New Volkswagen Passat

Since Claire was born, our 2002 Honda Civic had been a little bit undersized for family travel given the giant rear-facing car seats that exist nowadays.  Last Fall, Claire was upgraded to the toddler-sized rear-facing car seat which meant it became impossible for the three us to ride together in the Civic, unless the front passenger likes having their knees in their face.  So I decided it was finally time to stop procrastinating and get a bigger car.

After doing quite a bit of reading and looking around, I decided to focus on family size sedans with decent gas mileage.  I was also interested in wagons, of which there are hardly any made anymore.  While looking at Jetta wagons at the Boise VW dealership, I stumbled upon a 2008 Passat wagon which seemed like exactly the type of car I was looking for.  Some subsequent research led me to the fact that 2010 was the last year these were made and that there was a low mileage certified used 2010 Passat wagon available at Sheppard Motors in Eugene, Oregon.  After some indecision and eventual phone negotiation, I got a good price and decided to go ahead and buy it.  On December 30th, I flew one-way to Eugene, rode a taxi to the dealership, bought the car, and drove it home.  Fortunately the roads were clear of snow and ice that day, although that didn't prevent a horrific bus crash from happening earlier in the day along I-84.

This "distance buying" approach at first seems crazy but in retrospect I think it's a great way to get exactly the car you want, particularly if you have very specific wants.  The negotiation was much more straightforward than the usual face-to-face shenanigans that occur at the dealership.  Of course the key is that the dealer's sales department is comfortable with Internet sales and can be straight with prospective buyers.  I had a great experience with this particular dealership and wouldn't hesitate to do this again in the future.

Of course, once I got home from Eugene we now had three cars to shuffle around.  I first fixed some bumper damage on the Civic and then listed the car on cars.com, eBay Motors, and craigslist.  I started the price pretty high and brought it down over time.  This wasn't the best strategy in retrospect because it just wasted time.  Once I got the price near the Kelley Blue Book value, the leads started pouring in.  On Super Bowl Sunday, a couple came to our house to look at the car.  After test driving it, they informed me they had cash on them and were ready to buy.  After writing up a bill of sale and signing the title over, they left us with a stack of benjamins and one less car.  The whole thing took less than an hour given the right buyer!

My biggest lesson from selling the Civic is that cars.com and eBay are a waste of time for selling a car.  craigslist generated all of my leads including the eventual buyer.  In my opinion, cars that are in good shape and priced right are pretty easy to sell on craigslist due to the volume of buyers that watch it.  cars.com seems to cater more to dealerships and I found the experience of listing on their site unpleasant.  eBay has two types of listings and I chose the "free classified listing" which is somehow locally targeted.  I couldn't tell that the eBay listing generated any interest whatsoever.

I apologize for all of the blather.  In short, we now have a new car and so far we're both very happy with it.  The Passat is the best driving car I've ever owned and it's really is fun to take out somewhere.  The 12-way adjustable drivers seat is also the most comfortable car seat I've experienced.  Oh, and I can sit comfortably in front of the rear-facing car seat, with even more legroom than our Ford Escape!  Plus it's nice to have all of the modern conveniences in a car like bluetooth, built-in sat radio, an iPod dock, trip computer, etc.

Our 2001 Ford Escape is getting old too, so I'm already starting to think about its replacement.  I'm hoping to keep it at least a year longer, depending on its maintenance burden.  Maybe there will be a blog post about that one day!

Old Civic:

New Passat:

So old

Well my 34th birthday has come and gone.  This year my birthday landed on Presidents Day which again made me wish that holiday was taken more seriously.  Fortunately I did not work on my birthday (yay for that) but I was feeling pretty bad due to a cold and opted not to do a fun outdoor activity, despite the favorable weather.  Instead I slept in, went on a nose-blowy run, and spent the day with Katie and Claire.  We had a very nice dinner at Flatbread Community Oven and in lieu of a cake I also enjoyed some cupcakes from Sugar Rush Cupcakery (thank you Katie!) before opening presents.  Thank you everyone for the gifts!

It was a little disappointing to be ill on my birthday, but it could've been worse.  It finally broke on Wednesday and I'm happy to report that I now don't feel any older than I did a week ago!

Katie and Claire at birthday dinner:

Christmas in Boise 2012

Hi Everyone!
Two posts in one week?! Shocking, I know...this is what happens when we don't post for a while, and then the holidays are over & we have copious amounts of photos, videos & news to share that it won't all fit into one post. Lucky you!

