Lake Chelan State Park Camping

When: May 12-14, 2017 This particular weekend we had permits to do Mt. St. Helen's with a group, but the weather was calling for 2+ feet of new snow, wind, and bad avalanche conditions. We called off the trip 2 days prior because of this. We still wanted to get out of town so we made last minute plans to camp at Lake Chelan State Park. This was done online and there were still many campsites open the day before. We even got one of the prime ones on the water. We left Friday after packing up all the camping gear and 3 hours later we were at our campsite just before dark. The campsite was interesting in that you parked up top on the road and then had to go down some stairs about 50 feet to your campsite that was close to the water. We set up camp, had a fire and called it a day.

The next day we had a slow morning of coffee by the lake and breakfast burritos. Ahh the luxuries of car camping. We got everything ready and set out to hike Chelan Butte about 20 minutes away. There weren't too many reviews on WTA for this hike, but some recent ones said the wildflowers were getting good. The hike is an open landscape, rolling hills kind of deal. So very different than western Washington. We hiked for about 2 hours to get to the top and the hike continues on a ridge line walk after that.  We turned around at this point due to wind. Overall we hiked about 6 miles/ 2100 elevation gain. The hike was gorgeous with all the wildflowers, views of the north cascades and Lake Chelan.

We then went to a local winery here, there are many in the area. We went to Tsillan Cellars as it was highly recommended and rated. We did a tasting of 5 wines, enjoyed the beautiful vineyards and then were on our way back to the campground.

That evening we cooked teriyaki chicken skewers, drank Minnesotan beer, relaxed by the fire and took a sunset stroll by the lake.

It wont be too long until we are back at Lake Chelan for a medical conference. It is also high on my list to hike the lakeshore trail that follows Lake Chelan all the way up to Stehekin. So many things to do in Washington, so little time.

Spring Break in Colorado

My husband had another vacation back to back, and we didn't want to waste it so we booked a trip out to Colorado to visit my grandparents and meet my sister out there as well. We flew into Denver, rented a car and made our way south to Larkspur where my grandparents live. We would be out there for a total of 4 days/ 4 nights and wanted to make the most of it. The next day called for sun and 70 degrees, so we took the chance to get outside and do some hiking we went to Roxborough State Park, a little SW of Denver, and hiked Carpenter Peak- 6.4 miles and 1000 elevation gain. This hike started in red rocks and made it's way up into the trees with some mountain views. Hiking in Colorado is so different than the PNW. Overall much more dry, more lowland hiking options in winter/spring, signs warning you of rattlesnakes and mountain lions.. minor details.

The next day my grandparents got hit by a blizzard, 7 feet of snow and loss of power for half the day. We took the time to chill, read, and get a little slice of winter. Later that evening when it cleared up we headed down to Colorado Springs and hiked through Garden of the Gods a bit. This was our second time there and still really enjoy it.

Saturday I had plans to meet up with a long distant old blogger friend (and local hiking expert), Courtney. She took us on a hike west of Denver in Loveland Pass. I would have never known where to hike at this time of the year and how to navigate avy conditions there, so very thankful we had our own personal guide. The goal of the day was to make it up to Mt. Snikatu- 3.5 miles/ 1673 elevation gain. We donned our packs and headed out for the day. Just as we were getting going we saw a group of people doing what was some backcountry-skiing-para sailing type thing. One of the craziest things I had ever seen! The steep climb continued and the views of the peaks around unwrapped themselves to us. I was blown away with the mountains there and how exposed and massive they were. This hike was a ridge line hike meandering until we finally made it to the top. This was the highest we had ever hiked to at 13,234 feet. I loved loved loved this hike so much and wanted to soak in and explore those mountains forever, but at last we had to head back and make our way back to civilization. Not before stopping for some food and local beer in a small mountain town on the way back though. The next morning we headed back to Seattle, but it only left me wanting to explore Colorado so much more. I could definitely see us living there someday.

North Shore, Minnesota

I was home for a wedding in Duluth, Minnesota so my friend and I decided to day trip up the North Shore of Lake Superior to Split Rock Light House and Gooseberry Falls.

North Cascades/ Diablo Lake Camping

Where: North Cascades National Park, 2.5 hr from Seattle

My sisters were coming in town and my husband had the weekend off so we searched the state and saw were it would be least likely to rain (per usual) and saw that the north cascades looked good, for at least Saturday. So we packed up the car (4 humans + pup) and headed north Friday night. Dorris, Cody and Catherine also met us Friday night. We got there about 9 and tried to find a campsite to set up in in the dark. The great thing about fall camping is lots of open sights and no fees! The downside is setting up in the rain.. We bought the Kelty tarp just a few days prior looking at the forecast. We set it up over our tent to let us set up our tent without getting everything wet, which worked great. We all went to bed early as sitting up in the rain is no fun.

