The Weatherman

Summer is slowly winding down up here in Seattle.  No more 80 or 90 degree weather but plenty of 70 degree weather.  Basically, beautiful days and evenings that are not too warm with pleasant nights.  I haven’t done many updates lately - mostly had other things on my mind (ie, work) and been busy chasing our boys.

Steph’s mom came up the weekend of 15.Aug, Brian was up the night of 23.Aug, and Jan and Mike were here for Labor Day weekend.  Lin was excited to spend some time with her boys and watch live Olympics (we got them live on the Canadian Broadcast Company channel).  Brian was here for a night - we walked down to the local beer pub where we put down a few (ok, more than a few) pints.

Over Labor Day weekend, Jan and Mike came up.  They drove up Friday evening so Steph and I took advantage of having a babysitter and went out to Jak’s Grill for dinner (no, we didn’t have to take a cab this time).  On Saturday, Steph and Jan took Nate and Zach to get their haircut while I took Mike to the REI flagship store in Seattle…and yes, we had to document it.

Mike was in awe of the size of the store.  Once we got home, we had huge sandwiches (Mike likes sandwiches) and Jan and Steph went out for a nail appointment.  All of the boys napped!  In fact, the younger boys didn’t wake up until Jan and Steph returned.  We stayed in the house that night and had a yummy dinner - don’t remember what it was though.

On Sunday we went to Schmitz Preserve Park in West Seattle and cruised around for about an hour.  We just about killed auntie Jan who thinks that thongs are hiking shoes.  For the rest of the day we hung out at home in the yard with the boys.

Nate swinging.

Work has been busy.  I’m trying to get some things completed while planning a trip to Baltimore for a few days in less than 2 weeks and then a week-long trip to Dublin after that.  This weekend we went out to the Cedar River Trail by Landsberg with the boys where we did a 2.5 mile hike.  Yep, Zach walked about 90% of the trail on his own.

Zach wondering if he should pet the horses.

The start of the trail.  It was flat the whole way.

Very quiet and beautiful.

Looking out over the Cedar River from an older railroad bridge.

Nate signalling.

I can fit in here…really!

Today, Zach, Lou, and I went for a walk along the Puget Sound in Lincoln Park…a bit breezy but otherwise very nice out.  I also uploaded a movie from last week - check it out.

I tried this out - pretty cool site. Here is the run I do from the highest point in Seattle to Lincoln Park (Coleman Pool) and back.

Not bad for a middle aged guy. Actually, I’ve felt good after this run and I’m definitely getting better at it. I noticed an improvement in my strength on my hike the other day.

I took off a bit of time away from the home yesterday to go on a hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge above Rattlesnake Lake in the Cascades. Not a particularly long or difficult hike, but it is very convenient. You start at Rattlesnake Lake which is a popular summer destination for swimmers, paddlers and fisherman. The trails is a moderate climb winding up the mountain to the ledge where you have view of Snoqualmie, Mount Si, and the Seattle watershed.

Here are some pictures…the last one is your daily dose of Nate.

View from ledge to Mount Si and Snoqualmie Valley.

Garter(?) snake on the ledge.  I also saw a little brown frog 2/3s of the way up the trail.  I thought this was strange since I didn’t see any water around and we were on a steep slope which isn’t known for having ponds.

Flower on the ledge.

Nate sleeping in mom’s arms on the bed…what a handsome lil guy.

During the last week we have had very nice weather…temps in the 60s, 70s, and yes, even in the 80s. Thursday I went hiking at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where it was 81 in Felton.

A spider web in the trees.

A big tree.
Zach spent some outdoor time this weekend in the nice weather. He’s wearing a Patagonia hat given to him by the Marbles (friends in Ventura).

On Saturday we fly to Michigan so Steph’s grandparents can meet Zach.

Prior to our trip to Carmel, I spent Friday on the slopes at Alpine Meadows. I shot this photo on the way up.

