Tickets: bought!

I just bought the cheapest round trip tickets of my life. SEA-AMS, AMS-SEA for $70. 41 days of life in a backpack, coming right up!

the Oyster Dome "Death March"

I think before yesterday I'd already been up Oyster Dome 2 or 3 times this year, but it never really gets old… especially when you get to add more people!

M, me, Kelsey, Melissa, and Jim.

We did the first death march* of the year under sunny 70* skies yesterday. It really doesn’t get better than on a warm day and with a great crew!

*The hike was named the "death march" by a co-worker last year who suggested that we were trying to kill him with the pace we set up the 2000ft hill.

Palouse visit!

This post is loooong overdue... as was the road trip to Pullman that M and I took 3 weeks ago!It was my first time back in my old college town in nearly 2 years, and we had a blast!
We took Highway 2 over the Cascades because a) we missed Seattle traffic, and b) because it was an excuse to stop in Leavenworth! We had to swing by the cheesemonger's shop for Wurst, Rotkohl, and Emmenthaler cheese to go with the Käsespätzle dinner planned for Saturday night.

Buckly the Wandering Bison visits Leavenworth

We rolled into Pullman around 9 and went directly to Wendy’s cute little apartment. She and Phoebe (the greatest fuzzball of a pom-cross you’ve ever met!) let us have their living room to unroll our sleeping bags, and we were all out like light bulbs.

Saturday was cool but sunny, and after omelettes we rendezvoused with Sharon for a hike up Kamiak Butte. It was perfect! We took a trail down the back side fo the hill that was practically empty, leaving us to walk with our own conversation. The one downside to visiting Pullman on Mom’s weekend was the number of moms who were touring the area with their students!

Hiking on the Palouse!

To beat the crowd, we got coffee (Buccer’s!) and lunch (the Co-Op!) in Moscow. M had never been there before, so we dinked around town and introduced him to Hyperspud and TriState. Back in Pullman, we headed over to catch up with the Aasen clan (the girls are so big!) and then home to collaborate on a German dinner. Marcus roasted the brats he’d picked out in Leavenworth under the broiler while Whendy and I improvised Spätzle grater by cutting the corner off of a plastic bag. I squeezed dough out of the bag while Wendy cut the noodles with scissors. It actually turned out pretty well, and with the Emmenthaler under the broiler for a few minutes… With a bottle of Riesling, dinner was not to be rushed!

We weren’t exactly hungry when we went back to Moscow in the morning to visit the Breakfast Club. It was worth it, though! Can you say huckleberry zucchini bread?

Sign outside of the Breakfast Club

The trip home went faster than it ever did in college, helped both by good company in the car and by a stop to see cousin J1 in  Ellensburg.

First OD of the spring!

I love sunshine in the Pacific NorthWest. I'll take any temperature, just give it to me with sun!

With daylight savings time, there's a few hours beautiful daylight after work that lures you away from the office and into the hills. I had the best company for this trip. We traipsed up the trail, arriving to a stunning view of the San Juans.

Four fingers between the horizon and sun told us we had about an hour of light left, which meant a gorgeous sunset as we made our way back to the road and reality.

Meet Buckley, the Wandering Bison

Life back in the great PNW really hasn't been as dull as my silence would lead you to believe. I haven't gotten out and about as much as I'd like (work and dreary weather), but life goes on.

A few weeks before my birthday, Mom and Dad came down to Charleston for a visit. While visiting the national park at Ft Moultrie, Mom bought me my first birthday present: a mascot for my future travels!

Meet Buckley, the Wandering Bison

My new buffalo buddy and I had an easy flight home, and are looking forward to our next round of travels... wherever they may be!

Buckley, tucked in the back of my backpack with his plaid travel pillow.

Snowshoeing with Dad

Dad's Christmas present this year was a pair of snowshoes. Tromping down a trail in snowshoes gives you all the fun of a day playing in the snow without the pain of ski boots.
We took off from the Salmon Ridge sno-park, just east of Glacier and down the hill from Mt Baker Ski Area. The park has a network of XC and snowshoe trails maintained by the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club. You need to buy a sno-park pass to park in the large, ploughed lot. Next time around, we are thinking of using our Discover/Parks pass to park at the Shuksan picnic area across the river.

At the trailhead

We hiked along the north fork of the Nooksack river for a mile or two, then climbed up to the Razerhorn Road. The snow was fresh and soft, and the trees neatly frosted. The trails weren't especially busy, but we did see groups of snowshoers, classic skiers sliding by, and skate skiers flying. And a few 4-pawed friends loping along, too! Nearly 2.5 hours after we headed out, we tiredly unbuckled our snowshoes back at the car.

Winter Wonderland

Parents visit!

Mom and Dad came to visit on Thursday, and just left today. It was an almost perfect last-hurrah around Chucktown. Perfect would have been above-freezing weather when they arrived and not getting soaked today!
While I was at work, Mom and Dad toured downtown, Ft Sumter, one of the museum mansions, Middleton Place Plantation, and a bunch of other fun stuff. In the evenings we had good food, walked around, and relaxed.

This morning we rolled out of breakfast and headed to Shem Creek. A drizzle turned into a straight up rain, and we were soaked as we came back from the boardwalk.
After changing into dry pants we went out to Ft Moultrie, which displayed 200 years of defensive history on Sullivan's Island. The original fort was palmetto logs with dirt behind. They held off British ships at during the revolution. Instead of splintering, the logs flexed when shots hit them.

It's pointed at Sumter.

In the civil was Moultrie was held by the Confederates. It was from there that the shots starting the Civil War were fired. The fort was modernized during the Spanish-American war, and was fully manned as part of the coastal defenses during the 1st and 2nd World Wars.

After one last bout of Barbecue at Firey Ron's and a walk on the beach, Mom and dad packed up and headed back to WA. There's a light at the end of the tunnel - I'll be following them home soon(ish)!