The follow-up to last year's MVP Camping Trip was going to be Ohanapecosh Campground within Mt. Rainer National Park. This would be a long drive for us but an opportunity to see the park for the first time. In addition, there would be be two new participants, Tracy and Dan, both of Olympia. Sadly, Karen and Shaun couldn't make it so in combination with Sam, Joey, and Cecilia the trip would consist of the seven of us. The name "MVP" doesn't really work as well for this trip but I'm using it anyway!
The site reservation was chosen on the weekend following our anniversary. We thus decided to leave a day early and spend our anniversary night at the Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City - a 111 year old hotel that was restored in the 1990s. After work on the 12th, we left Boise around 7pm, making to Baker City just after 8pm local time. After checking in, we ate a nice dinner at the restaurant - Katie had the crab cakes and I had the Idaho trout. Both dishes were great and the restaurant had a great vintage feel to it. We stayed in the cupola suite which was great - lots of room, windows, and nicely appointed. When checking out we were told this room is supposed to be haunted - other than a slightly moving chandelier, we noticed nothing.
On Friday we ate a late breakfast/early lunch at Subway before undertaking the drive to the campground. Driving was mostly highlighted by the eclectic iPod shuffle I put together. We ended up arriving at the campground at about 4pm - at almost the exact time as everyone else!
We were very impressed with the heavily wooded campground along the glacier-sourced Ohanapecosh River. The campground features a near-complete tree canopy of tall second-growth trees, a swimming hole complete with diving opportunities, a visitor center, and trails leading to nearby waterfalls and old-growth forest. We very much enjoyed our time in the beautiful surroundings relaxing with friends! We had a great time meeting Tracy and Dan, catching up with Sam and Joey, seeing how much Cecilia had grown since last time, hanging out around the fire, checking out the area, and eating lots of food!
On Sunday we all departed around noon, beginning the long drive home. We got home a little bit after 8pm, forced to prepare for a week at work.
MVP Camping Pictures (I apologize for the poor quality - we forgot our "real" camera and had to use the cell phone)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Summer Vacation 2010!
Katie and I departed Boise around 11pm on Friday night, July 30th, for an all-night drive to Vancouver. We took turns driving and sleeping (though Katie got more sleep than I) and made it to Bellingham by the early morning. In Bellingham we visited the site of our wedding before stopping at Trader Joes to buy a few items. We soon crossed the border and were at the Shepherd house around 10am.
We were starving upon arrival so we ordered some Panago pizza. After this nice meal, we crashed for a few hours before meeting Kelly (who was at our wedding) at the Elephant Walk Pub. We had a good time catching up over Kokanee and then proceeded to head home to hang out with Dave and sleep.
On Sunday Katie met a couple of her friends. I chose to use the day to instead hike Dam Mountain in North Vancouver. This also gave me the opportunity to do the Grouse Grind, a famous and incredibly steep Vancouver trail that leads to Grouse Mountain Resort area. The Grind was much more prolonged and tougher than I expected... basically it is a staircase that is the approximate height of the Burj Khalifa. The trail was packed with people, which made the trail feel like some kind of outdoor gym and also meant getting stuck behind people and occasionally being tailed by someone faster. I even encountered one guy having a seizure (he was being attended to) and was just above another guy who kicked a small log down the trail which nearly wiped out one or more people. Basically the trail was nuts and struck me as a little bit unsafe given many of the people on it. After a lot of work I made it to the top in just under 65 minutes - pretty good in my opinion!
Once at the top I checked out some of the exhibits, including the zip lines and the grizzly bears. After some questions about the location of the trail (it was not signed) and the "bear in the area" sign, I was eventually headed toward the peak. Once I got going it became evident that the peak would be shrouded in fog - so much for having a summit view! I continued upward on a much narrower and more rugged trail than I expected - pretty much the total opposite from the Grind and much different from the somewhat busy Mt Seymour which I climbed last year. The trail was kind of surreal because it felt like wilderness but was actually paralleled by a noisy irrigation pipe, was overflown by zip lines, and was in earshot of the crowds cheering as they watched the lumberjack show. After scarfing some M&Ms and checking out the foggy summit, I headed back down to the resort where I managed to catch part of the raptor show. Every time I see that sort of thing it reminds me that falconry is cool. From there it was back to the aerial tramway and parking lot.
Sunday night I was left alone (Katie and Dave were both out and about) so I watched some TV and hit the Flying Wedge for dinner. On Monday we mostly ran errands in preparation for the camping trip, however the three of us did meet Greg and Carmina for dinner at White Spot.
Tuesday started bright and early with a 4am departure for the Syringa Provincial Park campground. After performing the final packing of our two vehicles, the five of us hit the 7-11 then headed east. We had some two-way radios to communicate which also made for good entertainment. We made good time and had breakfast at a Subway in Osoyoos which was memorable mainly for the bad service and the depleted pop fountain. Around 1pm we made it to the campground, being the first of our group to show up. Liz and the Aprims followed shortly thereafter and we all proceeded to setup camp.
Camping was great and was highlighted by the usual activities - eating, swimming, reading, relaxing, walking the dogs, sitting around the campfire, etc. In my case, hiking around the park and kayaking across the lake were also included. We also managed to power through a lot of beers - maybe as many as 100?
On Saturday we packed up our stuff and headed home, leaving the campground around 11:45am. The Aprims headed back to Vancouver, Liz and Dave continued camping at McDonald Creek, and we headed back to Boise. Katie and I did eat at the Subway in Castlegar before heading south. We had a minor navigational faux pas in Trail but otherwise headed right on down. We decided to have a nicer dinner in Lewiston and stopped at Matt's Grill where I had the bratwurst and Katie had the lemon chicken. Both were good and I had my first exposure to sauerkraut - a food I truly don't understand. We arrived in Boise just after 2am and 550 miles of driving. After unpacking a few things and a quick shower, we crashed and used Sunday to recover.
Summer Vacation Pictures!
Dam Mountain Pictures!
Dam Mountain GPS Track
We were starving upon arrival so we ordered some Panago pizza. After this nice meal, we crashed for a few hours before meeting Kelly (who was at our wedding) at the Elephant Walk Pub. We had a good time catching up over Kokanee and then proceeded to head home to hang out with Dave and sleep.
On Sunday Katie met a couple of her friends. I chose to use the day to instead hike Dam Mountain in North Vancouver. This also gave me the opportunity to do the Grouse Grind, a famous and incredibly steep Vancouver trail that leads to Grouse Mountain Resort area. The Grind was much more prolonged and tougher than I expected... basically it is a staircase that is the approximate height of the Burj Khalifa. The trail was packed with people, which made the trail feel like some kind of outdoor gym and also meant getting stuck behind people and occasionally being tailed by someone faster. I even encountered one guy having a seizure (he was being attended to) and was just above another guy who kicked a small log down the trail which nearly wiped out one or more people. Basically the trail was nuts and struck me as a little bit unsafe given many of the people on it. After a lot of work I made it to the top in just under 65 minutes - pretty good in my opinion!
