Ah, Arctic Vortex, where is your fury?
Give me more than wind and chill.
Bring on the precipitation.
The news stations have reported a chance for substantial snow fall in Portland.
I'm curious if it will come. Will this be the first "cry of wolf" for the season?
Here in the actual city valley, we get very little snow, mostly rain. But we're surrounded by hills and a river gorge, which receive a lot of the white stuff in the winter.
Regardless, right this minute there is no snow in downtown Portland. Yet the roads are empty, the parking lots are empty, and the offices are empty.
Why? Are we waiting for the potential that may or may not happen?
I agree that it's better to be safe than sorry, but...are we just looking for an excuse?
We want something to happen.
Something to breakup the mediocrity of our daily lives.
Just a little of that frozen water...
Shut down the schools! So we can have an excuse from work and spend more time with our children.
Close the roads! Close the office! So we can explore the world we live in on a random weekday.
Is this what we're searching for?
Would we really use it to enjoy life? Or would we sit inside in front of the television?
Would it be possible to develop/shape/live a life where a potential snow day doesn't have us wanting an excuse from school/work/the ordinary?
Could we (if we really wanted to) discover our surroundings on a weekday without feeling guilty?
Instead of being excited for skipping work, we could be excited (just simply) for the enjoyment of a winter wonderland.
Which are we actually excited for?
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Salishan Resort, Oregon
A birthday weekend, with lots of sunshine, food, and good company!
I am a spoiled man.
A birthday celebration away from home
It was another great summer (October!) weekend, with plenty of blue skies and sand. Surprisingly, almost no other people on the beach! We had the waves to ourselves, and the dogs ran like crazed beasts through the crushed rock shoreline.
Plenty to do at the Salishan Resort during the day or night, plus, it's only a few minutes away from the amenities of Lincoln City.
Between watching whales breach (from the rocky shore), chasing our golf balls around an 18-hole putting course, and eating ourselves sick on seafood, this was a great way to welcome in the Fall!
Delicious meals were had at the Salishan restaurant (every dish we tried was amazing), Mo's On The Beach, and Cafe 101.
Good times were had visiting, laughing, and eating.
Last year's surprise coastal trip and this last weekend's coastal trip, have me wondering what next year's birthday will bring...more ocean waves?!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
I am a spoiled man.
A birthday celebration away from home
It was another great summer (October!) weekend, with plenty of blue skies and sand. Surprisingly, almost no other people on the beach! We had the waves to ourselves, and the dogs ran like crazed beasts through the crushed rock shoreline.
Plenty to do at the Salishan Resort during the day or night, plus, it's only a few minutes away from the amenities of Lincoln City.
Between watching whales breach (from the rocky shore), chasing our golf balls around an 18-hole putting course, and eating ourselves sick on seafood, this was a great way to welcome in the Fall!
Delicious meals were had at the Salishan restaurant (every dish we tried was amazing), Mo's On The Beach, and Cafe 101.
Good times were had visiting, laughing, and eating.
Last year's surprise coastal trip and this last weekend's coastal trip, have me wondering what next year's birthday will bring...more ocean waves?!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Weekend Hike - Paradise Found! Cedar Flats, Oregon
Yes, we found paradise...at least one version...and it's at Cedar Flats, Oregon!
After numerous hikes and planned backpacking trips we found the right trail - I left at least one trip out of my posts because it was getting a bit embarrassing. (I like to look at the attempts as lessons rather than fails...even if it's just to make myself feel better! Fail/lesson one, fail/lesson two.)
I'm not sure if it is on purpose (now that I know how to get to Cedar Flats, I'm not sure I want to give this jewel away, too), but all of the instructions and maps that we used to find Cedar Flats are either misinformation or out-of-date.
Finally, with a day pack, flashlights and our water filter (in case it took us all day), bear spray (after three years of camping and hiking around Mt. Hood, my wife and a friend recently saw our first bear in the area!), and a mentality of we were going to make it this time or quit (and we hate to quit - obviously, since we tried five times to find this place) we set off last Saturday on our final attempt.
We knew where the Cedar Flats trail started - according to the maps - because we found it the prior weekend (the untold story of 8.5 miles with full backpacks and full intentions of sleeping at Cedar Flats). And covering the Kopetski Trail portion was becoming routine... But it's still shocking to me that the trail is covered up with tree logs and brush, hidden from us during the previous trips! (We walked by it dozens of times in our prior searches.)
Making our way past the blockage (the trail opens up again after awhile), we headed straight for the river crossing. Here is where we stopped the last trip.
Oh, we forded the river the last time, no problem there. We were prepared for the crossing, as this is mentioned in the directions we had (though we were not prepared for a dropped shoe, making the trip back a little unpleasant and sloshy), and we easily crossed again this time. But...right after the river, the trail disappears!