Saturday we awoke and made pancakes and bacon! Ahh the luxuries of car camping. 3 more people joined us this morning to come with for the hike. After breakfast we all got on the road to Thunder Knob trail. This hike is 3.5 miles and 635 elevation gain. We wanted a short hike we could do with all the sight seeing. The bridge that is normally there to cross a river is taken down in the winter, so we had to cross a sketchy log. We all made it across fine on the way there, but on the way back my foot fell off and into the water.. the worst! Anyways, the hike was easy peasy with great views to boot. At the top you see grand views of Diablo Lake. After the hike we made our way to the Diablo Lake overlook and took in the magnificent sights. This lake is phenomenal. I want to go back and explore so much more of the north cascades.

After that we made quesadillas, s'mores. and enjoyed a fire. No rain all day! It rained a little bit during the night, but we woke up to no rain again. Sometimes you endure the weather to reap the benefits. Sometimes it's worth it. Sometimes it's not. This time it definitely was.

Oregon Road Trip

 

The husband and two friends of ours from Minnesota flew out to join us on a 5 day adventure across Oregon. We had been to Portland and the Gorge previously, but were itching to see more. We found the perfect time to go at the end of June and planned from there.

Day 1: We drove from Seattle to Portland and stayed the night there. We explored Powell's Book Store, had Salt n' Straw ice cream (the BEST),  enjoyed some tax free shopping, and dined at Deschutes Brewery.

Day 2: We left Portland and took the scenic route past Mt. Hood. This area is gorgeous. I am sure there is lots of lovely hiking/camping in the area. We stopped at Trillium Lake that gave us a perfect view of Mt. Hood. After that we stopped at Smith Rock State Park and then made our way to Bend. Bend is a cute little town with great mountain views and breweries galore. We stopped for a beer before we continued to Diamond Lake. We made it to Diamond Lake before dark and sent up camp. Our spot was right near the Lake, everything was perfect except for the swarms of mosquitos.

Day 3: We woke up, ate breakfast, and made our way to Crater Lake! It was about 25 minutes from Diamond Lake, which was great. We drove up and went to one of the first look out points and it was breath taking. I have never seen something so blue in my life and the vast size of the lake is incomprehensible. It is something that truly everyone should see with their own eye. Such a special, unique park. We drove south around the lake as far as we could (part of the rim was still closed because of snow). After making it south we headed back north and east to the last section we hadn't seen. We did one hike at Crater Lake and it was the Cleetwood Cove Trail. This is the only way to get down to the water. It was only a 1 mile hike but the elevation coming back up was killer. At the bottom, the boys jumped into the frigged water while the girls soaked in the views. After this we headed back to Diamond Lake for another night. We enjoyed the sunset, ate some good camp food and played games.

Day 4: We woke up early to head out for a full day of adventure. We first went to Toketee falls which was 30-40 minutes from Diamond Lake. It is a relatively short hike to a beautiful waterfall. Oregon has Washington beat in the waterfall front for sure. Just down the road we then went to Umpqua Hot Springs. This was our first natural hot springs experience. It's a little hike up and you come out to this exposed cliff with a river below. On this cliff is about 6 small pools that starts with (unbearably) hot water dripping down to different pools (the temperature decreases a little with each pool). This was one of the coolest things I have experienced. I can't wait to go to more hot springs! After this we headed to the coast. We stopped in Eugene for Voodoo Donuts and made our way to Cape Lookout State Park. Cape Lookout juts out from the coast and is gorgeous. We camped fairly close to the ocean. I could hear the waves coming in as we went to sleep, so peaceful.

Day 5: We woke up and packed up for the last time. We headed to Tillamook next, a large dairy factory well known in the PNW. We toured the factory, sampled the delectable cheese, and then of course got ice cream before 10 AM. After this we then headed to the infamous Cannon Beach! This had been on our list for a long time as well and we were excited to finally get there. We drove down to the beach and ended up parking far from the haystacks, but it made for a nice barefoot walk down the beach. the only thing that could've made this any better was if it was a clear/sunny day. But atlas, those are hard to come by up here. We walked up to the haystacks admiring their giant size amongst the ocean and crashing waves. We explored the tide pools and the crabs and other little critters living amongst the shore. A stop at the coast would not be complete without some seafood, so we stopped for fish and chips at Cannon Beach. After this we started to make our way to Seattle passing through other small ocean towns (that I would love to go back and explore sometime).

Overall it was an amazing trip and so great to see so much of Oregon and it's beauty. Really gives Washington a run for its money.

The PNW continues to steal my heart over and over again.

Car Camping Deception Pass State Park

Multnomah Falls & Columbia River Gorge

A January weekend in Portland needed a side stop at the Gorge. There are many waterfalls along the way. Can't wait to explore this when it's not frozen.

A January weekend in Portland needed a side stop at the Gorge. There are many waterfalls along the way. Can't wait to explore this when it's not frozen.