Location: Beacon Rock, The Gorge, OR
Date: Aug 3, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 10
Distance: 1.8mi (the Rock) / 2.2mi (Falls)
Ratings: 4 (the Rock) / 2 (the Falls)
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| From Beacon Rock |
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Beacon Rock
Janel, Melvin, Danny, Anna, and I went to Beacon Rock, a popular hike on the Washington side in the Gorge. We also hiked to nearby Rodney Falls. The short 1.8mi hike to the top of the rock was a good easy trek, but the falls were a bit uneventful.
Location: Beacon Rock, The Gorge, OR
Date: Aug 3, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 10
Distance: 1.8mi (the Rock) / 2.2mi (Falls)
Ratings: 4 (the Rock) / 2 (the Falls)
Location: Beacon Rock, The Gorge, OR
Date: Aug 3, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 10
Distance: 1.8mi (the Rock) / 2.2mi (Falls)
Ratings: 4 (the Rock) / 2 (the Falls)
Jason's and Erin's Wedding
Janel and I flew into Chicago for a couple of days to attend my cousin Jason's wedding.
Location: Cafe Braur, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL
Date: Aug 9, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 30
Location: Cafe Braur, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL
Date: Aug 9, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 30
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| From Jason's Wedding |
Erin's Visit
Erin came into town for a week long visit. She had just taken the bar and had some free time before starting up work. She helped us with some house decorating, and we also went on three trips.
Erin and Janel first did a quick Gorge Tour. Below is a picture of Erin at Wahkeena Falls.
We were planning on making a camping trip to the coast over the weekend, but that fell apart when it was 103 degrees in Portland and the entire city made an exodus out there. So on Saturday we took a day trip to Lookout Point. We started out to the point, but I decided I was not a fan of the big cliffs on the trail, so we walkded down to the South Beach instead. I am a big fan of beaches that you have to hike to, and this one did not disappoint. Afterwards we scoped out the big beach on the north side of the point (with the campground). It was pretty amazing -- that beach was completely fogged in while the south beach was great.
Location: Lookout Point, Oregon Coast
Date: Aug 16, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 21
Distance: 4.8mi to Point (not completed) / 3.6mi to Beach
Rating: 4
Here is a photo of Erin and I at the beach:
On Sunday we took a trip down to Silver Falls. I left my camera at home, so no photos :(. As always, Silver Falls was great, but it was definitely not as good this time of year as it is at other times. The water was not flowing nearly as much as it does in the Spring or even Winter.
Erin and Janel first did a quick Gorge Tour. Below is a picture of Erin at Wahkeena Falls.
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| From Gorge Trip with Erin |
We were planning on making a camping trip to the coast over the weekend, but that fell apart when it was 103 degrees in Portland and the entire city made an exodus out there. So on Saturday we took a day trip to Lookout Point. We started out to the point, but I decided I was not a fan of the big cliffs on the trail, so we walkded down to the South Beach instead. I am a big fan of beaches that you have to hike to, and this one did not disappoint. Afterwards we scoped out the big beach on the north side of the point (with the campground). It was pretty amazing -- that beach was completely fogged in while the south beach was great.
Location: Lookout Point, Oregon Coast
Date: Aug 16, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 21
Distance: 4.8mi to Point (not completed) / 3.6mi to Beach
Rating: 4
Here is a photo of Erin and I at the beach:
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| From Lookout Point |
On Sunday we took a trip down to Silver Falls. I left my camera at home, so no photos :(. As always, Silver Falls was great, but it was definitely not as good this time of year as it is at other times. The water was not flowing nearly as much as it does in the Spring or even Winter.
Shelley and Pablo get Married
Janel and I took a trip down to San Jose to attend the wedding of Shelley and Pablo (who I introduced). The day before the wedding we took a trip to Sonoma with Sain and Jame (and his gf). Sorry, no photos :). This was a lot of fun. One of the wineries we stopped at was having a big vintage release party, so for $10 we got a bunch of food, live music, and basically all the wine we could drink.
We stayed at Sain's house, and then went to the wedding on Sunday. It was at a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, and was probably the most beautiful setting for a wedding that I have ever been to. We had a lot of fun catching up with a bunch of old friends from grad school.
We stayed at Sain's house, and then went to the wedding on Sunday. It was at a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, and was probably the most beautiful setting for a wedding that I have ever been to. We had a lot of fun catching up with a bunch of old friends from grad school.
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| From Shelley's and Pablo's Wedding |
Saddle Mountain
Janel and I climbed to the top of Saddle Mountain, which is located between Portland and the Coast just off 26. It was a fun and relatively easy hike to the top with some 360 degree views from the top. We had blue skies, but it was a bit hazy in the distance so we could not really see all the mountains. On a clear day the views would be spectacular.
