Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat is quite a place to bring in the new year. A spa more than a few miles off the grid in a nearly self-sufficient community with it's own power plant, gardens, etc. Pure bountiful organic meals. No caffeine. Lots of time to read. No wifi. Best massage of a lifetime....no exaggeration. Lots of classes available for practices/exercise of the mind and body that I can't pronounce nor know if I they are compatible with my routine or convictions. Curious though!
What else...enjoying hot springs on a cold night with clear sky feels right. Though seeing a flashlight bobbing toward you while you're sitting in the hotsprings on a cold night with clear sky makes you feel a bit vulnerable.
So, this isn't a good picture, but is a recommendation if you find yourself near Portland to find The Grilled Cheese Grill. Ridiculously satisfying grilled sandwiches. Would appeal to anyone who is a foodie and has enough character to dine on a bus.
Overall an excellent time to catch up with my long lost friend, Amy. Excellent time.
Jolyn was game for a hike and so we tried one close to Seattle: Cougar Mountain Wilderness Peak Loop. This is us at the summit. No view. Hence, no sense of achievement. And then we read in the hiking book:
"The high point is where the trail dead-ends at a bench in a circular grove of tall trees. Lacking a view or even a single exposed rock, Wilderness Peak hardly passes for a summit, by most definitions of the word."It's about the journey, Kateen...not the destination. Really???
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The Upper Enchantments via Colchuck Lake and Aasgard Pass is a decent hike to glacier-polished rock and ice, sparkling lakes, and the jagged edge of the Stuarts range. Notably Aasgard Pass with 2,300 feet elevation gain in 2/3 of a mile is a bit challenging if one's hiking boots aren't fitting so superbly...but anyway.
GLORIOUS day!
Thanks Justin for the panoramas! I do need an iPhone 4.
If only these goats....mountain sheep...whatever they are...were just a little more friendly. Curious creatures. Hanging out up there rain or shine.
Twelve of us ran the Cascade Lakes Relay: 216.6 miles from Diamond Lake Resort (almost Crater Lake) to Bend, Oregon. Quite a deal. 2 vans. 33 hours, 7 minutes, 9 seconds. Average time of 9:22. Not bad considering elevation and temperature and slower team members...me :) Most didn't get too much sleep on the gym floor...next time we're bringing WD-40 for the squeaky gym door :) Thanks to Callie and Justin for multiple emails which we all just skimmed believing that they had it under control. They did :)
This for me was testament to the power of peer pressure on adults. Peer pressure to join...well not too much...people are fairly optimistic 6 months out. Peer pressure when you see the van in the distance and you're slogging. Peer pressure when your team drops you off and says "See you in 2 miles. Run hard!"
Anyway, more pictures on other blogs/FB. I think I'd do it again :)
Boise, ID...what a charming berg. And only made better by good company.
To start with, I should confess, flying over Rainier made my heart beat...2 weeks to go! Anyway...speaking of heart beats, here is a picture of a Turkish coffee that several of us enjoyed (post race)...delish.
Boise again is quite cute. The downtown has multiple restaurants with outdoor seating and locals seem to prefer bicycles to get around. Feels good. Should have taken better/more pictures.
Secondarily, I post this picture as I believe it is the first time in my life that a photographer has happened upon me looking like I'm enjoying myself in a race. This picture lacks the traditional scowl and look of discomfort. Progress?
Sunday was also a highlight, for multiple reasons. Hanging out in a coffee shop was good...more coffee...there's a theme here. Oh, but one should note: 2 packages of oatmeal in hotel coffee consumed on the race bus en route to the start is a bad idea. Ah well.
Happy thoughts to you, fast runner friend.
So...for the Seattle traveling running contingent's trek this year, we went to Indianapolis. Dave introduced us to Paul and Cheryl...an awesome couple...and a definite highlight. The Indi-Mini Marathon is the largest half in the country and the fifth largest running event.
The course for the Mini-Marathon is like a tour of downtown Indianapolis, beginning near Monument Circle. The route passes by the Indianapolis Zoo, White River State Park and IUPUI, and includes a full lap around the track of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway...which is about where I was when the first finisher crossed the finish line...depressing?
We were also tourists and took in the historic sculptures, towers, museums...and even the public library. Actually fascinating. They had a room titled the "Think Tank" which had white board walls, good lighting and a table. I'm sure I could solve more problems if I had access to a room such as this. Right.
Good group. Good fellowship.
One of the later things we did was go to a Lincoln exhibit. This quote was interesting.
Anyway, I'd gladly go again...wonder where next year? And if you're reading this and you're a mellow traveller and female, Angela and I would enjoy your company :)
Perhaps I'll start out this post with how I felt walking to the train after multiple gratifying days. Evening was falling on the water, lights were coming up and the closing ceremonies were being amplified. I felt like I had witnessed history and that everything would be alright in the world. This photo hopes to capture that moment. I opt to post this picture instead of the red maple leaf madness stirring in downtown because of the Canadian victory over the US in hockey...though I was happy to feel some sense of inner possession of the red, white and blue!
Vancouver, BC at any given time is lovely, yet to witness it rise to the occasion for the Olympics will be memorable. The homeless were tucked away discreetly and kept busy collecting recyclable goods. Red mittens and Canadian flags appeared to be standard apparel, which is curious for a country of people I haven't known to show such patriotism. Lots of people everywhere though. Everywhere but the roads...ah the wonders of public transportation. And so, people-watching was gratifying. Several things were particularly fascinating: How photography impacts the dynamic of large crowds; Hhow long people think it is worth to stand in line for a free 30-second zip line ride...7 hours? Time value of money aside, let's talk about money value of time...smile; or street performers....
Street performers fascinate me. I wonder what they do on an average day. I wonder what type of person it takes to want to do such for a living. No matter...I admire their courage and audacity.
And now for short track! Just watching four to six shrink-wrapped people skate in a circle at high speed where everything can change in less than a second is exhilarating! Sure checking out the efficient security setup and the perfect job (Olympics Zamboni driver...been looking for one of those...smile) were interesting, but watching this event was assuredly a highlight of our time. 
One of the things fans seem to understand about short track is the highly unpredictable nature of the sport. And so, when Apolo Ohno was DQ'd, you had to be paying attention to see the disqualification...much more to see the infraction. Above you see the moment that THE touch occurred and where the skaters started to fall. Avid fans to my left (Thornton family) have said multiple times that because Ohno and Hamelin are such good skaters are why they didn't wind up in the jumble as well...alas...it is what it is.
The short track relay was fascinating! You take the curiosity of short track and multiply the number of people and then wonder how this controlled chaos actually works. The coordination of the relay push off, the multiple skaters and all the possibilities for failure leaves someone who has never seen it before staring in wonderment forgetting to cheer for her country with the flag in her lap...
On the bus away from the Pacific Coliseum, this boy showed us his bouquet that he caught from one of the athletes. I'd listened to a short program on NPR about the choice of the florist and the design and was quite impressed with the approach...less with the product, but up close it was classy! Two florists joined together who have over 100 years of combined experience and are both over 65. They trained and used marginalized women recovering from addiction, prizon, violence, etc...anyway, just an example of positive news coming from the Games.
Another event we watched was the Womens Cross Country 30K. Great to see all the flags and people who are so into a sport I had no vantage into...outside of the occasional cross-country ski adventure. What I don't understand is that after 30K, it all comes down to a fraction of a second?? Anyway...VERY wet day at Whistler.
Well...what else, but this: Thank you Thornton's! Because of my inability to plan too far into the future, I remain especially grateful for your tolerance, care and including me...again! Very memorable trip!
