Visiting Valdez

Instead of doing any brewing over the weekend, we went to visit Sara in Valdez.  I normally make it there a couple times each summer.  It's a nice change of pace, a beautiful drive, and a distraction from the daily grind.

(Note: I've come to the realization that I *suck* at documenting through photography.  This trip was filled with lots of people and beautiful scenery, and I captured a minute amount of it.  No pics of the three sisters, none of the cousins, none - or rather, ONE - of the friends that also made the trip. Sigh.)

Leaving after work on Friday means that arrival time in Valdez is the wee hours of the morning.  Fortunately for us, Sara is always willing to let us wake her up so she can show us to the rooms we get to use while we're there.  It's lucky that we can stay at the cannery.  If not for that, I wouldn't be able to come visit.

Valdez isn't large.  And it hasn't changed much over the years - at least not enough for a casual, two-times-a-year, weekend visitor to notice.  Since I've seen Horse Tail Falls and Bridal Veil Falls multiple times - every time I go, I stop to look - I suppose I didn't think about taking a new picture.  And I've been down the mine road several times, so I didn't take a new picture with my car in the creek as we crossed over (the bridge washed out a few years ago, but the creek is shallow enough that the brave-of-heart - and vehicles with enough ground clearance - can make it across).  But I saw two waterfalls that I haven't noticed before, and we watched seals in the water.  No bear viewings this time.

On Sunday morning, we woke to fog thicker than pea soup, and received a tour of the fish processing plant.  The season's over, so it's all shut down and almost eerily quiet.  It was really interesting, and pretty cool since I hadn't ever been any farther inside than the main office.

When we came out of the plant, the fog was starting to lift.  For all the times I've been to Valdez, it's rarely sunny.  But those few times are precious, because the scenery is absolutely stunning.  I'm glad that we were able to enjoy some sun before the long journey back home.

Jeannea and I took a little side trip on the way home - a little off-roading with the car.  Because it was sunny the view was awesome; however, the wind was blowing so hard that I was afraid it'd rip my phone right out of my hands (and it was a chilly wind).  My pictures aren't the greatest because I was shivery and fighting the wind for balance.

 

As we got closer to home, clouds moved in and the sunshine evaporated, but the end of our trip was blessed with a rainbow.  An excellent finish to a wonderful weekend!

Eklutna Ride

I've been attempting to ride my bike a bit more this summer.  I'm slow, and any kind of incline is a real effort, but I generally have a good time.  When my friend Shawn suggested a ride around Eklutna Lake, I figured it'd be a good ride - some exercise, and a chance to visit with a friend.

The last time I was here, we were camping.  I mostly stayed at the camp site and enjoyed the company there.  I've heard of the hiking and biking trails, and Sheri even did a little kayaking with Greg, but this is the first time I've explored any of those options.  (I'm not nearly ready for the kayaking/canoeing bit yet...)

 

I have to admit that I was anxious about the ride.  I know I'm not skilled, and I'm definitely out of shape.  But Shawn made it easy to relax and have fun.  There were plenty of places to stop and explore - and I took advantage of as many as I could.

 

We biked six miles out, then had a wonderful lunch (provided by Shawn) sitting on the beach and enjoying the view.  While there was plenty more trail to ride, I was starting to worry about the trek back.  As far as we go, I have to come back.  There's no way on this ride for me to call Greg to come pick me up.  (That's what I did riding home from work a while back - there was a tremendous head wind, and I was just so tired... so about a mile and a half from home I caved and called Greg to come get me.  I know.  I'm a wimp.)

All in all, we rode 12 miles today.  I'm pretty proud of that.  Granted, we took plenty of breaks, and on the way back I had to walk my bike up several hills, but I didn't have a heart attack; I didn't wimp out and walk the whole way back (just up a few hills, and no more than I absolutely had to); and I had a wonderful time visiting with Shawn.  To celebrate, we had dinner at Kriner's Diner and I took home one of their super-delicious cinnamon rolls.  Yeah, baby!

Spring Saunter

We still have ice on the roads, a couple feet of snow on the ground, and a chance for more frozen precipitation - according to the weather forecast I just watched.  So it'll be a few more weeks until we get the growing things.  But... we're in the melting phase!!