As I'm sure most (if not all) of our readers know, this year for Christmas we were very lucky to have visitors stay with us for a week! My Mom, one of my brothers & my Mom's best friend (my "Aunt") Margaret made the (long) drive down on the Saturday before Christmas, along with the two family dogs, Cassie & Sydney. They hit a 10 minute stretch of very heavy snowfall while coming through Oregon, but other than that they had a pretty smooth ride. We had shredded beef tacos for dinner & had a quiet night after their long journey.
Claire was initially a little freaked out by the dogs, but by day two she was much more comfortable around them & by day three she was waking up in the morning & asking for the "woof woofs". It was great to see her interact with them and they were very patient with her pointing at their noses/eyes/ears & patting them - she was very gentle with them (for the most part!).

We spent Sunday morning at brunch with Zach's Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie at a local brunch spot - The Griddle - it was great to see them! Apart from Dave getting hot coffee spilled onto him, it was a lovely meal. Claire did lots of unassisted walking while we were there, and kept up the walking practice the whole time my family was here. She's slowly getting more adept & looking less & less like a zombie baby (although that's pretty cute, too!).

We spent the rest of Sunday & Monday shopping & prepping for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve night we followed the Shepherd tradition of going to a church service - I found a local Presbyterian church & we went to check it out. It was definitely more contemporary than the traditional services we're used to, but it was interesting...Claire's favourite part was definitely the singing puppets (yep, puppets!). After our Christmas Eve church service, we again followed tradition & Zach, Dave & I wrapped presents while having a few drinks with Mom & Auntie Margaret.

Christmas Day was one long present-opening extravaganza! It was an all-day event! We started with brunch (eggs, bacon, cinnamon buns from Great Harvest bakery, a cheese plate & a fruit plate...yum!) then moved on to opening our stockings...lots of chocolate & other fun stuff! Then we took a break so Claire could have a nap...and once her nap was over we spent the afternoon opening presents...Wow, what a lucky group we were! We had a wonderful Christmas dinner - the star of the show was definitely Bernard the turkey (yes...we name our turkeys...doesn't everyone?!) - Dave was responsible for him & made a brine with oranges & cinnamon & all sorts of goodies - talk about moist & delicious turkey! Along with that, Mom & Margaret made lots of fantastic side dishes including sweet potatoes with pecans, mashed potatoes, turnip puff (basically very light & fluffy mashed turnip with breadcrumbs on top), gingery steamed carrots & green beans with shallots. Oh, and cranberry sauce, stuffing & gravy...all of it was SO good!! For dessert, Mom & I made a Buche de Noel - a traditional French dessert called a Yule Log in the US. It was a thin chocolate cake filled with espresso cream cheese & rolled into a log shape...then frosted with a dark chocolate ganache & made to resemble a log. It was quite tasty (especially the filling!) and I'd love to try some different cake/filling combos. Many thanks to my Mom for being a huge help (and moral support!).

It was a really great Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, but we definitely missed everyone who wasn't there...if only we could spend Christmas with everyone we love!

The rest of the family visit was spent checking out some local restaurants & doing some shopping. Zach also took the visitors on a tour of the city one night while I put Claire to bed. Mom, Margaret, Claire & I also went for lunch with Bonnie one day, which was very nice! The gang packed up on Friday night & headed out early Saturday morning in a VERY full car! It sounds like their drive was pretty uneventful, and I'm sure they were all exhausted upon arrival home.

It was so wonderful to have Dave, Mom, Margaret & the pups here to visit! I know that Claire absolutely LOVED spending time with everyone & getting to know the dogs, and Zach & I both had a great time. Again, we really missed all the family members on both sides who couldn't be there, but we know that you all had great Christmases whether you were celebrating in Tennessee, Manitoba or Vancouver.

Here's to a happy, healthy & safe 2013...we love you all!!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!

Love,
Katie, Zach & Claire

Christmas 2012 Pictures!
Claire Toddles Video
Christmas at the Vickerys Video
Claire Talking Dog Video
Claire Animal Sounds Video
Claire Walking Video

Claire New Years 2013 Update

I know it's been a long time since the last blog post.  It's been really busy here and we apologize to all five of our readers!  This installment features various pictures and videos of Claire from the past three months or so.  The Christmas post will follow shortly.  Enjoy!

