Last Friday was my birthday, or more properly the anniversary of my birthday. Last year I decided working on this day was unacceptable so I took the day off from work. As I am wont to do, I slept in and planned the day in an impromptu manner. I knew the weather would be questionable but upon waking up I realized that a short hike in the foothills would be possible.
By 10:30am I left the house and headed up the Rocky Canyon Road into the eastern foothills hoping to get close enough to my goal, little known Aldape Peak. We haven't had much snow since New Years and I was astonished that I could drive the Escape all the way to Aldape Summit. I stopped a little bit short (not wanting to push my luck) but hiking the road proved it would have been no problem. Highly unusual conditions for mid-February!
I, perhaps foolishly, didn't even bring snowshoes but fortunately they weren't really needed. I hiked the main road to Aldape Summit and had intended to follow the Boise Ridge Road to the summit. However this road was gated as private property, which I didn't remember from my last hike in the area in 2003. I thus took a detour and hiked to the summit. From there I followed a jeep trail to the vicinity of the peak. Despite fairly deep snow, it held my weight pretty well in most places. It appeared this path had been snowmobiled awhile ago which is probably why it was sufficiently compacted for boot travel. With minimal struggle I made it to the summit in just over an hour, taking in partially obscured views of the surrounding area. What surprised me the most about this peak was that it had a great view of downtown Boise, something not possible in many parts of the foothills. I had a quick descent and got back to my car in just under two hours. On the way home, a passing storm dumped snow over east Boise and made for an interesting scene.
After getting home and cleaned up, around 5PM I headed to Cafe Ole to meet some coworkers for our usual "beer thirty". I stayed for about an hour and then met Katie at The Front Door in downtown Boise for a birthday dinner featuring quality beer and delicious pizza. The pizza was half pepperoni and half artichoke and impossible to stop eating! The beer list at The Front Door is extensive and unusual and provided me the rare of experience of not knowing what many of the beers were. Fortunately, I took advantage of the situation and expanded my beer vocabulary by trying the Kostritzer Black Lager, an IPA whose name escapes me, and the Bridgeport coffee porter.
In short, it was a great birthday and while I'm not excited about being older, I wouldn't mind every day being like this one!
Hike statistics: 4.17 miles, 1360' elevation gain, 2 hours
Aldape Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Craters of the Moon Snowshoe 2011
Last year, Matt and I went snowshoeing in the Craters of the Moon National Monument. That was a great trip however we only visited three of the numerous summits we initially planned to visit. Thus we put together a follow-up trip this winter to allow us to visit some of the other summits.
We headed out around 5:45am and were moving by 8:45am. We started up the highest peak on our itinerary, Sunset Cone, which sits just above the visitor center. Quickly we were atop this peak and began our slow march around the park, proceeding to climb Grassy Cone, Silent Cone, "Big Crater", Inferno Cone, Paisley Cone, and finishing on North Crater. In total, we visited 6 named summits plus another unnamed point.
The weather was much better than our last visit and we had great views of Blizzard Mountain, the Pioneer Foothills, the Lost River Range, and the Snake River Plain. Snowshoeing alongside the edge of the North Crater Aa Flow was pretty interesting as was observing the hollowed out snow caused by the warmth emanating from the volcanic vents underneath the ground. The Big Craters area was the most interesting area we visited and we spent some time checking out the impressive depressions all adjacent to each other.
We were surprised how few snowshoe tracks we found... only Paisley Cone had a trail established and North Crater had a few tracks. Despite my heavy use of sunblock (see the pictures), I still managed to get a little bit of sunburn. Oh well, it was still a great day!!
Trip statistics: 7.42 miles, 2276' elevation gain, 6:26h
Craters of the Moon 2011 Pictures!
GPS Track
Matt's Trip Report
We headed out around 5:45am and were moving by 8:45am. We started up the highest peak on our itinerary, Sunset Cone, which sits just above the visitor center. Quickly we were atop this peak and began our slow march around the park, proceeding to climb Grassy Cone, Silent Cone, "Big Crater", Inferno Cone, Paisley Cone, and finishing on North Crater. In total, we visited 6 named summits plus another unnamed point.
The weather was much better than our last visit and we had great views of Blizzard Mountain, the Pioneer Foothills, the Lost River Range, and the Snake River Plain. Snowshoeing alongside the edge of the North Crater Aa Flow was pretty interesting as was observing the hollowed out snow caused by the warmth emanating from the volcanic vents underneath the ground. The Big Craters area was the most interesting area we visited and we spent some time checking out the impressive depressions all adjacent to each other.
We were surprised how few snowshoe tracks we found... only Paisley Cone had a trail established and North Crater had a few tracks. Despite my heavy use of sunblock (see the pictures), I still managed to get a little bit of sunburn. Oh well, it was still a great day!!
Trip statistics: 7.42 miles, 2276' elevation gain, 6:26h
Craters of the Moon 2011 Pictures!
GPS Track
Matt's Trip Report
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Peak 9220' Snowshoe
The weather during the week was looking great and Dan asked if I was interested in taking a day off of work to snowshoe up a peak. After a (brief) period of contemplation I agreed. The peak would be the unnamed Peak 9220' near Copper Mountain on the edge of the Sawtooths. We left Boise just after 5:30am on Thursday and began the drive to Banner Summit near Stanley. A little after 8am we were parked and getting ready. Despite few storms since New Years, there was plenty of snow in the area. Temperatures were somewhat cold (an estimated 10 degrees) but not unusual.
We got moving through the forest and after starting cold I started to warm up. The snow was softer that we expected but had a good base and wasn't too much work to move through. We were a little worried about crossing Bench Creek due to deep snow and the depth of water in the creek but we eventually encountered a good snow bridge that held our weight. From there we reached the base of the peak whose summit was surprisingly in clouds. Of course we could only continue on and hope things improved by the time we reached the top. The ridge was steep but pretty straightforward and we made good time up the over 2000' of elevation gain. We even had an old ski track for the part of the way which was a nice help.
