Here's a photo of our test team at the tubing event on Friday. Click for a larger view. That hat makes me look like I'm hiding a 'fro or mohawk.
Ocean Shores State Park
It was an action packed weekend, but the weather cooperated and I think we all had a great time. Pictures are posted in the gallery.
Deception Pass
I've been told that I don't post enough pictures, so this time I posted around 70. That's about 20% of the photos that were taken. Between Chelsea and I, I don't think anything was left undocumented. It's a beautiful area. You'll need to book early to get a camp site, but it's worth the effort if you get a chance. Try to snag site #30. We had complete privacy. Nobody could see us while we sat around the campfire.
We also took a bit of video which again seems little a good match for stuff you find on YouTube. There's no editing or anything like that, but it might make you chuckle.
I walked around the campsites and saw license plates from all over the United States. When I was at Mt. St. Helens, I listened to the crowd shout out where they were from, "New York! Japan! Texas!" It makes me smile to know that I only had to drive an hour or two to get to these places.
Ben Vs. Wild
Today a plan hatched in January comes to fruition. Seven month ago, we made reservations for the oh-so-popular Deception Pass State Park campground. This place fills up faster than a Bon Jovi concert in Atlantic City. The park is located in Puget Sound about 10 miles south of Anacortes. Translation: gorgeous.
We might have a few showers to contend with, but after surviving the monsoon camping trip, I'm not too worried. When it's not raining we'll be playing cornhole, watching Tim play with the fire, and inspecting the quality of some adult beverages. I'm really looking forward to this trip. We start today and don't come back until Monday so that will give us two full days on the site.
Have a good weekend!
I Conquered Gravity
On Saturday, Tim and I hiked up to the top of Tiger Mountain along the West Tiger #3 trail. I’ve read about it online and it’s often mentioned as one of the most popular hikes in the area. Tiger is the mountain (large hill) that stares you in the face as you get off of I-90 on exits 17 or 18 and when you leave my house and head down Trossachs Blvd. There are over 80 miles of trails on Tiger Mountain, but the trail we hiked was 2.5 miles and 2000 vertical feet one way.
As we started the hike, my macho goal was to not suggest any breaks and wait for Tim to get tired first. That lasted for about 5 minutes. I’m really out of shape after being on the doctor-ordered rest for 3+ months. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the top and forty five minutes to get down. We’ll see how much that time improves by the end of the summer.
Oh and this magnificent hiking is less than 15 minutes from my house. It’s just one of the many reasons I’m happy I live “way out there.”
Penrose Point Recap
It was a quick trip, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Expect to see more camping reports throughout the summer.
Pictures are posted in the gallery. I'll add more from Tim and Chelsea in a day or two.
Summer Plans?
It's a sunny day and the days have been getting warmer so naturally my thoughts are wandering toward the fun that summer brings. What are you looking forward to? Here are some of mine:
- Motorcycle rides to Rainier, Levenworth, the Olympic Peninsula, and the islands in the Puget Sound.
- Hiking at Rainier.
- Camping all over the place, including our trip to Deception Pass.
Kyle has been saying that I should get into mountain biking, and now Tim has his bike here and he's finding local trails. I might have to pick up a mountain bike and join him. It seems like everyone in Seattle rides a bike so I guess it's the thing to do, right?
Spring!
But wow, spring is a fantastic time of the year! You can start walking around without a coat and driving with the windows down. The motorcycle comes out of the garage a lot more often and the clouds start to disappear. Birds are chirping and frogs are croaking.
The plan is to spend more time this summer camping and hiking in the mountains. The five of us already have reservations for Deception Pass in July, and Tim and I have talked about doing some hiking around Ranier.
It should be a great summer!
Camping Pictures
[UPDATE] A few of you have asked about the picture of me holding a pot of beans. We needed to use that pot to boil some hot water for dishes in the morning so Tim and I decided to eat the leftover beans for breakfast. About three hours later we realized that may not have been the best idea.
Camping
The first weekend of my summer begins with a camping trip. Tim, Chelsea and I are headed for Penrose Point State Park. The park itself doesn't seem all that remarkable, but there were only a few choices left since this was a last minute decision. Our goal for this trip is simplicity – no pots, no pans, no dishes, no stove. It's just going to be cooking over the fire, relaxing, reading, and playing lots of cornhole. I'll post some pictures when I get back. Have a great weekend!