To the Mountain... and UP!

My first-ever-mountain-climb began yesterday afternoon, just after our time at Smith Rocks. The huge pines, raging rapids, and breath-taking waterfalls were so amazing to enjoy on the 4.5 mile hike to our campsite. In just three hours, we went up about 2,500 feet in elevation! We set up camp at Green Lakes (see the vibrant color in the picture) and I was in charge of our much-needed nourishment. Campfires are prohibited here so we used the jet boil (a fancy propane water boiler) to purify water from the lake and turn it into clam chowder! I served it in bread boules, haha, since we didn’t pack any actual bowls, and was it delicious! Talk about hitting the spot after an arduous trek through the forest, yum!

It got pretty cold at night but felt even colder in the morning when we got up super early to hike up Broken Top mountain! We got to the top before the sun had peaked over the back of the mountain so it was FREEZING. Notice the winter weather apparel in the picture of us at the top of the mountain!

This hike is not like a climb with ropes, etc., like at Smith Rocks; nor it is an easy walk up a groomed trail, like the hike to our campsite. It was the most rugged terrain I’ve ever seen and it was pretty darned scary at times! We hiked (climbed!) along the very top of the ridge where you can see down both sides of the mountain. Each little rock that rolled over the side took forever to get to the bottom. There was snow about half-way up, which was cool, but we were way higher than that… about 9,000 feet! The view was so incredible- we could see cities about 100 miles away, a ring of forest fires in the distance, and clouds sweeping over the neighboring mountain (South Sister, which is 10,000 feet).

If I had to pick, my favorite part was the trip down the mountain because it was sooo much easier, slightly less scary, and took hardly no time at all with this sweet new downhill method that Ben showed me: you basically gallop sideways down the slope to keep the stress off of your knees and ankles but its like 5 times quicker than walking downhill. We made it up the mountain, down the mountain and back to camp, packed up, and hiked back to the car, and drove back into town for dinner. We took our clothes to the Laundromat and enjoyed ourselves some pizza and beer. Talk about a whirlwind day!

Smith Rock"s"!

Today, Ben took me to this awesome place called Smith Rocks. Its an area where volcanoes reeked havoc on the landscape and formed these gigantic stone monoliths 900' high. Ben told me that Smith Rocks is the home of sport climbing (where there are bolts already in the rock) and that it is one of the Mecca's of every climber. Wow! Was he right! We went out with a couple of his friends Jude and Tommy and even though it was blazing hot, we still got to climb. And for those of you who don't believe it, when I say we I do mean we... because I climbed too! That is Ben on the right- climbing really high, and me just getting started in the picture below. Climbing is pretty scary and takes a lot of strength, whew, gotta work on that a bit!

Oregon is SO BIG!

This place is amazing- we drove from Portland, took a short detour through Washington, since I've never been there before. Check out the road sign- all of the routes have George Washington's head around the number, very cute. Then we headed into Bend where we hung out with all of Ben's buddies from when he used to live here. I took like 30 pictures along the three hour drive from the airport because its so amazingly beautiful around every turn!

Ben took me to this really cool place on the Deschutes River where he used to guide white water rafting trips, which was really cool. Literally... the water temperature here is 65 (but I'm used to the ocean in Naples being 95!!) But we had to try it out anyways, just to see what it felt like. Wheew, freezing cold to me.

Marvelous Time... On a Dime!

Being the cheap flight guru that I am, we've been having a marvelous time... on a dime! First of all, we left the island yesterday on the last outgoing boat, so that meant that Ben didn't have to pay anything (if he uses a boat on his own, he has to pay for fuel). Then we drove to Jacksonville and checked into a cheap hotel ($50) that we thought would be a dive but it was actually quite pleasant! We were able to score free parking there for the entire week that we're on vacation AND a free shuttle to and from the airport, total fees there just $2 tip each way. Southwest fed us snacks on the plane and I used my free drink coupons that I've been accumulating for the past two years (frequent flier points) and we had some brewhahas at sunrise... all for FREE! Now we are sitting in the USAirways Club in Phoenix with free admittance with my one-time trial coupon from using my frequent flier Mastercard. We're having more snacks here and enjoying free internet and cnn, while lounging in these huge comfy leather chairs. Of course we look totally out of place and have no idea what we're doing since its so fancy and we're carrying around backpacks. And we're like 20 years younger than anyone else in the entire penthouse! But we're being catered to, haha, which is so funny to me since we're not even flying on this airline- we had to walk like .75 miles through A, B, and C concourses to get here, but its been a worthwhile adventure.

