Take a Hike

While visiting Leavenworth I had the pleasure of kicking yet another item off of my bucket list...

Let's take a hike!

Welcome to the Icicle Ridge Trail.  This trail is 2.5 miles with an 1,800 foot gain.  

This was a dog friendly trail too (at least, we had a dog and saw a couple of other dogs along the way).

Let's get climbing.  

First we'll see the rooftops....

...and then we'll see the tree tops.

And then we'll see a tree without a top.

This is one of those trails that gets prettier as you go.

You'll end up holding up your family members while you take too many pictures.

Is there a such thing as too many pictures?

This is Alvin.  He was our guide.

My sister claims Simon and Theodore were down the trail but I never spotted them.

When you get to around the 3/4 mark of the hike the views really get to be spectacular.

Once you arrive at the top, have a seat in the handy wooden chairs and take a picture with your fam...

(Don't miss the chance to make a silly face seester)

Then peruse the views from the top of the mountain at every angle...

 

Last but not least.  

Don't forget to let your dog take an impromptu bath in the stream on the way down. 

Good girl Gabby.

Happy Hiking!

The Tale of The Lonely Tomato

Ah a backyard garden.  We had a huge one at my dad's house when I was a kid.  I loved it and I love the idea of going right into my backyard for fresh delicious food.

The Cyclist and I have been wanting to do a garden for a long time, but cycling usually gets in the way of us doing anything around our house in the summer.  But since The Cyclist is taking a bit of a cycling break (had you noticed?), we've managed to pull a few things together this year.  Woot-woot!

So, let's start at the end of this tale.

Meet our little heirloom tomato.  Ignore the split down her side.
Isn't she lovely?

We started our garden with seeds in cups...

...we had big dreams of growing lots of things...

...some of these sprouted, but then we lost them.  We probably could have been better at caring for them, but the hot/cold/hot/cold weather in late spring wasn't helping matters either.

Our tomatoes started as little baby plants, heirlooms that I got at the farmer's market.  We put them in pots, and then in the ground.

We tend to them with care.

But alas, so far we have only grown that one lovely, lonely tomato.
What the heck?!  I say.  I just don't get it.

And to add to the mystery, our tomato plants are now giant...

...with lots of flowers, but nothing since that one little tomato.
It makes me wonder if we should stick to being Mystery Gardener's.

Oh well.  She sure did taste good on our salad.
Which reminds me....Summer Bucket List item #5, check!

Now cross your fingers that we'll get some more tomatoes!
Have a happy day!

Anniversary Kayaking on Upper Lake Clementine

Let's forget about kayaking for a minute while I introduce you to The Cyclist, Nature Photographer.

Seriously.

I could probably practice my whole life and not have such a steady hand.

Really.

Who can take such clear pictures of a smiley little orange dragonfly from 20 feet away?

With a not super fancy camera?

A digital zoom and no tripod?

Apparently The Cyclist can.

So, for our first anniversary we took a little kayaking adventure to Upper Lake Clementine.

We stopped and picnicked and while The Cyclist took nature photos, I took pictures of duck butts.

I think this qualifies as nature photography, don't you?

The water was crystal clear.

We paddled...

....and floated....

...and chatted.

It was a pretty perfect day.

And, most importantly, I kicked an item off that Summer Bucket List!

Last but not least, for those of you interested in the actual paddling, here's the scoop:

No alcohol, no dogs allowed at this lake.  There were rangers (on boat) present and ticketing.  The road down to upper lake is steep, dirt and bumpy.  We have a 4-wheel drive, so we were fine.  Although there were two-wheel drive cars at the bottom, it might be a bit sketchy going down.  You can paddle up-stream for quite a bit, but you will be getting out of your boat and carrying it over rocky areas to make it to the next section of water.  The water on the upper lake is crystal clear and it is very quiet.  Once you reach the boat-in camping areas, you will be either on or nearer to the lower section of the lake.  The water here is not as clear and there is power-boat and water-ski/wakeboard traffic.  The water was not terribly cold and nice to swim in.  Overall this was a good place for flat water paddling if you are just looking to cruise around.

Thanks for a great anniversary Cyclist! ♥♥♥

Summer Bucket List 2012

I ♥ Joy the Baker.

And I ♥ Tracy from Shutterbean.

Even though they have no idea who I am.

In the blog world I think it's OK for me to proclaim my ♥ for other bloggers.

Right?

OK.

So, in the spirit of Joy the Baker & Tracy from Shutterbean, I'm doing a summer bucket list too!

Mostly because anyone who can rekindle fond memories of Sunflowers Perfume and make me sad that I never got to go to summer camp in a span of five minutes is worth doing a bucket list for.  

Plus, it's fun.

Here goes....

Updates to follow.

Happy Summer Bucket List-ing!