Once at the top I checked out some of the exhibits, including the zip lines and the grizzly bears. After some questions about the location of the trail (it was not signed) and the "bear in the area" sign, I was eventually headed toward the peak. Once I got going it became evident that the peak would be shrouded in fog - so much for having a summit view! I continued upward on a much narrower and more rugged trail than I expected - pretty much the total opposite from the Grind and much different from the somewhat busy Mt Seymour which I climbed last year. The trail was kind of surreal because it felt like wilderness but was actually paralleled by a noisy irrigation pipe, was overflown by zip lines, and was in earshot of the crowds cheering as they watched the lumberjack show. After scarfing some M&Ms and checking out the foggy summit, I headed back down to the resort where I managed to catch part of the raptor show. Every time I see that sort of thing it reminds me that falconry is cool. From there it was back to the aerial tramway and parking lot.
Sunday night I was left alone (Katie and Dave were both out and about) so I watched some TV and hit the Flying Wedge for dinner. On Monday we mostly ran errands in preparation for the camping trip, however the three of us did meet Greg and Carmina for dinner at White Spot.
Tuesday started bright and early with a 4am departure for the Syringa Provincial Park campground. After performing the final packing of our two vehicles, the five of us hit the 7-11 then headed east. We had some two-way radios to communicate which also made for good entertainment. We made good time and had breakfast at a Subway in Osoyoos which was memorable mainly for the bad service and the depleted pop fountain. Around 1pm we made it to the campground, being the first of our group to show up. Liz and the Aprims followed shortly thereafter and we all proceeded to setup camp.
Camping was great and was highlighted by the usual activities - eating, swimming, reading, relaxing, walking the dogs, sitting around the campfire, etc. In my case, hiking around the park and kayaking across the lake were also included. We also managed to power through a lot of beers - maybe as many as 100?
On Saturday we packed up our stuff and headed home, leaving the campground around 11:45am. The Aprims headed back to Vancouver, Liz and Dave continued camping at McDonald Creek, and we headed back to Boise. Katie and I did eat at the Subway in Castlegar before heading south. We had a minor navigational faux pas in Trail but otherwise headed right on down. We decided to have a nicer dinner in Lewiston and stopped at Matt's Grill where I had the bratwurst and Katie had the lemon chicken. Both were good and I had my first exposure to sauerkraut - a food I truly don't understand. We arrived in Boise just after 2am and 550 miles of driving. After unpacking a few things and a quick shower, we crashed and used Sunday to recover.
Summer Vacation Pictures!
Dam Mountain Pictures!
Dam Mountain GPS Track
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Braxon Peak Climb
Dan and I decided to climb a peak in the Sawtooths. We decided on Braxon Peak, which noted author Tom Lopez states has the "best 360 degree view in Idaho". Plus it is accessed from Redfish Lake Creek, an area neither of us had visited before.
We were scheduled to meet at 6am, however Dan missed his alarm and we didn't get going until 6:45am. We drove up in Dan's new Chevy Equinox, a nice ride which included the XM Radio for our entertainment. On the way to Redfish Lake, Dan informed me that he recently suffered a broken rib playing basketball and was on painkillers. I was surprised to hear this and my concern about this news would later be validated!
We caught the Redfish Lake shuttle just after 9:30am. The boat ride across the lake was enjoyable with incredible scenery, however we were both surprised by the casual nature of the operation - no life jackets nor any other bureaucracy required! We paid our money and were immediately taken on the boat. After taking a few pictures on the shuttle, we were on the trail just before 10am. After a brisk hike up the trail, we followed John's instructions and started hiking uphill just before a small footbridge. From here the going got much steeper and eventually required navigating around various cliffs and other obstacles. As we got higher, Dan was feeling worse, getting dizzy from the exertion. We decided we would evaluate whether to continue at the lake just above 8900' elevation.
After some work we reached the lake at 8900'. We ended up deciding that Dan would stay at the lake while I finished the climb up Braxon Peak. My goal was to climb and descend the final 1400' in 2 hours. I headed uphill at a pretty brisk pace but ultimately was slowed by the terrain beneath the summit ridge. After two failed attempts over class 4 terrain, I finally found a class 3 route up to the summit ridge. From there it was a steep but straightforward climb to the summit. The views from the summit matched Tom Lopez's description - a complete panorama of Sawtooth peaks that was actually somewhat overwhelming to take in! Because of my compressed time line, I didn't spend too long on the summit - I caught my breath, rehydrated, took a few pictures, signed the register, and was soon heading down. The terrain, while a little loose on the ascent, provided the perfect terrain for descent and I was able to make pretty good time back to the lake basin where Dan was waiting. In the end I was 30 minutes late which made up for Dan missing his alarm in the morning!
Dan had a leisurely time at the lake, relaxing and even taking a brief swim. Once we met up again, we descended the boulder-strewn and cliffy terrain back to the trail. There was actually a good deal of route-finding required to get back down! Once on the trail, we moved briskly to attempt to catch the earliest possible shuttle back to our car. Arriving at the dock at 6:10pm, we ended up having to wait until 7pm for a shuttle to arrive. The return shuttle was totally full (12 people on the boat and 3 others left at the dock) and the driver had concerns that we were going to run out of gas. However we did make it back to the vehicle, where we enjoyed Alaskan Ambers (courtesy of Dan) before beginning the drive back to Boise.
The drive to Boise was highlighted by XM Radio surfing, including various comedy shows, grunge, hair metal, and freestyle rap. Before we knew it we were back in town and sadly forced to get ready to go to work on Monday...
Trip statistics: 8.55 miles, 4129' elevation gain, 8:16h
Braxon Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
We were scheduled to meet at 6am, however Dan missed his alarm and we didn't get going until 6:45am. We drove up in Dan's new Chevy Equinox, a nice ride which included the XM Radio for our entertainment. On the way to Redfish Lake, Dan informed me that he recently suffered a broken rib playing basketball and was on painkillers. I was surprised to hear this and my concern about this news would later be validated!
We caught the Redfish Lake shuttle just after 9:30am. The boat ride across the lake was enjoyable with incredible scenery, however we were both surprised by the casual nature of the operation - no life jackets nor any other bureaucracy required! We paid our money and were immediately taken on the boat. After taking a few pictures on the shuttle, we were on the trail just before 10am. After a brisk hike up the trail, we followed John's instructions and started hiking uphill just before a small footbridge. From here the going got much steeper and eventually required navigating around various cliffs and other obstacles. As we got higher, Dan was feeling worse, getting dizzy from the exertion. We decided we would evaluate whether to continue at the lake just above 8900' elevation.
After some work we reached the lake at 8900'. We ended up deciding that Dan would stay at the lake while I finished the climb up Braxon Peak. My goal was to climb and descend the final 1400' in 2 hours. I headed uphill at a pretty brisk pace but ultimately was slowed by the terrain beneath the summit ridge. After two failed attempts over class 4 terrain, I finally found a class 3 route up to the summit ridge. From there it was a steep but straightforward climb to the summit. The views from the summit matched Tom Lopez's description - a complete panorama of Sawtooth peaks that was actually somewhat overwhelming to take in! Because of my compressed time line, I didn't spend too long on the summit - I caught my breath, rehydrated, took a few pictures, signed the register, and was soon heading down. The terrain, while a little loose on the ascent, provided the perfect terrain for descent and I was able to make pretty good time back to the lake basin where Dan was waiting. In the end I was 30 minutes late which made up for Dan missing his alarm in the morning!
