Oregon Road Trip

So, it's been really hard to blog this year.  And my excuse is.... we've been really busy.  I know.  Who isn't busy?  Let me fill you in on what we've had going on lately:

First, we started on some projects around the house.  

Mike made some stairs down to our basement (to make it easier to carry bikes and paddleboards down to the basement).  

And together, we made a headboard out of pallet wood.  We also gave the bookcase and nightstand a makeover! 

You are probably thinking, why would you do such big projects on a house you are renting??? Well, that's another reason we've been so busy lately.... we are planning to BUY this house we live in!  Yikes!  

Basically, our landlord is selling (second time this has happened to us since moving out here).  She offered it to us and we are trying to make it work.  If it all works out, we will close at the end of the month.  

So, we've been doing a lot of adulting lately and haven't had much time for fun.  So, we took a road trip to Oregon for a little escape and adventure (and a little continuing education for me).  

First stop: McArthur-Burney Falls in northern California.  

 It was totally worth the stop and the $8 parking fee.  The falls were gorgeous!  They reminded me of something you would see in Hawaii.  The water was just pouring out of the walls!  

NOT SURE WHAT TYPE OF BIRD IS IN THE NEST. 

From here, we continued north into Oregon, taking the scenic route through Crater Lake.  

THIS MUCH SNOW LEFT IN JUNE!!! 

We continued on and found a free spot to camp on a forest service road near Oakridge, Oregon.  We made a quick dinner and climbed in the back of the truck for a very restful night sleep to the sound of the river.  

NOTICE THE TRUCK IN THE BACKGROUND.  THAT WAS OUR
CAMPSITE FOR THE NIGHT. 

SO GREEN AND LUSH!

The next morning we had planned to take a shuttle to ride a local mountain bike trail (Alpine Trail) which boasts 17 miles of downhill riding.  

Mountain biking in Oregon is totally different than around Tahoe.  The dirt was different (less sandy and dusty) and the riding seemed less technical (less rocky).  The trail was very mellow and flowy.  Lots of fun!

After a great ride... we headed to Portland.  FINALLY!  Visiting Portland has been on my bucket list for a while now.  I attended a continuing education course by day, and scoped out the town by night (which ended up working out GREAT because Portland was in a HEAT WAVE while we were there and it was unbearably hot during the day).  

YOU CAN NOT IMAGINE HOW HUGE THIS BOOKSTORE IS UNTIL YOU
VISIT!  IT IS UNBELIEVABLE! AND THE BOOKS GO ALL THE WAY TO
THE CEILING!

A PORTLAND LANDMARK!  

MIKE EATING A PORTLAND CREME

I CHOSE THE VOODOO DOUGHNUT!  DELISH!

WE STAYED NEAR THE RIVERFRONT.
WE WERE THERE DURING THE ROSE FESTIVAL SO THERE WAS
ALWAYS A LOT GOING ON DOWN BY THE RIVER. 

WE VISITED SEVERAL BREWERIES.  

 Arguably, Portland is known for doughnuts and breweries.  And it just so happened that we were in Portland on NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY!  What a coincidence?  Since we had already done VooDoo Doughnuts, we opted for Blue Star Doughnuts... and they did not disappoint.

MIKE'S WAS A RICH, DECADENT CHOCOLATE
COVERED, CREME FILLED. 

MINE WAS THE PB&J: PEANUT BUTTER POWDER ON THE OUTSIDE,
JELLY WITH HABANERO ON THE INSIDE.  WEIRD RIGHT?
BUT DELICIOUS!!!

 We also ate at a couple of food trucks, which didn't disappoint.  We booked our hotel because it was close to downtown and there was a metro directly in front.  We ended up walking everywhere.  Portland is very walkable... not as hilly as San Fran.  And there was a lovely breeze in the evenings that made walking very pleasant.  Plus, you always see so much more when you're walking.  

Thanks Portland!  We had a blast!  We hope to visit again one day!

From Portland, we made a quick stop by Multnomah Falls: 

 Then headed on to Mt. Hood where we stopped at a sno park near the base of the mountain and made a quick sandwich for dinner.  

BEAUTIFUL MT. HOOD

From Mt. Hood, we headed south to Bend.  I think I was MOST excited about visiting Bend.  In all the research we did before this trip, the pictures of Bend looked so inviting.  

We found a spot to camp on a Forest Service Road just outside of Bend.  The next morning, we made a quick visit to a waterfall near our campsite. 