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous!  We decided that we needed to get out and enjoy the weather, so we took a drive.  All the sunshine makes me think of afternoon bike rides and camping, green leaves and flowers, barbecuing on the deck...  In short, it makes me anxious for summer.  Greg's been for a couple hikes in the snow, but I'm not that adventurous.  I'm waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to dry up a bit before I wander forth into the wilderness.  That way, the worst I have to look forward to are the mosquitoes and the bears.  I take plenty of bug dope with me for the former, and hope there's someone that runs slower than me (or that I can trip) for the latter.

On Sunday, after an early morning hike (for Greg - some sleeping in for me), we went back to Kriner's Diner for breakfast.  As promised, I ordered the cinnamon roll (almost as big as my head) and a side of bacon.  I'm not sure what Greg ordered, but he liked it (and it had a pancake, among other things).

I tried really hard to eat the whole thing, but I just couldn't do it.  So the leftovers became dessert for after dinner.  I did not suffer a sugar coma (I think that's because the bacon took the edge off), and I'm pleased to announce that Kriner's Diner cooks crispy bacon well (not over- or under-done).  Next time we go for breakfast I'll look for healthier fare, but I just couldn't pass on such a treat.

Solstice Eclipse

As with every year, the official start of winter is the harbinger of light and warmth for me.  On the very day that Winter is proclaimed, the tides of darkness begin to turn.  Sure, it's not noticeable for a month or so.  But deep in the marrow of my bones I know I've made it to a milestone; that the Cold Death is beginning to lose its power.  It gives me strength to last through more bitter dark and cold, knowing that the light is slowly growing and with it will come more heat (eventually).

This year's winter solstice is also historical.  It's the first time in hundreds of years that solstice included an eclipse of the full moon.  I think the next time they say this will happen is 2094 - more than 80 years from now, and I doubt I'll be around to see that one.  (Actually, I kept my limbs inside nice and cozy, and just looked at the pictures Greg took from our deck with his fancy-pants camera.)

Lighthouse Coastal Tour

Greg originally wanted to get started at 6:30am today.  Lucky for me, we couldn't check out of the room until 8am.  An extra hour or so of sleep, yay!  To make up for not being able to leave as early as planned, Greg went out to see some sights and get some pictures.  In the guise of being helpful, he thoughtfully set the alarm on his blackberry.  This is all good and fine, except the damn thing was locked and I had no way to disarm it - the best I could do was snooze for 5 minutes.  When he got back to the room 45 minutes later, it was in pieces.  Fortunately for him, those pieces were the case, the battery, and the device, rather than smashed little bits.  Not the most auspicious way to start the morning for someone who is definitely NOT a morning person.  But the cinnamon roll almost as large as my head and some coffee from a little cafe in Oceanside seemed to help immensely.  =)

The plan for today was to do some sightseeing as we made our way back up to Washington for the geocachers luau, a pre-GeoWoodstock event.  First stop along the way, the Tillamook cheese factory for a tour and lunch.

It was fascinating to see the factory and learn about one of my favorite brands of cheese.  We got to taste several flavors that aren't available back home, and had a most delicious cheese sandwich for lunch.  I have to admit that I was disappointed in the quality and cooking of the bacon (it was thin and floppy, rather than thick and crispy), but the combination of cheeses - extra sharp white, medium, and sharp - was delicious!  Being full from lunch, we didn't get more ice cream.  I'm wishing that I could have that ice cream I skipped on then, right now...

From there, we headed north along the coastal route to see some lighthouses.  Of course, in many of our stops there were caches to be had.  Some were Earth Caches - where we have to find information about a formation or phenomenon - like Haystack Rock.  Greg went to find the cache while Sheri and I visited and wondered why this area has deer that jump through hoops.  I suppose it's good exercise and will keep them on their toes?

We stopped at North Head Lighthouse for a short walk and some nice views.  Then headed to Desperation Point.  Greg did the hike out to the lighthouse while Sheri and I entertained ourselves by chatting and taking pictures of the local flora.