Claire New Years 2013 Pictures!
Claire on the Stairs Video
Claire Pumpkin Painting Video
Claire Pushes a Scooter Video
Claire Eats Whipped Cream Video
Claire Eating a Grilled Cheese Video

What's Happening in Claire's World

So, in addition to Claire's awesome birthday weekend with the family, it's been a busy couple of months for the star of our blog! While Zach's parents were visiting, Claire figured out how to climb the stairs...with a parental spotter (and since then, is also a champ at going down the stairs on her tummy, with close supervision!). She is also pulling up to stand..and will pull up on pretty much everything she can find...including drawers, the toilet and the dishwasher door. In the past week or so, she's started "cruising" - pulling up to stand & then side-stepping while holding on to something (couch, ottoman, chair, etc). She isn't too interested in practicing this whole "walking" thing, but we keep trying! No matter what, it's become very apparent that she is MOBILE! Thank goodness for babyproofing!

Claire also has her 5th tooth, which made it's appearance at the beginning of September. She's now working on her 6th tooth - I can see a pale line (you know, for the .0003 second timeframe that she'll let me look in her mouth!), so it looks like it's going to be cutting through her gum very soon. Exciting times, I tell you!

Another game Claire has been learning is identifying some of her body parts. She can point out her ear, her foot/toes, and her head...we're also working on "nose", but she's being stubborn with that one! When either Zach or I ask her where her nose is, instead of grabbing her own nose, she grabs our noses! It's pretty cute, so we'll let it slide! At least she knows where the nose is located on the body!

Finally, Claire is also learning some Baby Sign Language! This was not planned at all - we've been kind of half-heartedly attempting to teach her a couple of signs for the past 2 months or so, but I never thought it would actually work. Well, she's proving me wrong! She's learned how to say "More" (when she wants more food - click on the link to see a video demonstrating how to do the sign). Her version is different than the video - she holds her left hand as if she's clapping (palm facing in), and holds her right hand with her palm facing away from her body & her thumb inward..then she taps the tip of her thumb against the palm of her left hand. Even though it's different than the norm, she knows what it means & (usually) uses it correctly. Her next sign that she learned is "All Done" (for when she's finished eating, or when I want to signal to her that we're done playing with something). Finally, she's learned "Milk", for when she wants to nurse (or when she's ready for bed). Since she seems to be picking these up fairly quickly now, I'd like to keep teaching her a few more - Mommy, Daddy, Eat, Happy...we'll see how this goes, but it's pretty cool to see her communicate without being able to vocalize!

That's about it for Claire updates - it's been a busy & exciting couple of months! Stay tuned for future updates & enjoy a few pictures!

Claire October 2012 Update Pictures!

Claire on a Scooter Video
Claire Climbs on the Sofa Video
Claire Climbs Stairs Video
Claire Likes Veggies With Her Yogurt Video
Claire Rage Against the Cage Video
Claire Dances to Adele Video
Claire and Dad on the Blue Turf Video
Claire Plays BabySmash Video
Claire Escapes the Bumbo Video

Claire's 1st Birthday & a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Vickery!

It's really hard to believe that it's been more than a year since this little munchkin came into our lives!

She has a little bit more hair, and a lot more personality, but the past year has been amazing...we love her more every day!

