The Wedding Weekend: Cindy's Perspective

Crested Butte is beautiful.  The town of 1,503 permanent residents (this is true, I looked it up) is magical.  This mini-town is nestled in a valley surrounded 360 by towering mountains, that just happened to be covered with wildflowers throughout the summer.

Did I mention it's really cool (as in temperature)?   This is critical since I check the Tucson weather each day, hoping it's really hot, so I can gloat about our decision to leave town for the month of July.  I'm pretty sure there's a diagnostic code for this compulsion. 

We went straight to our hotel, located at the ski resort, after our exhilarating "ride the rapids" adventure.  A hot shower and Valium nap were top on our list of things to do.  I must also mention that the cutest little wedding bag was in the room awaiting our arrival.  It contained details of the wedding, lots of snacks, two mini-bottles of champaign, and tylenol and Alka Seltzer packets.  Too cute!

Once refreshed, I met the boys, Jordyn, and friends for a drink in town, where they kindly issued an invite to join them in the morning for a "Zipline Colorado" adventure. There was not enough liquor in the entire bar to entice me to say yes to that plan!  I politely declined this kind offer, as a root canal sounded more enticing.

They appeared to have a great time being dangled 40 feet (or more) off the ground, wearing harnesses that came dangerously close to preventing me from seeing any future grandchildren, shoved off a platform, and catapulted 200 yards across tree tops.  Geez, am I sorry I passed up that opportunity!

Please note: Another recreational event requiring helmets and release of liability forms!

We attended Kyle and Colleen's wedding the next day.  The boys were both in the wedding party and cleaned up quite nicely!  Jordyn looked lovely as usual.

Before reception pictures

Tony and Jordyn in the church

The reception was held at a midway point of one of the ski runs.  The "warming house" provided us with an amazing view of the Crested Butte valley.  The "cabin" and reception tent also gave us a quick escape from a refreshing rain storm.  Food, music, toasts, dancing, and general carousing were so dang much fun.

We were the last group to leave the reception, this seems to happen a lot in our family we feel it's only polite to stick around and help the hosts scoot everyone out.  Oh and did I mention, we all had a BLAST at the reception?

Nick dancing his heart out!

Jordyn dancing her heart out!

The pictures of the reception are all a little blurred.  This could be because the camera operator was also "partying hearty"  malfunctioned.  It is also difficult getting good snap shots of my kids because of their inherent shyness (they got this from me) as evidenced by the pictures.

Wedding over, recuperation complete, my next post will chronical our ride home.  Can you hear the racking sobs?   While I missed my friends, family, and home, the idea of 108 temps, humidity, and no rain makes even zip lining look like fun!

P.S.  In my defense from Cheech's last post:

• I do not purchase the "extra large" size of Pepsi.  I go for the one labeled "Just about enough to fill a small swimming pool".  It's such a great bargain!
• I do not ask to stop every thirty minutes for a rest room.  I can go at least 35-40 minutes between stops.  Geez, Cheech is such an exaggerator.
• I don't always ask for a recap of the book on tape.  Sometimes I just make up the storyline I missed.  I often like my version better anyway.  

Boise to Crested Butte, a recap by Cheech

This blog is a perfect microcosm of how things work in our lives.  When I suggested we do a blog about our trip the response from Cindy was lukewarm.  Sure, she would give it a try.  She promptly put it on her list of things to do and every day she would ask me if I had written something because she had and wasn't this fun and we should do this every vacation we take.  In the meantime, I haven't touched the computer in a week and clearly don't care if I never do another post.  Cindy has kept you up to date on our daily travels and though like I said she never let's reality get in the way of a good story, she can be amusing.

A note about driving:  I do all the driving.  We are both more comfortable with that.

In our regular life, Cindy wakes up at about 5am, jumps out of bed and goes absolutely non-stop until about 10pm when she hits the bed, falls to sleep in 10 seconds (no lie, once she fell asleep in the middle of a sentence.  I looked over to see why she hadn't finished what she was saying and she was sleeping!) and does not move once the entire night until 5 o'clock arrives the following morning.  Since we're both home together most of the day I will sometimes suggest that we lie down for a rest at some point in the afternoon.  She tries valiantly to do this but within 5 minutes jumps out of bed to pursue whatever activity she was doing prior.  She just cannot stop.

Here however, is what happens when we travel:  Sure enough, she is up at 5am ready to go.  We have coffee, breakfast, whatever, pack up and hit the road.  Within 5 minutes she is snoring.  She sleeps all morning until  we have to stop for gas.  We fill up and continue our journey and since we had been listening to a book on tape all morning, there s a definite gap in her understanding of the storyline.  So she turns off the story and makes me recap 3 hours worth of story.  Then, when she is happy that she is caught up with the story she turns it back on.  5 minutes later, she is sleeping again.

At the gas station, prior to the story recap, she runs in and buys the biggest diet pepsi they sell and immediately downs about a third of it.  We hit the road, she falls asleep as expected but now her kidneys, god bless them, have been activated and so from now until days end, we will be stopping every 1/2 hour so she can pee.  At least her constant vigilance about where the next rest stop will be keeps her wide awake and so I don't have to catch her up on the story we are listening to.

The story about the wine in Utah is true.  She did say "OK mom" to this young waitress and I didn't drink the wine.  Mostly because I wasn't in the mood for wine anyway but in the back of my head I was thinking this waitress must be related to the police chief in a town this size and I wasn't going to spend a night in jail because of Cindy's attempt at humor.  By the way, the waitress didn't laugh.

I'll write again after the wedding which is today at 2pm.  I'm not saying how long after the wedding, just that I'll write.

