Backpacking to Lost Lake

Rick and I have both done some backpacking in the past, but we have never been on a trip together. This weekend was our first! I took him to one of my favorite spots - Lost Lake in the Frank Church Wilderness. We drove to within 1 mile of the trailhead Friday night to get a head start. The little yellow jeep did great!


The hike into the lake is pretty easy, especially in the cool early morning. We woke up around 6:30 and were on the trail by 7:45. It was about a 1-2 mile hike to the lake. The first, and probably the coolest, thing we encountered when we got there was this deer. She was very close to the trail and not at all afraid of us.


Rick suspected she was lonely since a few minutes later she appeared in our camp and then slept with us all night (not in the tent of course)! See her in the background between our heads?


I can't believe we were the only ones at a lake this beautiful and easy to get to. Rick took some time to fish while I did some reading.





This, however, is my favorite trophy fish photo!


Here we are sitting around the camp fire and keeping our scotch cold in a pan of snow (to my left - with the red bottle cap).


My photography skills are definitely not something to write home about, but I think this one is pretty good.


Our license plates don't say "Scenic Idaho" for nothin'!

Kansas Visits

I've been able to visit Kansas twice so far this year. The first was for my Dad's birthday in April. Mom and I drove to Topeka for a day and got this great shot with Aunt Anne and Grandma.



The second trip was for the 4th of July. Both of my cousins, Scott and Paul, were going to be there, so I decided to go too. I spent a whole week hanging out in Ark City with my parents and Susie, catching up with old highschool friends, and seeing all the Kuhns in Topeka.



I didn't take many family photos for some reason, but a did get a shot of Paul and his little girl, Stella...



...and a great one Scott and me with Grandma.



On my last day, Mom, Dad and I drove by this beautiful field of sunflowers on our way home from lunch. I love Kansas.

Springtime Camping

We were able to get out a few times this spring for camping in between the rainy weather...

SWANHOLM

We made the annual trip to Swanholm Peak (our favorite) on the weekend just before the solstice. There was still so much snow, we couldn't get to the lookout or the lake.


I love the clouds in this photo of Rick and Brent.



We battled rain and snow all day long, but it sure made for some beautiful sights.

I've never seen a sunset quite like this one.


JARBIDGE

We made our second annual trip to Jarbidge, NV, for Memorial Weekend. The trail was too muddy, so we drove our 4-wheelers in on the road. We had a larger crowd this year - nearly occupying the entire downstairs of the barn hotel and dominating the "poorler." This isn't quite everyone!


I was well-prepared for a chilly, and wet, ride in.


We had a great day for a ride around the area on Sunday. These are our friends, Dan and Ellisea.


I think this sign has been rotated...


THE PIG/LIME CREEK

We spent a mid-May weekend with Michael and his puppy, Bryer, at The Pig and did some scouting for bears at Lime Creek.

JEEP RIDE

In April, we took the jeep for a drive on the Baja Road and had some excitement on a rocky part.





BRUNEAU CANYON

In late March we took advantage of some warm weather at Bruneau Canyon.


We had a great camp site on a bank above the river...

...and a nice warm fire that evening.



OWYHEES

In early March we got out for some hiking at Crane Falls and a quick over-nighter in the Owyhees.


The clouds set in, and it got a bit chilly. We started the fire early that afternoon!

85F and Sunny in February!

Our what-has-become-annual trip to Palm Springs to see my parents and escape into paradise for a few days during the winter was fantastic this year. We had the warmest, sunniest weather we have ever had in four years of going. 85F and sunny nearly every day!

This year Susie was there, and she dictated much of our daily activities. Instead of going out to eat, golfing, and shopping all the time, we instead went for walks and played fetch and chase. Having a year-old beagle and no fenced yard adds complexity to a vacation. It also reduces the amount of money you spend on eating out, golfing, and shopping. So it all evens out for the best. Besides, as I have mentioned before, Susie is irresistible and has stolen my heart.

Between my dad's tendency to favor routine and Susie's need for it, we quickly established one. Here's how it went:

7:30 Wake up to whimpering and pawing at the bedroom door. After all we are a pack, and the pack needs to be together. No one can be in a separate room behind a closed door, especially Mom.

7:30-9 Read the paper, watch TV, eat a freshly-picked (from our yard!) grapefruit.

9:00 Watch a 30 min lecture on economics. I brought a series of lectures on DVD, and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

9:30 Take a shower.

10:30 Take Susie for a walk. Smoke a cigar if you're my dad. Sit in the sun and read if you're Rick.

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11:30 Start fixing lunch. Have a bloody mary if today = Sunday.

12:00 Eat lunch.

1:00 Take a nap and smoke a cigar if you're my dad. Read a book or work on a jigsaw if you're Rick. (He read 3 books and did at least 5 puzzles.) Otherwise, go shopping.

4:30 Take Susie for a walk.

5:00 Happy hour, no matter who you are.

6:00 Start fixing dinner.

7:00 Eat dinner and then watch the Olympics and work on jigsaw puzzle.

11:00 Go to bed.

That's what we did pretty much every day. All in the setting of a very comfortable condo located in a beautiful oasis in the desert. This is a life I can easily enjoy!

One day we did deviate from the schedule to go visit the Salton Sea. It turned out to be a stinky stagnant place with lots of bird poop. But we got to see part of rural California desert and passed by many fields of palm trees where they were growing dates.

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Another day we went to the Riverside County Fair in Indio. The fair was quite large for a county fair. There were something like three ferris wheels!

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The Palm Springs area is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been - right up there with the mountains in New Zealand. Another great vacation is captured in the blog.

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Christmas, Finally!

Wow. January 2010 is almost over and I haven't even reported on Christmas!

I was once again fortunate to be able to spend two full weeks in Kansas with my parents AND my wonderful husband came with me. The time flew by. My parents live in a parallel universe where you're left wondering where the hours between meals have gone. Combine that with a few road trips to visit family and friends and it really becomes a whirlwind trip.

Susie was glad to see us. Mom and Dad won't play chase with her. It's a bad game Rick and I have established, but she is so cute when we chase her around the living room and she stops to do her beagle howl.

On Christmas Eve, Mother Nature stepped in and changed our plans for us. Sleet and then drifting snow kept us from driving to Topeka for the traditional Christmas Eve get together at Grandma's and Christmas Day dinner at Uncle Jim's. Instead, we waited until the 26th to go. The worst part was that Aunt Anne got stuck at her farm near Lawrence for WEEKS! Fortunately we had made a day trip to Topeka about a week before Christmas. Rick went shooting with Uncle Jim while Mom and I visited with Grandma and Aunt Anne. So all was not lost.

Mom made Rick his favorite: cherry pie.

We spent most of our evenings by the fireplace. Here we are on Christmas Eve.

On Dec 27, Rick and I set off on a grand road trip straight through the great state of Oklahoma and into Fort Worth, TX. Our first stop: my cousins', Paul and Jaime Kuhn, house to eat pizza, drink beer, and most importantly meet their new baby girl, Stella Avery.

Our second stop: Carolyn and Rick Carlson's house to eat a second Christmas dinner, watch kids open presents, drink, sleep, and most importantly to see my friend Smitty. Jennifer and I go way back to 9th grade. She lives in Baltimore now, and we don't get to see each other often. When I found out she, her husband Nate, and their daughter Emma would be in Fort Worth, I decided to make a reunion happen. We had a really enjoyable visit. Visits with old friends do wonders for the soul.