We were lucky to have Zach's Mom & Dad come to visit us for the week of Claire's birthday! They arrived on Wednesday, Sept 12th, and we immediately took them out to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, since they'd just spent a (very) long morning flying & navigating airports. We took them to Flatbread Community Oven, which was very yummy, as usual - Zach, Claire & I are regulars there! Jan & Ron got checked into their hotel & we kept it low-key for dinner - we got tacos from the little taco truck near our house. Easy, delicious & no clean-up!
Thursday was spent doing some shopping at our Outlet Mall and enjoying some Claire/Grandparent time!
Friday, September 14th was Claire's birthday, so we had a little party at our house, with Grandma & Grandpa Vickery, as well as Zach's Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie. We had burgers, roasted potatoes & salad...and for dessert, we had an amazing cake that my friend made for Claire...Claire had her very own cupcake, and LOVED IT...she demolished the poor cupcake - it didn't stand a chance! She probably managed to get 3/4 of the cupcake into her mouth, which was pretty impressive...of course she also ended up with bright pink frosting everywhere, but that's the point, right?!
Claire also got lots of birthday presents - everyone was so generous & she loved everything she got! I think she was kind of overwhelmed by all the wrapping paper & presents, but definitely enjoyed herself! We sang Happy Birthday to her a couple of times (before her cake & before opening presents), and both times she looked around at everyone with a huge grin on her face! It was a wonderful night, and we're so glad that Claire (and Zach & I!) got to spend it with such great people!
On Sunday, we went to brunch with Bonnie & Gary and then went for a walk on the Greenbelt (walking paths along the Boise River). On Monday, Zach unfortunately had to work, so the rest of us went to the World Center for Birds of Prey, which is just a few miles from our house. It was a very interesting & entertaining visit - we went on a guided tour of the birds, all of which were beautiful (and huge!). It was very cool to see so many rare birds up close. I think we all enjoyed the visit & I'd definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Boise.
On Tuesday, Ron & Jan came with Claire & I to our weekly Little Gym class. Claire really loves these classes - she gets to crawl all over stuff, climb, play with friends, listen to songs, tumble & just has a great time! Zach was working a half day, so we met him for lunch & then spent some time at the house so Claire could have a nap & play with Grandma & Grandpa. We met Bonnie & Gary for dinner & then called it a night so that Claire could get to bed & Jan & Ron could get some sleep, since they were flying out early the next morning.
All in all, we had a great visit with Ron & Jan, and all three of us really enjoyed our time with the Florida Grandparents...We're so glad they were able to come up for Claire's birthday! What a wonderful time! Claire loved playing with her Grandma & Grandpa Vickery, and can't wait to do it again!!
Happy Birthday, Claire! And thanks again, Grandma & Grandpa V, for coming to visit!! We love you!

Claire's First Birthday Pictures!
Grandma's Pictures From Boise Part 1!
Grandma's Pictures From Boise Part 2!

Happy Birthday Claire Video
Claire Eats a Cupcake Video
Claire Likes Her Play Kitchen Video
Claire With Bells at Little Gym Video
Claire Does a Roll Video
Back Whoop De Doos Video
Claire Climbs Video
Claire Plays Drums and Climbs Stairs Video
Push n Scoot Video
Claire Gets a Kitchen Video
Stacking With Daddy and Claire Video

September Camping Trip

On the weekend of September7-9, we met our friends Joey and Sam (with children Cecilia and Mallory) of Olympia and Tracy and Dan of Portland for a two night camping trip.  We planned on staying at Maryhill State Park but upon arrival there were no sites available.  Luckily our backup site, Brooks Memorial State Park, was only 20 miles away and had plenty of open sites.  We finally arrived just after 2PM and managed to find a single site that would fit three tents and three cars!

We had a great time camping - introducing Claire to everyone, meeting Mallory for the first time, watching the kids interact, catching up on everything, and just being outside!  As always, we had many great meals and enjoyed the various park amenities.  The park was mostly quiet (and surprisingly empty) although there was a bit of highway road noise audible from our site.  Thanks to the dry summer, camp fires were banned which was disappointing.

We left around noon on Sunday and made a pit stop in La Grande where Claire played in a park for a bit.  We arrived home at about 8PM very proud of Claire for completing her second camping trip!

September Camping Trip Pictures!
Claire in a Rocking Chair Video
Claire and Cecilia Play With Dirt Video
Scenes From Camping Video
Cecilia Loves Claire Video
Claire Likes Ladder Golf Video 
Katie With Mallory and Claire Video
Claire on a Slide Video
Claire on a Swing Video

Baby's First Camping Trip!

***Disclaimer: I've added some pictures into the text of this blog post, but there are lots more pictures (and videos!) at the bottom of the post!***


On the morning of Sunday, August 12th, we loaded Claire into the (already-overloaded!) car & headed out for a camping trip of epic proportions! Not only was it one of our longest camping trips to date, it was also Claire's first time camping - that's a recipe for success, right?! Well, it ended up being a fun trip, and Claire was a champion camper & road-tripper for the most part. Yay!

Sunday was a loooong day of driving - we left Boise at 7am local time & didn't get to our Bed & Breakfast (Inn at the Lake) in Newport, WA until 7pm Washington time...it made for a 13 hour day, but there was one highlight to the day! Since it was our 8th anniversary on August 12th, we stopped in Spokane, WA for an early dinner, at The Flying Goat & had some absolutely delicious food! We started with their Focaccia, which had fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic & goat cheese...