Location: Saddle Mountain, OR
Date: Sep 13, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 20
Distance: 4.5mi
Rating: 4
Here is a view from the "saddle" looking up towards the summit.
Location: Saddle Mountain, OR
Date: Sep 13, 2008
Number of Photos in Album: 20
Distance: 4.5mi
Rating: 4
Here is a view from the "saddle" looking up towards the summit.
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| From Saddle Mountain |
Wallowa River Loop Backpacking
Allen, Steve, Kevin, and I took the yearly "boys-only" backpacking trip to the Wallowas this year where we took the Wallowa River Loop Sept 19-21.
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We went clockwise around the loop, camping at Aneroid Lake, heading over Polaris Pass, camping at Frazier Lake, and heading out over Glacier Pass and down through the Lake Basin.
Days: 3
Camps: Aneroid Lake, Frazier Lake
Trailhead: East Fork of the Wallowa River Trail
Rating: 5
Distance: 6.3mi / 11.8mi / 17.9mi
Note: I would highly recommend against going counter-clockwise through this loop. Going over Polaris Pass from the West would be a major pain in the butt. There is a steep slope of scree on the west side of the pass, and sliding down it was hard enough. Going up that way would be less than fun.
One thing that we read about this trail is that, while amazing, tends to be very crowded. This was definitely not our experience. Granted, September is a bit late in the year to go and some of the alpine meadows were a bit past their prime, but we did not see that many people. On day 1 we saw nobody. Day 2 we saw 4 people. Day 3 (Saturday) when we were in the Lake Basin we saw a good number of people but it was by no means "crowded".
Our original plan had been to spend 4 days doing the trip, camping at Horseshoe Lake on day 3 before heading out. However, the rain hit hard on day 3 and we just decided to push the 18 miles out.
OK ... let's get down to the trip summary.
We drove out to the Best Western in Enterprise on Wednesday night, meeting up with Kevin in Pendleton. This was not a bad drive from Portland, and we were able to get all packed up and to bed at a reasonable hour.
Thursday we woke up early (Steve was not pleased) and headed down to the trailhead which was a short drive away. The first part of the hike was not all that exciting. We climbed ~3200ft slowly but surely over ~6.3mi to Aneroid Lake. While the trail was a bit uneventful, the lake was great. It had some great views and we were all alone. It was probably one of the best campsites I have ever had while backpacking.
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We got to camp at lunchtime, and had all afternoon to ourselves. We took a trip around the lake, which I would highly recommend. Then Allen and Steve took another hike up towards Bonnie Lakes while Kevin and I relaxed at camp.
Friday we got an early start, as we wanted to get to Polaris Pass before some weather that we saw on the forecast came in. The hike up to Polaris Pass over Tenderfoot Pass was great. This was probably my favorite part of the trip.
Here is a photo of me on the way to Polaris:
Here is a photo of the four of us at Polaris Pass:
The hike down from Polaris was rather steep and over some unstable scree for the first section. While I did not enjoy this, I was very happy to not be going up. After getting down the scree, we hit what was the most annoying set of switchbacks ever. These were the most gradual set of switchbacks I have ever hiked on and took forever for apparently no reason. We finally made it to Frazier Lake camp around 3. I was completely wiped out. This camp was nice, but definitely not as good as Aneroid.
That night a massive thunderstorm moved in. It was pretty cool -- we would see a flash and then hear multiple bangs as the sound reflected off the mountains which surrounded our camp. It was also very gusty. We would hear the wind coming in, which was loud enough to wake you up, and then about 5 seconds later the wind would make it to the tents and just start ripping them around. This was probably the second worst storm I have ever been in while camping.
On the morning of day 3 we woke up to fog but no rain. We headed out towards Glacier Pass. It was really foggy, but still really nice.
Glacier Lake was nice, but we could not really see the surrounding peaks so it was not as good as it could have been. As we headed down from Glacier Pass, it started to rain. We met up with Allen and Steve at Moccasin Lake (who had gone ahead earlier) and then headed towards Horseshoe Lake. Moccasin Lake was very nice and would be a great place for a base camp. It is ~13 miles from the trailhead though.
We made it to Horseshoe Lake, and to make a long story short, decided to make the push out. The rain was still coming down hard and we were past the "good" stuff. We finally made it back to the car around 6pm.
It was a great trip but could have been better if the rain cooperated. I would like to go back sometime for some more backpacking, but probably would not bother for a non-backpacking trip. Most of the good stuff was far enough back that you really could not day hike to it.
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| From Wallowas |
We went clockwise around the loop, camping at Aneroid Lake, heading over Polaris Pass, camping at Frazier Lake, and heading out over Glacier Pass and down through the Lake Basin.