White Water Rafting in Crested Butte

Let me start out by saying that I FIRMLY believe that NO recreational activity should necessitate a "release of liability".   In my humble opinion, release of liability forms should be reserved for open heart surgery, emergency appendectomies,  and liver transplants.

Cheech gets a  call from Nick at about 9:00 am asking us if we would like to join the "group" for a river rafting trip about 20 miles from our campsite.  I vigorously shake my head in the "no" motion, Cheech responds to Nick: "Ya, that sounds great!  Just tell us here and when."

As a coping mechanism, I immediately think - "lazy river" experience.  I picture a leisurely float down a meandering river, splashing myself with cool water as I sip a mint julep.  I jump on the river rafting website and see TONS of pictures (with 3 years olds on the rafts).  This verifies my fantasy.  O.K., cool, I'm glad we are doing this.

We get to the rafting company storefront and...

• First, I see about 45 pictures of people falling out of overturned rafts.  (Wait a minute I think.  How does this happen on the lazy river?)  
• Second, they hand me a release of liability form.  (Whoa, just a minute here.  Why would I need this for a lazy river trip?) 

Me:  "Excuse me miss.  Why would I need to sign this liability form for a trip that three year olds can take?  I've seen the pictures on the website."

Counter Gal:  "Mam, the pictures you saw on the website were from our family adventure."

Me:  "Yea, well that's what we're doing."

Counter Gal:  "No 'mam, your group is signed up for the two hour "ride the rapids" tour.  It an "exciting" 2 hour trip through class 3 rapids."

(Please note here, I did not sign up for excitement, I signed up for relaxation.)

Me:  "Wait a minute, wait just one minute here.  Are those pictures of people falling out of overturned boats perhaps from your 2 hour "ride the rapids" tour?"

Counter Gal:  "Well yes, but that doesn't ALWAYS happen."

Me:  "Seriously???  That was NOT reassuring."

(Picture me fighting the rising tide of panic with increased apprehension here.  I'm at the crossroads.  I can do it, hide my panic apprehension or I can back out right now while the going is good.  This is a tough decision for me, after all I have been a member in good standing of the "Chronic Pansies Club" for about 20 years now.

I decide to go for it by channeling my friend Shelly.  She will do ANYTHING, and then say "Geez, that was a blast!"  I spend the next 2 hours channeling Shelly in preparation for my "ride the rapids" afternoon.

We get to the launch area, they give us helmets.  What the f*** helmets!  The guide explains that they are necessary should we fall out of the boat.  "The area has a lot of big boulders that could kill you if you hit them head on."  (Picture me at this point with a tic in my left eye and mumbling to myself- "Pretend you're Shelly, pretend you're Shelly, pretend you're Shelly).  The guide looks at me and says "Are you o.k. 'mam?

We get fitted for life vests, booties (because our feet will be wet and cold for 2 hours) and the helmets.  Now it's time for the terrify your customers safety talk:

• Here's what you do if you fall out and can't grab the boat. (You mean it's possible to not be able to get back in the boat???)
• If you fall out and can grab the boat, please know we will need to dunk you deep into the water to allow the floatation devise to help us lift you back in.  (Let me be sure I understand this.  I'll already be choking on 40 degree water and then you'll be dunking me back in the river...hum I don't like the sound of that at all!).  
• Here's what you do if you get trapped under an over turned boat.  (I just figured that at this point my life would be flashing before my eyes.)  
• Here's what you do if you get thrown against a large log.  Be sure not to get trapped under it.  This could drown you.  (Well gee, could they have been a little more specific about HOW not to get trapped under a log?)

We get in our boats and on the river.  The story ends like this-  We had a great guide (who looked and sounded like Matthew Mcconaughey), the "ride the rapids" was exciting but not too scary, I had a great time, and I am forever grateful that I was able to channel my friend Shelly cuz "It was a blast!"

First Two Days of Actual Camping: Cindy's Perspective

After bidding a cheerful goodbye to Price City we headed down highway 50 towards the Colorado border.  Having not experienced enough of that "Utah hospitality" we decided to take a 111 mile detour to Arches National Park.

Arches is amazing.
Arches is beautiful.
Arches is a sight seen nowhere else in the world.
Arches is HOT - 100+ degrees in the summer!!!  (It was a great reminder of why we left Arizona for the month of July.)

Note the scorching sun.

After seeing the Arches Park Service movie (in a very fancy-dancy theatre), touring the rock formation road, and having lunch in Moab, we headed back to highway 50 and on to Colorado.  We were acutely aware that all the camping areas in Arches were full.  I had to wonder how desperate, ill-informed, or just plain crazy people must be to camp in 100+ degrees with no shade.  So we vowed to stop at each and every camp site in Colorado until we found an open space.

Hooray!  About three hours later we found a lovely spot in the Black Canyon National Forest.  We wanted to set up camp before dark and we surely didn't want to miss the evening ranger presentation!

Our ranger was quite wordy thorough in his presentation about the history of the park service and the distinction between national parks, national recreation sites, and national historic sites insert snoring sounds here.  The presentation put me in the mood for bed...perfect.

Cheech packed pads for us to use under our sleeping bags.  We drew straws and I got the one that was 100 years old.  It had the thickness of a flour tortilla and worked just about as well in offering me some padding.  I got 2.5 hours of sleep that night (and that was after I moved to the front seat of the car... where after all, I do some of my best sleeping).

I woke grumpy  bright eyed and bushy tailed and determined to find the nearest store that sold inflatable mattresses.   We packed coffee, but no pot to boil water - another great reason to hit the stores.  Here's a little formula for novice campers to keep in mind:  No sleep + no coffee = very rough morning.