This was SO good & a great start to our meal. For our main course, we decided to share a pizza, and did a half-and-half, since we couldn't choose just one pizza - everything sounded yummy & it was hard enough to choose two! We ended up with 1/2 "Waikiki":

Waikiki - Zoe's sweet coppa and artisan ham, caramelized pineapple, roasted jalapeno, house cheese blend and plum tomato sauce

...and 1/2 "D Street"

 D Street - Yellow Coconut Curry, chicken, potato, jalapeno, carrot, house cheese blend, cilantro, sriracha and lime juice

 Yep, you read that right - we had Yellow Coconut Curry on a pizza! And, as unsure we were about it, it was absolutely fantastic! The Waikiki (basically a fancy Ham & Pineapple with jalapenos added) was also delicious, but we both agreed that the D Street was our favorite - the flavours worked really well together, the heat of the sriracha (which is a Thai Chili Garlic hot sauce) was a great kick at the end, and the cheese (which I was worried about, in combination with the other flavours) wasn't out-of-place, it just added a little something & played well with of the other toppings. We'll definitely be going back if we're in Spokane again, and will recommend it to anyone we know who is going there! Oh, and Zach loved their beer selection...and Claire liked looking out their window..and eating bits of pizza crust!

Ok, now that my food reviewer duties are complete, let's move on, shall we? After dinner, we stopped at Audubon Park in Spokane, so that Claire could crawl around & play a little before the hour-long drive to the B&B. She had fun on the swings, and crawling in the grass - they even had a little water park, but she wanted no part of that!

The B&B that Zach found for us to stay in was absolutely gorgeous! Here's the view from the dock, towards the back of the house.

 It was right on a lake, and the back of the house (that faced the lake) was pretty much all windows! Claire spent lots of time crawling around & stretching her legs after being in the carseat, and slept pretty well that night. Zach was even able to fit in a little kayak on one of the B&B's hard-shell kayaks...it was a little too short for his long legs, but at least he was able to get out on the lake & paddle around in the morning!

The breakfast, prepared by the owners, was delicious - a Southwestern quiche with tomatoes, bacon & chives; fruit & yogurt parfait; fresh orange juice; a small piece of coffee cake and the star of the show - freshly baked biscuits with homemade huckleberry butter! I'm pretty sure we both would have eaten huckleberry butter with nothing but a spoon, if we could have - it was outstanding.

After breakfast on Monday morning, we were on the road again. We crossed the border & made our way to Nelson, BC, where we stopped for lunch (A&W, which we ate at a sketchy park that was populated mainly by homeless people...lunch was eaten quickly, needless to say!). The views on the trip up were beautiful:

We made it to the campground at McDonald Creek by 4pm & started the camping extravaganza!

It was a wonderful week of camping - we got to spend lots of quality time with my immediate family, as well as my Auntie Margaret & my Mom's sisters, Cathy & Barb, and 2 of Barb's kids, my cousins Graham & Allison. It was so nice for us to get the chance to introduce Claire to the extended family! We wish we could have spent more time with Auntie Cathy, since she wasn't able to get there until Friday & we had to leave on Sunday so Zach could get back to work, but at least she & Claire got to have some quality time.
During the week, we celebrated Mom's 65th birthday, as well as Margaret's birthday - unfortunately we had to leave before Allison's birthday on Monday, but we were thinking of her! The rest of the week was spent splashing in the lake (Claire wasn't a fan of the cold water!), hanging out in the sun (or shade!) and eating lots of good food. Here's a shot of the lake early one morning:

Claire also got to experience sand for the first time, and seemed to be pretty intrigued with it - she kept grabbing handfuls & letting it fall through her fingers. She did (of course) try eating some, but figured out pretty quickly that it was gross.
Zach also got to use his inflatable kayak & paddle the lake - my cousin Graham gave it a try, too.

Since the weather was so gorgeous, some of the crew decided to go for a hike one day - Zach, Megan, Greg, Graham & Allison hiked up to the peak of Saddle Mountain - the pictures are absolutely breathtaking, and it looked like quite a stunning hike, both on the way up, and at the peak. Maybe next time Zach can take Claire in our backpack carrier!

For the Arts & Crafts portion of Camp, my Mom came up with the great idea of making Claire a rattle out of an empty can & some rocks - the top was sealed with duct tape...we (of course) used an empty beer can (because we're klassy like that), and Claire LOVED it! It kept her entertained for minutes, which in Baby-World is basically MONTHS!