Days: 3
Camps: Aneroid Lake, Frazier Lake
Trailhead: East Fork of the Wallowa River Trail
Rating: 5
Distance: 6.3mi / 11.8mi / 17.9mi
Note: I would highly recommend against going counter-clockwise through this loop. Going over Polaris Pass from the West would be a major pain in the butt. There is a steep slope of scree on the west side of the pass, and sliding down it was hard enough. Going up that way would be less than fun.
One thing that we read about this trail is that, while amazing, tends to be very crowded. This was definitely not our experience. Granted, September is a bit late in the year to go and some of the alpine meadows were a bit past their prime, but we did not see that many people. On day 1 we saw nobody. Day 2 we saw 4 people. Day 3 (Saturday) when we were in the Lake Basin we saw a good number of people but it was by no means "crowded".
Our original plan had been to spend 4 days doing the trip, camping at Horseshoe Lake on day 3 before heading out. However, the rain hit hard on day 3 and we just decided to push the 18 miles out.
OK ... let's get down to the trip summary.
We drove out to the Best Western in Enterprise on Wednesday night, meeting up with Kevin in Pendleton. This was not a bad drive from Portland, and we were able to get all packed up and to bed at a reasonable hour.
Thursday we woke up early (Steve was not pleased) and headed down to the trailhead which was a short drive away. The first part of the hike was not all that exciting. We climbed ~3200ft slowly but surely over ~6.3mi to Aneroid Lake. While the trail was a bit uneventful, the lake was great. It had some great views and we were all alone. It was probably one of the best campsites I have ever had while backpacking.
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| From Wallowas |
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| From Wallowas |
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We got to camp at lunchtime, and had all afternoon to ourselves. We took a trip around the lake, which I would highly recommend. Then Allen and Steve took another hike up towards Bonnie Lakes while Kevin and I relaxed at camp.
Friday we got an early start, as we wanted to get to Polaris Pass before some weather that we saw on the forecast came in. The hike up to Polaris Pass over Tenderfoot Pass was great. This was probably my favorite part of the trip.
Here is a photo of me on the way to Polaris:
 |
| From Wallowas |
Here is a photo of the four of us at Polaris Pass:
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| From Wallowas |
The hike down from Polaris was rather steep and over some unstable scree for the first section. While I did not enjoy this, I was very happy to not be going up. After getting down the scree, we hit what was the most annoying set of switchbacks ever. These were the most gradual set of switchbacks I have ever hiked on and took forever for apparently no reason. We finally made it to Frazier Lake camp around 3. I was completely wiped out. This camp was nice, but definitely not as good as Aneroid.
 |
| From Wallowas |
That night a massive thunderstorm moved in. It was pretty cool -- we would see a flash and then hear multiple bangs as the sound reflected off the mountains which surrounded our camp. It was also very gusty. We would hear the wind coming in, which was loud enough to wake you up, and then about 5 seconds later the wind would make it to the tents and just start ripping them around. This was probably the second worst storm I have ever been in while camping.
On the morning of day 3 we woke up to fog but no rain. We headed out towards Glacier Pass. It was really foggy, but still really nice.
 |
| From Wallowas |
Glacier Lake was nice, but we could not really see the surrounding peaks so it was not as good as it could have been. As we headed down from Glacier Pass, it started to rain. We met up with Allen and Steve at Moccasin Lake (who had gone ahead earlier) and then headed towards Horseshoe Lake. Moccasin Lake was very nice and would be a great place for a base camp. It is ~13 miles from the trailhead though.
We made it to Horseshoe Lake, and to make a long story short, decided to make the push out. The rain was still coming down hard and we were past the "good" stuff. We finally made it back to the car around 6pm.
It was a great trip but could have been better if the rain cooperated. I would like to go back sometime for some more backpacking, but probably would not bother for a non-backpacking trip. Most of the good stuff was far enough back that you really could not day hike to it.
New Photo Album
I am switching over to Picasa. It is easier to use than Gallery, I love the geotagging and facial recognition, and is easier to make prints. I will be slowly migrating my entire album over there. In the meantime, you can access all my old photos at the "Old Photo Gallery" and the new photos at the "New Photo Gallery" (links on the right).
I am uploading my photos at Picasa in full resolution, and making prints from that website seems quite easy, so give it a shot! :)
I am uploading my photos at Picasa in full resolution, and making prints from that website seems quite easy, so give it a shot! :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
We're on a mission from God
I feel like I am watching Blue's Brothers. Apparently the war in Iraq is "a task that is from god"...
It keeps getting better ... unless she manages to win.
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan." [Huffington Post]She also investigated getting some books banned from a local library because of inappropriate language. [Time]
It keeps getting better ... unless she manages to win.
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