Ohanapekosh - gesundheit!

Second part of our camping experiences. Jennifer was in for this ONLY because she had had several chances to shower in between. My original plan was to camp outside of Dayton, WA, but that whole area was evacuated due to forest fires. Instead, we ended up at the gorgeous Ohanapekosh camp grounds. It was the best time of the year because right after Labor Day, the place is practically empty. We also had the best campsite thanks to a helpful Ranger. A-21 was secluded and close to the rushing river behind us. Plus, we got to have a fire! You see where I'm going with this - S'mores and hot dogs (although, not together). We took a gorgeous hike to Angel Falls and also to Grove of the Patriarchs on Curt's suggestion. I will tell you from experience that the water is definitely glacier water and COLD!

Some Fam, Some Friends, Some Spokane...

So we left Zion for a lonnnnnggggg drive up to McCall, Idaho to see Jennifer's Uncle Rodger and Aunt Joanne who is on the mend after a poisonous spider bite. They live up there in the summers (smart people that they are) and have a cabin in what Rodger had told us is set to be the next Jackson Hole or Vail. Driving up there, I was thinking to myself, "That man is crazy. Plus, I don't believe what he is saying about the Jackson Hole - Vail thing." :)
Well, once you GET to McCall, it all becomes clearer. Maybe the picture below of the lake at sunset will give you and idea of what he was talking about. Too bad I can't fly a plane because that would be the best way to get there. Anyone out there wanna fly me to McCall?

After McCall, we travelled through hazy western Idaho (due to so many wildfires in Washington state) and made our way to Spokane to visit w/ Jason and his girl Lisa. Lisa made us this awesome spread of waffles.
Always a good time to see Jason and we will hopefully be seeing him when he heads down here in October. Other than that, we went to Pig Out in the Park. Sort of like the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, but much more straight forward in the name department. It was interesting to see all of the changes in Spokane since I was there 8 years ago, yet, so much has stayed the same.

From there, we were off to see Curt and Kathleen in Yakima, WA. No pics, and I have no idea why. Kind of mad at myself for this. Kathleen made us homemade salsa after their son Tyler and I went into their garden to get all of the ingredients fresh - onion, cilantro, tomatoes. I remember when Rose and Tyler were MUCH smaller, but again, that was MANY years ago. Much thanks to the McFarlands for their hospitality. For those of you who were there, Curt is the pastor who married us and it was awesome to reconnect with them. They are headed out to Oklahoma to see the Felts, and Curt will be doing the wedding ceremony for Lucas and Melissa.

The Joy of My World Is in Zion

Wow! I came through this area briefly with Jason about 3 years ago, but did not have the chance to actually explore the area. We could have spent a week or more just at this site, but had to spend our short time on hikes aong the river near the campsite and up a tough route to Scout's Landing. Next time I'd like to rent the gear and take the one to The Narrows. I must say that the campsite was great because it was so close to the river and the Visitor's Center which has a free shuttle to all of the spots in Zion. Fire restrictions, so no fire which meant no S'mores :(
The view from our campsite was amazing though (I think the big rounded mountain to the left is called The Watchman):


Because Jennifer was such a good sport about the tough hike, we had dinner at a nearby cafe, The Spotted Dog Cafe. Nothing beats fatigue like filet mignon, sauteed prawns, and a nice bottle of chardonnay.




The next day we were off on our 13 hour car ride to McCall, Idaho. We figured if we woke up early in the morning, we'd pack up camp and leave. Well, I woke up at 3AM and decided to pack up in the pitch black of night, but the ground was so hard I either busted or left several tent stakes there. A 30 minute packing attempt turned into an hour and a half of muffled cursing at the hard ground and bent stakes.

Month-long Sabbatical

This is the last I'll see of this place for a month. The car is loaded, the camping gear packed, and my skills at speed filling at the gas stations have been honed for the month of September in which Jennifer and I will be road tripping it across the West. Our "Tour Dates" are as follows:

-Zion Nat'l Park, Utah
-McCall, Idaho
-Spokane, Washington
-Yakima, Washington
-Mt. Ranier Nat'l Park, Washington
-Seattle, Washington
-Portland, Oregon
-Napa Valley, California
-Los Angeles, California



By the way, did I mention the new "toy" I acquired? Yes, after 8 long years without, I once again have a vehicle with air conditioning. And I finally own a car with power everything and it is NOT red. So many firsts that I am thinking of having a baby's first b-day party for it.... That should help bring in more diapers which are sorely needed since I've been waxing and buffing it with them. Look for more postings soon!