Tree logs, branches, brush - covered so much that you have to go off-trail and dig your way through the underbrush. I forgot to mention that this is also on the side of a hill, with one side going straight down to the river!
This time, we were going around, regardless of the cuts, falls, and bugs...
Turns out...we didn't have to go far!
We made our plan and took the dog off of her leash and collar, to make sure she didn't get caught in the brush. To our surprise, she ran straight up the left side of the hill! (We were surprised by the next sentence...not the fact that she went running off - bad dog!) About 40 feet up, she stopped and turned around, looking at us like "here's the trail, what's next?"
There was another trail! She had found another trail!
Another trail that eventually met up with the trail we were on (we studied this afterwards). This wasn't even on the right side of the river! According to the maps we had...
Obviously maintained, this had to be the new trail to Cedar Flats - we had taken the hard way! (This point was discussed on our hike out - we took the 'new' trail to the entrance to explore, yes, we like to try new paths! Turns out our original side is probably easier and shorter, but definitely rougher then the 'new' trail.)
I recommend either path (or both!), there is one on both sides of the Opal Pool bridge. (P.S. At the time of our find, a bridge to Jawbone Flats was out and it was recommended to use the Kopetski Trail - an easier hike would be to use the Jawbone Flats trail to Opal Pool.)
Regardless of how (or what we should have done), we made it to Cedar Flats!
Huge trees! Beautiful, crystal clear water! Waterfalls and pools to swim in! And even a couple of nudists soaking up the sunshine!
After some exploring, we found what looked like a great waterfall to wade under and off-trailed it down the side of a hill. (I wouldn't recommend this to everyone.)
The perfect location for a lazy afternoon!
Turns out there was a pretty deep pool directly under the waterfall. After some talking-up (the water was freezing!) we both (plus dog) plunged into the pool and scrambled out several times.
With the blue skies and sunshine, we warmed up immediately...all while savoring Mother Earth!
This was definitely worth the multiple attempts and was forever captured by our gorgeous camera-woman...even with covering over 11 miles in one day.
With every adventure we came closer and closer to our goal, but no success! We were tempted to give up, but we prevailed!
Hopefully we can apply this thought to other areas of our lives too!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
 |
| River along the Cedar Flats Trail. #nofilter |
The Adventure
After numerous hikes and planned backpacking trips we found the right trail - I left at least one trip out of my posts because it was getting a bit embarrassing. (I like to look at the attempts as lessons rather than fails...even if it's just to make myself feel better! Fail/lesson one, fail/lesson two.)
I'm not sure if it is on purpose (now that I know how to get to Cedar Flats, I'm not sure I want to give this jewel away, too), but all of the instructions and maps that we used to find Cedar Flats are either misinformation or out-of-date.
Finally, with a day pack, flashlights and our water filter (in case it took us all day), bear spray (after three years of camping and hiking around Mt. Hood, my wife and a friend recently saw our first bear in the area!), and a mentality of we were going to make it this time or quit (and we hate to quit - obviously, since we tried five times to find this place) we set off last Saturday on our final attempt.
We knew where the Cedar Flats trail started - according to the maps - because we found it the prior weekend (the untold story of 8.5 miles with full backpacks and full intentions of sleeping at Cedar Flats). And covering the Kopetski Trail portion was becoming routine... But it's still shocking to me that the trail is covered up with tree logs and brush, hidden from us during the previous trips! (We walked by it dozens of times in our prior searches.)
Making our way past the blockage (the trail opens up again after awhile), we headed straight for the river crossing. Here is where we stopped the last trip.
Oh, we forded the river the last time, no problem there. We were prepared for the crossing, as this is mentioned in the directions we had (though we were not prepared for a dropped shoe, making the trip back a little unpleasant and sloshy), and we easily crossed again this time. But...right after the river, the trail disappears!
Tree logs, branches, brush - covered so much that you have to go off-trail and dig your way through the underbrush. I forgot to mention that this is also on the side of a hill, with one side going straight down to the river!
This time, we were going around, regardless of the cuts, falls, and bugs...
Turns out...we didn't have to go far!
We made our plan and took the dog off of her leash and collar, to make sure she didn't get caught in the brush. To our surprise, she ran straight up the left side of the hill! (We were surprised by the next sentence...not the fact that she went running off - bad dog!) About 40 feet up, she stopped and turned around, looking at us like "here's the trail, what's next?"
There was another trail! She had found another trail!
Another trail that eventually met up with the trail we were on (we studied this afterwards). This wasn't even on the right side of the river! According to the maps we had...