Upon reaching the top, we were greeted with perfect weather (in the 20s), no wind, and an incredible view. From the top we took in the incredible panorama of Sawtooth, Boise, Salmon River, and White Cloud peaks. We really enjoyed our time on the peak and didn't head down until we started to get cold. Our descent down the ridge was pretty quick but crossing the flats was a slog due to fatigue. Upon reaching the vehicle we enjoyed a beer (although mine was partially frozen) and began the trip home.
This was a great winter peak and is highly recommended!
Trip statistics: 7.08 miles, 2527' elevation gain, 6:48h
Peak 9220' Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
We got moving through the forest and after starting cold I started to warm up. The snow was softer that we expected but had a good base and wasn't too much work to move through. We were a little worried about crossing Bench Creek due to deep snow and the depth of water in the creek but we eventually encountered a good snow bridge that held our weight. From there we reached the base of the peak whose summit was surprisingly in clouds. Of course we could only continue on and hope things improved by the time we reached the top. The ridge was steep but pretty straightforward and we made good time up the over 2000' of elevation gain. We even had an old ski track for the part of the way which was a nice help.
Upon reaching the top, we were greeted with perfect weather (in the 20s), no wind, and an incredible view. From the top we took in the incredible panorama of Sawtooth, Boise, Salmon River, and White Cloud peaks. We really enjoyed our time on the peak and didn't head down until we started to get cold. Our descent down the ridge was pretty quick but crossing the flats was a slog due to fatigue. Upon reaching the vehicle we enjoyed a beer (although mine was partially frozen) and began the trip home.
This was a great winter peak and is highly recommended!
Trip statistics: 7.08 miles, 2527' elevation gain, 6:48h
Peak 9220' Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Three Peak Winter Outing
Dan suggested snowshoeing to Johnson BM on a ridge overlooking the Camas Prairie. Having not hiked in this area it sounded pretty interesting so I was in. To add some elevation to the day, we also added a couple of other more minor objectives: Flat Top Butte and Don BM.
We left Boise a little after 6am and reached the trailhead for Johnson BM shortly after 8am. It was 13° which was actually considerably warmer than the nearby town of Fairfield! The snowshoe trip over the ridge was great as the sun rose and revealed the fog-shrouded Camas Prairie. Snow conditions were surprisingly good despite the snowpack being thinner than usual. After a couple of hours we reached the end of the ridge and Johnson BM. After taking some pictures (and Dan updating Facebook) we headed back to the vehicle.
After finishing the snowshoe trip of Johnson BM, we made a quick ascent of nearby Flat Top Butte just across the Gooding County line. This was a roughly 30 minute trip which was accelerated by the windy conditions that made us head back to the vehicle pretty quickly.
On the way back to Boise on US-20, we stopped to make a quick ascent of Don BM right by the highway. This was a surprisingly nice peak which a great view of the surrounding area. After quickly heading down we were able to finish the drive home - and arrive before 4pm. Not bad for visiting three peaks in winter!
Trip statistics (total): 8.26 miles, 1751' elevation gain, 5:09h
Johnson BM, Flat Top Butte, Don BM Pictures!
Johnson BM GPS Track
Flat Top Butte GPS Track
Don BM GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
We left Boise a little after 6am and reached the trailhead for Johnson BM shortly after 8am. It was 13° which was actually considerably warmer than the nearby town of Fairfield! The snowshoe trip over the ridge was great as the sun rose and revealed the fog-shrouded Camas Prairie. Snow conditions were surprisingly good despite the snowpack being thinner than usual. After a couple of hours we reached the end of the ridge and Johnson BM. After taking some pictures (and Dan updating Facebook) we headed back to the vehicle.
After finishing the snowshoe trip of Johnson BM, we made a quick ascent of nearby Flat Top Butte just across the Gooding County line. This was a roughly 30 minute trip which was accelerated by the windy conditions that made us head back to the vehicle pretty quickly.
On the way back to Boise on US-20, we stopped to make a quick ascent of Don BM right by the highway. This was a surprisingly nice peak which a great view of the surrounding area. After quickly heading down we were able to finish the drive home - and arrive before 4pm. Not bad for visiting three peaks in winter!
Trip statistics (total): 8.26 miles, 1751' elevation gain, 5:09h
Johnson BM, Flat Top Butte, Don BM Pictures!
Johnson BM GPS Track
Flat Top Butte GPS Track
Don BM GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Long Weekend in Southern California
Hi all...Katie here, reporting on a little weekend jaunt we took to LA/Long Beach last week! Get ready for an action-packed blog post! (ok, not really, but hopefully it will at least be slightly more entertaining than the Facebook status updates you may or may not have just been checking out!). Prepare yourself for a lengthy post (as usual when I'm playing the blogger!)
This trip to LA was actually a work-related one for me, as I flew down on Thursday, Jan 20 to spend a couple of days going on sales calls with my Sales Reps, and attending a Chinese New Year party that our NYK LA office hosted for some of it's Chinese clients. I left Boise at the butt-crack of dawn (6:30am), and landed a little after 9am. Keep in mind that it was 25F (-4C) when I left Boise, and it was 72F (22C) when I landed in LA!! Definitely much nicer January weather than I've ever experienced!
One of my Sales Reps (I work with 3 reps) picked me up at the airport & we headed out for our 1 (big) meeting of the day, with Dole (yes, the pineapple & banana people). Their world headquarters are located in Westlake Village, CA (north of LA), on an absolutely beautiful "campus" (their words)...I could definitely work at a place like this:
(yes, the weather was just as beautiful as that picture!)