We didn't make it back to Washington in time for the luau.  In fact, we arrived back at Sheri's apartment at 9pm - in time to hook up with Aaron and Chachee again and relax for an evening before more fun tomorrow.  It's GeoWoodstock all day tomorrow.  How fun is that?!?

The Oregon coast is absolutely beautiful.  I really enjoyed our little sightseeing tour, and only regret that we didn't have more time.  I would have liked to see my cousins who live in Beaverton - I just looked it up and am really sad, since we passed so close to them on this trip - and our schedule just didn't work to hook up with Greg's cousin Larry.  Next time we make a coastal trip (that's not all about geocaching), I'm going to make sure that we get more family visits in.

Solstice Celebration

Today was the first sunny day all month - and it's summer solstice, which is always bittersweet for me: beginning of summer, beginning of shorter days.  Sure, it won't be noticeable for a few weeks, but my heart knows it and mourns just a little.  (Winter solstice is the same for me: "official" beginning of winter, but also the beginning of longer days.)  My friend Jennifer invited me to go hike Blueberry Loop after work, so we could take advantage of the sun - sweet!

Unfortunately, by the time we were headed up the road, there were angry, dark clouds surrounding the area we intended to visit.  So instead we turned south for a drive.  Beluga Point is always nice - I've never seen the whales as they're cruising up the inlet, but the view is worth the drive.  We took some pictures - do you know how hard it is to get a decent picture in the self-portrait mode?  I mean, without cutting off heads, including the pretty background, and avoiding my 50 chins??  Well, we were lucky and got a few good shots - Jennifer's contagious smile helps a lot!

Not wanting to go home just yet, we backtracked a bit to McHugh Creek.  It's an area for exploring and hiking and goofing off, with a pretty water fall to boot (which we didn't make it to - I guess that's for another trip).  We started wandering around the area, looking for... yup! geocaches.  =)  Apparently there are several in the area, and the search gave us a little direction for our aimless wanderings.  (Note: We were using Jennifer's iPhone as a GPS.  How handy!  We could get directions, information about the cache, and the distance - just as if we had a regular GPS.  We also got pictures we used as hints to help find the caches.  Nice!)

We found an overlook - the same area where they did the rappelling I posted about here (I was too chicken to do it, but Anita did - and loved it!).  Then we wandered into the woods.  Can I just say that I absolutely *LOVE* my new hiking boots?  I've been wearing them to work on Fridays - Jeans Day - and on my charity walks to break them in, but today was the first day I've been hiking in my hiking boots.

I'll never be the spry little mountain goat that clambers over every gnarled tree root and boulder in the path without a care in the world.  My lack of grace and my vertigo ensure that.  But today, we were climbing up and over and around and back again...  and I didn't cry like a baby.  Not once.  Oh. My. Goodness!!  (Okay, there were a couple spots where I may have hyperventilated and peed myself a little, but not one salty droplet escaped my leaky faucet eyeballs.)

And we found the cache.  And made it back down in one piece, without ever encountering a bear.  A serious adventure!  No crying, successful climbing, two for two in cache finds, and no bear maulings.  What more can you ask for on Summer Solstice Eve?  What?  You're asking for the sun to come back out and play?  Okay.  Just for you.

And that is how I celebrated Summer Solstice.  My legs are jello (strawberry with Cool Whip, if you please), that's slowly firming up into what's more like those jello shapes (instead of just the bowl of jello).  By tomorrow, the first day since December that's going to be shorter than the previous day, I'll be recovered and ready for... Blueberry Loop - if it's not raining, like the forecast says it will.  So I leave you with a view from my deck at 11:30pm tonight.

Happy Solstice, everyone!!

The Last Loop

It's late in the year: the leaves have changed and they're falling; it's colder during the days and close to - or just below - freezing at night; there's Termination Dust on the mountains; and we've had some serious frost on the windshields some mornings. Any day now, I expect there'll be snow on the ground when I wake up.

With all that in mind, when Billy said he wanted to make the trip up to Flattop and walk Blueberry Loop, we all thought it'd be best if that happens sooner, rather than later. I don't have the gear (nor the desire) to walk the Loop in the snow.