On Saturday we drove down to Monterey and visited the Aquarium. Check out this shot of a Jelly Fish.

Saw some good surf on Saturday after we left the aquarium.

We stayed with some friends on Saturday night and then drove down the coast to Big Sur on Saturday. We saw the waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer State Park, had a bite to eat at Nepenthe, and caught the sunset at Pfeiffer Beach.

We stayed at the Big Sur Lodge. On Monday morning, I hiked up to Pfeiffer Falls and snapped this photo.

We ended our trip at Point Lobos State Preserve where we saw Orcas and Gray Whales. Plus there are tons of sea lions out there.
Check out all of the pictures at paulandsteph.com

Today we visited Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (wikipedia) with Zachary. What a beautiful park. We started from the visitor center and strolled through the old growth redwood grove. They have a beautiful stand of old growth redwoods and the trail through the grove is very well maintained. We then followed Overlook Road up to the observation bench which provides a sweeping view of a canyon that leads to the sea. I was carrying Zach in the child carrier - he fell asleep about halfway to the bench. Nothing like your baby snoring in the redwoods.

And of course I took some pictures…here are a few.

Some redwoods in the old growth grove.

Wow, they sure are tall.

There’s more than just redwoods - you also have pine, bay, and madrone.

ZZZzzzzZZZZ!

Yesterday, I took my third trip to Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space in Half Moon Bay. For this trip I did the out-and-back on Purisima Creek Trail to the Redwood parking lot on Skyline Blvd. It was 4.1 miles one way through a cool, lush Redwood forest. The area had picked up some decent rain the day before so the area was very fresh and clean. The ferns were sparkling from the recent rains and Purisima Creek was flowing well.

During the full 8.2 miles I saw one person on a bike, otherwise the trail was all my own. While you climb 1400 feet in the 4.1 miles, it isn’t very strenuous - in fact it’s probably one of the easiest 1400′ climbs around. Most of the trail is covered by trees (redwoods, firs, bay, and others) so there isn’t much sun. This is of particular intersest on cool mornings so dress appropriately. Following are some photos I took.

Be sure to check out Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for more information on local preserves.

I really like the 12.6 mile RT hike from Waddell Beach to Berry Creek Falls. It has to be one of the most scenic hikes in the Bay Area. Saturday was a perfect day on the trail. It had rained that morning so everything had a very fresh, wet, green appearance. The banana slugs were in abundance and I saw some newts and 1 foot worm.

The water coming over the falls was low but it was still a beautiful scene…except for all of the other hikers congregating at the waterfall. The hike went smooth…just the normal aches from walking 12 miles. Nothing a large beer and soak in the neighbor’s hot tub couldn’t cure. The drive back was amazing…it was crystal clear and the ocean had big surf. I stopped at Pescadero to take some photos…speaking of photos, here are some.

Walking in on the trail

Berry Creek Falls

A fern

The ocean

Some fisherman

2 weekends back, Brian and I did a day hike at Big Basin. In the past I have hiked from the park headquarters to Berry Creek Falls and back. It’s roughly 12 miles with a fair amount of elevation change on the way back.

This time around we hiked from the ocean to Berry Creek Falls. You can get details on this hike from bahiker.com.

The day we went it was overcast which is good when you are hiking 13 miles. We stuck to the hiker only trail…big mistake. As it turns out it merges with the all use (horse, bike, and hike) trail about a mile later. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the creek. There was not bridge…no, wait…there was a seasonal footbridge. Unfortunately it wasn’t in season. So off came the shoes and socks as we waded on sharp rocks in 45 degree water. Not much fun.

We were able to stay out of the water for the rest of the hike.

The waterfalls were amazing. Berry Creek Falls is an incredibly beautiful waterfull and the 3 falls above it aren’t too shabby either. Everything was green and damp with lots of newts and banana slugs.

Be sure to check out the photos at paulandsteph.com