The inside of Dole's main building was like a fancy spa, with marble floors & fountains & lots of greenery - very relaxing! We met with some of the people I work with, and then went out to lunch at The Landing Grill & Sushi (the building is on the left - we sat on the patio (IN JANUARY, PEOPLE!):
After that lovely meal & discussions about Dole's upcoming Contract Renewal (stressful times for yours truly!), my Sales Rep & I headed back down to Long Beach. She took me on a very scenic route, down part of the Pacific Coast Highway, which takes you right along the water in many sections. We stopped for a drink at a restaurant right on the water...again, it was so surreal to have to ask for seating "in the shade", since the sun was beating down pretty hard! We meandered through parts of Bel Air (no Fresh Prince sightings, unfortunately), and stopped in Hollywood, so that I could check out Graumann's Chinese Theater (with all the stars' footprints & handprints in the sidewalk), the Walk of Stars & the Kodak Theater (where the Oscars are held - I got to walk down the staircase on which they roll out the red carpet!)
Back in Long Beach, we stopped for dinner at Parker's Lighthouse where I had Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya & we enjoyed an amazing view of the Queen Mary, and old passenger steamship that has been turned into a hotel.
On Friday I spent all day visiting clients with my 3 Sales Reps - these clients were smaller-scale than Dole, but it was still very nice to finally put faces to names for so many customers that I've been working with for the past 1.5 years. Friday evening was the main event - a traditional Chinese New Year banquet at NBC Seafood Restaurant in the Monterey Park section of LA! I got to meet even more customers, while enjoying (or at least trying!) lots of different Chinese dishes, many of which I had never tried or even heard of. It was quite an experience, but I'm happy to report that I tried everything (even the bamboo fungus, which was like tiny pieces of bubble wrap popping in my mouth), since I'm probably not going to have the chance in the near future!
Friday night signaled the end of my work duties, and also the start of a great weekend trip with Zach! He flew in Friday night & checked out the Yard House (just a few blocks from our hotel), while I was finishing up at the dinner party. He was in awe of (and in love with!) the beer selection at the Yard House!
On Saturday, we had an awesome breakfast at Egg Heaven in Long Beach, and then meandered around Long Beach - it is truly an awesome area, and we both agreed that we loved it! The beaches are gorgeous, and I would walk on the beach every single day if I lived there! We headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway...I have to mention that we stopped for a potty break at a Starbucks in Rancho Palos Verde - I'm only mentioning it because the patio of the Starbucks had a view similar to this:
Continuing up the PCH, we stopped in Venice Beach to check it out. It was an extremely busy & eclectic area, maybe not our style, but interesting nonetheless! We made it to Malibu (Beautiful beachfront houses & lots of fancy cars), and then headed back down to LA/Long Beach. We ate dinner at a great little Southern restaurant, Johnny Reb's, & called it a night.
Sunday was spent eating crepes, shopping at Trader Joe's (I brought a huge suitcase on purpose!), and checking out the Griffith Observatory, which has been in quite a few movies, including Charlie's Angels & Rebel Without a Cause - there's even a statue of James Dean at the site (although he doesn't have any eyeballs, which was creepy).
The parking lot was full, so we ended up having to walk about 20 minutes there & back...thank goodness for beautiful weather! You can see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory grounds, which was pretty cool!
Before heading to the airport, we drove around Hollywood/Beverly Hills (alas, no 90210-sightings, either.. you know I was looking for Brenda & Brandon Walsh's house!). Plenty of huge mansions were seen, though!
We flew back to Boise on Sunday night, arriving at 11:30pm, and were welcomed home by 30F (-1C) weather & frost. Ick. We definitely appreciated the weather in California, and were shocked at how many people we heard complaining about how hot it was while we were there! If only they knew what 30F felt like.
Overall, it was a great trip, both from a work perspective (for me) and a vacation perspective. We'd definitely love to go back, as there was lots more to do/see/eat, and would recommend the Long Beach area to anyone heading down that way!
Hope you enjoyed the VERY LONG blog post - this is why I don't blog more regularly - it always turns into a huge novel of a post.
If you made it this far, congratulations! We love you all, and miss you!
Love,
Katie & Zach
Here are some more pictures, taken on Zach's cell phone camera, since we forgot the real camera :-(
This trip to LA was actually a work-related one for me, as I flew down on Thursday, Jan 20 to spend a couple of days going on sales calls with my Sales Reps, and attending a Chinese New Year party that our NYK LA office hosted for some of it's Chinese clients. I left Boise at the butt-crack of dawn (6:30am), and landed a little after 9am. Keep in mind that it was 25F (-4C) when I left Boise, and it was 72F (22C) when I landed in LA!! Definitely much nicer January weather than I've ever experienced!
One of my Sales Reps (I work with 3 reps) picked me up at the airport & we headed out for our 1 (big) meeting of the day, with Dole (yes, the pineapple & banana people). Their world headquarters are located in Westlake Village, CA (north of LA), on an absolutely beautiful "campus" (their words)...I could definitely work at a place like this:
(yes, the weather was just as beautiful as that picture!)The inside of Dole's main building was like a fancy spa, with marble floors & fountains & lots of greenery - very relaxing! We met with some of the people I work with, and then went out to lunch at The Landing Grill & Sushi (the building is on the left - we sat on the patio (IN JANUARY, PEOPLE!):
After that lovely meal & discussions about Dole's upcoming Contract Renewal (stressful times for yours truly!), my Sales Rep & I headed back down to Long Beach. She took me on a very scenic route, down part of the Pacific Coast Highway, which takes you right along the water in many sections. We stopped for a drink at a restaurant right on the water...again, it was so surreal to have to ask for seating "in the shade", since the sun was beating down pretty hard! We meandered through parts of Bel Air (no Fresh Prince sightings, unfortunately), and stopped in Hollywood, so that I could check out Graumann's Chinese Theater (with all the stars' footprints & handprints in the sidewalk), the Walk of Stars & the Kodak Theater (where the Oscars are held - I got to walk down the staircase on which they roll out the red carpet!)Back in Long Beach, we stopped for dinner at Parker's Lighthouse where I had Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya & we enjoyed an amazing view of the Queen Mary, and old passenger steamship that has been turned into a hotel.