RAGING RIVER!

 By 10 am it was HOT out.  So, we headed to Tumalo Falls.  A short hike to a beautiful waterfall that you can walk behind to cool off. 

IT'S QUITE A DRIVE TO GET BACK HERE,
BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT!

LOOK AT MIKE'S SHIRT!  LOTS OF POWER IN
THAT WATERFALL! 

YOU CAN'T TELL, BUT I WAS GETTING SOAKED
IN THIS PICTURE!
THE WATER WAS "REFRESHING." 

After the falls, we headed into downtown Bend to walk around... but it was SO hot that we decided we had to get on the river (with everyone else in Bend... the river was PACKED!).  So, we rented paddleboards and paddled/floated the river.  The water was COLD which was perfect.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture of that little adventure. 

After paddling, we headed to our campsite... the only fee campsite of our entire road trip.  We stayed at Paradise campground about 1.5 hours west of Bend because we had a shuttle trip planned for the next morning.  We got set up at our site, made dinner, took showers, sat by a fire, and went to bed.  

OUR SITE WAS RIGHT ON THE BEAUTIFUL MCKENZIE RIVER!

The following day we rode the McKenzie River Trail; 26 miles of "downhill" mountain biking.  

This trail is a LONG 26 miles.  Mainly because it's not what I would consider to be true "downhill" biking.  It was a very pedal-y 26 miles.  Overall, the trail is relatively flat.  There are some technical sections, but no steep sections.  Out of 26 miles, I'm pretty sure we pedaled 25 miles!  And, it was HOT, HOT, HOTTTT!!!!!!!  The heat absolutely zapped our energy.  I haven't been that sweaty in a LONG time. 

The trail is rated #1 in the nation for mountain biking.  I really doubt that's because of the trail itself... but definitely because of the views along the trail... which are spectacular!

THE MCKENZIE RIVER IS A SPECTACULAR SHADE OF BLUE!

CLEAR LAKE... THE STARTING POINT OF THE TRAIL. 

BLUE SPRINGS

THERE ARE A RIDICULOUS NUMBER OF BRIDGES
LIKE THIS THAT YOU HAVE TO WALK YOUR BIKE
ACROSS... ALTHOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE TO WALK
IT ACROSS LIKE THIS GUY!  HE'S JUST BEING CRAZY. 

BLUE POOL.  THIS WATER COMES UP FROM UNDERGROUND!
THE PICTURE DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE OF COURSE.
BEAUTIFUL SPOT FOR LUNCH. 

So, here's the deal.  There was SO much beautiful scenery on this trail.  The top is all lava fields... then the trail ducks into beautiful, lush forests, following the river.  There are a few spots where the trail doesn't parallel the river, and while still beautiful, it's ridiculously hot in those spots.  I would've loved to have taken more pictures but it was honestly so hot that I just lost the will to care about pictures.  We were SO exhausted at the end and the trail isn't really even that difficult.  The heat absolutely taxed us... and the fact that you are pedaling NON-STOP is pretty exhausting by the end.  

I definitely recommend the trail to other mountain bikers, but only for the scenery.... not for the trail itself.  Also, I will probably not be doing it again... ever. 

Here's a little video compilation of all the water falls and rivers we experienced on our trip:

 

Well, that was our trip. 

Up next... my brother and his family visit.

My 31st birthday and potentially closing on a house!  Eeeekkk!

Mike's family visits!!!

We visit NC for a week in July!

Whew.  

Stay tuned!  I will try to do a better job of posting! 

Beautiful Springtime

In Tahoe... spring is pretty much a crapshoot in terms of weather.  This year has been right on par.

Just a few days ago it was 75 and sunny.  I wore a sleeveless shirt to work and got sunburned.  Today... it's snowing.  See what I'm saying?  Total crapshoot.

So this past week was busy.  Wednesday night we had Heavenly's Ski Patrol Party.  It was apparently also referred to as "prom" and the theme was simply: "Will Ferrell."  Classy prom theme, right? Some people dressed up... Anchorman... Ricky Bobby ("on fire" in his undies and a helmet)... etc.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the only pictures I managed to take the whole night were of the sunset.

 Thursday was a super busy day for me... but one of those "work days" that I LOVE!  I got to accompany one of my kiddos on a field trip to tour the University of Nevada at Reno.  It was a beautiful campus and made me miss my college days. 

THE QUAD

BEAUTIFUL TREE LINED WALKWAY. 