After hastely packing our gear while I drooled on myself from lack of sleep  we headed towards the park visitor center.  Here we "discovered" that we were camping on the crest of a HUGE canyon.  Our mental acuity is clearly on the decline.  Not sure how we missed the fact that we were camping on a canyon at least half the size of the Grand Canyon.  I can only imagine that it was the same process by which we miss a 2 million acre national park just a few days ago as a result of poorly executed signage.  (The park service REALLY has to work on this!)

Black Canyon  

Next stop- Gunnison River camping area at Blue Mesa.  Cheech and I unloaded our gear, set up the tent, and sped off to the town of Gunnison where we promptly found a Walmart.  I bought an air mattress and Cheech bought a pot to boil water.  I was feeling the good camping vibes now!

After a day of sightseeing in Gunnison hard to believe that there's a day worth of things to do there we were ready to relax at our camp sight.  We had wine, crackers, and cheese.  What more can a person ask for?

Well...the answer to that question could be "a pump for an air mattress".  Much to my surprise the air mattress did not come with a pump.  "No problem" I declare after a few glasses of wine with my usual optimistic attitude.  "I'll just blow it up manually."  (No comments here, please)  About 45 minutes later when I was hallucinating from lack of oxygen the mattress was only 1/20 full,  I knew his was probably not going to work.  We tried the bike pump, a Co2 cartridge, the bike pump with tape, etc. etc. etc.

A mere two hours later the mattress was full, I was exhausted, the wine was gone, and the fire was dying out.  Time to fall into "bed".  I have never felt such a comfortable sleeping surface.  I am in LOVE with my air mattress.

Just goes to show what a "mountain woman" I can be.  

Boise to Colorado: Cindy's Perspective

We bit a sad farewell to Boise on Sunday, July 13th (sniff, sniff) and headed straight for Salt Lake City (SLC).  In an effort to plan our day, I consulted trusty old Trip Advisor.  Yikes!!!! The 15 most popular attractions contained the word "temple".  I'm just guessing,  but I think that the Trip Advisor feedback for SLC comes primarily from vacationing Mormons.

There was NO WAY we were going to spend the day driving from temple to temple looking at exterior architecture (because non-Mormons are not allowed to enter).  After careful consideration, we determined that SLC was not the best vacation fit for us.  We stopped for a light lunch and blew right out of there as quick as possible continued on our way (temple sights unseen).

Being the flexible travelers that we are, Cheech and I  decided that this was the perfect opportunity to begin camping.  A quick consultation with the internet gave us our new direction.  Uinta Wasatch National Forest was perfect!  It was kind-of on our route to Colorado, and as stated on Wikipedia, consisted of "more than 2 million acres of forested mountain lands".  Surely we would find the perfect camping spot.

We missed it... yes that's right we missed the whole d*** 2 million acres of forested mountain lands.  Something clearly went went awry (I think the signage was poorly executed).  Before we knew it Uinta Wasatch National Forest was nothing more than an unfilled camping dream and we were entering the town of Price City, Utah - population 8,621.  I'm sure that number was inflated.

Price City has two hotels:  The Pillow Talk Motel, rooms rented by the hour a hotel whose glory days have long since passed and National 9 Price, where you can rent a questionable room for 59.00 a night.    We went with the National 9 Price for 59.00 (breakfast included).

The scenic view from our room

After a quick check-in, Cheech and I headed off to the market to buy some booze (which I REALLY needed if I was going to face National 9 for the night).  Guess what - no booze for sale in Utah's grocery stores.  You can buy a "low-alcohol beer" that has less than a 3.5 percent ability to inebriate the drinker.   Here's what we found... Polygamy Porter.  I took a picture because I was afraid no one would believe me.

Polygamy Porter- on the grocery shelf. 

Polygamy Porter was just not going to have enough alcohol to get me as drunk relaxed as I needed... so off we went in search of a restaurant where I could get a glass of wine.  We found a sweet little eatery (right next to the Sudsy Duz laundromat).  Here's how the ordering went:  

Me:  I'd like a glass of red wine.

Waitress:  O.K.  And what are you having to eat?

Me: Nothing, just the glass of wine...maybe two.

Waitress:  You have to order food.

Me: I don't want food.  I just want wine.

Waitress:  We can't serve you alcohol unless you order food.

Me: Are you telling me I can't just order a glass of wine?  (I'm a little slow on the uptake.)

Waitress: That's right, you HAVE TO HAVE  food with your alcohol.

Me:  Gee thanks Mom, I'll have chips salsa and two glass of wine!

She did not appreciate my attempt at humor.  She brought the chips, salsa, and wine.  Cheech did not drink his glass of wine because he thought I pissed her off she may have misinterpreted my lighthearted humor for biting sarcasm.  He was concerned that as soon as we left the restaurant she would call the police and have him arrested for drinking and driving.  (I think that was a distinct possibility.)

Side Note:  Utah law forbids restaurants from serving alcohol to any person not ordering food.  Apparently the Utah legislature wishes to ensure that alcoholism and gluttony go hand-in-hand.  

So... I had the two glasses of wine (Cheech ate the chips),  I got just tipsy enough to ignore the minor flaws in our room at the National 9, and all was well (except Cheech never did get a drink).  And so goes the story of our first night of camping.  The great adventure continues!

Recap of Boise: Cindy's Perspective

Let me start out by stating that Boise gets a 2 thumbs up rating from me!  It's a fun city with TONS to do.  If you question my judgement, which many people do which would be a mistake, all you need to do is to check Trip Advisor.  They have 145 items listed under "Attractions".