On Friday I spent all day visiting clients with my 3 Sales Reps - these clients were smaller-scale than Dole, but it was still very nice to finally put faces to names for so many customers that I've been working with for the past 1.5 years. Friday evening was the main event - a traditional Chinese New Year banquet at NBC Seafood Restaurant in the Monterey Park section of LA! I got to meet even more customers, while enjoying (or at least trying!) lots of different Chinese dishes, many of which I had never tried or even heard of. It was quite an experience, but I'm happy to report that I tried everything (even the bamboo fungus, which was like tiny pieces of bubble wrap popping in my mouth), since I'm probably not going to have the chance in the near future!
Friday night signaled the end of my work duties, and also the start of a great weekend trip with Zach! He flew in Friday night & checked out the Yard House (just a few blocks from our hotel), while I was finishing up at the dinner party. He was in awe of (and in love with!) the beer selection at the Yard House!
On Saturday, we had an awesome breakfast at Egg Heaven in Long Beach, and then meandered around Long Beach - it is truly an awesome area, and we both agreed that we loved it! The beaches are gorgeous, and I would walk on the beach every single day if I lived there! We headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway...I have to mention that we stopped for a potty break at a Starbucks in Rancho Palos Verde - I'm only mentioning it because the patio of the Starbucks had a view similar to this:
Continuing up the PCH, we stopped in Venice Beach to check it out. It was an extremely busy & eclectic area, maybe not our style, but interesting nonetheless! We made it to Malibu (Beautiful beachfront houses & lots of fancy cars), and then headed back down to LA/Long Beach. We ate dinner at a great little Southern restaurant, Johnny Reb's, & called it a night.Sunday was spent eating crepes, shopping at Trader Joe's (I brought a huge suitcase on purpose!), and checking out the Griffith Observatory, which has been in quite a few movies, including Charlie's Angels & Rebel Without a Cause - there's even a statue of James Dean at the site (although he doesn't have any eyeballs, which was creepy).
The parking lot was full, so we ended up having to walk about 20 minutes there & back...thank goodness for beautiful weather! You can see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory grounds, which was pretty cool!
Before heading to the airport, we drove around Hollywood/Beverly Hills (alas, no 90210-sightings, either.. you know I was looking for Brenda & Brandon Walsh's house!). Plenty of huge mansions were seen, though!
We flew back to Boise on Sunday night, arriving at 11:30pm, and were welcomed home by 30F (-1C) weather & frost. Ick. We definitely appreciated the weather in California, and were shocked at how many people we heard complaining about how hot it was while we were there! If only they knew what 30F felt like.
Overall, it was a great trip, both from a work perspective (for me) and a vacation perspective. We'd definitely love to go back, as there was lots more to do/see/eat, and would recommend the Long Beach area to anyone heading down that way!
Hope you enjoyed the VERY LONG blog post - this is why I don't blog more regularly - it always turns into a huge novel of a post.
If you made it this far, congratulations! We love you all, and miss you!
Love,
Katie & Zach
Here are some more pictures, taken on Zach's cell phone camera, since we forgot the real camera :-(
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Peak 4460' Hike
Dan suggested a hike in the foothills and we ultimately decided upon Peak 4460'. I was a little hesitant about my still ailing achilles/ankle/heel area but decided to get out anyway. Fortunately it held up pretty well for the hike but it did start barking a little bit in the evening. It seems to be getting better, albeit quite slowly...
We headed up Bogus Basin Rd a little after 7am. Dan also wanted to climb Peak 3793' (which I climbed last November) so we make a quick ascent at dawn before heading to the main objective. Since the ground was frozen and only lightly covered with snow, we didn't even need snowshoes. The hike was quite enjoyable - I personally had never been in the foothills when all of the creeks were iced like they were on this day. Once on top we got some great winter views of the Treasure Valley and the surrounding area. Of course, it is always great to catch up with Dan as well! While a small peak, this is an enjoyable winter objective close to home!
Trip statistics (total): 4 hours, 7.5 miles, 2200' elevation gain
Peak 4460' Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report
We headed up Bogus Basin Rd a little after 7am. Dan also wanted to climb Peak 3793' (which I climbed last November) so we make a quick ascent at dawn before heading to the main objective. Since the ground was frozen and only lightly covered with snow, we didn't even need snowshoes. The hike was quite enjoyable - I personally had never been in the foothills when all of the creeks were iced like they were on this day. Once on top we got some great winter views of the Treasure Valley and the surrounding area. Of course, it is always great to catch up with Dan as well! While a small peak, this is an enjoyable winter objective close to home!
Trip statistics (total): 4 hours, 7.5 miles, 2200' elevation gain
Peak 4460' Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Years Update
It's been a long time since a random update was posted, so why not now?
We hope everyone had a great New Year!! On New Years Eve we opened the presents we didn't take to Vancouver, watched some TV and drank some champagne. It's kind of nice to have two rounds of gift opening!! I had a five day weekend and Katie had a four day weekend, so we did a lot of relaxing and also saw a couple of movies during that time, specifically Black Swan and True Grit. I found True Grit to be the better movie but both were good.
In other news, I'm still recovering from the Achilles tendon ruination I inflicted upon myself on Black Friday. It is mostly recovered now but I still haven't resumed consistent running again. To mitigate cardiovascular atrophy and to contravene holiday weight gain I decided to join a gym for the first time in my life. So far I've been very happy with this arrangement since it has made it much less urgent for me to run and risk aggravating the rather temperamental injury. When I get back to running I feel like I need to work on my stride to prevent a recurrence of this debilitating debacle.
Job-wise, there is no news to report for either of us. Both of our positions seem to be pretty stable and we're both happy to go to work each day!