Then Allison, Emily & Matthew made Claire an amazing beer can mobile, with sticks, embroidery floss & (you guessed it!) beer cans (we had a few empties hanging around). It was beautifully trashy, and again, Claire was fascinated with it - I was disappointed that we didn't have space to bring it home with us! Thanks again for all your hard work, guys!

We were sad to have to leave everyone on Sunday, Aug 19th, but we had to drive to Pullman, WA, so that Zach could work at his corporate office on Monday. Zach worked all day while Claire & I entertained ourselves - we spent some time hanging out at Sunnyside Park so that Claire could get some exercise & fresh air in preparation for our final leg of the journey home. We picked Zach up at work, grabbed some dinner & hit the road.

Our trip home was long, and made a little longer by some road construction delays, but Claire was (once again!) a road-trip champ & slept pretty much the whole way home. We got home at 2am & passed out!

Now we're getting ready for our next (and final) camping trip of 2012 - we'll be spending a couple of nights in Oregon, with our friends from Olympia, WA. We don't get to see them very often, and they have a 3 year old & a 4 month old, so it will be fun to see the kids interact!

Sorry for the LOOOOONG & rambling post - clearly I have a problem being concise!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!

Summer Camping Trip Pictures!
Claire Crawls Around Audubon Park Video
Claire In A Swing Video
Claire Climbs a Step Video
Claire Beer Can Rattle Video

Claire August 2012 Update

Here are some pictures and videos of Claire from the past month - enjoy everyone!

Claire August 2012 Pictures!

Claire Sits Up Video
Claire Giggling Video
Claire Snoring Video
Claire Shopping Video
Claire Likes Bells Video
Claire Little Gym Video (Part 1)
Claire Little Gym Video (Part 2)
Claire Eats Dinner Video
Claire Crawls Video
Claire Click Talking Video
Claire Crawling Video
Claire Splashing Video

Mushroom Peak, Gladiator Peak, Peak 10185' Climb

Dan was in Hailey for work so we decided to join forces on a Saturday hike.  After discussing various destinations, we chose three peaks in the Boulders: Mushroom Peak, Gladiator Peak, and Peak 10185'.  Not only did this hike offer three peaks, it also gave the opportunity for Dan to find crampons that were lost on a snowshoe trip in the area this past Spring (sadly they were not found).

We approached by following roads heading toward the mouth of Westernhome Gulch, parking when we couldn't drive further.  In hindsight, following the road up Gladiator Gulch to an actual trailhead would have been a better move.  From our parking spot, we followed the old road (now a trail) to the mouth of Westernhome Gulch.  From here it was very easy cross-country travel up the gulch and eventually to the summit ridge.  We visited Mushroom Peak first and this was a steep but obstacle-free ascent up the ridge.  Mushroom Peak has great views of the surrounding peaks and even glimpses of the Sawtooth Valley.  It also contains a summit register left by Rick Baugher in 2002.

After leaving the summit, we headed over to Gladiator Peak, the highest of the three peaks.  The ridge from Mushroom Peak was pretty gentle but did contain some low class 3 terrain just below the summit.  This peak, which saw other summit visitors earlier in the day, also contains a summit register left by Rick Baugher.

Dan was not feeling very well so on the summit of Gladiator Peak, we decided that I would attempt Peak 10185' and Dan would wait in the basin below.  I tried to be fast but the ridge over to Peak 10185' contains some class 3 terrain and route-finding issues that slowed me down.  The summit block itself is somewhat steep and rotten, however I was able to find a rib to climb to the right of a scree ramp heading down the southeast face.  This rib leads directly to the summit, which has no register but instead possesses an iron rod and a small cairn.

After a brief time on the summit, I headed back down the rib and scree slopes to meet Dan in the upper reaches of Gladiator Creek's basin.  From here we followed the trail down the creek and back to the car.  It was a great day but sadly we finished too late to stop in to the Hill City Saloon as we initially hoped to do.  Maybe next time?

Mushroom Peak, Gladiator Peak, Peak 10185' Climb Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

North Idaho Hiking July 2012

I had a business trip in Pullman so I decided to bolt on some hiking given that the weather forecast was perfect.  I left Boise early Wednesday morning and upon reaching Banks, I parked at the junction with the Banks-Lowman Road and climbed Peak 3668'.  This peak sits about 850' above the highway and made for a brisk morning climb.  The footing is generally good and the route is very direct, only requiring about 0.4 miles to reach the summit.  The summit is pretty flat but it does have decent views of the surrounding area.