Here's what we managed to do yesterday:

• Biked down the Boise River Greenbelt path - This is a tribute to Boise's city planners.  The Greenbelt is also beautiful, cool in the morning, follows the river, and is mostly shaded.  I was quite terrified cautious throughout the ride.  It seems that my bike crash two weeks ago has forever scarred my biking psyche  has heightened by biking safety awareness.  (#1 on Trip Advisor)
• Toured the Idaho  State Penitentiary.  The "pen" no longer houses inmates it might have been more interesting if it did and is considered an historical site.  I'm pretty sure we selected this activity just because it was # 5 on Trip Advisor.  It was creepy thought provoking and (after this visit) I am quite sure I would like to avoid an extended stay in prison at all costs!  I would not have listed this as the #5 attraction on Trip Advisor... just goes to show what perverted, vicarious thrills the followers of Trip Advisor entertain the differences in people's taste.  
• The Flicks.  This is an "old school" movie theater that also happens to serve gourmet food and  a ton of beer and wine... right up our alley.  We saw Begin Again.  It's a sweet, feel good movie with lots of fun music.  Both Cheech and I enjoyed it.  (#6 in Trip Advisor)
• The Idaho State Capitol Building was not open for tours, thank god darn, but we were able to walk the grounds and take a few pictures (#7 in Trip Advisor).
• We were also able to stroll the Idaho Botanical Gardens.  We didn't spend a whole lot of time there but what we saw was beautiful.  Everything was in bloom, the grounds were well maintained, and there were lots of places to sit.  Had I not just spent WAY too much time come from the Penitentiary I might have stayed longer.  (#8 in Trip Advisor)
• Spent about 35 minutes at the Idaho  Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.  It was a  stop along the Greenbelt path.  This outdoor memorial is both touching and inspiring.  I would highly recommend a visit here.  (#9 in Trip Advisor)
• The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center was also a great stop along the Greenbelt path.  We did not have this on our list so we considered our "stumble upon" quite a stroke of luck.  It consisted of a lovely nature path loaded with interesting information and a few aquariums.  
• Didn't get to float down the Boise River BUT we did stop and I got to soak my feet in the river's cool, clear water.   Watching young and old alike bobbing down the river (some in costume) was a total hoot.  It's a 2 hour floating experience with a bus ride back to the starting point.  Had we not been "speed vacationing" we might have had time to truly enjoy the river rafting experience.  Next time for sure!
• I visited the Art Museum while Cheech fell asleep on the museum's front lawn sadly declined this opportunity in order to plan our route for the next few days.  It was a top notch museum with some outstanding contemporary art.  So sorry Cheech had to miss this :(

We ended the day totally exhausted and immediately fell into bed upon our return to the hotel a bit tired because we are not as young and spry as we used to be but happy that we were able to enjoy so much of Boise in just 24 hours.  

July 14-17 Olympia

On Monday, we took it easy at Tony and Jordyn's house.  We (Cindy) washed all of our clothes and then we (I) completely emptied the car so we could repack more efficiently after offloading a case of beer and 5 liters of wine.
At some point we (Cindy) decided that what was needed in the house was a new set of sheets so we (really we) went to Target and bought sheets, a blanket and some bottom skirt thingy that hides the box spring.  Don't ask me what it's called, but we (Cindy) said it was necessary.   That evening we went for Thai food and were in bed right after the sun set, about 10pm.  I exaggerate, but not by much.  Sunset was 9:05pm and it's not completely dark 'til about 9:45pm

On Tuesday, we got up early and started our tour of the Olympic Peninsula.  We were in Poulsbo by 7:30am and had a nice breakfast.  "Let's buy a house here" said Cindy.  She wanted to wait until the shops opened on Main Street so we took a hike in a local natural park.  All the city parks in the NW look like they can be the setting for Jurassic Park.  They are beautiful.  When the stores opened we walked up and down the streets and enjoyed the ambience.  This town is the Norwegian version of Solvang.

Next we continued north to Port Townsend.  "Let's buy a house here." said Cindy.  Port Townsend was gearing up to be the major west coast seaport north of San Francisco in the 1890's.  Lots of big, ornate buildings were put up in anticipation of that but the town went bust by 1896 when the railroad decided to stop at Seattle instead of continuing west.  We had lunch in Port Townsend (I had Cioppino and Cindy had blackened salmon.)

We continued to Port Angeles and the gateway to Olympic National Park Hurricane Ridge area.  Miraculously, there was no "Let's buy a house here."  Maybe there was and I just had tuned it out by then.  The 22 mile ride from Port Angeles to the top of Hurricane Ridge is similar in many ways to the ride up Mt. Lemmon, with the exception that towards the top there are steep drop offs and no side guard rails.  We still had the navigation system on as we neared the top and as we were going around a particularly sharp hairpin turn, the GPS said to us "Turn left in 500 feet."  Now turning left in 500 ft. would have sent us over the precipice so I was planning to ignore that direction.  Cindy, who was having a hard time trying to maintain her composure through what I'm sure she considered a near death experience,  lost it completely and started yelling at the GPS:  "What the fuck do you mean turn left?  Are you fucking crazy?"  There's no way we're turning left you fucking idiot."

The views from the top were spectacular.  Here are a few.

On the way back to Olympia we took a different route, this time along the western shore of the Hood Canal on 101.  This is an awesome drive.  Every curve a more beautiful vista of the water.  Every three miles during this 50 mile section Cindy said "Let's buy a house here."    We also stopped at a great water fall.  We only stopped at one, though Jordyn's notes say there are at least 7 along this stretch highway.  We got back to town by about 10pm.