Dan had a leisurely time at the lake, relaxing and even taking a brief swim. Once we met up again, we descended the boulder-strewn and cliffy terrain back to the trail. There was actually a good deal of route-finding required to get back down! Once on the trail, we moved briskly to attempt to catch the earliest possible shuttle back to our car. Arriving at the dock at 6:10pm, we ended up having to wait until 7pm for a shuttle to arrive. The return shuttle was totally full (12 people on the boat and 3 others left at the dock) and the driver had concerns that we were going to run out of gas. However we did make it back to the vehicle, where we enjoyed Alaskan Ambers (courtesy of Dan) before beginning the drive back to Boise.
The drive to Boise was highlighted by XM Radio surfing, including various comedy shows, grunge, hair metal, and freestyle rap. Before we knew it we were back in town and sadly forced to get ready to go to work on Monday...
Trip statistics: 8.55 miles, 4129' elevation gain, 8:16h
Braxon Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Mount Idaho Climb
On September 2, 2001, I climbed Hyndman Peak. Of Idaho's nine 12000'+ peaks, this was the first whose summit I reached. Last week, I climbed Lost River Mountain, which was number 8. I had a plan to climb my final "twelver" - Mount Idaho - with some people from Rupert this past Friday but it turned out that they couldn't make it. Ultimately I decided that instead of rescheduling I'd rather take Friday off and finish the quest by making a solo ascent of the peak.
After leaving Boise around 3:30am, I arrived at the trailhead around 7am. Surprisingly, three other vehicles were there too - a rarity for a somewhat obscure peak. From the trailhead I had a brisk hike up the forested creek bottom of Elkhorn Creek. After reaching treeline I was greeted with my first views of the peak and a steep climb of mostly good rock to the summit ridge. The summit ridge also yielded the day's first incredible views of the surrounding county - including Borah Peak, the highest peak in Idaho.
The summit ridge is blocked by three towers which add some climbing and route-finding to the ascent. For the most part, a trail identifies the easiest way around these obstacles but finding the trail sometimes took effort. Once to the base of the face, the route climbs a mixture of solid rock and usually good talus to the summit. It was quite a bit of effort to finish the climb, but ultimately I reached the summit in just over 5 hours! The view was incredible and the conditions were perfect! I spent about 45 minutes atop the peak relaxing, taking in the views, and sending a few text messages.
During the entire climb I was expecting to run into others due to having seen the vehicles at the trailhead. However upon leaving the summit I still had seen no one. I descended a loose talus line from the summit, a route that got pretty steep and forced me to cross a few patches of steep, rotten snow. Upon getting back to the base of the face, I ran into the group of seven that were just beginning the ascent of the face. Apparently I passed them somewhere... maybe in the forest? We chatted a bit and then headed our separate ways. Later I saw them atop the peak and eventually I found out five of them made the summit. From the base of the face the descent involved a mixture of solid rock, loose rock, and kind-of-loose rock on increasingly tired legs and aching feet. Once my dogs are barking my hiking pace slows dramatically and it took me quite a while to descend from the basin to the vehicle. Needless to say, ten hours later I was very happy to be back to the car!
Trip statistics: 7.52 miles, 10:05h, 5369' elevation gain
Mount Idaho Pictures!
GPS Track
After leaving Boise around 3:30am, I arrived at the trailhead around 7am. Surprisingly, three other vehicles were there too - a rarity for a somewhat obscure peak. From the trailhead I had a brisk hike up the forested creek bottom of Elkhorn Creek. After reaching treeline I was greeted with my first views of the peak and a steep climb of mostly good rock to the summit ridge. The summit ridge also yielded the day's first incredible views of the surrounding county - including Borah Peak, the highest peak in Idaho.
The summit ridge is blocked by three towers which add some climbing and route-finding to the ascent. For the most part, a trail identifies the easiest way around these obstacles but finding the trail sometimes took effort. Once to the base of the face, the route climbs a mixture of solid rock and usually good talus to the summit. It was quite a bit of effort to finish the climb, but ultimately I reached the summit in just over 5 hours! The view was incredible and the conditions were perfect! I spent about 45 minutes atop the peak relaxing, taking in the views, and sending a few text messages.
During the entire climb I was expecting to run into others due to having seen the vehicles at the trailhead. However upon leaving the summit I still had seen no one. I descended a loose talus line from the summit, a route that got pretty steep and forced me to cross a few patches of steep, rotten snow. Upon getting back to the base of the face, I ran into the group of seven that were just beginning the ascent of the face. Apparently I passed them somewhere... maybe in the forest? We chatted a bit and then headed our separate ways. Later I saw them atop the peak and eventually I found out five of them made the summit. From the base of the face the descent involved a mixture of solid rock, loose rock, and kind-of-loose rock on increasingly tired legs and aching feet. Once my dogs are barking my hiking pace slows dramatically and it took me quite a while to descend from the basin to the vehicle. Needless to say, ten hours later I was very happy to be back to the car!
Trip statistics: 7.52 miles, 10:05h, 5369' elevation gain
Mount Idaho Pictures!
GPS Track
Monday, July 19, 2010
Lost River Mountain Climb
I joined Matt Durrant and Mike Fox for a climb of Lost River Mountain, Idaho's 6th highest peak. Matt and I left Boise a little after 6pm on Friday and after stopping for dinner at Wendy's in Mountain Home, we headed over to the Joe T. Fallini campground to meet Mike. We got there just before 10pm and shot the breeze for a bit before going to bed. After a fitful sleep in the Escape, I (along with Matt & Mike who slept outside) was up early and ready to go a little bit after 6am. We had a quick drive over to the peak which was highlighted by an abnormally high amount of water in the irrigation canal on Upper Cedar Creek Rd. After questioning the sanity of the endeavor, I drove the Escape through the approximately 2' of water without incident. It was easily the deepest water crossing I've attempted in a vehicle!
We got going just before 7am and made great time up the open slopes to the lower treeline, through the trees, and to the upper treeline. From there we caught a surprisingly good trail into the famed Super Gully which only had about 500' of snow left. We had a surprisingly easy time reaching the base of the snow on pretty good talus. The snow was soft but we kicked steps and made good time up the steep terrain. Once above the snow, we ascended approximately 200' of some of the worst talus in Idaho. Gradually the rock improved and soon we were on the ridge leading to the false summit. From the false summit, it is a fun ridge walk over the summit.
We enjoyed perfect weather and incredible views atop the peak, spending approximately 45 minutes relaxing and naming neighboring peaks. On the descent, we enjoyed some great talus skiing and made it down the softer snow without any problems. From the bottom of the snow, it was mostly a hike down to the vehicle.
After dropping Mike off at the campground, Matt and I embarked on the long drive back to Boise, getting back home that evening.