Just yesterday, we got Termination Dust (first sign of snow on the mountain tops - marks the "termination" of summer) on the mountains. I heard that we're supposed to have rain & snow tomorrow, but today is supposed to be mostly clear. So, if we're going to do it, we need to go today. The trail's at a higher elevation, there's no telling when it'll be covered in snow. We're going tonight.

Since we hadn't planned this yesterday, everyone had to get changed - work shoes just won't cut it for this trail - which means we got a late start. I've never done Blueberry in the dark. Or dusk. It was beautiful. The trail was a little wet from the previous day's rain, but not muddy; and the clouds at sunset made for some spectacular views. The view of Sleeping Lady was particularly stunning. She's always pretty, but tonight... with the clouds and the colors... it was especially gorgeous.

Nita and I walked the Loop while Todd, Billy, & Greg wandered off to find some caches (of course!), and we hooked back up at the parking lot. We walked 'round the shadowed side first, to end up on the sunset side at the end of the walk. The wind was cold - so I'm really glad I brought a hat, and could probably have done with a coat instead of a jacket (and *definitely* some thermals for my legs!) - and we saw flakes instead of rain towards the end of the walk.

It's the first time I've seen our city lights from this vantage. I doubt I'll be going up to do the Loop anymore this season. I'll have to wait for Spring to go again. But I'm glad I took the chance this time, to see the familiar landscape in a new (non-)light.

Labor Day Weekend - King Mountain

The last campout of the season... a sad affair, and a wonderful event. =) The weather was gorgeous - full of sunshine, and we got to see the full moon at night. (Which meant that is was cold, but we got a beautiful view of the full moon...) The picture below of King Mountain and the full moon is courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera. All mine turned out dark or blurry or dark and blurry, so I used one of his instead.

Saturday was a day of hiking - for those that were interested in going... and (of course) there was a cache. The hike to Castle Rock takes all day. I applaud those that were stalwart enough to make the trek. I, on the other hand, (and a few others) opted to stick closer to home.

A lovely day around the fire, visiting and enjoying friends. That's how I spent my day. I can't imagine a nicer way to spend a sunny, fall Saturday.

It's always hard for me to accept the coming winter. Changing leaves and cold nights are harbingers of the Great Time of Dark and Cold. Of course, I start fending off thoughts of winter in June, when summer solstice passes and the days start getting shorter. It's not noticeable for quite some time, but as of the 21st of June I know the clock is ticking.

As summer wanes, it's even more important to me to horde those warm, sunny memories of summer. I have to have something to keep me sane during The Long Sleep. This weekend was a great chance to stockpile pretty pictures. I can just see myself in December: Remember that great campout in September? Where it was warm and pretty, and we had such a great time with our friends? Maybe we can do that again, in just a couple months... I can last just a couple more months...

I think I'm getting a little hung up on the upcoming cold. Could be because the weather's colder now and the news just reported that we may get snow in the next couple days. (I'm a bit behind, and finishing the writing of this post on the 24th of September.) So to snap out of it, I'll mention James (remember kilt-donning James?). We had a nice chat around the fire one afternoon. We both agreed that the licorice (from Costco, purchased just before the campout and sealed until we arrived), was less than fresh. I expected it to be softer and more chewy. It was actually a little tough - so James used the marshmallow/wienie roaster to warm some up. Turns out it softens a bit if it's warmed over the fire... but tastes a bit smokey too. Different, but apparently still tasty. Kind of like the bacon s'more? Hmmmm...

We got rained on just a bit, Saturday evening. Enough to put up the extra awning, but not enough to make anyone uncomfortable. (Unless it was the hikers, who got caught in a bit of the deluge on the way down the mountain - but we warmed them up with a fire, hot chili, and toasty warm beverages.)

This weekend was fantabulous! All the more enjoyable, knowing that it's the last time this summer that I'll be going camping. Greg might go on a winter trip (he tried last winter, but the volcano put an early end to that), but I don't think that'd be a wise idea for me. I'm sure my nose AND my feet would be cold... The weather, the friends, the campfire... a marvelous way to spend the long weekend.