I've been caught into a rather unexpected vacation, which I only learned about last week. I heard some rumors that Marcy would be getting married sometime this summer or something, but I always assumed that I wouldn't actually be going to it. Little did I know that it would somehow explode into a full blown week-long family vacation, making this the fifth week I've been away from home this summer. I don't really mind, because I haven't actually been doing anything notable the past couple of weeks.
So far, I've camped out in a nice cabin, gone to Yellowstone, went spelunking, and spent over 24 hours total in a car (yes, really). The wedding will be in almost exactly 12 hours from now. After that, we'll go down to Utah and probably spend a day at an amusement park. I expect to return home on Sunday.
Driving from Utah to home usually takes 16 hours.
My feelings on that subject should be obvious.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tagged
Joys:
Fears:
Current Obsessions:
Surprising Facts:
Tags:
- Nature
- Video games
- Dancing
Fears:
- Needles of any kind
- Thrown rocks
- Falling down something that I can't get back up (eg cliffs)
Current Obsessions:
- Mega Man
- They Might Be Giants
- Bananas
Surprising Facts:
- I stayed up past 11:30 last night watching a thunderstorm.
- I'm the best air guitar player you'll never hear.
- Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a monkey or an ape, but rather a ninja.
Tags:
- DW
- Dee Dubya
- David
- David
- David
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Biking
I left last Tuesday for a biking trip on the San Juan Islands. In total, the distance was about 100 miles in four days. I really enjoyed it.
Even though I left on Tuesday, I should note that no actual biking took place on that day. We just went to Deception Pass, which isn't even on the islands, and camped out there. We still had a good time doing things like playing capture the flag and playing on the beach. There was even a lake right next to the ocean that we could swim, canoe, and even paddleboat (if that's a verb) in.
On Wednesday we took the ferry from Anacortes to Lopez Island. The total distance was about 30 miles, and it did not feel like something you'd want to begin a biking trip with. The scenery was nice, but the hills were annoying to an extent. It was nice coasting down them, but there were only a couple of occasions where one could use that speed to go up the next hill. That probably explains the fact that lunch was about an hour long.
The next day we biked 4 miles to the ferry, which took us to Orcas Island. The ride had slightly better hills than the first, but considering the fact that the ride ended with a 3 mile long uphill slope, I consider the ride harder than the first one. Some brave souls biked up Mt. Constitution, which was a 5.5 mile uphill slope, but I was not one of those souls. Most people said that it was basically "2 hours up and 20 minutes down." Fortunately, the adults were kind enough to let the wimps, like me, get driven to the top. If it wasn't for the haze, we would have been able to see all the way from Canada to Marysville (possibly).
Friday was the longest day distance-wise, but ironically the easiest. We started out by doing the previous day's hike in reverse in about half the time. The ferry took us to San Juan Island itself. Other than the intial uphill, the ride was very easy. The hills allowed us to coast down them and go over the next one for most of the ride, and we managed to do the first 10 miles in 40 minutes before stopping for lunch. That's what I call easy. Unfortunately for me, during the second half of the ride my hands were much more slippy, so I couldn't shift gears very easily. Then again, that doesn't change the fact that we arrived at camp over three hours earlier than projected. The only bad thing about the day was that scenery just struck me as dull.
Saturday was the best day for a variety of reasons. The hills were like the previous day's, but it did seem a bit harder; however, the scenery was much better and had much more variety. We even ran across a large group of runners doing something for some charity. The best thing about the day was discovering that we arrived on time for the 10:25 ferry, which meant that we arrived over three hours earlier than anticipated. The worst part about the day was discovering that it was stifling hot back at home. Oh well.
Even though I left on Tuesday, I should note that no actual biking took place on that day. We just went to Deception Pass, which isn't even on the islands, and camped out there. We still had a good time doing things like playing capture the flag and playing on the beach. There was even a lake right next to the ocean that we could swim, canoe, and even paddleboat (if that's a verb) in.
On Wednesday we took the ferry from Anacortes to Lopez Island. The total distance was about 30 miles, and it did not feel like something you'd want to begin a biking trip with. The scenery was nice, but the hills were annoying to an extent. It was nice coasting down them, but there were only a couple of occasions where one could use that speed to go up the next hill. That probably explains the fact that lunch was about an hour long.
The next day we biked 4 miles to the ferry, which took us to Orcas Island. The ride had slightly better hills than the first, but considering the fact that the ride ended with a 3 mile long uphill slope, I consider the ride harder than the first one. Some brave souls biked up Mt. Constitution, which was a 5.5 mile uphill slope, but I was not one of those souls. Most people said that it was basically "2 hours up and 20 minutes down." Fortunately, the adults were kind enough to let the wimps, like me, get driven to the top. If it wasn't for the haze, we would have been able to see all the way from Canada to Marysville (possibly).
Friday was the longest day distance-wise, but ironically the easiest. We started out by doing the previous day's hike in reverse in about half the time. The ferry took us to San Juan Island itself. Other than the intial uphill, the ride was very easy. The hills allowed us to coast down them and go over the next one for most of the ride, and we managed to do the first 10 miles in 40 minutes before stopping for lunch. That's what I call easy. Unfortunately for me, during the second half of the ride my hands were much more slippy, so I couldn't shift gears very easily. Then again, that doesn't change the fact that we arrived at camp over three hours earlier than projected. The only bad thing about the day was that scenery just struck me as dull.
Saturday was the best day for a variety of reasons. The hills were like the previous day's, but it did seem a bit harder; however, the scenery was much better and had much more variety. We even ran across a large group of runners doing something for some charity. The best thing about the day was discovering that we arrived on time for the 10:25 ferry, which meant that we arrived over three hours earlier than anticipated. The worst part about the day was discovering that it was stifling hot back at home. Oh well.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Hiking
I was on vacation this past week, and did a lot of hiking. I also managed to read the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Having done both, I decided to make top 5 lists for both, despite the fact that there are only five real options for both. Please note that the top two items for each list are practically interchangeable.
Top 5 Hikes:
1. Lower Ape Cave
2. Lewis River Trail
3. Eagle Creek Trail to Tunnel Falls
4. Historic Columbia River Highway
5. Multnomah Falls to Triple Falls
Top 5 Hitchhiker Books:
1. Restaurant at the End of the Universe
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
3. Life, the Universe, and Everything
4. Mostly Harmless
5. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
Top 5 Hikes:
1. Lower Ape Cave
2. Lewis River Trail
3. Eagle Creek Trail to Tunnel Falls
4. Historic Columbia River Highway
5. Multnomah Falls to Triple Falls
Top 5 Hitchhiker Books:
1. Restaurant at the End of the Universe
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
3. Life, the Universe, and Everything
4. Mostly Harmless
5. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)