(pictures of the ride home)

Wednesday:  On Wednesday I was planning to take a bike ride and Cindy was going to read all day and then cook up a nice cioppino and some fruit pies with the 90 pounds of fruit we had picked over the weekend (maybe not that much but I am learning from Cindy how exaggeration makes a story much more interesting.)  I was really looking forward to this meal but noticed Tony and Jordyn had no kitchen table or chairs.  We would have to eat on the couches in the living room.  Unacceptable, so we (actually I ) suggested we go out and buy them a dining room set.  It was a nice gesture but it also obligated me to spending 6 hours assembling a table and 4 chairs.  Everything came in Ikea like boxes that fit into the back seat of our car so you can imagine how many pieces it was.  It was at this point we (I) decided we needed to stay another day so I could 1:  take the bike ride I had been looking forward to and 2: eat the leftover cioppino.

Boise Here We Come! Cindy's Perspective

We decided to get an early start on what would be a long day's drive.  This plan came as a result of staying an extra 24 hours in Olympia (it's so dang hard to leave the Pacific Northwest and I was hoping that would give us enough time to buy a house).

We Cheech drove a grueling 8 hours from Olympia to Boise!  That left me with the task of intermittent napping mixed with the occasional snoring of helping Cheech navigate and stay alert and awake.  (I find snoring sounds to be quite effective in keeping others awake.)  What can is say... I know how to do my part and I did it well.

We arrived in Boise around 3:30, Cheech took a short nap, (for some unexplained reason I was wide awake) and then we jetted off to downtown.  This was our reconnoiter trip.  Our primary goal was to find a restaurant and local breweries points of interest and create a sightseeing of plan action.

Here's our list for tomorrow:

• Bike the greenbelt
• Tube down the city river
• Visit the Historical Society
• Visit the Botanical Gardens
• Visit the Art Museum
• Visit the Discovery Museum
• Take a tour of the State Capitol
• Go to the Farmer's Market

By my calculations we will need to start the day at 4:00 am tomorrow, spend no more than 53 minutes at any one location, skip all three meals, plan the most efficient route from one location to another, and stay out until at least midnight.  This may sound less than relaxing to some, but over the years we have actually spend a number of sightseeing days with a very similar schedule.  We just think of this as the vacation version of speed dating.  Our travel motto: "Speed Vacationing- Seeing very little of a lot of places."

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
.

Pictures

First of all, pictures.  If you've been reading my posts, you noticed the censored icons and the explanation that Cindy didn't like the pictures that I posted of her.  "Didn't like" was accompanied by a long and and rather passionate explanation that it was very rude to post a picture of someone without asking their permission to do so first.  OK, though I didn't agree it was really not worth arguing about, mostly because I never win an argument anyway so why bother?  But then, amazingly, I look at one of my dear wife's posts and there is a picture of me, the boys and Jordyn.  "Excuse me, I don't remember you asking me if it was OK for you to post my picture.  I must have forgotten that.  When did you do it?"  "I didn't do it."  WTF?? How can one be so indignant about a certain action and then turn around and do the EXACT same thing??  "I didn't think you'd mind."  "Did you ask Nick, did you ask Tony, did you ask Jordyn?" "No, No, No.  I didn't think they'd mind".

Some day I might figure out what the rules actually are.  So far, after a mere 31 years of marriage, I haven't a clue.

The Wedding on Saturday: Cindy's Perspective

Saturday morning started out slow (to say the very least)!  The boys and Jordyn and I had an opportunity to explore the town of Hood River while Cheech biked the area.  I HIGHLY recommend Hood River for it's natural beauty, charming town, and endless fruit orchards.

By the middle of the afternoon we were getting ready to be picked up by the "transport bus" that would take us to and from the wedding venue.  I am ever so grateful to the hosts for providing this service.  They showed the foresight and consideration to know we would all be too inebriated  exhaused by the night's end to drive ourselves down the mountain and back to our hotels.

The bride was gorgeous, the groom handsome, and the parents proud and tearful at the thought of ushering their "babies" into this new phase of adulthood.  The officiant was a family friend.  She was able to introduce the right amount of humor, wisdom, and family lore that makes for a perfect ceremony.  This all occurred in a grassy knoll with the Columbia River Gorge as the backdrop.  (I've always wanted to be able to use the phrase "in a grassy knoll" but couldn't figure out how to fit it into anything I wrote in Tucson).

Wedding Venue (photo by Nick Calenti)

The reception was a BLAST!  Good friends, good food, good music.  The reception also included a "surprise" flash-mob dance by the bride's parent's friends.  Note that we are all in our 60's, have the requisite number of aches and pains, and were NEVER good dancers to begin with.  One of the group members stated that we looked like a clip from the movie Cocoon. (Cocoon- a 1980's movie about a group of very old people who are rejuvenated by pool water that is infused with a "life-force" from aliens).  We on the other hand, were only infused with alcohol so needless to say La Bamba, Youtube, and flask-mob flash-mob dancing will never be same.  I personally am grateful that none of us was sober  aware enough to fully remember comprehend the vision we produced.

Family Photo Booth Fun (Cheech, Tony, Jordyn, Tony)

Next morning we all went berry picking along the Hood River Fruit Loop.  I think it's in the blood because we just couldn't stop picking those blueberries, cherries, raspberries, etc.  We filled our car with the "fruits of our labor", snacked, and tooted tootled our way up to Olympia for a four day stay with Tony and Jordyn.

About 8 pounds of cherries!

The Wedding Weekend/Friday: Cindy's Perspective

No I have not fallen off the face of the earth!  My writing hiatus is as a result of a lengthy recovery from 48 hours of wedding partying  a very busy wedding weekend schedule.

I have noticed that (much to my surprise) I am just not as young and spry as I use to be (dang, when did that happen?... and I wish my body would have informed my mind of these distressing changes).  While I was fully prepared to party through the weekend, I was not the least bit prepared for the requisite recovery time.  Enough said!

We picked up Nick on Friday morning at the Portland airport and headed towards downtown for lunch.  Nick's great idea: "Let's eat at the Portland food trucks!" Being the good sports that we are and because our bodies have yet to inform our prefrontal cortexes that we are no longer 25 years old   we enjoyed the fine dining provided by Oregon's best roadside restauranteurs.

