Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain Hikes

After Thanksgiving, we were looking for a good way to burn off all those wonderful calories we had consumed.  The Sunday forecast called for clear skies and no rain, so we decided to take advantage of some local hiking trails.  Driving east for an hour, we ventured into the Columbia River Gorge, home of the two elements needed to create great waterfalls:  rapid elevation change and lots of freshwater streams/rivers.  The Ice Age did us a nice favor by creating sheer rock faces, while the pioneers did us another favor by carving some of the best hiking trails in the country.  We crossed the Columbia River using the $1 toll bridge, a method much more convenient than Lewis and Clark's, to land ourselves in the neighboring state of Washington. 

We did a quick morning hike up to the top of Beacon Rock.  It was worth leaving the house before the sun had risen to be the first and only people on the trail.  As we finished the hike, the parking lot was beginning to fill.  Yes, the early bird got his worm today.

Emily at the base of Beacon Rock

early morning foggy view of the Columbia River from atop Beacon Rock

After our morning hike, we decided to treat ourselves to a Sunday Brunch....uh, OK, I guess we aren't gonna work off those holiday meals afterall  :)  An item on Emily's "30 things to do while 30" list was to have brunch at the Skamania Lodge.  I gotta say, with a spread including crab, clams, shrimp, salmon, herring, glazed ham, carved prime rib, and all the usual brunch items (omlets made to order, waffles, etc), this place should be on everyone's bucket list.  Yum!  In keeping the Thanskgiving feasting alive a little longer, we got our money's worth at the brunch.  In addition to a great meal, the lodge has spectacular views; we were especially lucky to see the sun burning off the morning fog right before our eyes.

the sun cleared up the view of the Gorge during our brunch at Skamania Lodge

After lunch, we decided to make another attempt at working off the food.  We hiked 8 miles RT and 2400 ft elevation gain to the top of Hamilton Mountain.  The first few miles of the hike rewarded us with many waterfalls, for which this region is popular, while the latter portion of the hike provided stellar views of the Gorge from up high.

The rainy week prior resulted in waterfalls which were flowing with their full might with an almost deafening roar as the water surged down the rocky cliffs.  After leaving the waterfall area, one notices how quiet the forest can truly be, and the respite it provides from the hustle of daily life.  Places like this become my sanctuary after working in a 24 X 7 job with my Blackberry ringing at all hours of the night.

It's very valuable to be able to find something as pristine and natural as this, yet only 1 hour drive from home.

view of Bonneville Dam (major source of green electricity for the Portland Area) from atop Hamilton Mountain

at the summit of Hamilton Mountain with Mt Hood peaking over the horizon (left side by clouds)

We finished the hike just before dark.  Looking back, it was an ideal day: spending a lot of time with my wife (which can sometimes be rare due to my demanding work and her hectic work/school), enjoying the outdoors, getting 5+ hours of exercise, and eating great food.  Despite only being one day and only driving one hour from home, I felt as if I had just taken a full vacation!

Thanksgiving in Portland

We had our annual Thanksgiving feast at our house, hosting some of our friends who were not traveling to visit family.  This year, we welcomed a few new people, however, we truly missed spending Thanksgiving with the Kerns (who moved to New York) for the first time in many years.  We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!! 

Glassblowing Class

In an effort to explore our artistic side, Emily and I took a glassblowing class.  We really enjoyed it, and it really made us appreciate how hard it is to make good looking glass pieces.  I was surprised at how easily the molten glass flows while you are working it.  When I had observed other professionals doing it, they always made it look easy with their smooth spinning motions and gentle finesse.  The true art meets science in determining the correct balance between keeping the molten glass fluid enough to be workable while maintaining enough viscosity to keep its shape.  The ideal viscosity is somewhere between that of honey and warm taffy.  Keeping a constant, smooth rotation is vital to ensure the glass does not sag.  We also learned that it is important to work quickly, as the glass cools rapidly after being pulled from the oven.  Our teacher started the class by chugging a liter of water, and we soon found out why:  standing in front of a scorching oven for an hour can leave you very dehydrated!

Heating/Shaping:

Rolling in colored glass frit:

Melting the colored frit and blending color:

Adding more color:

Melting in color (again):

Stretching/rolling on table to create a swirl pattern of color:

Shaping:

Blowing:

 

Heating only the end of the sphere in preparation for final shaping:

 Final shaping is afforded by sucking in to implode the sphere, thus forming a double walled bowl:

 

 Adding a glob of clear glass to become the base of the bowl

After annealing for two days in the oven, we have our finished bowls:

One of the most impressive parts of this craft is how it stays true to its artisan heritage.  Aside from electric ovens, all of the tools remain the same as have been used for hundreds of years.  Wooden blocks and wet newspaper are key tools of the trade.  I am amazed that, with all the technology that surrounds us on a daily basis, these primitive materials and tools continue to dominate and prove to be the best at producing beautiful works of art that are truly timeless.

I only wish I had more time and artistic talent to pursue this as a hobby.  Perhaps after Emily is finished with her MBA, we will sign up for more classes?

LA Half Marathon

We flew down to L.A. during the last weekend in October to visit Emily's cousin, Greg, and for Em to run her 7th half marathon of the year.  We got to spend a lot of time with Greg, Belinda, and their daughter Dillon....this is the view from their house in Redondo Beach:

 out for a walk with Greg, Belinda, and Dillon

 Greg helps Dillon make a beeswax candle

On Sunday morning, Emily and Belinda ran the LA Half Marathon, while Greg and I got to sleep in a little.  After a bike ride to Hermosa Beach for breakfast, Greg and I took Dillon to the arcade and amusement park, where a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl proved that Greg and I aren't as young as we think.  Dillon had a great time, while the adults felt a little woozy afterwards; it was probably not the best idea directly after breakfast!

