Denny Creek Hike

We celebrated Fisch's return to the Pacific NW by enjoying the great outdoors and some vitamins, aka cider and beer.  Denny Creek was the hike destination, late October.  Clearly I am behind on blogging, sorry!

The sun was so lovely and refreshing!

Nothing beats the Elysian after a hike!  Cheers!

Return trip to Poo Poo Point

Remember this hike?  Well, it turns out we didn't make it all the way to Poo Poo Point that time as we thought we had.
So, one weeknight after work, we ventured up the "real" trailhead from behind the high school with Karlie and Jordan.  Thank God for those two because I am pretty sure I would have given up if it weren't for them.  First, it was very hard to find the trailhead from the directions.  Second, it is a deceptively challenging hike that in the last mile seems to go on forever, especially if you are running out of daylight and really want to catch the sunset.  The weather was not in our favor, 80 degrees and very muggy.  I don't think I have ever been so smelly at the end of the hike.  Sorry, readers, I am sure that it is too much information.  Needless to say, getting into bed after a refreshing shower was so very rewarding.  And in hindsight, it was a fun night, complete with a bottle of wine at the top and our first headlamp-lit hike.

Here we are racing through the trees trying to catch the sunset:

Once at the top, here are a few shots of the beauty/reward:

That green turf patch in the middle is where para-gliders launch during daylight.

Overlooking Lake Sammamish, with downtown Bellevue in the upper left corner.

 Aliens!

Totally worth it.  Though next time, I'll be going up there on a not-so-hot day :)

Palouse Falls

On our way home from Lewiston, we ventured off the trail to visit Palouse Falls State Park.  With minimal effort, you get to see this amazing view of the falls.

We wandered around the area a little bit for a few more views.

Hope to go back for a visit in the spring some year, when more water is falling.

Iron Goat

Iron Goat was a pleasant summer hike, with lots to see along the way.
We met up with Myles, Michelle and Abby and began our day with a good meal.

Along the hike, there were numerous caves to peak into and explore.  And lots of railroad debris.  Pretty cool!

Milemarker 1716.

Built in 1917.

Our fearless leader :)

A good time was had by all.

Talapus Lake

Apologies for the blogging hiatus, let's hope this picks up.  We have been enjoying our last bit of summer.  Right after our return from Cali in mid-August, we had a Tuesday off and headed up to Talapus Lake, thanks to Jordan's recommendation.  This was a lovely hike one that we probably could have continued to Olallie Lakes, but enjoyed the trek to Talapus and a swim in the lake.

Here are a few pictures of the beauty.

Yep, that's me.  White as a ghost :)

We'll definitely have to head back here next year to explore a little further.  

Poo Poo Point Hike

It has been way too long since we ventured out for a hike.  Having a Monday off is a perfect time for a hike. We chose a local hike, 10 minutes from our house, to Poo Poo Point.  We had a hard time finding the trailhead so opted for the Chirico Trail instead which was about 1/2 the distance but just as steep so still a very good workout.  Pretty views await on this trail.

This is a popular place for hang-gliders...

We'll definitely be back to find the "real" trailhead :)

Another magical trip to Leavenworth

We ventured over to Leavenworth for Veterans Day weekend.  I was so excited to see the snow, relax, enjoy the outdoors, eat, and sleep!

Our first stop after checking in was Pavz of course, our fav. Leavenworth restaurant. Here is my salmon, roasted potatoes and veggies.  Despite the freezing cold weather and walk to the condo, I managed to convince Tyler to stop for gelato on the way home.

The tree was aglow:

The next day, we ventured out in the cold to Icicle Creek Road.  The hike we were going to take was closed due to wildfires.  (Hard to imagine that there were wildfires in weather like this).  So, we wandered around a trail by the campsite we stayed at in July.  

Sunbreaks: 

Our campsite in the snow:

After warming up, we headed to Wenatchee for some wine tasting and amazing Mexican food.  YUMMMM.  We even found time to watch a movie that day.

The last day in town, we did some Christmas shopping at some of our fav. stores, including Kris Kringl.





What a lovely Veterans day weekend!