I think that is about it from here... we wish everyone a great 2011!
We hope everyone had a great New Year!! On New Years Eve we opened the presents we didn't take to Vancouver, watched some TV and drank some champagne. It's kind of nice to have two rounds of gift opening!! I had a five day weekend and Katie had a four day weekend, so we did a lot of relaxing and also saw a couple of movies during that time, specifically Black Swan and True Grit. I found True Grit to be the better movie but both were good.
In other news, I'm still recovering from the Achilles tendon ruination I inflicted upon myself on Black Friday. It is mostly recovered now but I still haven't resumed consistent running again. To mitigate cardiovascular atrophy and to contravene holiday weight gain I decided to join a gym for the first time in my life. So far I've been very happy with this arrangement since it has made it much less urgent for me to run and risk aggravating the rather temperamental injury. When I get back to running I feel like I need to work on my stride to prevent a recurrence of this debilitating debacle.
Job-wise, there is no news to report for either of us. Both of our positions seem to be pretty stable and we're both happy to go to work each day!
I think that is about it from here... we wish everyone a great 2011!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Christmas 2010
For the fourth consecutive year, we went to Vancouver for Christmas. We flew into Bellingham on the morning of the 23rd where Dave and Megan were eagerly awaiting us. After they picked us up, we proceeded to visit the various shopping spots in Bellingham - Trader Joe's, the Community Food Co-op, and Target - before grabbing lunch at the Boundary Bay Brewery. The lunch was pretty good and after that we were headed up to Vancouver. The border crossing was quick and we were at the Shepherd house around 2:30pm.
We socialized the afternoon of the 23rd and afterward Katie met a friend for dinner while I went to White Spot with Liz before watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Aprim house. On Christmas Eve, Katie and I went with Dave to Shota Sushi where we had a very yummy meal! After eating, the three of us helped Dave complete his cleaning duties at the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church in advance of the Christmas Eve ceremony, which we all attended that evening. After church, we ended up eating Little Caesar's pizza (it was the only thing open!) before wrapping presents.
Christmas Day consisted of the traditional brunch and present opening following by a turkey dinner. As always, we all had a great time seeing what everyone got and socializing. We love all of our gifts and thank everyone for thinking of us!!
On Boxing Day we slept in before attending another lovely dinner with family and friends. The 27th was a quiet day where Katie met up with one of her friends and I went on a long walk to attempt to burn off some of what I ate!
We departed on the 28th. Liz's cousin Rob arrived at the Shepherd house on the 27th and we went for brunch at IHOP before Megan and Greg drove us down to Bellingham. Since we got there a little early, Greg and I ended up getting dragged around the Bellis Fair Mall while Megan and Katie went shopping. We did the smart thing this year and booked an evening flight rather than an early morning one! The flight home was uneventful and we were home at 11:30pm ready to go to work the next day!
Christmas 2010 Pictures!
We socialized the afternoon of the 23rd and afterward Katie met a friend for dinner while I went to White Spot with Liz before watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Aprim house. On Christmas Eve, Katie and I went with Dave to Shota Sushi where we had a very yummy meal! After eating, the three of us helped Dave complete his cleaning duties at the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church in advance of the Christmas Eve ceremony, which we all attended that evening. After church, we ended up eating Little Caesar's pizza (it was the only thing open!) before wrapping presents.
Christmas Day consisted of the traditional brunch and present opening following by a turkey dinner. As always, we all had a great time seeing what everyone got and socializing. We love all of our gifts and thank everyone for thinking of us!!
On Boxing Day we slept in before attending another lovely dinner with family and friends. The 27th was a quiet day where Katie met up with one of her friends and I went on a long walk to attempt to burn off some of what I ate!
We departed on the 28th. Liz's cousin Rob arrived at the Shepherd house on the 27th and we went for brunch at IHOP before Megan and Greg drove us down to Bellingham. Since we got there a little early, Greg and I ended up getting dragged around the Bellis Fair Mall while Megan and Katie went shopping. We did the smart thing this year and booked an evening flight rather than an early morning one! The flight home was uneventful and we were home at 11:30pm ready to go to work the next day!
Christmas 2010 Pictures!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Black Friday Snowshoeing
For the second year in a row, I used the Black Friday occasion to do some snowshoeing. Due to a week of winter weather and cold temperatures, the Boise foothills had a good covering of snow so I kept the trip local. I opted to visit two minor summits in different parts of foothills - Peak 4375 near Highland Valley Summit and Peak 3793 off of Bogus Basin Rd (aka the Kristin Armstrong Bikeway).
I first climbed Peak 4375, starting from Highland Valley Summit near the Kodiak Grill (a restaurant featured on "Triple D"). I actually didn't even use my snowshoes on this climb, although it would have helped a little bit on the steeper parts. The snow was mostly ankle depth and quite powdery - rare snow conditions for the foothills! From the highway it is a fairly short up-and-down hike across multiple drainages to the summit. The peak has pretty good views of the surrounding area and there were lots of deer seen on the trip!
Peak 3793 is a much shorter climb and I took snowshoes on this one since it promised to be a little bit steeper. This was a good decision and it was easy climbing straight up the peak. This peak also had good views of a part of the foothills I rarely visit.
In short, it was a well-spent Black Friday. The downside is that this trip aggravated a minor case of tendonitis (achilles) and I ended up limping around the house by the evening. So I had to make a weekend shopping trip to get some new shoes and insoles... now I just have to hope it goes away!
Trip statistics (total): 2.5 hours, 3.75 miles, 1350' elevation gain
Black Friday Snowshoeing Pictures!
I first climbed Peak 4375, starting from Highland Valley Summit near the Kodiak Grill (a restaurant featured on "Triple D"). I actually didn't even use my snowshoes on this climb, although it would have helped a little bit on the steeper parts. The snow was mostly ankle depth and quite powdery - rare snow conditions for the foothills! From the highway it is a fairly short up-and-down hike across multiple drainages to the summit. The peak has pretty good views of the surrounding area and there were lots of deer seen on the trip!