And I mean adventure in every sense of the word... I just had a hilarious time watching Ben panic and try to keep his cool. On the three-and-a-half-hour plane ride to get to Phoenix, we each put in one earbud of my headphones and rocked out to some music on my laptop. We were having a grand ol' time playing name that tune, etc., and then the battery went dead so we had to read books instead. Well... I went to get us come complimentary beverages at the bar while Ben restored power to the computer in this schwanky lounge and when he did, the computer was blaring Violent Femmes "Add it Up" which, in case you didn't realize, has a few very vulgar lyrics, and of course it was at max volume and he had no idea how to make it quiet! He tried to take the battery out as people looked at him in disgust. When I returned with our amenities, very excited to share the free goods, Ben was looking very sheepish as he tried to explain to me his displeasure with the situation (and with me for leaving it turned up so loud). I just can't stop cracking up about it and think this is the most hilarious thing. Considering we've been awake since 5am, and I'm probably delirious, I keep having sudden outbursts of giggling because Ben is trying to be so cool and everyone around us knows what happened. This is just the start of a great vacation, I know it!

From the Atlantic to the Pacific

I’ve been hanging out with Ben on his island since Friday and having a really good time! He has had all kinds of programs that I’ve gone along with. We’ve done everything from beach walking (see the sand dollar in the picture) and bird watching to creek fishing and kayaking, in addition to at least one nap per day (well, just I got the luxury of naps, while Ben was at work). I counted 18 spoonbills in one flock (they are those big pink birds with the spoon-shaped bill)! I kicked his butt fishing (again), although he did catch a nice-sized flounder. I must have brought in about 5 fish in the first 30 minutes that we were there: red drum, black drum, whiting, and blue crabs. The 20” flounder that Ben caught was large enough to keep, but we threw them all back. It’s just so gorgeous on this big island with so few people. The beach seems to just go on forever. Good thing my foot is 100% better so I can enjoy all of the good stuff without any handicap! Our big vacation begins at 5:00 today and we’re both so excited that we can hardly stand it! By sunrise tomorrow we’ll be en route to the Pacific!

Kabobs, Thorns, Sea Turtles, and Oregon!

Who says Veggie Monsters like myself have to stick to just salads? With the addition of our spiffy new grill... I made some awesome kabobs, check out the picture. I also diagnosed my lame foot, with the help of a co-worker. I stepped on a bougainvillea thorn from the beautiful bush outside the door and I'm having an allergic reaction to it. My foot is swollen beyond belief and hurts like the dickens.

It only slightly impeeded my trip out to the Ten Thousand Islands to check on turtle nests today at work, though! Of the five nests that were due to hatch today, 4 had been innundated with high water from Hurricane Dean but one had a very successful hatch. I didn't get to see the little turtles, they had already made it to the sea (yay!) but we dug up the nest and counted their eggshells to determine the numbers. There was one little guy who poked through the eggshell but wasn't able to make it out of the nest for some reason, so that was sad, but very exciting to think that 106 of his brothers and sisters did! The water was just gorgeous today with the big swells (well, big for the Gulf, ,we're used to it looking like glass!) Take a look for youself. We were right around the area by the Bubble House, which is always a treat. And the last big thing for the evening is beginning to pack for the big adventure to Oregon!!

Got the tix!

I've been waiting for this day for what seems like forever... Ben and I bought our tickets to come to Pennsylvania in October! I know its coincidental that its also my birthday month, but this was Ben's idea! We'll be celebrating our one year anniversary two weeks prior so its just an eventful month (and also happens to be my absolute favorite time of year!) We're flying in on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 23rd and have to leave on Thursday afternoon, the 25th. I want to see everyone and pack everything in while we're there, so please let me know if you'll be around so I can start planning!

Garage Sale Glory

Our sale was a success! We started at 6:30 am, had our first customer by 7:15, and finished up by noon. Check out how busy we were at 7:45 in this picture! We sold $220 worth of JUNK! I made about 50-bucks myself but more importantly I got rid of a ton of stuff. Lots and lots of clothes and some other miscellanous tid bits. And, as always, our sales are a bit of a social scene- in attendance was Brad, Marquis, Casey, and Mike, to keep Brittany and I company during the big event. Why not?