Obviously maintained, this had to be the new trail to Cedar Flats - we had taken the hard way! (This point was discussed on our hike out - we took the 'new' trail to the entrance to explore, yes, we like to try new paths! Turns out our original side is probably easier and shorter, but definitely rougher then the 'new' trail.)
I recommend either path (or both!), there is one on both sides of the Opal Pool bridge. (P.S. At the time of our find, a bridge to Jawbone Flats was out and it was recommended to use the Kopetski Trail - an easier hike would be to use the Jawbone Flats trail to Opal Pool.)
Regardless of how (or what we should have done), we made it to Cedar Flats!
Cedar Flats!
Huge trees! Beautiful, crystal clear water! Waterfalls and pools to swim in! And even a couple of nudists soaking up the sunshine!
After some exploring, we found what looked like a great waterfall to wade under and off-trailed it down the side of a hill. (I wouldn't recommend this to everyone.)
The perfect location for a lazy afternoon!
 |
| Our waterfall! #nofilter |
With the blue skies and sunshine, we warmed up immediately...all while savoring Mother Earth!
This was definitely worth the multiple attempts and was forever captured by our gorgeous camera-woman...even with covering over 11 miles in one day.
With every adventure we came closer and closer to our goal, but no success! We were tempted to give up, but we prevailed!
Hopefully we can apply this thought to other areas of our lives too!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
Friday, June 6, 2014
Row, Row, Row Your Boat...
Row, row, row your boat. Gently down...the lake?!
Last Saturday we took off on a three hour car ride to Clear Lake, Oregon.
Fun Fact #1: There are 11 Clear Lakes in Oregon!
After a bit of a wait - I guess everyone had the same idea! - we rented a rowboat at the Clear Lake Resort.
The beautiful drive through Willamette National Forest and tons of sunshine, gave us the energy to row ourselves around the lake for hours!
My wife did a great job capturing the water clarity and the sun's rays, but nothing beats the actual experience!
We also stopped at nearby Fish Lake for a few hours of extra Vitamin D.
Fun Fact #2: Fish Lake disappears in the Fall and reappears in the Spring!
Driving through an amazing sunset and arriving home late that night, we smiled at each other...we love the summer!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
Last Saturday we took off on a three hour car ride to Clear Lake, Oregon.
 |
| The fallen tree is visible through the crystal clear water. |
After a bit of a wait - I guess everyone had the same idea! - we rented a rowboat at the Clear Lake Resort.
The beautiful drive through Willamette National Forest and tons of sunshine, gave us the energy to row ourselves around the lake for hours!
My wife did a great job capturing the water clarity and the sun's rays, but nothing beats the actual experience!
 |
| The water would turn from green to blue. |
Fun Fact #2: Fish Lake disappears in the Fall and reappears in the Spring!
Driving through an amazing sunset and arriving home late that night, we smiled at each other...we love the summer!
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Weekend Backpacking - 22 Miles in 44 Hours, Badger Creek Trail, Oregon
Not bad for our first backpacking trip of the year - 22 miles in 44 hours!
And...what an amazing Memorial Day weekend!
In addition to honoring our veterans, we took advantage of the summer weather and left for adventure. (Escaping the on-going PDXBoil...)
A long weekend, a late start, beautiful scenery, and complete exhaustion = fun!
The trek - Badger Creek Trail in Oregon. Round trip of 22 miles.
The trekkers - Me, my wife (the photographer), and the dog.
The time - Started on the trail at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, returned to the car at 11:15 a.m. on Monday.
The trail - a rocky, hilly footpath - travels along the Badger Creek for most of the hike. Occasionally the trail leaves the creek and passes through old forests. At times it appears the forest is dying - or is dead - as the trees are falling, leafless, and foreboding. BUT the fallen trees make for a great obstacle course, crossing the trail and making hikers climb, hop, or blaze new trails. Numerous creeks are also crossed - giving you plenty of opportunities to fill your water bottles!
The trail lead to the Badger Lake and a nearby campground. (The lake is also accessible by car for the less adventurous...)
The first day hiking was pretty rough, we were definitely not prepared for the hills or the full campsites (dang holiday weekends). But the next morning (after making camp on the side of the trail), when we realized where we ended, it was all worthwhile - we went a lot farther then we initially believed!
After getting our muscles accustomed to the work, the second and third days were much more reasonable!
We took this time to test a lot of our new backpacking gear - water filter, JetBoil, and coffee maker (I cannot function without my morning coffee! - as well as test ourselves - carrying backpacks the entire hike, putting up and taking down the tent and gear each day, and packing and leaving as early as possible.
All of our equipment worked perfectly! And...somehow we made it without passing out!
Have you been backpacking yet? Where was your favorite spot?
Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn
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