Peak 3793 is a much shorter climb and I took snowshoes on this one since it promised to be a little bit steeper. This was a good decision and it was easy climbing straight up the peak. This peak also had good views of a part of the foothills I rarely visit.
In short, it was a well-spent Black Friday. The downside is that this trip aggravated a minor case of tendonitis (achilles) and I ended up limping around the house by the evening. So I had to make a weekend shopping trip to get some new shoes and insoles... now I just have to hope it goes away!
Trip statistics (total): 2.5 hours, 3.75 miles, 1350' elevation gain
Black Friday Snowshoeing Pictures!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
We hope all of our readers had a great Thanksgiving, whether it be of the American or Canadian variety! We did too and we are very thankful for all of the greatness in our lives!
We began our day by watching the live webcast of Katie's brother Dave walking across the stage and receiving his BA degree from UBC. Congratulations Dave!!!
Afterwards Katie made a couple of dishes for dinner (from-scratch rolls and roasted asparagus) and I went running on the icy/snowy roads. We headed over to Gary and Bonnie's around 4pm and nearly wrecked the Escape on the way over! On an icy spot near Gary and Bonnie's house the vehicle totally slipped, turned sideways, and ended up on a sidewalk facing a tree. Fortunately neither us nor the car sustained any damage but we were very lucky there were no oncoming nor parked cars in the way! However we did lose a little bit of asparagus and a Fiestaware dish in the accident...
After our safe but eventful arrival, we had a great time catching up with Gary and Bonnie and enjoying the lovely dinner that Bonnie and Katie prepared. Dishes served include turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, asparagus, rolls, and pecan bars for dessert. Mmmm! We headed home around 9:30pm and fortunately had no driving mishaps!
Thanksgiving Pictures!
We began our day by watching the live webcast of Katie's brother Dave walking across the stage and receiving his BA degree from UBC. Congratulations Dave!!!
Afterwards Katie made a couple of dishes for dinner (from-scratch rolls and roasted asparagus) and I went running on the icy/snowy roads. We headed over to Gary and Bonnie's around 4pm and nearly wrecked the Escape on the way over! On an icy spot near Gary and Bonnie's house the vehicle totally slipped, turned sideways, and ended up on a sidewalk facing a tree. Fortunately neither us nor the car sustained any damage but we were very lucky there were no oncoming nor parked cars in the way! However we did lose a little bit of asparagus and a Fiestaware dish in the accident...
After our safe but eventful arrival, we had a great time catching up with Gary and Bonnie and enjoying the lovely dinner that Bonnie and Katie prepared. Dishes served include turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, asparagus, rolls, and pecan bars for dessert. Mmmm! We headed home around 9:30pm and fortunately had no driving mishaps!
Thanksgiving Pictures!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Malheur County Highpoint Hike
Dan and I decided to embark on a Saturday hike but the weather wasn't looking too good. Southeast Oregon seemed to offer the best weather and the chance to visit an obscure, remote area. We met at 6am and began the long drive to McDermitt, Nevada, and thence to the trailhead. We managed to drive a little further up than we expected, saving us approximately 45 minutes of hiking. We were moving around 9:30am and started uphill through the very open terrain. The weather was initially in the upper 30s with no wind which was actually quite comfortable. As we got higher the wind picked up which, while brisk, was tolerable.
The terrain was very gentle, consisting entirely of open sagebrush slopes and snowy jeep tracks. The area is quite remote and while out of the wind we observed the rare sound of total silence. It is also a popular rockhounding area and we found some large chunks of obsidian which I've never seen anywhere else. The expansive views and undeveloped nature of the area were definitely the highlight of the trip.
We initially had thoughts of visiting some other peaks but the shortness of the day and worsening weather caused us to abandon those plans and head directly home. Once home I was able to watch the tail end of the "SEC East Championship Game"... sadly, the Gators lost to the Gamecocks.
Trip statistics: 9.36 miles, 2599' elevation gain, 6:07h
Malheur County Highpoint Hike Pictures!
GPS track
Dan's Trip Report
The terrain was very gentle, consisting entirely of open sagebrush slopes and snowy jeep tracks. The area is quite remote and while out of the wind we observed the rare sound of total silence. It is also a popular rockhounding area and we found some large chunks of obsidian which I've never seen anywhere else. The expansive views and undeveloped nature of the area were definitely the highlight of the trip.
We initially had thoughts of visiting some other peaks but the shortness of the day and worsening weather caused us to abandon those plans and head directly home. Once home I was able to watch the tail end of the "SEC East Championship Game"... sadly, the Gators lost to the Gamecocks.
Trip statistics: 9.36 miles, 2599' elevation gain, 6:07h
Malheur County Highpoint Hike Pictures!
GPS track
Dan's Trip Report
Monday, October 18, 2010
Shephard Peak/Silver Mountain Hike
Matt and I were interested in a hike Saturday but we only had a half-day to work with - Matt because of school and myself because of work (I was at work until 1:30am Friday night). We settled upon a plan to climb Shephard Peak (apologies to all members of the Shepherd family reading this) and Silver Mountain in the Boise Mountains. These peaks require a serious 4WD vehicle to access - fortunately Matt volunteered to drive his Ford Ranger. We met at 12:30pm and were off!
After enduring the rough road through Trapper Flat and toward the North Fork of the Boise River, we were hiking at 3:30pm. We had both never visited this area and were quite impressed with the rugged terrain! It only took us about an hour to reach the summit of Shephard Peak, which has a great views of the area and a perspective on the surrounding area we had not experienced. From there we headed toward Silver Mountain, a much lower peak but which had better views of the North Fork area. Since darkness was a concern, we couldn't spend too long on either summit - on the way back we actually dropped down to the closed road so we would have easier terrain to hike in the twilight.