Since when has it become fashionable to get your food from a cook with a kitchen (and I use the word "kitchen" loosely) located in the back of a 15 year old mobile home that is no longer mobile?  Just asking.  Didn't see a whole lot of hand washing;  I did see a lot of hands-on cooking!  Every "food truck"  provided samples... a very terrifying interesting experience for your average germaphobe.

Apparently this new breed of restauranteurs has also determined that we would all be more comfortable eating while standing in a crowd, on a sidewalk, balancing our plates, utensil, and drinks in our hands.  I am now fully prepared to join Bertoli's Circus as a juggler.

After lunch we headed to the wedding venue at Hood River.  It was gorgeous.  Please see Cheech's post for pictures.  I was too busy recovering from food truck ptomaine  navigating to take any photos.

We met Tony and Jordyn at the hotel and off we all went to the Friday "meet and greet" festivities.  The drinking and debauchery  "get to know you" gathering was held at a beautiful log home rental next to the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort.  The vistas were amazing and the beer, wine, and bottled spirits flowed freely.  We partied hardy until after midnight and made the executive decision that we would most likely miss the flash-mob dance practice scheduled to be held at 9:00 am the next morning.  More about that later.

A good night's sleep was had by all.

La Pine, Lava Fields and Deschutes National Forest

In the car and on our way by 7:30 am.  Destination: Deschutes National Forest, home of lava fields lava caves, and amazing vistas.

Time for a little early morning travel conversation:

Me: "Cheech, I just got a GREAT idea!" (He always worries when I start a sentence like that.)

Cheech:  No response.  (I take that to mean he is very anxious for me to proceed).

Me:  "I think we should buy a t-shirt from every place we...." (interruped)

Cheech:  "That's a horrible idea."

Me:  "Wait, you didn't let me finish my idea."

Cheech:  "O.K., go on."

Me:  "I think we should buy a t-shirt every place we visit and make a quilt out of them."

Cheech:  "That's a horrible idea."  (He is consistent)

Me:  "O.K., list all the reasons it's a horrible idea".  (I am always open to feedback)

Cheech:
"First, they will cost  us $15.00- $20.00 a piece.  The quilt will cost a fortune".
"Second, you will immediately cut up the shirts and destroy them."
"Third, you'll only use about 1/3 of each shirt and rest will become rags."
"Fourth, you don't quilt." (This is just a minor technacality and should not even be on the list).
"Fifth, even if you do make a quilt, it will end up in the closet and we'll never see it again."

Me:  "So other than that, you really like the idea!"  (I can hardly wait to get started).

Please read Cheech's post about Deschutes National Forest and the lava fields.  My mind is otherwise occupied in the creative process.  Bet you can't guess what project I have in mind.

Hood River to Olympia, 7-13

We all slept late, but packed up and checked out of the hotel by 11am.  Went into downtown Hood River for breakfast and then started on the "Fruit Loop", a 35 mile car drive which goes through the fruit growing region of Hood River.  We picked cherries and raspberries and ate a lot of blueberries along the way.  The day was overcast but no rain.

After the Fruit Loop Tony and Jordyn took off for Olympia and Cindy, Nick and I headed back to Portland so we could drop Nick off at the airport.  Before reaching Portland though, we decided to stop at the Thunder Island Brewery in Cascade Locks.  This brewery is owned and operated by a friend of Haley and Matt and it was this beer that was served at the wedding.  Then we quickly stopped at the Bonneville Dam and the trout hatchery before one more brewery stop and dinner in Portland. We dropped Nick off at the airport at about 6:45pm and were at Tony and Jordyns house two hours later.  Here I sit at 12:30am.  I guess having 3 cups of coffee at 11:30 am is the reason.  I don't normally drink coffee that late in the day.  I though all the beer would cancel it out but I guess not.

Haley's Wedding Day 7-12

The wedding wasn't until 5pm on Saturday and a bus was going to be taking all of us from the hotel to the venue and back so we could freely imbibe to our hearts content, which we did end up doing, but more of that later.  Instead of walking around downtown Hood River, I opted for a bike ride along the Columbia River Gorge.  It ended up being 27 miles with 3,200' of elevation gain.  About half was on a dedicated path and the rest on lightly traveled fruit farm roads.

At 3:45 the bus picked us up.  The venue was a beautiful outdoor meadow and the weather was perfect.  When the sun set, a full moon rose.  They must have planned it that way.  It was a wonderful ceremony, officiated by a family friend and it was simple and informal yet elegant.  It was pure Haley and Matt.  Party favors were beer coasters with a drawing of a bike and their names.  They requested that picture taking during the ceremony be left to the professionals.  Here are a few of the reception:

Cindy will probably describe the wedding in detail.  I will say it just couldn't have been any nicer.  We laughed, danced and drank until the band stopped.  We literally staggered to the bus at midnight for the ride back down the mountain.  (At least I staggered, I couldn't tell what everyone else was doing, I was too ripped.

Portland to Hood River 7/11

We packed up from our excellent accommodations and hostess.  We had some time before Nick was to arrive at the Portland Airport so our hostess Linda suggested visiting the oldest rose garden in Portland, which was in her neighborhood.  It was an excellent suggestion.

We picked Nick up and went into downtown Portland for lunch at the food trucks.  A large parking area in the middle of downtown is ringed with trucks of every imaginable cuisine.  I went with Greek, Nick with Mexican and Cindy had a bowl full of rice, beans, and other veggies.  Everyone was very satisfied.

