A decade long record of life as I know it.
Mike, most recently:
I'm all done after four years and somewhere in the neighborhood of four million dollars, though most of that went to a big subcontract for the brake mechanism that my bridle deployment device will use to control the lowering speed of NASA's big new Mars Rover when it lands on the red planet in 2010. There is paperwork to finish, and some testing to complete as well as a pesky problem with braided fibers getting too stiff when cold. Mars is really cold. Other than that, I am starting to take back my life! I went out and got a much-needed haircut, bought some new clothes, called friends, cleaned my house, and put together the most organized hardware build record ever created at JPL. Test results show the well-oiled machine performing right on my prediction: right distance, right speed, right rotation, and the time was quite close to what I thought would be the nominal. Other things I've done lately: biking, running a 10k race with twelve thousand people at night, and camping out at the San Diego Wild Animal Park where the giraffes run free under palm trees. It's a little odd; palm trees do not remind me of the serengeti, but the zoo has its reasons.
Bio - Work - Projects - archived writings - favorite photos - textile collection
Photos and Commentary . . . follow the links:
- Southern Italy: Two weeks from Calabria to Naples. A wedding, beaches, mountain hamlets, and much pizza. July 2008.
- Zion Canyon, the Subway canyon, Kanarra canyon, Bryce Canyon. June 2008.
- California wildflowers, snow and ice, Montana, Massachusetts, San Francisco, Anacapa Island, and other travels. 2008.
- Northern Argentina. Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Salta and the northwest, San Juan. November 2007.
- Climbing Mt. Whitney, berry picking, San Francisco, Catalina Island, and other weekend fun. Summer 2007.
- Lassen National Park, Rocky Mountains, Mt Baldy, Los Padres National Forest, San Francisco, New York. Spring 2007.
- New Zealand. Sixteen Days South with Joy Nov - Dec 2006.
- San Francisco, New York, High sierra hiking. Summer trips and photos. 2006.
- Monterey, Grand Junction, Tahoe, Antelope Valley, Sequoia National Park. 2006.
- The middle of Asia in the middle of winter. Beijing, then west to the frozen center of the continent to find mosques and mutton, among other things. Dec 2005 / Jan 2006.
- Sequoia NP Backpacking, Joshua Tree. A last hike in the sierras before winter, and a trip to the desert. Nov-Dec 2005.
- New York and MA in October The leaves turn color and Grandpa turns 90. Oct 2005.
- Berkeley, San Francisco, Wyoming, Santa Ynez, Palisade Glacier hike. more summer trips Aug-Sep 2005.
- Newport Beach kayaking, Laguna Beach, Rose Bowl fireworks. July 2005
- Sierra hiking at Pine Creek at the edge of spring. June 2005
- the Giant Burger, an American celebration.June 2005
- Finding New England, A tale of what lives and lies along 1300 miles of New England roadways.April 2005
- Desert wildflowers, Joshua Tree, Yosemite. weekend trips. 2005
- Cycling in Mexico, Joshua Tree, Yosemite via snowshoes other fall fun. Fall 2004
- Iqaluit and Pangnirtung in the Canadian Arctic, a land of ice and wind and carnivorous bears. August 2004
- The road to Texas, on the best business trip ever. June-July 2004
- Channel Island Camping, Paddling Castaic Lake, Sierra hiking. More trips. Summer 2004
- Winter camping, beach in Baja, Joshua Tree, and other news. Spring 2004
- French Polynesia: Tahiti and Moorea. December 2003
- Phoenix Arizona, San Gabriel Mtns, California Desert. and the adventures from it. Fall 2003
- Chasing the sun, six thousand miles west from Massachusetts to California. Summer 2003
- Peru, Bolivia, Chile. Seven weeks solo. Mountains, rainforest, desert, and beach by bus and backpack. Summer 2003
- Climbing Algonquin. To the top of the second highest peak in the Adirondacks. March 1, 2003
- Notes and photos. Malibu beaches, Adirondack snow, RPI campus; weekend trips and photos. Spring 2003
- Southern California. Three months of hiking, road trips, mountains, beach, and desert. Summer 2002
- Mountaineering in Mexico. A week of climbing on the volcano Citlaltepetl, bustling rural markets, desolate hill towns, busy city streets, quiet alpine meadows, frozen ice gullies, wild taxi rides, and fine dining in central Mexico. Spring Break 2002
- East Africa: a climb to the top of Kilimanjaro and a week in the Serengeti. Winter 2001
- Adirondacks, Catskills, and White Mountains: Hiking and paddling in New York and New Hampshire. 1999-2003
- Southern California. Scuba diving, hang gliding, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, trail running, sailing, surfing, canoeing; Yosemite, the High Sierras, the Mojave Desert, Mexico, the California coast, the Colorado River, Las Vegas, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, San Diego, then a cross-country road trip to South Carolina. January-July 2001
- Algonquin Park, Ontario, CanadaA return to the Algonquin highlands: gourmet cooking and beautiful sunsets on the wild but peaceful Canadian lakes, an evening in Ottawa, the Montreal nightlife... summer 2000
- That '77 Honda Civic, the perfect adventure machine... summer 2000
- Paddling the Connecticut. Two paddles and a canoe on the Connecticut river, fishing south.summer 1999-2001
- Katahdin: a weekend in the Maine woods; Owl Mountain, Baxter Peak via Cathedral, the Knife Edge... summer 1999
- Alaska, Three weeks and 1500 miles: camping on the banks of the Yukon, hiking in Denali National Park, exploring glaciers and mine ruins in Wrangell-St. Elias... summer 1998
- Hong Kong and Beijing, Exploring street markets, cycling through villages near Beijing, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Imperial Palace... summer 1997
Mexico to Canada on the PCT, Dad's account from the trail in 1978.
New York to New Orleans by bicycle and riverboat, 1944. Grandma's story.
Questions or comments? email mike-at-mjgradziel.com
Most photos are mine or Joy's (credits to others are in image captions); please credit us where appropriate.