Trip statistics: 4.46 miles, 4854' elevation gain, 8:33h
Lost River Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
We got going just before 7am and made great time up the open slopes to the lower treeline, through the trees, and to the upper treeline. From there we caught a surprisingly good trail into the famed Super Gully which only had about 500' of snow left. We had a surprisingly easy time reaching the base of the snow on pretty good talus. The snow was soft but we kicked steps and made good time up the steep terrain. Once above the snow, we ascended approximately 200' of some of the worst talus in Idaho. Gradually the rock improved and soon we were on the ridge leading to the false summit. From the false summit, it is a fun ridge walk over the summit.
We enjoyed perfect weather and incredible views atop the peak, spending approximately 45 minutes relaxing and naming neighboring peaks. On the descent, we enjoyed some great talus skiing and made it down the softer snow without any problems. From the bottom of the snow, it was mostly a hike down to the vehicle.
After dropping Mike off at the campground, Matt and I embarked on the long drive back to Boise, getting back home that evening.
Trip statistics: 4.46 miles, 4854' elevation gain, 8:33h
Lost River Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Mt. Rose Hike
As part of our Reno trip, I managed to squeeze in a hike of Mt. Rose, a county highpoint and a peak that dominates the Reno skyline. I left the hotel just after 6am on Independence Day and was on the trail before 7am. Reno was having daytime highs in the 90s so I was surprised to find the morning temperature at the trailhead to be in the 30s - I wasn't dressed for that level of chill!
Once moving and into the sun, the temperature was no longer an issue. I moved quickly up the trail which still had quite a bit of snow on it. I didn't see a single person until halfway to the peak, where I found myself behind at least a dozen hikers, most of whom appeared to be Russian. After getting around that group, I sped up to the summit and was able to peaceably enjoy the incredible views of Reno and Lake Tahoe from the top! After enjoying the summit for a little while I headed over to nearby Church Peak, which featured very similar views to its bigger neighbor.
On the way back to the trailhead I passed what could only be described as a horde of people either climbing the peak or just hiking the trail. There must have been several dozen at least, and quite a few families. I made it back to the hotel around noon, in perfect time for lunch and the rest of our day of sightseeing and bowling!
Trip statistics: 13 miles, 2700' elevation gain, 4:40h
Mt. Rose Pictures!
PS: I forgot to bring my watch on the hike (despite packing it) so no detailed trip data this time!
Once moving and into the sun, the temperature was no longer an issue. I moved quickly up the trail which still had quite a bit of snow on it. I didn't see a single person until halfway to the peak, where I found myself behind at least a dozen hikers, most of whom appeared to be Russian. After getting around that group, I sped up to the summit and was able to peaceably enjoy the incredible views of Reno and Lake Tahoe from the top! After enjoying the summit for a little while I headed over to nearby Church Peak, which featured very similar views to its bigger neighbor.
On the way back to the trailhead I passed what could only be described as a horde of people either climbing the peak or just hiking the trail. There must have been several dozen at least, and quite a few families. I made it back to the hotel around noon, in perfect time for lunch and the rest of our day of sightseeing and bowling!
Trip statistics: 13 miles, 2700' elevation gain, 4:40h
Mt. Rose Pictures!
PS: I forgot to bring my watch on the hike (despite packing it) so no detailed trip data this time!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Reno Vacation!
In the spirit of last year's Las Vegas Trip, we decided to use the Independence Day holiday for a short vacation. I had Friday off so I used the day to clean up around the house and try out the new pizza place near our house. The pizza place passed muster and I also managed to get most of the cleaning done. I picked Katie up from work just after 5pm and we were in Reno for dinner. While renting a car I again got upsold to a Mustang... maybe Katie should take care of those duties in the future?
We had a nice patio dinner at the Silver Peak and both enjoyed our meals and brews! That part of downtown Reno had live music going on by the river - it was a great place to spend an evening. After dinner, we checked out downtown Reno a little bit then headed over to the Grand Sierra, our chosen hotel/resort. For whatever reason we got a room upgrade (the "summit") which was on the 20th floor and quite nice. We were also pretty impressed with the resort - lots of restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a driving range, a go-kart track, a bungee jump, and stores in addition to the usual gaming accoutrements. Katie was happy that the hotel was dog-friendly, so we got to see lots of pups, including a little dachshund puppy & an Old English Sheepdog! We also happened to be there the same weekend as the West Coast Scrabble Championship which enabled us to see ballrooms of people playing Scrabble for the first time.
Saturday we had a nice day checking out the cities of Reno and Carson City. Mostly we just did touristy stuff, like checking out the various historic sites and what-not. We had a couple of nice meals at the Island Cheeseburger place in Reno and Briscola at our hotel. Island Cheeseburger actually had an incredible beer selection which I wasn't expecting. We really enjoyed our driving tour of both places!
On Sunday I got up early to hike Mt. Rose just outside of Reno, while Katie took a walk around the casino & checked out the pool. After I returned from this nice hike, we had lunch at the Lodge Buffet (Katie's first casino buffet) then headed down to Lake Tahoe to see that area. We were both blown away by the scenery of the lake and also how crowded it was! Lake Tahoe has a huge fireworks show on the 4th and we were right in the middle of it - think Spring Break atmosphere! We drove most of the loop road, stopping at various points to check things out. On the way home we drove by Squaw Valley and up to Truckee, CA - which was yet another scenic drive.
On Monday I picked up my sports bet winnings (I won both bets on Rafael Nadal and the BC Lions), which was the only bright spot amongst our gambling adventures. We had a nice lunch at Deli Towne USA, which may be the best gas station cuisine we've had yet. From there we took in a Reno Aces game at their stadium near downtown. The game started well for Reno but eventually the Sacramento Rivercats took control and won the game. It was a day game and we managed to get some of the few (and popular!) seats that were shaded the whole time. Despite being in the shade, we still managed to get a little bit pink! After the game, we hit the Trader Joe's (so Katie could bring back a few items) and had dinner at BJ's. From there, it was back to the airport, ultimately Boise, and work the next day.
Reno Pictures!
We had a nice patio dinner at the Silver Peak and both enjoyed our meals and brews! That part of downtown Reno had live music going on by the river - it was a great place to spend an evening. After dinner, we checked out downtown Reno a little bit then headed over to the Grand Sierra, our chosen hotel/resort. For whatever reason we got a room upgrade (the "summit") which was on the 20th floor and quite nice. We were also pretty impressed with the resort - lots of restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a driving range, a go-kart track, a bungee jump, and stores in addition to the usual gaming accoutrements. Katie was happy that the hotel was dog-friendly, so we got to see lots of pups, including a little dachshund puppy & an Old English Sheepdog! We also happened to be there the same weekend as the West Coast Scrabble Championship which enabled us to see ballrooms of people playing Scrabble for the first time.
Saturday we had a nice day checking out the cities of Reno and Carson City. Mostly we just did touristy stuff, like checking out the various historic sites and what-not. We had a couple of nice meals at the Island Cheeseburger place in Reno and Briscola at our hotel. Island Cheeseburger actually had an incredible beer selection which I wasn't expecting. We really enjoyed our driving tour of both places!
