Snow fallen on cedars (Post #200)

I have left home twice in the past month, and both times it snowed while I was gone. This wouldn't be anything special to most people, but it snows so rarely here - it's been 2 years! - that I didn't want to miss it! So as soon as we arrived home from Seattle, I pulled on my boots and took to the woods (also I had just had my second pastry of the day and was running on a sugar buzz).

Frozen, snowy Little Cranberry

Merry Christmas to Us...

M and I have really hard times shopping for each other. We both work full time, share expenses, and have no debt. If one of us needs something, we shop, find a deal, and buy it for ourselves. When we find something cool for the other person, we don't have to wait for an "occasion" to give it as a gift. So this year, we asked for memories from each other. This is what we decided on: a weekend in Seattle.

Breakfast with a View from Lowell's

the Obligatory Quebec post

It's that time of year again, and I am back in Quebec! The sun sets so early right now that I have hardly seen Quebec in the daylight, but with the current dusting of snow, the city is beautifully frosted in the Christmas lights.

Cousins Road Trip to MSP!

After a fun but exhausting work week in Kentucky, I packed up and flew to my next destination. First stop: picking up the rental car in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Then on to meet up with cousin J3 at Northwestern College in northwestern Iowa, and finally, on to Minneapolis... 

Buckly the Bison in downtown Sioux Falls

Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati

A few weeks ago I was once again assigned  an adventure in the center of the country. I packed my bags and flew to the northernmost part of Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati. As far as being sent to Ohio goes, I was pleasantly surprised!

Scott Paul Trail / Park Butte

Not knowing how many hiking days there are going to be before the weather gets nasty, I decided to head into the hills last weekend. Destination: Mt Baker Recreation Area, namely the Scott Paul Trail to Park Butte. 

Looking from Park Butte  towards Bell Pass

Not for lack of anything interesting happening...

I realize that I go long periods without posting, but it isn't for lack of anything interesting happening. In the past month, I have...

Hiked Oyster Dome with my aunt... 

N Cascades Hike Day 3: Cottonwood Camp - Cascade Pass

Oooh, bugs! We broke camp on Day 3 as quickly as we could. Our breakfast was cooked at the river, where the bugs left us alone and we could fill our water bottles for the last time. We had each packed 2 water bottles in addition to our camelbacks. For the upcoming upward hike, we left one bottle empty. Light and fast! 

Riverside breakfast buffet

N Cascades Hike Day 2: Bridge Creek - Stehekin Pastry Co. - Stehekin Landing - Cottonwood Camp

We  woke up on the second day of our epic hike with increased optimism... and hunger! Our  breakfast consisted of a few cliff bars, because we could practically smell the cinnamon rolls waiting for us in Stehekin. We only had 5 miles of easy walking ahead of us, then a bus ride from High Bridge. We tucked our unneeded food into the bear box, zipped up our tent, and went on our way.

Day 2! Blisters taped, pack lightened, Cinnamon rolls within reach... let's do this!

N. Cascades Hike Day 1: Cascade Pass to Bridge Creek

Sometimes you need a Stehekin cinnamon roll. The trouble is that to get to said cinnamon roll, you either need to hike 20+ miles over a pass, or drive all the way around to Chelan and then take a several hour boat ride up the lake. We decided to take the more direct route, thinking that it would be a tough uphill hike for just a few miles, then a coast down the Stehekin river valley to the shuttle at High Bridge. Not counting the bus ride  from High Bridge to the bakery, it should be ~35 miles round  trip. Doable in 3 days, right?

The last push up  to Cascade Pass

More NY history

Monday was a free day for me, so I got out to check a few of my travel goals off my list. Things like "Visit the Erie Canal," "find a local coffee roaster to bring back beans for M," and "take pictures with Buckley at obscure places." I was able to cross all of those off in one day by heading to the Finger Lakes region. First stop:  Finger Lakes Coffee.

Niagra Falls (the Canadian side)

My  last work assignment was to Rochester, NY.  It was my first time in Upstate NY, so I made  a  point to visit Niagra Falls on the way.

Buckley the Bison at American Falls, Niagra, ON

Mt Pilchuck

M and I have been saying for over a year that we should be hiking more. We had a chance to get out over the 4th of July weekend and go somewhere I'd never been: Mt Pilchuck. 

Looking South across the Cascades

the Indy trip... sort of.

I spent a lovely week in central Indiana in June, but unfortunately there isn't much evidence. I snapped one photo of the "Tower Tree" before the big rain drops started. They were shortly followed by yet another thunder-crowned deluge.

My only photo from the trip. Greensburg, IN.

Craters of the Moon

Last week was quite the blitz. I had a long couple of days teaching at the AFB, and by Wednesday afternoon I was ready to hunt for an adventure. It was the National Parks Service's 100th birthday, and the closest national park was Craters of the Moon Naitonal Monument, so off I went.

Boise (because Basque food!)

I'm fairly certain that I'm the only person at work who enjoys being sent to Idaho for trainings. Sandpoint? Love it, and I can spend the weekend with Nana and Grandpa! Idaho Falls? I'll have dinner with M's brothers. Boise? Basque food!

Blitz - Phoenix for a Weekend

Sometimes, at towards the end of a rainy PNW winter, we web-footed PNWerners start thinking about sunshine. A wedding in Phoenix was the perfect excuse to head south and catch some rays. We didn't take many photos, but we did have a great weekend with M's family!

Cannonball!

Civil War Battlefields - Gettysburg

My second stop on my tour of Civil War battlefields was the infamous Gettysburg. The visitor's center is very well done. It includes a short film, cyclorama (ca. 1894), and museum with many artifacts from the battlefield. The special display had a sample of Lincoln's papers. His handwriting is amazing!

Civil War Battlefields - Antietam

I scheduled an extra day for myself on the east coast. Maryland prides itself on having a central place in American history, from being one of the first states, to hosting naval battles in the War of 1812, to being the scene of one of the most devastating battles of the Civil War. In the Confederate states, it was called the Battle of Sharpsburg for the nearby town. Union soldiers named it Antietam for the stream that was the site of a bloody assault at the end of the fight.

There is an excellent description of the actual battle at this link. Check it out!

Chesapeake Bay (North Point State Park)

 After my last day of training, I was ready to release a little stress by taking a walk in the woods. The nearest state park (at least a state park that had more than a 1-star rating on Trip Advisor) was was at the edge of Chesapeake Bay, 20 minutes away. Perfect. I was off over the Francis Scott Key bridge to North Point State Park.

Chesapeake Bay

the Inner Harbor at Baltimore

After my second day of teaching just outside Baltimore, I thought it was time to head into town. The most common response I got when telling friends I was headed to Baltimore was "Oh, I'm sorry." I drove through the potholed suburbs with low expectations.

the Inner Harbor and Baltimore skyline from Federal Hill

Annapolis

Work just sent me to Maryland for a week, so here comes a whole slew of posts on my East Coast adventures (including Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore, and Civil War Battlefields).

My first full day in  MD, I decided to drive down to the capital after work. DC was a traffic jam away, so I went to the other capital - the capital of Maryland, Annapolis.

The Maryland Capital Building