2008 6/30 Carbon River Hike

2008 6/26 Hiking the Deschutes River Trail

The Deschutes River Trail is an easy 9 mile trail that again offers something for everyone. We hiked about 3 miles in - then turned around and hiked back to the carpark. You can raft down the river or witness the trails by mountain bike, horseback, or as we did - by simply walking. The river and the ancient lava flows are amazing. You will even hike past an ancient Indian rock shelter discovered in the 40s. The local museum offers an exhibit of all the arrowheads and other items recovered from the site that the native people used during hunting.

2008 6/25 Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

This park offers a panorama of unexpected beauty - colorful 700' walls rising directly above the meandering Crooked River. There is something for everyone in this park: photography, rock-climbing, hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, horse trails, camping and lots of wildlife. Smith Rock is one of Oregon's premier state parks.

The easy trails are on the bluff or down and along the river. We chose the Misery Ridge/Monkey Face trail. It is ranked Moderate/Difficult - of course! It is definitely one of the most scenic hikes we've ever taken. The first 3/4 of a mile is straight up and yes - it's appropriately named "Misery Ridge". Once atop you will catch the first glimpse of the monkey's head. Then the trail turns right for a steep 1/2 mile descent. You really need to be careful because the trail is loose small rock - very slippery. The remaining 2 miles is an easy cruise around all the rocks. You will be sure to see climbers on a lot of the rockfaces.

Be sure to click on the link to our photo album to see lots more great pics of this park. We could go on and on - but it was a terrific 1/2 day hike!

2008 6/24 McKenzie River Hike in the Willamette National Forest

We enjoyed probably the most scenic hike we've ever taken today along the McKenzie River - to the Sahalie Falls (120') the Koosah Falls (90') and the smallest of the three, Tamoleteh (70'). The floor was easy to tramp - deep moss covered areas, some even snow-covered as this area received a tremendous amount of snow over the winter. So much so that the highway on the Santiam Pass was still closed!

What a lovely place - the highlight of our day.

2008 6/23 Drive from Hood River to Bend, Oregon

We enjoyed a lovely drive from Hood River to Bend, Oregon today. The weather was spectacular and the scenery stunning. The beautiful snow capped peaks of Mt. Hood, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Bachelor - not to mention all the other peaks that make up the Cascade Mountain Range are amazing. This area is spectacular and the residents here enjoy about 360 days of sunshine each year.

We've checked into our B&B - Cricketwood just a few minutes outside Bend. A brief tour of the town left us wanting more - so tomorrow will include a couple of hikes, more exploration of the region and dinner in town later in the afternoon. More to come so stay tuned.

2008 6/22 Rafting White Salmon River, Oregon

(front left - Eimhin, front right - Joe, back right - woman screaming through the entire experience)

On your mark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . get ready. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

get set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GO!

Eimhin and Joe spent a couple of hours on the water this morning rafting the White Salmon river. They definitely got wet - and the water was extremely cold. They really got a thrill from shooting the rapids. It is one more thing Joe get's to strike off his "Bucket List."

2008 6/22 Sternwheeler Paddleboat Cruise - Cascade Locks, Oregon

While the fellas got wet on their rafting trip, we decided to see the river in a little more civilized way - a champagne brunch is a little more of what we had in mind.

The weather was cool and quite overcast, but the scenery along the Columbia River was just beautiful. So much to enjoy.

2008 6/21 Views of Mount Hood from Lost Lake - Dee, Oregon

Lost Lake in Dee, Oregon is about 20 miles East of Hood River. As you can see from this photo, on a perfectly clear day you get a lovely reflection of the mountain in the lake. We had a bit of breeze, so we didn't get that perfect reflection, but it was still pretty good.

We had time to attempt the trail around the lake and the views of the mountain are definitely worth the drive. The area received a ton of snow this winter and the trails are still completely covered - so our hike was through a lot of frozen drifts - and not exactly on the trail. It was a lovely day and not at all cold - we had the place practically to ourselves. Put this place on your map to visit - it'll be on ours to come back again.

2008 6/20 Hood River, Oregon - Multnomah Falls

We've been here before, but this place is so spectacular we had to come again. After viewing the falls from the viewing station we hiked up to the top, then on to a higher mountain trail with at least 3 other waterfalls. A beautiful day with clear skies and warm temperatures. It doesn't get any better than this.

2008 6/20 We're on our way to Hood River, Oregon

We're leaving Portland this morning heading east to Hood River. Lisa and Eimhin will meet us there later this evening and we'll spend the weekend exploring the Columbia River Gorge and as much of the fun stuff we can fit into this weekend. More later.

2008 6/20 Portland, Oregon

We are enjoying a bit of R&R in Portland, Oregon. We spent a liesurly morning walking downtown. We'll wrap up our stay with dinner at a local Thai restaurant - YUM.

Loved this building, the greenness of the city, and the gorgeous rose gardens.

2008 6/18 Our 19th Wedding Anniversary

We celebrated our wedding anniversary (Big 19) with friends Roy and Paula Davis at a local Gig Harbor restaurant. Nice wine, lots of warm bread, Alder wood planked salmon and creme brulee. After wrapping up dinner we took a scenic drive of the area and looked over the harbor. It was a spectacular Washington evening - what a great place - wonderful food and great friends.

2008 6/18 Gig Harbor - Fox Island, Washington

2008 6/18 Joe, Paula and Roy Davis and Nancy

2008 6/15 Mt. Si Trail

No trip to Seattle would be complete for me and Joe without a trip to REI - the most amazing sporting goods and recreational equipment company ever! Of course Nancy bought new hiking boots that need to be broken in. No better place to get them dirty than a hike at Mt. Si.

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day so we headed to Mt. Si for a hike. The trail was busy with lots of folks ready to stretch their legs and enjoy the terrific weather.

Me and Lisa hiked 4 miles and Joe and Eimhin hiked a total of 6.

Neither Joe nor I have had any real physical activity since we returned from New Zealand in March - so we were happy to wrap up this little excursion early. The boots need a bit more softening up.

2008 6/13 Congratulations Lisa!

Congrats Lisa! Your hard work is paying off and we're so proud.

Lisa plans to continue her education towards an accounting degree at Seattle University.

Heading to the Pacific Northwest

We are heading West to Seattle, Washington later this week to attend our daughter, Lisa's college graduation. We plan to spend some time with the kids, then off to visit friends in Tacoma, then head South to Oregon to explore the Columbia River. We've been to that part of the country before and enjoyed it very much. We look forward to revisiting the area before returning to Indiana at the end of the month to wrap up mother's estate.

All for now - stay tuned.

Brookville Wildcats Basketball Camp 2008

Justin and Peyton completed their first basketball camp conducted at Brookville High School. The camp lasted 4 days and they worked the guys really hard. Lots of basketball moves were introduced and they had a chance to visit the locker room of the "Big Guys". What a great way to start the summer.

To see more shots from camp CLICK HERE.