On Sunday I got up early to hike Mt. Rose just outside of Reno, while Katie took a walk around the casino & checked out the pool. After I returned from this nice hike, we had lunch at the Lodge Buffet (Katie's first casino buffet) then headed down to Lake Tahoe to see that area. We were both blown away by the scenery of the lake and also how crowded it was! Lake Tahoe has a huge fireworks show on the 4th and we were right in the middle of it - think Spring Break atmosphere! We drove most of the loop road, stopping at various points to check things out. On the way home we drove by Squaw Valley and up to Truckee, CA - which was yet another scenic drive.
On Monday I picked up my sports bet winnings (I won both bets on Rafael Nadal and the BC Lions), which was the only bright spot amongst our gambling adventures. We had a nice lunch at Deli Towne USA, which may be the best gas station cuisine we've had yet. From there we took in a Reno Aces game at their stadium near downtown. The game started well for Reno but eventually the Sacramento Rivercats took control and won the game. It was a day game and we managed to get some of the few (and popular!) seats that were shaded the whole time. Despite being in the shade, we still managed to get a little bit pink! After the game, we hit the Trader Joe's (so Katie could bring back a few items) and had dinner at BJ's. From there, it was back to the airport, ultimately Boise, and work the next day.
Reno Pictures!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Boulder Mountain Hike
Last Saturday I hiked Boulder Mountain near McCall. Having never been in the Lick Creek Mountains, it was a great opportunity to see a new corner of Idaho. As is typical for me, I slept in and got a late start. After checking out the reservoir near the trailhead I was immediately stunned by the number of people on this trail... dozens of teenagers were backpacking out and I saw quite a few other hikers on the trail moving in both directions. Pretty high volume for Idaho where most outings result in seeing no one!
In less than an hour I reached Boulder Lake where a brief conversation with a kid resulted in him telling me I should hike slower and enjoy nature more. Perhaps he was right but that means getting up earlier - a total no-go! From there I hiked the trail around the lake under increasingly snowy and muddy conditions. Despite the conditions, there were people camped along the lake including some that brought llamas with them. Upon reaching the upstream side of Boulder Lake I ditched the trail and hiked the mostly bare south slopes of Boulder Mountain to the summit. The mostly dry terrain was a welcome respite, however near the summit I was forced on to some rotten snow that made me glad I went the way I did!
On top, I mostly had the summit and incredible views to myself. Not having hiked this area before, I was greeted with a summit panorama populated by many unfamiliar summits. More terrain to learn! Before I left four other hikers reached the summit... the one guy I talked to was from Caldwell. I thought about continuing on to nearby Jughandle Mountain but the low snow levels and late hour eliminated that option. Thus I headed directly down to Boulder Lake and to the trail, bypassing the snowy and muddy terrain that vexed me on the ascent. I should have ascended that way - the terrain was a little bit rocky and much more enjoyable!
After getting back to the car, I headed back home. However I decided to check out the bankrupt Tamarack Resort near Donnelly since I hadn't been there before. It's not every day you get to see a bankrupt ski resort! I found lots of partially built structures along with a general post-apocalyptic vibe. Quite unusual, but the scenery along Lake Cascade was incredible!
Trip statistics: 7.17 miles, 2418' elevation gain, 4:28h
Boulder Mountain Photos!
GPS Track
In less than an hour I reached Boulder Lake where a brief conversation with a kid resulted in him telling me I should hike slower and enjoy nature more. Perhaps he was right but that means getting up earlier - a total no-go! From there I hiked the trail around the lake under increasingly snowy and muddy conditions. Despite the conditions, there were people camped along the lake including some that brought llamas with them. Upon reaching the upstream side of Boulder Lake I ditched the trail and hiked the mostly bare south slopes of Boulder Mountain to the summit. The mostly dry terrain was a welcome respite, however near the summit I was forced on to some rotten snow that made me glad I went the way I did!
On top, I mostly had the summit and incredible views to myself. Not having hiked this area before, I was greeted with a summit panorama populated by many unfamiliar summits. More terrain to learn! Before I left four other hikers reached the summit... the one guy I talked to was from Caldwell. I thought about continuing on to nearby Jughandle Mountain but the low snow levels and late hour eliminated that option. Thus I headed directly down to Boulder Lake and to the trail, bypassing the snowy and muddy terrain that vexed me on the ascent. I should have ascended that way - the terrain was a little bit rocky and much more enjoyable!
After getting back to the car, I headed back home. However I decided to check out the bankrupt Tamarack Resort near Donnelly since I hadn't been there before. It's not every day you get to see a bankrupt ski resort! I found lots of partially built structures along with a general post-apocalyptic vibe. Quite unusual, but the scenery along Lake Cascade was incredible!
Trip statistics: 7.17 miles, 2418' elevation gain, 4:28h
Boulder Mountain Photos!
GPS Track
Monday, June 21, 2010
Jumbo Mountain Hike
After a quick back and forth of text messages, Dan and I chose to climb Jumbo Mountain near the South Fork of the Boise River. Dan had to be back in Boise by the evening so Jumbo's proximity to Boise and modest stats made it a good choice. We were on the road just after 7am and on the trail around 9:30am. On the way to the trailhead I had to take a few pictures at Anderson Ranch Reservoir since it was actually full and the views were incredible.
The trail started as an ATV track but shortly turned to decent singletrack. It climbed very steeply up the Jumbo Creek drainage and we were quickly to a nice meadow at 6000'. Instead of climbing to the ridge above Little Water Gulch we attempted to follow the abandoned trail along the upper reaches of Jumbo Creek. This trail proved to be non-existent so we gave up and just climbed the steep slopes to the ridge top west of the summit. From the ridge it was a very enjoyable hike to the summit through open terrain.
Despite not being very high, Jumbo Mountain has great views of the Soldier, Boise, and Smoky Mountains. The weather atop the peak was perfect - warm with a light breeze. After taking in the views we embarked on a direct but steep return to the car. On the way home we drove by the Castle Rocks since I'd never seen them before.
Trip statistics: 5.63 miles, 3335' elevation gain, 4:51h
Jumbo Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
The trail started as an ATV track but shortly turned to decent singletrack. It climbed very steeply up the Jumbo Creek drainage and we were quickly to a nice meadow at 6000'. Instead of climbing to the ridge above Little Water Gulch we attempted to follow the abandoned trail along the upper reaches of Jumbo Creek. This trail proved to be non-existent so we gave up and just climbed the steep slopes to the ridge top west of the summit. From the ridge it was a very enjoyable hike to the summit through open terrain.
Despite not being very high, Jumbo Mountain has great views of the Soldier, Boise, and Smoky Mountains. The weather atop the peak was perfect - warm with a light breeze. After taking in the views we embarked on a direct but steep return to the car. On the way home we drove by the Castle Rocks since I'd never seen them before.
Trip statistics: 5.63 miles, 3335' elevation gain, 4:51h
Jumbo Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sheep Mountain Hike
Last Sunday I decided to take advantage of the summer-like weather and bag a peak. Because I love to sleep so much I missed my alarm and didn't wake up until 9:30am or so. Despite this really late start I decided to attempt my initial planned objective, Sheep Mountain. After driving the agonizing washboardy and potholed road up the Middle Fork of the Boise, I arrived at the trailhead at about a quarter to noon. I chose to hike the peak via the north ridge, which looked like a much more enjoyable hike than the switchbacked route up the south face. My route was the longer of the two and with such a late start I knew I had to move fast in order to be off the peak at a reasonable hour.