 Friday morning, as I headed into work, I noticed the skies darkening over our house... a sure sign that a storm was coming.  

WE LIVE NEAR THE TOP OF THOSE MOUNTAINS

 And by the time I got home from work, our deck looked like this: 

 And Saturday morning the bluebird skies returned.  It was beautiful.  Definitely more like winter than spring, but still beautiful. 

 By Saturday afternoon most of the snow had melted.  And when I started writing this post, it looked like this outside...  

... and about 5 minutes later it was sunny again!  CRAZY weather.  

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!

Habits?

So... apparently I only post once a month now?  Hopefully that's not true (and not becoming a habit).  But, that has been my style lately.  I'm pretty sure that's because we haven't had much going on around here lately.  Mike's been working.  I've been working.  We have opposite work schedules so we don't have a lot of time for adventures right now.  But, sometimes I fail to remember that everyday life is an adventure.

So, here's a glimpse into our "everyday" lives recently:

Work has been going really well for both of us.  I absolutely love the flexibility of my schedule and, well, I just had a week off for spring break!  Definitely can not complain about that!  What did I do over spring break, you ask? Well, not much of anything and it was FANTASTIC!  I was a stay-at-home housewife for a week.  I read books.  I cleaned the house.  I binge watched daytime tv.  I started training for my upcoming half marathon.  I did whatever I wanted... whenever I wanted.  

Mike seems to be really enjoying his work as well.  It's nearing the end of the season so we've been attending a lot of Heavenly events lately.  

At the end of the season (snow levels permitting), there is a ski patrol race.  This is where the ski patrollers from all over the basin don their craziest attire... consume many adult beverages... and race each other down the hill.  The prize???  Bragging rights for a year and a trophy.  This year patrollers came from Kirkwood, Sierra, and of course, Heavenly.  

I have to give costume credit to the guys (and gals) from Sierra.  Clearly not their first rodeo!

THIS LOVELY LADY IS COMPETING IN HER
ACTUAL WEDDING GOWN!!! 

THESE TWO (ALSO FROM SIERRA) ARE WEARING
KAYAK GEAR AND SKIING WITH PADDLES!

IT'S HARD TO TELL BECAUSE I WAS SO FAR AWAY (AND WITH ONLY AN IPHONE
FOR PICTURES) BUT HE HAS AN OLD SCHOOL CAMCORDER TAPED TO HIS
HELMET... THE GO PRO OF THE 90's!

 And then there was the Heavenly crowd.... their costumes were just plain clothes... but they definitely would've won the award for MOST ALCOHOL CONSUMED (had there been such an award). 

THE GUY SPRAWLED OUT (POST YARD SALE... HE IS THE BLOBBISH THING IN THE SNOW OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE) IS A HEAVENLY SKI PATROLLER.
YEP, HE'S GONNA COME SAVE YOUR LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN FOLKS!
COMFORTING, HUH???
THE GUY SITTING DOWN ABOVE HIM... WELL, THAT'S MIKE... WHO HAD TO SIT
DOWN BECAUSE HE WAS LAUGHING SO HARD!  

This next picture was MY PERSONAL FAVORITE of the night... but it needs  a little explaining... 

So, the race was actually off to the right side of the run, so people were taking practice laps down the left side of the run.  So, while the race between two people was happening on the right... the guy below was taking a drunken practice lap on the left side.

The crowd started cheering (for the racers) and drunkard on the left raised his hands (thinking they were cheering for him).  I happened to catch it and could not stop laughing.  

SORRY BUDDY... THEY AREN'T CHEERING FOR YOU!
BUT WE ARE ALL VERY HAPPY YOU MADE IT DOWN WITHOUT FALLING
THIS TIME!!! 

MIKE IS ON THE LEFT SIDE (BLUE GATES).
OR IN OTHER TERMS: HE'S THE ONE WHO
IS WINNING!

SEE? NEXT YEAR THEY NEED TO "UP" THEIR
COSTUME GAME.  

 The whole night was a BLAST!  I was surrounded by A LOT of adorable avalanche dogs... had some good food... met some good people.. and had some good laughs for sure.  At the end of the night, Kirkwood took home the trophy for "FASTEST SKI PATROL TEAM."  Next year they need a "BEST COSTUMES" team trophy... which would've gone to Sierra this year.  And Heavenly?  Like I said before, they could've easily won an award for "MOST INTOXICATED TEAM." 

