Nov 3, Bike Antigua, Guatemala

The Volcano tour by Oldtown Oufitters. We had a full crew for this Mountain bike ride. The van drove us up into the hills, where we then proceeded to ride through the rich farm land. It was amazing to see how well tended the fields are, on the steep hill sides. Corn was in abundance, with some sporting green beans as the secondary crop, after the corn was harvested. The locals all had large machetes, and often a horse carrying supplies. They didn't seem to mind sharing their footpaths with a bunch of crazy gringos on bikes. Unfortunately it was on this ride that Corrinne went over her bike handlebars and broke her radius/ulna mid shaft. We improvised a shoddy splint using an extra bike seat and some corn stalks. Corrinne managed to hike down to the van far below and started her journey back to Seattle for surgery to put her back together. The rest of the group continued back to town, riding all the way back to the Oldtown Outfitters shop, near the town square.

Nov 2, Antigua, Guatemala

Our hotel room was quite charming, loaded with antiques, with views into the central courtyard. From the roof of the hotel we could look out across the city. We tried the Hookah bar out one evening. In the shot are Tonya and Andy smoking the Hookah hard. Other nightlife included O'Reilly's bar, where the bride's father broke out his bag pipes and played some traditional Irish songs. I think the patrons were pretty stunned to hear bag pipes in Guatemala!

Nov. 1, Antigua, Guatemala

Our first day in Antigua. A small city nestled in the hills. Antigua is about one hour from the airport in Guatemala City and a tourist destination for people from Guatemala City and around the world. Most of the city has walled streets surrounding the town square. Here and there are the remains of old cathedrals. During the day the wood gates, like in the picture above, open up and lead to courtyards, espresso shops, restaurants and several night spots. The police presence was extremely high and we felt very safe. Unlike Guatemala City, reports of crime are very low. Prime focus of Antigua seems to be shopping for native crafts, restaurants and night life.

Oct. 26, Day 1 of Ski season. Muir, Mt. Rainier

Time to get the dust off the skis. Headed to Paradise, at Mt. Rainier, for the annual fall rite of getting in the first turns of the season on the Paradise snowfield. Hooked up with Greg Louie, who was working on month number 50, for his streak of skiing every month. Also, had Michael T. who flew in from Switzerland to get in some good ski turns. We checked out the new visitor center, then started the hike to Pebble Creek. From Pebble Creek we strapped on the skis and worked our way up to Camp Muir. The sun came out in full force, and the weather was perfect. Enjoyed creamy turns on the way down, then made quick work of the hike back down, dodging the groups of tourists that the good weather brought out.

Oct. 24, 2008. Final Insp. on new Garage!

My two year summer project finally comes to a close. With great trepidation, I scheduled my final inspection from Kittitas Co.. It Passed! This year our cars will be living in comfort, and next year we will have a great deck to hang out on. Hopefully, this is the last of my large home projects.

Oct.8, Moto - Easton to Naches

Started in Easton, then rode a mix of roads and trails over to Whistlin Jacks in Cliffdell on highway 410. Total of 90 miles for the day. We saved the most technical trail for the end of the day, and I think we were all pretty bushed by the time we made it back to Easton.

Oct 7, Rat Pack, Roslynn Wa.

Francine was ready to ride, and I needed a break from getting the garage finished. So, we headed East to Roslynn and enjoyed the great fall weather. Trails were sweet.

Sept. 15, Chair Peak

The NE buttress of Chair peak. Frank had done this route with Martin and was ready for a repeat. The route was fairly straight forward with a couple of sections that had enough pucker factor to keep things interesting for the lead climber. The views were outstanding. For the descent we rappelled down one of the chimmneys on the SW side. Great climb, although Frank declared he had climbed the Matterhorn in less time. Car to car time was 10 hours.

August 27-30, Hood River

Decided to post another trip before summer was over. Headed to Hood River for Mt. Biking and Windsurfing. Weather was perfect! Had two great bike rides at Post Canyon and a good workout on Gunsight Ridge. Sorry, no photos. Then hit the water to re-affirm that I really do suck at windsurfing.

The Tooth, July 8, 2008

I had set out to do the Tooth, a classic rock climb in the Alpental valley, last year. Unfortunately, we forgot our rack of cams and nuts. This year, things went a little more smoothly. Hooked up with Frank at 7:15 AM and headed up to Pineapple pass. With snow covering much of the ascent, it took 3 hours to reach the foot of the tooth. From there, it took us another 2 hours to climb the 4 pitches to the top of the Tooth. Headed back down, and was at the car at 4:00. A full day of sunshine.

Frank leads the way.

Which nut do I need?
Summit
Rappelling down
The Tooth as seen from Alpental valley

June 11, Monkey Face - Smith Rock

Our last day of climbing at Smith Rock was capped off, with a climb of Monkey Face. The first pitch was 5.9 then it was mainly a 5.8 climb with one section of aid climbing.

June 2, Mt. Stuart - Recon. Trip

The title for this post was suppose to read "Mt. Stuart via the Cascadian Couloir." Unfortunately, after a beautiful bluebird day on our approach, the rain began. Actually it was more of a drizzle. It started shortly after the mouse went running over my head. It was about 1:00 AM, that a light drizzle woke us all up, with a light tapping on our nylon bivy bags. The plan was to wake up at first light and start the trudge up the Cascadian Couloir. James had his stove next to his bed, and had promised to fire it up, at dawn, and get ready the hot water for oatmeal and coffee. Alas no one started the stove at dawn. I think we had all realized that day 2 was cancelled.

Day 1 had started so much better. Partners were Don and James, both fellow firefighters. We were happy to be able to drive all the way to the Esmerelda trailhead. We geared up and started for Longs Pass - approx 6,100 ft., 1900' above the parking lot. The sun had melted out the South slopes and we had to hike straight up hill for about the first 900 feet before we were able to put on our skis and begin skinning. We reached Longs Pass fairly quickly and were a little shocked to see how much Mt. Stuart had melted out. After peering across the valley, at our intended route, we decided that the ribbon of snow, Cascadian Couloir, would actually go. We had an enjoyable ski down to Ingalls Creek 4,600 ft., linking patches of snow on the lower slopes, as we neared the creek. Found a good snow free campsite and settled in for the evening. Then the mouse ran over my ear and....

Pictures: 1- James skinning up w/ Esmerelda peaks in background, 2 -Mt. Stuart from Longs Pass w/ our intended route, 3 -James carving turns, 4- Don, 5- our campsite at ingalls creek.

June 3, Retreat

Heading home: Photo 1 - crossing Ingalls creek, Photo 2 - climbing up to Longs Pass, Photo 3 - Don helps James regroup after a digger on the way back down to the car.

May 24/25 Spokane 24 hour Mt. Bike Race

The trails in Spokane were in perfect condition for the Round and Round 24 hour mountain bike race. The course was a 14 mile mix of dirt roads and single track, with the big chainring, the gear of choice. Dirt was smooth and fast from all the wet weather, with a dose of twisty rocky trail thrown in. We were entered in the military/police/fire category and once again had little competition. Our only competitors were Olympia Fire. Unfortunately Seattle Police did not take us on this year. We were ready for the rain this year with lots of tarps and raingear. Luckily it only sprinkled briefly and stayed fairly warm throughout. We managed 23 laps, with Don coming in just before the noon bell, to force Josh out for a last victory lap. Pictures above are: the start, Steve W swiping his timing chip at the transition tent, hanging out at camp, and Don after his fourth lap - notice he managed to sleep through the whole lap!