I started hiking briskly and ended up gaining the first 1000' of elevation in 30 minutes... impressive for me. Shortly thereafter I reached the ridge and was able to take in the stunning views offered by this hike. It was easy cruising on the generally great trail (though it was motorcycle damaged in places) and I made great time. The GPS watch actually made for a great motivator for a solo hike like this - I'm sure I would've hiked slower without it giving me goals to achieve. Thankfully snow was a minor factor, only being present for the last few hundred vertical feet.
I reached the summit just after 2:30pm and was able to take in some of the best views of Boise Mountains I've experienced. Being my first summit in this general area, I enjoyed seeing the various peaks from a different vantage point. After spending some time enjoying the twin summits, being mindful of time I reluctantly headed back down. My descent was pretty brisk and I ended up getting back to the car just after 5pm. I really enjoyed this hike along the Middle Fork and hope to visit another peak in this area soon!
Trip statistics: 14.57 miles, 4167' elevation gain, 5:18h
Sheep Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
I started hiking briskly and ended up gaining the first 1000' of elevation in 30 minutes... impressive for me. Shortly thereafter I reached the ridge and was able to take in the stunning views offered by this hike. It was easy cruising on the generally great trail (though it was motorcycle damaged in places) and I made great time. The GPS watch actually made for a great motivator for a solo hike like this - I'm sure I would've hiked slower without it giving me goals to achieve. Thankfully snow was a minor factor, only being present for the last few hundred vertical feet.
I reached the summit just after 2:30pm and was able to take in some of the best views of Boise Mountains I've experienced. Being my first summit in this general area, I enjoyed seeing the various peaks from a different vantage point. After spending some time enjoying the twin summits, being mindful of time I reluctantly headed back down. My descent was pretty brisk and I ended up getting back to the car just after 5pm. I really enjoyed this hike along the Middle Fork and hope to visit another peak in this area soon!
Trip statistics: 14.57 miles, 4167' elevation gain, 5:18h
Sheep Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Vinegar Hill Hike
Dan and I were both available on the 5th for a hike. Because the weather in Idaho wasn't great, we opted for Vinegar Hill, a prominent peak in eastern Oregon where the weather was better.
We weren't sure how far up the road we could get but we made it roughly 7.5 miles in from the highway. There was more snow that we expected which wasn't a great match for the trail running shoes I brought. However the snow wasn't a major obstacle... a little bit soft but no major post-holing occurred. The trip was actually shorter than we expected... a rarity for a hiking trip! The weather was perfect and we both enjoyed the great summit views in all directions! Another fine hike in eastern Oregon!
This was also my first hike with my new GPS watch - so now I can provide super-accurate trip data. The things I do for my audience!
Trip statistics: 6.74 miles, 2076' elevation gain, 4:35h
Vinegar Hill Trip Pictures!
GPS Log
Dan's Trip Report
We weren't sure how far up the road we could get but we made it roughly 7.5 miles in from the highway. There was more snow that we expected which wasn't a great match for the trail running shoes I brought. However the snow wasn't a major obstacle... a little bit soft but no major post-holing occurred. The trip was actually shorter than we expected... a rarity for a hiking trip! The weather was perfect and we both enjoyed the great summit views in all directions! Another fine hike in eastern Oregon!
This was also my first hike with my new GPS watch - so now I can provide super-accurate trip data. The things I do for my audience!
Trip statistics: 6.74 miles, 2076' elevation gain, 4:35h
Vinegar Hill Trip Pictures!
GPS Log
Dan's Trip Report
Monday, June 7, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend...ROADTRIP!
It's officially Katie's next Blog Post! Mark your calendars, everyone! And try to control your bladders & your excitement, I know that was hard for me to do while I was typing this.
Word of warning: this will be a LONG post...as Zach said "to make up for all the blog posts I haven't made". Haha. He's a funny guy.
Ok, so last weekend was the Memorial Day long weekend here in the United States of 'Merica, and Zach & I decided to go on a wee roadtrip to Long Beach, WA, because we're a couple of wild & crazy guys! We left the Treasure Valley on Friday evening after work, driving to the lovely (um, boring) town of Kennewick, WA (about a 4 hr drive) to pass out for the night.
The next morning, we drove on to our old 'hood, Olympia, WA, to check out what had changed since we'd last been there 3 years ago.
We got into the Olympia/Tumwater area in the early afternoon, and drove around town for a little while, stopping by Zach's old workplace (Department of Revenue), as well as our old apartment complex and my old workplace (Cascade Billing Company, which was right next to our old apartment complex). The most shocking change we found was across the street from our old apartment complex, which (when we lived there) was all forested - the trees have all been cleared, and a HEINOUS-looking housing development has been built there. The "houses" (I use that term very loosely) have a great view of the area, which is probably the only thing going for them. As Dad always said, if you live in it, you don't have to look at it! To each their own, I guess!
After we got over that monstrosity, we headed to our hotel & checked in, before going over to our friends Joey & Sam's house, to visit with them & their 17-month-old adorable little girl, Cecelia. Once Cecelia was out for the night (uh, and the babysitter showed up!), we all went down to the Fish Brew Pub - Fish Tale Ales is an organic Olympia brewery with awesome beer as well as apple & pear ciders. We had a great meal (I had the fish tacos which had grilled cod with an awesome non-mayonnaise-y coleslaw on top; Zach had the beer-battered cod & chips, which he also loved), and we drank an excellent pitcher (or two! between the 4 of us) of their Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale.
We then went to an old hang-out - a Karaoke bar, of all places! Sam is an awesome singer, and we used to go there a few Saturday nights a month to drink some beer & be entertained by all the talented (and not-so-talented!) singers...Sam sang a few songs, including Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecelia" - it was shockingly the first time he'd ever sang that song in the 17 months his daughter's been alive! We also got to experience what I think was by far the worst rendition of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" I have ever heard...if I hadn't seen the words on the Karaoke screen, I never in a million years would have guessed what song was being butchered! The poor woman only knew 1 note, but she stuck with it for the whole song...good for her, I guess!
After that debacle, we called it a night & headed back to our hotel.
Sunday morning, we spent some time wandering the Olympia Famer's Market. We picked up a huge bag of amazing Washington State cherries (strangely, cherries are not the best roadtrip food...who would have thought?! heehee), as well as some apples & bison pepperoni (Helmut's German Deli in Vernon, BC has absolutely nothing to worry about - their bison pepperoni still has first place in our hearts!). We got a few (rainy-weather) pictures of the Port of Olympia (NYK shockingly doesn't have service to this port!), checked out Capitol Lake and then headed out of town, on our way to Long Beach.
We made a stop in the tiny fishing town of Westport, WA, and checked out the (busy!) marina there...the real highlight of this stop was seeing a (gigantic!) sea lion swimming through the marina...Zach tried to get a picture when it's head was above the water, but it was too quick! Mom, I seriously thought it was a silkie! We really only got to see it's head a few times, and one of it's flippers, but it was really long & very cool!