After Nick stopped at Macy's for shoes and a tie, we headed to the Cascade Brewery where we tasted a few sour beers and some non-sours.  Then we headed to Hood River  with a quick stop at Multnomah Falls.

Checked into our hotel and relaxed while waiting for Tony and Jordyn to arrive.  At about 7:30pm we all headed up the mountain to the wedding venue for a pre-wedding party.  It was about 25 miles away and Mt. Hood loomed in the distance.  It was spectacular but I was driving so no pictures.  The party was a lot of fun, and the sunset was amazing.  Oh, and Mt.  Hood was again right there in the background.

LaPine to Portland. July 10

Leaving LaPine we continued north on route 97 to Newberry Volcanic National Monument in the Deschutes National Forest.  We spent a few hours there learning about Shield Volcanos, walking through an obsidian lava flow and taking a ride to the top of a cinder cone with a commanding 360 degree view of the area.  There is a fire watch tour on top.  At the lava flow we waited 10 minutes for a guided tour by a park ranger.  Uh.... to put it very nicely she was a bit inexperienced.  Out of breath after climbing for 5 minutes she became very flustered and pretty much forgot everything she was supposed to say if indeed she ever knew anything.  But she was young and a volunteer and so you get what you pay for.  It was a beautiful view and we learned a lot by reading all of the signs along the way.  Obsidian field and view from the cinder cone:

From the monument it was a quick 12 mile drive to Bend just in time for lunch at the 10 Barrel Brewing Company.  I had sampled beers from this brewery through my Beer of the Month Club and its food had great reviews on Trip Advisor.

We had lunch there and headed downtown.  By the way, you won't be seeing any pictures of Cindy on my posts.  You may have noticed a few "censored" stamps in one of my previous posts.  I had put up some pictures of Cindy and Nick which Cindy wasn't pleased with so I took them down.  Fair enough.  But rather than ask her permission each time, it will be easier to just omit them as a rule.  You'll be treated instead to my mug and lots of pictures of scenery.

It was sunny and warm in downtown Bend and the River Park was crowded with swimmers, bathers and floaters.  Everyone was enjoying the weather, probably the hottest day in Bend that year.  It was supposed to hit 93.  The heat is following us everywhere.  Cindy and I walked to the park and sat and enjoyed a shady tree.  I wanted to take a short nap (see picture above as to why) and of course after 5 minutes of sitting there she said she was going to walk around town some more.  Here is the only picture I could find of the river (and I don't know the name of the river).  The activity was a few minutes away from this tranquil spot.

Before heading to Portland we figured we should pay homage to the largest and best known brewery in Bend, Deschutes.  We got there at 4:30 and the last tour went out at 4 so we missed that.  However, they were offering free tastings until 5.  Knowing I head to drive to Portland I tried one and then we headed out.

We arrived in Portland at about 8:30pm, found our house for the evening and met our hostess.  We weren't ready to call it a day yet so we asked for the nearest, what else, brewery.  It was 2 miles away and was the very large Widmer.  They had a great menu, we sipped a beer and had some small snacks.  Then we headed back to our accommodations.

July 9 - Mt. Shasta to La Pine, including Klamath Falls

In the morning we went to the local pastry shop in Mt. Shasta Village and felt like we were intruding on a family get together.  Everyone who entered was greeted on a first name basis.  Half went around the counter to talk to the cook in the kitchen.  Here is one conversation I actually heard:

Man walks in, greets the waitress and cheerily says to the cook behind the window  "Bill, you're not going to believe my squash this year, they are completely out of control."  The cook responds just as cheerily "I know, I stole two of them yesterday."

Headed north and stopped at Weed again, Cindy wanted to buy one of those aforementioned tee shirts but places either weren't opened or didn't have exactly what she wanted.  We did stop at the Chamber of Commerce to ask about any places of interest along the way to La Pine and she suggested the Lavender Fields and the war memorial so we stopped at both.

The Lavender fields were a little disappointing, given the 4 mile dirt road we went up to get there.  I think they're a victim of the drought.  There is just not enough water up there to irrigate them properly.  The views however, were gorgeous.  Oh, and we were the only ones there. The war memorial was haunting, as most war memorials are.  We then headed to Klamath Falls.  By the time we got there it was time for lunch.  We stopped again at the visitor center, got some maps and asked where a good place to have lunch was.  The two women both agreed The Creamery was the best place around and gave us directions.  The Creamery turned out to be the food part of the Klamath Basin Brewery.  What luck.
(Photo to follow)
Following lunch, a too large sampler of beers from the Klamath Basin Brewing Company

and a trip to the Klamath Historical Museum, we decided to rest and enjoy the rain cooled afternoon at the local lakeside park.  After dozing and reading for 1/2 hour in the car, I tried to start the car and the battery was dead.  AAA to the rescue.  Called them, went back to sleep and waited for them to arrive.  They jumped the battery and checked the alternator.  Everything was OK so we took off for LaPine.

Arriving in LaPine we took a dirt road into the woods and found our house for the evening.  The road looked so secluded I was imaging that James Caan, Kathy Bates movie Misery where she breaks Caan's legs and keeps him captive in her out of the way home.  I warned Cindy she might be killed and her body disposed of while I was kept a sex slave to a psychopathic killer.  She seemed much more concerned about whether the sheets were clean.

Klamath Falls: Cindy's Perspective

We left Mount Shasta early and headed into town for coffee and pastry (notice the pattern here?).  It happened to be the only most popular coffee shop in town.  It was delightful.  Everyone knew everyone, the chatter was a hoot, and the coffee and pastry were excellent.

Our waitress/hostess/owner was very excited that we were able to avail ourselves of "News hot off the press".   "Aren't you two lucky.  We publish once a week and today's the day!  You two have fresh news to go with your breakfast."  This was clearly going to be our lucky day.

