ‘totally wasted’ yet, you don’t have to go into full-blown idiot autofocus mode. Use a selective sensor AF, put the active sensor on the eye of your subject and just snap away. It’s important to offer positive reinforcement like, “looks great!” or “this is prolly going to be your new FB profile pic.” People love hearing that shit. After you crank off 6 or 7 frames, find a good one and pull it up on your 3” LCD. One of the cardinal rules of party pixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxing is showing off your goods during the sesh to show people you are talented/not a creepster.

Sending up a prost at a strange Bavarian restaurant in Leavenworth.
Left to right: Emily, Laura, Drew, Kristen, Curtis, Claire, Lara, Desiree.

Getting Festive.

Remember, the whole reason you’re doing any of this is to attend some festival/concert/parade. It is important to have your DSLR charged and ready to document you and your friends ‘getting cultural.’ People love being tagged and switching up their MySpaces to show everyone on the internet that their fun/kute. Creating killer JPEGS for your friends to Facebook about is your duty.

All the signs in Leavenworth are written in script similar to this.

Chicken=Laura, Elephant=Claire, Green cap=Lara, Wasted drunk chicken=Kristen.

Prosting outside the beer hall.

Prepare to Get Drunk.

Sometimes to shoot the story, you need to become the story. Never let your DSLR get in the way of a beer, and never let a beer get in between your lens and a CMOS sensor (sooo expensive to fix yall). As the amount of alcohol you imbibe increases, gradually shift the settings on your camera to automatic modes. Stop jacking around in Aperture Priority—those days are behind you—throw it in “P.” Also, now would be a good time to engage idiot autofocus. You are essentially morphing your fancy gear into a very large point ‘n shoot.

Who are these Germans?

Desiree.

Sarah and Nick. Nick grew the ‘stache especially for this weekend.

The best beer tent in all of Washington. That yellow thing on the left told me I couldn’t stand on the bench.

Time to Go Wide.

Once inebriation reaches a certain threshold, composing the shot becomes difficult. Reach into your camera bag and grab the wide guy (a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, for example). Wide angle lenses allow you to be in the middle of the action and make great photographs without worrying about where the camera is pointed. If a 400mm f/2.8 is a sniper rifle, this baby is a 12 gauge shotgun.

Drew and some brew.

Lara, Phil & Erika

Everyone wants some Tom.

The Day After.

After a big day of beerfesting, your friends will be pretty cracked out. They will likely begin to engage in peculiar and moderately foolish behavior. This is what is known as “prime time” in DSLR parlance. You’ll have all kinds of great opportunities to catch your friends being goofy and just ‘getting real with each other.’ This is usually the final chapter of a party pixxxxxxxxxxx sesh. After a little Photoshop and blogging, you’ll be an internet celebrity for about 4 minutes.

Climbing a huge rock outside of our lodge.

Curtis & Claire.

Laura crowd surfing on the beach.

Tom skipping stones at Lake Wenatchee.

Zen Curtis.

Lake Wenatchee.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR lens @ 18mm w/circular polarizer.