Once back on the road, I left the highway in Cottonwood and drove to the summit of Cottonwood Butte, one of Idaho's 50 most prominent peaks.  Upon reaching the top I was surprised to see a giant concrete abandoned building on the top and lots of other ruins.  Later I would learn this summit was the site of the Cottonwood Air Force Station radar site in the 1950s and 1960s.  The ruins were interesting and suggested a hatred of windows by the designers.  The actual summit is a short distance from the ruins and features the foundation of a fire lookout, benchmark, and lots of radio towers.  The summit has partial views of the surrounding area; climbing through the dark stairwell to the top of the abandoned radar building would likely yield much better results.  I think this peak has more debris on the summit than any other I've visited anywhere.

I got to work just after 1PM and worked a half day.  Once done with work, I headed to Bald Mountain, a drive-up peak which is also the highpoint of Latah County.  The drive was longer than expected and when I reached the summit there were a group of people there who had rented the fire lookout!  They said it is an incredible way to spend a night and even talked highly of spending a night up there during a lightning storm!  They were also kind enough to let me walk around the top of the lookout and take a few pictures of the expansive, rolling terrain.  After chatting a bit more, I began the drive back to Moscow where I was staying, arriving about 9PM after a long day!

Thursday was a regular day at work and after departing work I changed clothes then headed for Moscow Mountain.  I wasn't sure how close to the summit I could get in the Civic but the road is drivable up to about 4300' which was closer than I thought.  An intrepid 2WD driver could probably get further but the road gets pretty steep and sandy after where I parked.  I made good time uphill and quickly found my way to East Moscow Mountain, which is clearly used for camping and has good views toward the south and Moscow.  After taking a few pictures, I headed over to the main summit of Moscow Mountain.  Due to mis-reading my map and a total lack of signage, I missed the turn to the summit and wasted some time heading too far west.  After I corrected my mistake, I cruised up the road toward the summit.  Eventually I crossed a gate which marked as private property but was also posted indicating foot traffic was permitted.  I continued past an interesting collection of buildings after which the road deteriorated to something closer to overgrown singletrack.  This continues all the way to the summit, an unremarkable collection of rocks sticking out amongst the surrounding brush.  After taking a few pictures and noticing how low the sun was getting, I scampered back to the vehicle.  This time I rolled into Moscow about 9:15 - another long day!

Friday involved no hiking - after leaving work at 6PM I simply embarked on the long drive home.  I did get stopped by a WSP trooper just south of Pullman - he must've felt sorry for me driving back to Boise because he didn't give me a ticket!  I got home at 2AM Saturday morning totally exhausted!

North Idaho July 2012 Pictures!

Canada Day & Fourth of July

We were lucky enough to be able to go up to Vancouver for the week of Canada Day (July 1st for all of our American readers!) and Fourth of July (hopefully that one is self-explanatory!). Zach's work has an office in Burnaby (a suburb of Vancouver), and they graciously allowed him to work out of the Burnaby office for the week. He got Canada Day off (since the office was closed), in exchange for working on July 4th. It was a pretty great deal (you know, apart from the whole fact that he had to work at all), since he didn't have to burn up vacation time, but still got to enjoy evenings & weekends with the rest of the gang.
We left Boise on Friday, June 29th, at around 9pm - in hopes that Claire would sleep for the majority of the trip! Luckily, she conked out pretty quickly, and only really woke up when we stopped for gas. She went back to sleep as soon as we got on the road again, so really, she was a great little traveler. Of course, Zach & I only got about an hour or 2 of sleep each overnight, so we were definitely feeling it the next morning, when we arrived in Vancouver around 7am local time! There are certainly pros & cons to either travelling during the day (risking a screaming baby for the 11 hour drive) or travelling during the night (risking zombie-parents the following day!)
We had a great visit with the Vancouver contingent! It was so great to spend lots of time with my Mom, brothers, and my sister & her family. Claire had a wonderful time playing with her cousins, and they even got to go swimming in a (very warm & awesome!) pool - Claire loved it so much that she wasn't even complaining after 2 hours straight in the water! Needless to say, her fingers & toes were little tiny prunes! Claire, Emily & Matthew (and Mommy & Auntie Megan) also played at the park with some of Emily & Matthew's friends & their moms (Megan's friends). It was nice to hang out with some other moms.
For Canada Day, we had a barbeque with my family & my Auntie Margaret - lots of turkey burgers & hot dogs with great potato salad & green salad. Yum! For Fourth of July, it was pretty low-key - Zach worked all day, and Claire & I went to dinner with a friend of mine. Zach did get to enjoy a pizza dinner (from one of his favorite Vancouver pizza places!) with my mom. Claire wore her holiday-specific tshirts for each day, and there are some pictures below (as well as videos & other miscellaneous pictures).
While on this trip, Grandma Shepherd showed Claire how to sit up on her own from a lying-down position. She can do it herself, but sometimes just doesn't feel like it (it's so much easier to just whine until someone sits you up, right?!)...we're working on it! She also plays "Pattycake" sometimes (again, only when she feels like it!) and is giving high-fives & learning to wave hello or goodbye! It was a busy week!
We were also able to get our last piece of living room furniture (an entertainment stand) from IKEA while on this trip - IKEA Canada had a sale going on, and we capitalized on the deal! Once it gets put together, it will join the new bookcases, end tables & sofa table to complete the living room furniture update - we'll be sure to post pictures once everything is in place!
Now that we're home, we're settling back into our routine & Claire seems to be recovering in the sleeping department! Zach is off to his work's headquarters in Pullman, WA for the end of the week (leaving Wednesday, coming back Friday), so Claire & I will be keeping busy while he's gone!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!
Love,
Katie, Zach & Claire