A customer was speaking to the group at large (this included the mayor, the town's postal worker, the town's firefighter).  "Boy, am I having a bumper crop of zucchini this summer!"  The cook then called out, "Yea I know, I stole a bunch this morning for today's special."

Only is small town America can we enjoy this kind of banter.

Breakfast finished, we headed off to the Mount Shasta Lavender Farm, the WWII Memorial Sculpture Garden,  Klamath Falls Visitor Center, and the Klamath Falls Historical Museum.  I am beginning to understand why our children run screaming from the room  politely decline any invitations to vacation with us.   

After this strenuous day of "vacationing by paragraph",  (this essentially means we open the guide book and go paragraph-by-paragraph visiting ALL the suggested sites), we decided we needed a rest.  Cheech found a lovely park in Klamath Falls and we turned on the car air-conditioner, plugged in all of our electrical devices for recharging, put on some nice music, and promptly drained our car battery in less than 10 minutes.

AAA to the rescue!  Our mechanic and her sidekick arrived in about 40 minutes.  She then started a 20 minute "diagnosis".  "Dead battery", I wanted to scream, but who am I to tell someone else how to do their job? Actually I do that all the time.

I sat pulling out my hair strand by strand patiently (transfixed by her fingernails) while she made the final diagnosis "dead battery" (arghh), gave us a charge, and bid us a fond farewell.  She also let me take a picture of her nails.   It was quite a memorable day.

Up Through the Pacific Northwest: Cindy's Perspective

We bid a fond farewell to Walnut Creek yesterday morning.

Immediately after hopping on the freeway we set our Garmin GPS to our next location.  For added insurance, we set google navigation (on our phones) to the same location.  We are obviously a tech-savey couple.

The only problem was that we were not scheduled to go anywhere near Napa Valley but ended up there!  This was clearly an operator error Freudian slip.  I can only assume that both devices failed miserably!  Being the "go with the flow" couple that we are, we drank our way through the mistake we adjusted our route and ended up where we intended- Lake Shasta (give or take 2 hours of travel time).

I made the mistake of reviewing the house rules for our Mount Shasta AirBandB stay.  DO NOT under any circumstances do this if you are prone to anxiety you are a responsible and consciences person.

The rules were as follows:

• Take off shoes before entering the house.  (Oh dear God...I see another slip and slide episode coming our way). 
• No food or drink in the bedroom.  (There goes our nightly wine and cashews tea and crackers snack).
• No baths, only showers.  (Geez, I was planning on a nice long soak after a stressful day in Napa).  
• No use of the kitchen.  (O.K., in a pinch, I can drink water out of the faucet).
• Please leave bedroom windows open and fan and heater off.  (I have no idea what this was about... we really do shower daily).

As it turns out our hostess was lovely, accommodating, and a delight.  All that rocking in a fetal position consciencous concern was totally unnecessary.

Prior to arriving at our destination, we decided to visit Weed, CA which was only about 12 miles from Mount Shasta.  We liked the name of the town...need I say more.  The city's motto is: "I love WEED".   This is not original, but if you are as immature open-mined as we are, you will appreciate the attitude of the town.  

We immediately sought out the most popular brewery sights of historical significance, but somehow ended up at the Mount Shasta Brewing Co.   It had a quintessential pacific northwest feel complete with moose heads mounted on the walls.  If this is offensive to you, please note that the moose heads donned beads, garland, and a variety of other acoutromon. They seemed happy enough and so were we after a few beers.

We  spend a lovely night in Mount Shasta, got up early, took showers (NO baths!) and headed off to Klamath Falls.

Leaving Walnut Creek and heading north

On Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out.  We'll be seeing Nick on Friday so it was an easy goodbye.  We stopped at La Boulange in downtown Walnut Creek for breakfast and then got on 680 going north.  The idea was to go from 680 to 80 to 5 and straight up to Lake Shasta but somehow we were distracted and ended up in Napa.  If you're going to take a wrong turn, taking a wrong into Napa is not something to complain about.  We leisurely drove through Oakville, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga and continued north.  We didn't stop at any wineries but the vineyards were green and the roads were surprisingly empty given that this is July.

Eventually ( after about 2 extra hours of driving) we hit I-5 and passed through the Sacramento Valley.  We reached the Lake Shasta Recreation area about 2:30 and did a tour of the Lake Shasta Caverns.  The lake itself is down about 50% in the last three years.

You take a long walk down to the lake (even longer now that the lake is so low) then a boat ride across the lake, then a short bus ride up to the caverns and then the tour.  It took about two hours total.  Hopping back into the car we headed to Mt. Shasta the town (I think that was the name of the town, Cindy will know for sure).  She called our host so I wouldn't misdial again.  At least this time the woman spoke english so that was a good sign.  It was too early to settle in so we looked for the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company, which we had read some good reviews about.  Unfortunately, Mt. Shasta the brewery was not in Mt. Shasta the town but rather in Weed Ca., about 10 miles north, so we headed there.

Weed has been in existence for over a hundred years and according to Wikipedia it was not named after marijuana.  None the less,  tee shirts and signs abound with every variation of "We Love Weed"  abound.  We found the brewery and had a beer.  If it weren't for the fact we had to drive 10 miles back to our house I would have had two. They had a jalapeño ale that was excellent.

Heading back to Mt. Shasta it was still early enough that we stopped at another bar for a beer.  Don't remember the name.  Finally we went back to the house, met our hostess and went to bed.  Beds actually.  The room had two single beds.  I wasn't thrilled with this but for vastly different reasons than I would have had 30 years ago.  Then I would be complaining that there was not enough room for having sex and then falling asleep together.  This time I was unhappy that I wouldn't be able to nudge Cindy when she started snoring.