A couple of nights later, Heavenly had their annual fundraiser at one of the casinos.  Basically, all the exhausted ski patrollers (after having worked all day on the mountain) have to then work the fundraiser all night.  Including the avalanche dogs who were all so totally adorable, but so totally exhausted.  It was a super fun, carnival style event with games/prizes.. food/drinks... and a silent auction.  TONS of fun but, I didn't take any pictures to prove it.  

Last night we had another patrol party (these guys like to party) at one of the lodges.  It was a neat event with ALL of the patrollers (paid and volunteer) and even the "old" patrollers who have retired get to come back and hear about the season.  Lots of fun.  But again, no pictures.  My bad. 

I am seriously so proud of my husband.  I am so proud to say that he is a ski patroller.  He works with the greatest group of people.  They all really seem to LOVE what they do.  I hope I NEVER need their services on the mountain, but I feel so much better knowing they are there.

THE VIEW JUST UP THE STREET FROM WHERE WE LIVE. 

 In other news...

... not too long ago I was not feeling 100%. I was just super lethargic all the time.  I felt like death if I didn't eat something every 30 minutes.  I was having blood sugar spikes frequently.  I wasn't sleeping well.  I was just not feeling well.  So, I did a little research and basically decided to give up sugar completely for 30 days.  That 30 days is long since over but I just realized I never posted anything about it.  

Let me begin by saying that SUGAR IS IN EVERYTHING.  Seriously everything.  I had to give up bread, dairy, alcohol, and obviously anything processed or with added sugar.  No FRUIT!!! No sweets.  Nothing.  Basically, that left me with meat, vegetables, eggs, and nuts.  I won't even lie though, I couldn't give up fruit.  I did try to limit my intake, and I strategically picked fruits with the lowest sugar content (according to my very unofficial google search).  

The first week 10 days was ROUGH.  It felt like what I imagine detox from drugs to feel like.  Shaky... angry... headachy.  Once I made it past that, I was golden!  That's when I really started noticing that I felt better too, so that made it easier to stick it for the last 20 days.  Plus, by then, my eating habits had totally changed.  Everything I was eating just seemed normal.  You could almost feel your body being nourished by the food.  I had so much more energy.  I wasn't hungry all the time.  NO MORE BLOOD SUGAR SPIKES!  At all!!!  That was fantastic.  And guess what?  I never felt like I was starving or depriving myself of food.  

So, I've "relapsed" at little in the past few weeks (says the girl who has had ice cream after dinner every night for the last three nights).  But, I'm planning to stick with it for the most part.  There are a few things I won't give up this time around... like cheese!  Sorry but I love cheese and scrambled eggs just aren't as good without cheese! And I will allow myself to have a slice of bread every once and a while.  And although I will try to keep the sweets to a minimum, I may eat a cupcake now and then.  Just to keep my sanity.  

Well folks, that's all I can think of to update you on for now.  I've got my camera charged and ready to go, hopefully to take some pictures of the beautiful spring we are having out here. 

MUCH LOVE FROM TAHOE!

-XOXO

BYE FROM THIS GUY... OUR FRIEND'S DOG WHO HAS
BEEN WITH US THIS WEEK.  

It's Been a MONTH...

... one whole month since I posted anything.  Yikes.  Sorry mom and mother-in-law (and anyone else who faithfully reads this blog).

So, let me try to catch you up on the happenings in Tahoe lately.  We had several weeks of dry, sunny, warm weather.  We are finally back into an "active" snowy pattern for a little while.

Recently, I got to accompany one of my students on a field trip to Heavenly to go snowshoeing...
I took these pictures on the field trip:

I CAN NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT MY JOB ON A DAY LIKE THIS!

THAT REFLECTION!!!  AMAZING! 

THIS VIEW NEVER GETS OLD. 

We've also had some snow storms off and on... these were from a snow storm a few weeks ago, but I thought it was pretty cool: 

IT LOOKED LIKE A MINI SNOW VOLCANO?!

RIBBON OF SNOW ON OUR RAILING.

In other news, Mike's friend from college came out for a visit.  Luckily this year he actually got some fresh snow to ski while he was here.  It was great to have you Ryan! Come back ANYTIME! 

Mike and I are still living the dream.  He's loving his job as a patroller on the mountain.  And, well, you saw the pictures I took from a field trip above!  It's safe to say I'm loving my job too!  

It's wonderful to live in a place where you are LITERALLY surrounded by beauty every. single. day. 

Sorry for the long hiatus... and sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. 

I will try to do better!