It was nearly dark when we got back to the vehicle and Matt had the unenviable task of driving the rough road at night. Other than having to be extra careful, this wasn't an issue and we returned home, happy to have had a productive half-day of hiking!
Trip statistics: 5.12 miles, 2345' elevation gain, 3:43h
Shephard Peak/Silver Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
After enduring the rough road through Trapper Flat and toward the North Fork of the Boise River, we were hiking at 3:30pm. We had both never visited this area and were quite impressed with the rugged terrain! It only took us about an hour to reach the summit of Shephard Peak, which has a great views of the area and a perspective on the surrounding area we had not experienced. From there we headed toward Silver Mountain, a much lower peak but which had better views of the North Fork area. Since darkness was a concern, we couldn't spend too long on either summit - on the way back we actually dropped down to the closed road so we would have easier terrain to hike in the twilight.
It was nearly dark when we got back to the vehicle and Matt had the unenviable task of driving the rough road at night. Other than having to be extra careful, this wasn't an issue and we returned home, happy to have had a productive half-day of hiking!
Trip statistics: 5.12 miles, 2345' elevation gain, 3:43h
Shephard Peak/Silver Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Trinity Mountains Hike
I hadn't been in the mountains since Labor Day weekend so I decided to embark on a Sunday solo trip in the Trinity Mountains near Boise. Despite being close to town, getting there requires quite a bit of driving on dirt roads. I took a different route each way and concluded the fastest (but most fatiguing) way was via Blacks Creek Road and the town of Prairie.
I left the house around 8:30am and was headed up the first peak just after 11am. My first ascent was up Peak 9037' - a very nice peak with good views of the area - including quite a few lakes! From there I headed over to Fiddler's Perch - a slightly higher peak whose most distinctive feature is the pair of cairns on the summit.
My final ascent was to be Peak 8889', however upon reaching the summit block it became apparent that the final 30' or so is a rock climbing challenge. After trying to find a suitable weakness, I gave up and took a short break before heading back to the vehicle. Some gray clouds hung around all day but the weather fortunately held. Lots of hunters were in this area too!
Trip statistics: 5.77 miles, 2369' elevation gain, 3:57 hours
Trinity Mountains Hike Pictures!
GPS Track
I left the house around 8:30am and was headed up the first peak just after 11am. My first ascent was up Peak 9037' - a very nice peak with good views of the area - including quite a few lakes! From there I headed over to Fiddler's Perch - a slightly higher peak whose most distinctive feature is the pair of cairns on the summit.
My final ascent was to be Peak 8889', however upon reaching the summit block it became apparent that the final 30' or so is a rock climbing challenge. After trying to find a suitable weakness, I gave up and took a short break before heading back to the vehicle. Some gray clouds hung around all day but the weather fortunately held. Lots of hunters were in this area too!
Trip statistics: 5.77 miles, 2369' elevation gain, 3:57 hours
Trinity Mountains Hike Pictures!
GPS Track
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Lucas-Ross Wedding!
Katie's cousin Jason was getting married so of course we had to be there! The wedding was to be held in Russell in western Manitoba, which is an area neither of us had visited before. For cost reasons, we chose to fly in to Minot, North Dakota, and drive from there. Katie's family chose to fly to Regina and drive from there - the driving distance from the two isn't very different.
We arrived in Minot around 5pm on Friday the 24th. After renting a car and grabbing dinner at Hardee's, we were heading north to Russell. The border crossing and drive up were uneventful except for our stop to gawk at the giant banana in Melita, Manitoba (I highly recommend reading the linked article about the banana). We arrived in Russell just after 9pm and after checking into the Russell Inn (aka "the homotel" due to it having both internal and external doors on each room) we socialized for a bit with the family before heading to bed.
On Saturday I had a nice run around town before being asked to provide some technical assistance on the slideshow that would be shown at the reception. Once the slideshow was in its proper state, I grabbed a quick Subway lunch and got ready to head to the ceremony. We all headed over to the United Church in Russell where the wedding was held. The ceremony was great and featured Jason's four year old nephew Logan as the shy ringbearer. After celebrating the marriage and taking a few pictures, we went back to the homotel to socialize (and enjoy a few beverages) before the reception. The reception started at 5pm and featured a very nice dinner (mmm, perogies) along with an open bar, slideshow, speeches, first dance, cake cutting, and dancing. We all had a good time (though I had too many beers) and some of us chose to walk back to the hotel around 1:30am!
On Sunday we enjoyed a very nice brunch at the reception hall before all parting ways and heading back to our respective homes or airports. Our drive back to Minot was very unexciting and I was forced to listen to the Vikings game on the radio. At the border our car was searched, which hasn't happened in quite some time. In Minot we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express which was disappointing in that it was very noisy due to the nearby pool and thin walls - thankfully Katie brought earplugs! Our dinner in Minot was at the Pizza Ranch which made me feel like I'm too old for pizza buffets.
On Monday we woke up at 5am to catch our flight back to Boise. By 10:30am Katie was at work and I was by 10:45!
Lucas-Ross Wedding Pictures! - due to a camera malfunction, I lost all of the pictures of the ceremony, the town of Russell, and the giant banana :(
We arrived in Minot around 5pm on Friday the 24th. After renting a car and grabbing dinner at Hardee's, we were heading north to Russell. The border crossing and drive up were uneventful except for our stop to gawk at the giant banana in Melita, Manitoba (I highly recommend reading the linked article about the banana). We arrived in Russell just after 9pm and after checking into the Russell Inn (aka "the homotel" due to it having both internal and external doors on each room) we socialized for a bit with the family before heading to bed.