After I got my fill of Irish folklore & marine life, we continued on to our final destination for the day - Long Beach! We checked into our little bungalow. Please notice in the picture of the interior of the bungalow, that the short, white, open door is the door into the ITSY BITSY bathroom. The door frame was literally as tall as Zach's chin, and the shower head in the (tiny) shower was about the same height! We didn't include a picture of the bathroom but it was covered in totally retro mint/avocado green tile, and was so tiny we both had to be careful not to smash elbows/butts/miscellaneous body parts while getting dried off! It was an adventure!
We walked along the boardwalk on Long Beach for awhile, but it was pretty rainy, so we decided to go on a car ride to a little town called Oysterville, that our friends Karen & Shaun (from Olympia) had recommended to us. (sidenote: we would have visited with them while we were in Olympia, but they chose that weekend to visit Vancouver, of all places!)
Oysterville was adorable - a little "town" stuck in the 1800's, with beautiful beach-front houses, an old schoolhouse & an adorable little church with a steeple that looked like a lighthouse! Also, we definitely picked the right time to travel through the Pacific Northwest, because apparently the end of May is RHODO BLOOMING SEASON! It was absolutely insane & beautiful - rhodos were EVERYWHERE, and in amazing colours...some were so big they reached the 2nd storey of the houses they were in front of!
We ate some dinner (We tried some PNW oysters that were pretty darn awesome), and went to bed early, to prepare for a long day of driving on Monday!
Monday morning, we checked out Cape Disappointment & a cool old lighthouse...the terrain at both was really rocky & impressive! We drove over the (4 mile long) bridge into Astoria, OR, and stopped at the Rogue Public House as they make some of Zach's favourite beers. We had a tasty lunch - I had a grilled salmon filet burger, Zach had a $10 haute dog - no really, that's what it's called - with caramelized onions & bleu cheese served with a mustard made with ale. We also tried a few of their beers, my favorite being their honey orange wheat beer (it was too citrusy for Zach, but then again...he crazy!)
After driving around Astoria for a bit (and passing the school that Kindergarten Cop was filmed at! Alas, no sightings of the house that Goonies was filmed at), we headed over to Portland.
I made Zach stop at the Dave's Killer Bread store so we could pick up some stuff we can't get in Boise, and from there, we drove allllll the way back to Boise. this portion of the trip was complete with a HORRENDOUS driving experience in Eastern Oregon where (due to highway construction for what felt like 300 miles) the oncoming lane of highway traffic was separated from us by flimsy bendable orange marker posts - thank you, Oregon Department of Transportation, you supreme jerks! With the combination of rain, wet pavement, the glare of oncoming traffic lights, it made for some white-knuckle driving! We made it, though, and arrived home around 12:30pm.
Tuesday morning came waaaaaay too early, but it was well worth the great trip! Unfortunately it rained almost the entire time, but it was still a trip filled with great friends, great food and great scenery & views!
Phew...ok, I'm FINALLY done. Before I go, I'd like to thank Zach for downloading a bunch of great music onto the Ipod for the trip...and would also like to take this opportunity to point out to everyone that one of the songs he downloaded was MARIAH FREAKING CAREY. Yes, my husband who used to be addicted to hardcore heavy metal also likes to rock out to "I'll Be There". Don't get me wrong, I belted that song out at the top of my lungs (to his chagrin, I'm sure!), but...um...I'm a GIRL!
I'm sure Dave will defend Zach's choice!
Ok, that's it! See you all in another 6 months or so, when it's time for me to blog again! Juuuust kidding...I know I need to do this more regularly, so you don't get a massive monsoon post from me every 6 months!
Oh, here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure!
Washington Coast Trip Pictures
Word of warning: this will be a LONG post...as Zach said "to make up for all the blog posts I haven't made". Haha. He's a funny guy.
Ok, so last weekend was the Memorial Day long weekend here in the United States of 'Merica, and Zach & I decided to go on a wee roadtrip to Long Beach, WA, because we're a couple of wild & crazy guys! We left the Treasure Valley on Friday evening after work, driving to the lovely (um, boring) town of Kennewick, WA (about a 4 hr drive) to pass out for the night.
The next morning, we drove on to our old 'hood, Olympia, WA, to check out what had changed since we'd last been there 3 years ago.
We got into the Olympia/Tumwater area in the early afternoon, and drove around town for a little while, stopping by Zach's old workplace (Department of Revenue), as well as our old apartment complex and my old workplace (Cascade Billing Company, which was right next to our old apartment complex). The most shocking change we found was across the street from our old apartment complex, which (when we lived there) was all forested - the trees have all been cleared, and a HEINOUS-looking housing development has been built there. The "houses" (I use that term very loosely) have a great view of the area, which is probably the only thing going for them. As Dad always said, if you live in it, you don't have to look at it! To each their own, I guess!
After we got over that monstrosity, we headed to our hotel & checked in, before going over to our friends Joey & Sam's house, to visit with them & their 17-month-old adorable little girl, Cecelia. Once Cecelia was out for the night (uh, and the babysitter showed up!), we all went down to the Fish Brew Pub - Fish Tale Ales is an organic Olympia brewery with awesome beer as well as apple & pear ciders. We had a great meal (I had the fish tacos which had grilled cod with an awesome non-mayonnaise-y coleslaw on top; Zach had the beer-battered cod & chips, which he also loved), and we drank an excellent pitcher (or two! between the 4 of us) of their Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale.
We then went to an old hang-out - a Karaoke bar, of all places! Sam is an awesome singer, and we used to go there a few Saturday nights a month to drink some beer & be entertained by all the talented (and not-so-talented!) singers...Sam sang a few songs, including Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecelia" - it was shockingly the first time he'd ever sang that song in the 17 months his daughter's been alive! We also got to experience what I think was by far the worst rendition of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" I have ever heard...if I hadn't seen the words on the Karaoke screen, I never in a million years would have guessed what song was being butchered! The poor woman only knew 1 note, but she stuck with it for the whole song...good for her, I guess!
After that debacle, we called it a night & headed back to our hotel.
Sunday morning, we spent some time wandering the Olympia Famer's Market. We picked up a huge bag of amazing Washington State cherries (strangely, cherries are not the best roadtrip food...who would have thought?! heehee), as well as some apples & bison pepperoni (Helmut's German Deli in Vernon, BC has absolutely nothing to worry about - their bison pepperoni still has first place in our hearts!). We got a few (rainy-weather) pictures of the Port of Olympia (NYK shockingly doesn't have service to this port!), checked out Capitol Lake and then headed out of town, on our way to Long Beach.
We made a stop in the tiny fishing town of Westport, WA, and checked out the (busy!) marina there...the real highlight of this stop was seeing a (gigantic!) sea lion swimming through the marina...Zach tried to get a picture when it's head was above the water, but it was too quick! Mom, I seriously thought it was a silkie! We really only got to see it's head a few times, and one of it's flippers, but it was really long & very cool!
After I got my fill of Irish folklore & marine life, we continued on to our final destination for the day - Long Beach! We checked into our little bungalow. Please notice in the picture of the interior of the bungalow, that the short, white, open door is the door into the ITSY BITSY bathroom. The door frame was literally as tall as Zach's chin, and the shower head in the (tiny) shower was about the same height! We didn't include a picture of the bathroom but it was covered in totally retro mint/avocado green tile, and was so tiny we both had to be careful not to smash elbows/butts/miscellaneous body parts while getting dried off! It was an adventure!