Everyone got a big kick out of my 9th grade homecoming dress- I thought it looked a lot like a table cloth with a doily on top, as modeled by Brittany, but we found some matching napkins that really completed the set! It was uncanny how they are the exact same material- take a look for yourself. All of the our leftovers are going to Good Will Industries with one box of blankets and sheets donated to Domestic Animal Services. Now its time for a nap!

the white sunglasses

Ben bought some new sunglasses, against my will, but as it turns out, I think they look better on me than him! Haha, take a look!! We took Payton on a walk, then to Pet Supermarket where we picked out a new toy (see the green monster in the picture below) and a sweet new collar, name tag shaped like a bone, and matching leash for the tough guy. I (and he!) was tired of walking him around the neighborhood in front of all the other dogs with this super gay leash- its rainbow striped. He loves his new stuff and I promised him that he will get more walks because he looks so badass with his new bling!

Mango Madness

I call myself an environmentalist but I can't believe what I've missed in my very own yard... a gorgeous mango tree! I was taking Peyton out on a walk and we stopped by the water meter to make sure that the landscapers hadn't come and turned on the sprinkler valve (which has a major leak and makes our water bill $425/month- so I turned it off; it rains every single day why do we need to sprinkle too?) and the they were, about 15 green mangos just waiting for the sun to ripen them to bright orange. There were two on the ground that were perfectly ripe, so perfect, in fact, that a colony of ants had taken over and devoured the bottom side of the fruits. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for some mangos in the coming weeks- my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I started growing an avocado tree a short time ago, after I enjoyed the tastiest avocado ever. I just couldn't get enough so I pricked it with some toothpicks and suspended it in a glass of water, just like Grandma used to do. It sprouted in no time and now its really taken off in its flower pot on the lanai. Folks from work tell me that it will be something like 7-10 years before it fruits, but heck, I can start it now and see what happens. I always plan to live on the coast with plenty of warm sunshine so I'll take it with me wherever I end up next. My next plans are to start another herb garden which didn't go so well last time- who knew that herbs don't like 90-degree direct sunlight? Every time I went to pick some basil to cook with, it was already brown and dried up. Once I come up with a solution, I'll be sure to post my creation, not to worry!

Good Times in GA

What a weekend! Visiting Ben was full of adventures! Joe's new hobby is kite boarding, and his enthusiasm is contageous- take a look at Ben taking a ride on the mountain board (skateboard with big wheels for the beach)! I even got a little crazy and tried flying the kite for like 2 seconds until I realized that it was way more powerful than my little muscles and crashed it into the ground, haha. I look way more badass in this picture than I actually was, I promise, haha, but a good time was had by all. Then we rode bikes at what felt like 100 mph to get back before the storm hit (the beach is 2 miles from Ben's house) but we made it just in the nick of time. I wanted to stop and snap a picture of the sky but I was afraid I'd be struck by lightning!

Ben took us out ocean kayaking and we got to paddle right next to a bunch of dolphins, which was really cool. Joe got hurt with the big kite (its 9 meters wide!) and we had to nurse him back to health (notice the bag of frozen peas tied to his leg with a shower curtain), musician style. Those two were rockstars let me tell ya- always playing something that stuck in my head all weekend long. It was such a fun weekend to see Ben and have a little vacation. Back to the grind today... but guess who visits tomorrow! Can't wait :)

The Bubble House

Yesterday I was snorkeling at work out in the Ten Thousand Islands! I was right by the Bubble House on Cape Romano- check out the picture, you have to see it to believe it. This house was built back in the 80's and is made from something that looks like styrofoam. It looks like some sort of alien cult-compound! Its weathered quite well over the years, considering that Hurricane Wilma made direct landfall right on top of it. It sort of looks like its falling in the water, but the water is actually creeping up onto the beach at a rapid pace- which might be way the house is for sale. It was abandoned years ago and now boaters stop by and party it up (since its about an hour from the mainland). Very cool place, though!

I've been creative in spending my free time after work since I've been internet-less, cable-less, and roommate-less for over a week: lots of love to Peyton, trying out new recipes, netflix, and hitting up the library (for books and free wi-fi!) Can't wait to finally see Ben this weekend!!!