Vancouver 2012 Pictures!
Claire With Emily Video
Claire Giggling Video
Emily Reading to Claire Video
Claire Likes Books Video
Claire With Cassie Video
Claire Likes Blocks Video
Lunch at the Shepherds Video

Claire Summer Update

Here are some recent videos and pictures of Claire to celebrate the arrival of summer!

Claire Summer Pictures!
Claire Likes Junk Mail Video
Claire Crawls Video
Claire Eats Dinner Video
Claire High Five Video

Antares Peak and Pincer Peak Hike

Dan suggested a Monday hike of some peaks above Garfield Canyon.  Both peakbagging and taking a day off work sounded amazing to me, so I was in.  The trip also offered the possibility of one to three peaks based upon how strong we felt.

We left Dan's house at 6:15am and began the long drive to Garfield Canyon.  About 3 hours later, we arrived and even attempted to drive past the normal parking spot at 6900'.  However the road past this point was overgrown and we were forced to park shortly thereafter around 7000'.  From here we hiked up the old mining road which was surprisingly washed out and overgrown.  While not good for vehicles, the hiking along the road was good and we made great progress up the canyon.  Soon we passed the mining ruins, which consisted of a crumbling mill, some decaying cabins, and lots of collapsed adits.  We continued to follow the road above the mine but eventually we just headed cross-country toward the summit ridge of Antares Peak.  This was a little steep in places but very straightforward.

After grinding up the last 600', we were on the summit of Antares Peak which has fantastic views of the entire Pioneer range and partial views of the Lost River Range.  Other than some gusty wind, summit conditions were perfect.  Surprisingly, we were only the second party since 1994 to sign the register!  We were both feeling a little tired at this point so we decided we would climb the next peak (Peak 10650' aka Pincer Peak) and not climb Scorpion Mountain which was much further away.

The ridge from Antares Peak to Pincer Peak was fun and included a class 3 section near the saddle.  After fighting fatigue on the traverse, we soon reached Pincer Peak, which naturally features similar views to its neighbor.  After recharging for a little bit, we dropped off the summit and down to the south arm of Garfield Canyon, which was surprisingly devoid of mining detritus.  After hiking through the brush, we eventually found the road and retraced our steps back to the vehicle.

This was a very enjoyable hike in a beautiful and seldom visited area.  The ample mining debris provokes thoughts about the anonymous miners that used to live in this area over 100 years ago.  I'm sure we'll be back one day to visit Scorpion Mountain!

Antares Peak / Pincer Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Claire Nine Month Update

Today is Claire's Nine Month anniversary of Claire's birthday.  In celebration, here is a photo and video update!

Claire Nine Month Pictures!
Claire Peek-a-Boo Video
Claire In a Swing Video
Claire With a Ball Video
Claire Rolling Around Video
Claire In Her High Chair Video
Claire Wants a Coaster Video
Claire In the Pool Video
Claire On the Rug Video