Hiking Around Mount St. Helens
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Hiking in Sisters, OR
I spent a long weekend in Sisters and checked off two more hikes: Black Crater and Whychus Creek. They were both beautiful but Black Crater was much more difficult!
Coyote Wall
Lewis River Trail
Beautiful 10 mile trail with a wealth of waterfalls, greenery and old growth trees.
BayOcean Hike
Another amazing hike at the Oregon Coast near Tillamook.
God’s Thumb
I completed the very muddy hike to Grassy Knoll and God’s Thumb in mid-January. I was fortunate to get a clear, crisp, very blue sky day. I am not gonna lie–the climb up and down from the “Thumb” was scary but also breathtaking.
Killen Creek Mt. Adams Hike
I hiked Killen Creek trail to Mt. Adams on a beautiful fall day. The Killen Creek trailhead was about a 2.5 hour drive from Portland. The trail is 3.1 miles with elevation gains of about 1400 feet. The trail ends at the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) junction. The Killen Creek trail is fairly well groomed just an uphill hoof with a beautiful meadow and first glimpse of Mt. Adams that will make you want to keep going!
Once you get to the PCT trail and hike to the High Camp trail, you will quickly realize the first 3.1 miles was a piece of cake compared to what is next. The rocks are pretty steep and a little slick given the snow that was present. We made it, though, and landed on a beautiful glacier. With the right equipment and bravado, it would have been fun to get to the top but we felt good with what we accomplished! And 6900 foot elevation was certainly something to celebrate.
Balloon Fiesta in ABQ
I had the good fortune to be in Albuquerque for work during the Balloon Fiesta. It was a beautiful event. The colorful balloons going up in the air with the blue sky as a backdrop was amazing. It doesn’t look like it in the pictures, but there were thousands of people on the field and it was pretty cool that you could talk to the balloonists and see everything up close.
Last Picture of Kitchen Remodel
…is actually the bathroom! We decided to update the bathroom that is right off the kitchen. We tried wallpaper which we don’t have anywhere else in the house. It adds the perfect pop of color next to the very neutral kitchen. The choices seem to be endless with wallpaper. I will now look for a rug for the kitchen that plays off the wallpaper.
Final Pictures
Just a few punch list items left including under cabinet lighting. What a vast difference from our old kitchen! Getting rid of the dark ceiling and installing tile and counter tops that were white (instead of dark) makes such a difference for this relatively small kitchen. More work space and a much larger sink have made this kitchen much more functional, too. The cabinet maker and general contractor were some of the best guys I have worked with in a long time.
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