On Saturday I had a nice run around town before being asked to provide some technical assistance on the slideshow that would be shown at the reception. Once the slideshow was in its proper state, I grabbed a quick Subway lunch and got ready to head to the ceremony. We all headed over to the United Church in Russell where the wedding was held. The ceremony was great and featured Jason's four year old nephew Logan as the shy ringbearer. After celebrating the marriage and taking a few pictures, we went back to the homotel to socialize (and enjoy a few beverages) before the reception. The reception started at 5pm and featured a very nice dinner (mmm, perogies) along with an open bar, slideshow, speeches, first dance, cake cutting, and dancing. We all had a good time (though I had too many beers) and some of us chose to walk back to the hotel around 1:30am!
On Sunday we enjoyed a very nice brunch at the reception hall before all parting ways and heading back to our respective homes or airports. Our drive back to Minot was very unexciting and I was forced to listen to the Vikings game on the radio. At the border our car was searched, which hasn't happened in quite some time. In Minot we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express which was disappointing in that it was very noisy due to the nearby pool and thin walls - thankfully Katie brought earplugs! Our dinner in Minot was at the Pizza Ranch which made me feel like I'm too old for pizza buffets.
On Monday we woke up at 5am to catch our flight back to Boise. By 10:30am Katie was at work and I was by 10:45!
Lucas-Ross Wedding Pictures! - due to a camera malfunction, I lost all of the pictures of the ceremony, the town of Russell, and the giant banana :(
Friday, September 24, 2010
Waggoner 60th Wedding Anniversary!
My grand-aunt and grand-uncle celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on September 10, 2010! Congratulations Pode and Elma Jean! Incidentally my Mom was part of the original wedding party as the flower girl!
To celebrate the occasion, my cousins Julie and Dave arranged a dinner on the 10th and a celebration on the 12th and invited everyone in the family. Many people I hadn't seen in 20 years (or ever, in the case of the many new additions to the family), and it would be Katie's first chance to meet almost everyone. Thus we had to go! Due to a miscommunication, we booked our flight before we realized there was a dinner on the 10th so we sadly missed that part of the festivities.
We headed to the airport after work on Friday the 9th. We flew to Denver and arrived around 9pm. We were able to grab some dinner at the Ted's Montana Grill before retiring for the night at a Sleep Inn. The most memorable part of dinner was getting a dish of pickles to munch on before our meals arrived. Saturday we embarked on the highly boring drive from Denver to Alma along US-36, arriving in town around 3pm. We checked out Alma a little bit before meeting up with family at the Alma Super 8. From there we visited the recently built park and pathway along the Alma waterfront before having a nice family dinner at The Station.
On Sunday we all attended the reception celebrating Pode and Elma Jean's anniversary. The event filled the reception venue and was highlighted by Pode and Elma Jean renewing their vows and a great family slideshow put together by Dave and Randy. Pode and Elma Jean looked great and it really was a beautiful scene! After the reception, the family had a nice dinner at Little Mexico in Republican City.
Before departing on mid-day Tuesday we had some good quality family time, visited the final resting places of various ancestors, visited cousin Paul at his insurance agency in Alma, looked at the former homes of Grandma and other relatives, visited second cousin Emily at the Alma City Hall, and did some family research in the Alma Library and the Franklin Library.
On Tuesday we drove home through Norton, Kansas, and Benkelman, Nebraska, doing a little bit of quick genealogical research at each site. We got to Denver around 6pm and proceeded to eat dinner at the Tilted Kilt in downtown Denver. The place had incredible waitresses and some good British beers that aren't usually found in Idaho. On Wednesday morning we had a quick jaunt around town and lunch at Chick-Fil-A before heading to the airport and ultimately home.
It was awesome seeing everyone and once again, congratulations to Pode and Elma Jean for 60 years of marriage!
Waggoner Anniversary Pictures!
Mom's Pictures!
To celebrate the occasion, my cousins Julie and Dave arranged a dinner on the 10th and a celebration on the 12th and invited everyone in the family. Many people I hadn't seen in 20 years (or ever, in the case of the many new additions to the family), and it would be Katie's first chance to meet almost everyone. Thus we had to go! Due to a miscommunication, we booked our flight before we realized there was a dinner on the 10th so we sadly missed that part of the festivities.
We headed to the airport after work on Friday the 9th. We flew to Denver and arrived around 9pm. We were able to grab some dinner at the Ted's Montana Grill before retiring for the night at a Sleep Inn. The most memorable part of dinner was getting a dish of pickles to munch on before our meals arrived. Saturday we embarked on the highly boring drive from Denver to Alma along US-36, arriving in town around 3pm. We checked out Alma a little bit before meeting up with family at the Alma Super 8. From there we visited the recently built park and pathway along the Alma waterfront before having a nice family dinner at The Station.
On Sunday we all attended the reception celebrating Pode and Elma Jean's anniversary. The event filled the reception venue and was highlighted by Pode and Elma Jean renewing their vows and a great family slideshow put together by Dave and Randy. Pode and Elma Jean looked great and it really was a beautiful scene! After the reception, the family had a nice dinner at Little Mexico in Republican City.
Before departing on mid-day Tuesday we had some good quality family time, visited the final resting places of various ancestors, visited cousin Paul at his insurance agency in Alma, looked at the former homes of Grandma and other relatives, visited second cousin Emily at the Alma City Hall, and did some family research in the Alma Library and the Franklin Library.
On Tuesday we drove home through Norton, Kansas, and Benkelman, Nebraska, doing a little bit of quick genealogical research at each site. We got to Denver around 6pm and proceeded to eat dinner at the Tilted Kilt in downtown Denver. The place had incredible waitresses and some good British beers that aren't usually found in Idaho. On Wednesday morning we had a quick jaunt around town and lunch at Chick-Fil-A before heading to the airport and ultimately home.
It was awesome seeing everyone and once again, congratulations to Pode and Elma Jean for 60 years of marriage!
Waggoner Anniversary Pictures!
Mom's Pictures!
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