We walked along the boardwalk on Long Beach for awhile, but it was pretty rainy, so we decided to go on a car ride to a little town called Oysterville, that our friends Karen & Shaun (from Olympia) had recommended to us. (sidenote: we would have visited with them while we were in Olympia, but they chose that weekend to visit Vancouver, of all places!)
Oysterville was adorable - a little "town" stuck in the 1800's, with beautiful beach-front houses, an old schoolhouse & an adorable little church with a steeple that looked like a lighthouse! Also, we definitely picked the right time to travel through the Pacific Northwest, because apparently the end of May is RHODO BLOOMING SEASON! It was absolutely insane & beautiful - rhodos were EVERYWHERE, and in amazing colours...some were so big they reached the 2nd storey of the houses they were in front of!
We ate some dinner (We tried some PNW oysters that were pretty darn awesome), and went to bed early, to prepare for a long day of driving on Monday!
Monday morning, we checked out Cape Disappointment & a cool old lighthouse...the terrain at both was really rocky & impressive! We drove over the (4 mile long) bridge into Astoria, OR, and stopped at the Rogue Public House as they make some of Zach's favourite beers. We had a tasty lunch - I had a grilled salmon filet burger, Zach had a $10 haute dog - no really, that's what it's called - with caramelized onions & bleu cheese served with a mustard made with ale. We also tried a few of their beers, my favorite being their honey orange wheat beer (it was too citrusy for Zach, but then again...he crazy!)
After driving around Astoria for a bit (and passing the school that Kindergarten Cop was filmed at! Alas, no sightings of the house that Goonies was filmed at), we headed over to Portland.
I made Zach stop at the Dave's Killer Bread store so we could pick up some stuff we can't get in Boise, and from there, we drove allllll the way back to Boise. this portion of the trip was complete with a HORRENDOUS driving experience in Eastern Oregon where (due to highway construction for what felt like 300 miles) the oncoming lane of highway traffic was separated from us by flimsy bendable orange marker posts - thank you, Oregon Department of Transportation, you supreme jerks! With the combination of rain, wet pavement, the glare of oncoming traffic lights, it made for some white-knuckle driving! We made it, though, and arrived home around 12:30pm.
Tuesday morning came waaaaaay too early, but it was well worth the great trip! Unfortunately it rained almost the entire time, but it was still a trip filled with great friends, great food and great scenery & views!
Phew...ok, I'm FINALLY done. Before I go, I'd like to thank Zach for downloading a bunch of great music onto the Ipod for the trip...and would also like to take this opportunity to point out to everyone that one of the songs he downloaded was MARIAH FREAKING CAREY. Yes, my husband who used to be addicted to hardcore heavy metal also likes to rock out to "I'll Be There". Don't get me wrong, I belted that song out at the top of my lungs (to his chagrin, I'm sure!), but...um...I'm a GIRL!
I'm sure Dave will defend Zach's choice!
Ok, that's it! See you all in another 6 months or so, when it's time for me to blog again! Juuuust kidding...I know I need to do this more regularly, so you don't get a massive monsoon post from me every 6 months!
Oh, here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure!
Washington Coast Trip Pictures
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Barenaked Ladies Concert
Katie has been a fan of Canadian band Barenaked Ladies for some time and attended their concerts when she lived in Canada. I was never as much of a fan because I didn't know much about their music and I consider their name to be egregious false advertising. However they were coming to Boise so we jointly decided we would attend. It would be my first "big name" concert visit in nine years! However I was saddened to learn they probably wouldn't be playing the only song of theirs I knew - Be My Yoko Ono.
The concert venue was an open grassy area at the Idaho Botanical Garden which meant that weather would be a concern. The weather forecast for Friday was uncertain and despite it not being very warm (temperatures were in the low 50s) it did stay dry! After a quick dinner at Pie Hole, we arrived just after 7pm as opening act Serena Ryder was beginning her performance. After being amazed by how busy the place was (the show was sold out) we found a decent spot on the grass. We ended up right near an old coworker of mine from Micron so the two of us caught up for a few minutes.
I wasn't a big fan of Serena Ryder's set but The Barenaked Ladies put on a great show. They started playing at about 8pm and played nearly two hours - more than most headline acts I've seen. I recognized a few of the songs but I think my favorite part was their improvised song honoring Boise which mixed vocal saxophone impressions with lyrics related to geological facts the band gleaned from the interpretive signs on nearby Table Rock.
On the way home the rain finally came... perfect timing!!
Serena Ryder performing with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies
Concert venue
Barenaked Ladies early in their set
Barenaked Ladies onstage
Encore performance
The concert venue was an open grassy area at the Idaho Botanical Garden which meant that weather would be a concern. The weather forecast for Friday was uncertain and despite it not being very warm (temperatures were in the low 50s) it did stay dry! After a quick dinner at Pie Hole, we arrived just after 7pm as opening act Serena Ryder was beginning her performance. After being amazed by how busy the place was (the show was sold out) we found a decent spot on the grass. We ended up right near an old coworker of mine from Micron so the two of us caught up for a few minutes.
I wasn't a big fan of Serena Ryder's set but The Barenaked Ladies put on a great show. They started playing at about 8pm and played nearly two hours - more than most headline acts I've seen. I recognized a few of the songs but I think my favorite part was their improvised song honoring Boise which mixed vocal saxophone impressions with lyrics related to geological facts the band gleaned from the interpretive signs on nearby Table Rock.
On the way home the rain finally came... perfect timing!!
Serena Ryder performing with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies
Concert venue
Barenaked Ladies early in their set
Barenaked Ladies onstage
Encore performance
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Office Move
My company has been doing some hiring lately and we outgrew our old office and phone system. We were literally hiring people with no place for them to sit nor a phone extension available! With the commercial real estate market being bad the company was able to get a good deal on a much bigger building. On April 30 we moved over there and we're finally starting to settle in!
Old building
Old desk. Note the snazzy Haworth Zody ergonomic chair.
New building. If you look really hard you can see the logo of Cypress Semiconductor, the former occupant of the building.
New desk
Bonus at the new building: A fridge full of free pop! Yes, that is champagne on the door!
Old building
Old desk. Note the snazzy Haworth Zody ergonomic chair.
New building. If you look really hard you can see the logo of Cypress Semiconductor, the former occupant of the building.
New desk
Bonus at the new building: A fridge full of free pop! Yes, that is champagne on the door!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Company Picnic
Katie's company had their annual office picnic on Saturday at Eagle Island State Park. Despite all of the crummy weather lately it actually turned out to be a nice day! I got to meet more of Katie's co-workers and many of their children while enjoying the hot dogs and other fare. Katie submitted two dessert items (brownies and oatmeal creme pies) for judging... hopefully she will be declared victorious!
Entrance to the day-use area
Shelter with Richard manning the grill
Lake at Eagle Island State Park
Entrance to the day-use area
Shelter with Richard manning the grill
Lake at Eagle Island State Park
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