On Sunday, my cousin Lisa and her son Cory met up with us for lunch at Greg's house.  My Aunt Rochelle was also in town, so it was nice to see her again.  After lunch, we walked down to the beach, then enjoyed some gelato before catching our flight back to Portland.

 Dillon, Greg, Cory, and Emily at the beach

Dillon, Emily, and I at the beach

We want to thank Greg and Belinda for being such generous hosts for the weekend (especially for accommodating extra guests for lunch on Sunday).  We had a great weekend, and the weather was spectacular.  It's never hard to convince us to visit So Cal to escape the winter rain in Portland.  ;)

St Louis Half Marathon

In Emily's quest to conquer half marathons in major cities nationwide (as part of her "30 things to do while 30 years old" list), we traveled to St. Louis in October for her 6th half marathon of 2012.  Of course, a major reason for choosing a race in St Louis, is to visit her parents and brother.  When we arrived on Friday night, her Mom had made our favorite meal: marinated deep fried pork chops with pork bone soup and fresh salad rolls with fish sauce:

We got to spend a lot of time with family during the weekend.  On Sunday, we got up early for the race and had time to stop by the location of our marriage, St. Louis Union Station, before the race started.

 The morning sun, rising from underneath The Arch, provided perfect natural light for exercising my lens while waiting on Emily to finish her race.

 Em charging through the streets of St Louis in her 6th half marathon of 2012

 St Louis Union Station, the site of our wedding 5 years ago :)

 Em shows off her medals after finishing 13.1 miles

 

 We enjoyed dim sum with Emily's parents after the race at the same location where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner.  

We were sad to have to fly back so soon on Sunday evening, but had a great time while we were there.

Chicago Visit

 On behalf of the Northwestern University Alumni Club of Portland, we had the opportunity to attend the Annual Leadership Symposium in Chicago back in September.  It's a great venue to meet Alumni Club leaders from all over the country and share ideas of how to make our clubs better.  It's also a great excuse for us to visit family and friends in Chicago as well as sample our old favorite restaurants.

I had a few hours to kill before my morning meeting, so I visited my old laboratory.  They have since moved into a new building with a state-of-the-art molecular imaging facility.  Yes, I am a little jealous of the high tech toys the grad students have now, including a 25 panel 3D wall for viewing drug molecules and how they interact with proteins:

 A lot of this new technology is made possible by the generous donations from Professor Rick Silverman, who made a few hundred million dollars when he invented the blockbuster drug, Lyrica, in the labs of Northwestern University Chemistry Department.  Thanks Rick!

The two day Leadership Symposium also included an awards ceremony where the Portland Club won the nationwide award for Excellence in Membership....thanks in part to yours truly, the Portland Club Membership Chair!  :)

 Emily and I accepting the Portland Club Award for Excellence in Membership

Overall, though, I gotta give Emily the credit she deserves as a strong leader for the Alumni Association.  She is the Regional Director for the NW Region 8, encompassing Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.  Out of all the cities/clubs nationwide, the Seattle Club and the SF Club won the two coveted "Club of the Year" awards.  So, along with the Portland Club award, her clubs represented with a 'clean sweep' at the awards banquet. 

 Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco Club Leaders showing off our trophies!

Of course, we cannot visit Chicago without visiting our friends Pauline, John, Amanda, and Mike.  On Friday night, we all went out to our favorite Korean BBQ for a small feast:

As with most of our trips, we tried to cram as much visiting as possible in our short amount of time.  On Sunday, we were running short on time before our flight, so we really appreciated when my sister Kristy was able to slip down to meet us for lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Chi Cafe.  

We want to give a special thanks to Mike and Amanda for sharing their condo with us for the weekend and for shuttling us around in Mike's new Mercedes.  :)

Colorado Adventure Weekend

 We spent a three day weekend in Colorado back in September.  We stayed with my friend from high school, Chad Staker, and his wife Brie.  On Friday, Chad and I went on a high altitude hike, starting at the Berthoud Pass and climbing to over 13,000 ft. 
 

Chad and his golden retriever, Riley, taking a lunch break on our hike

 Riley and I at the top of our climb

 the trail connected to the Continental Divide Trail, which seemed to go off to infinity

 the aspen trees were nice bright yellow accents in a sea of evergreens

On Saturday, Emily and Brie ran the Denver half marathon, while Chad and I did some intense local mountain biking.  Later, we met up with my cousins Dave and Heidi White (and their kids Taylor and Jackson) as well as my Aunt Rochelle and Uncle Lee for dinner at Dave's place.  Our trip just happened to coincide with the rescheduled Denver fireworks display (postponed from 4th of July due to wild fire hazards), so we got to watch the show from the comfort of Dave's deck.  Dave was also gracious enough to buy us all dinner (thanks!). 
On Sunday, we went for a hike around the nearby Red Rocks park (even after running 13.1 miles, Emily and Brie had enough energy left to hike up lots of stairs):

 athletes using the Red Rocks amphitheater benches as a rigorous training grounds

On Sunday afternoon, I had the chance of a lifetime.  For my birthday this year, Emily got me a 1 hour rental in a Lamborghini.  Like many, I have always dreamed of driving one of these exotic vehicles.  They are actually much smaller in person than you would expect (very short/low and compact inside).  I got to drive it on some curvy mountain roads, and the owner (riding shotgun) was not shy about letting me exercise its horsepower.  I was quickly up to triple digit speeds.  It was a great experience that I will never forget, but I was somewhat relieved to return it unharmed and without any interactions with the local law enforcement (whew). 

 best rental car ever!!

It was definitely a fast paced trip, but very awesome that we could squeeze so much into just one weekend!