In October of 2023 I took a drive and went to the town of Fort Langley, British Columbia. The main purpose was to do a half marathon at Brae Island Regional Park, but while I was there I did some other things as well.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo was on the agenda, and the visit was interesting. The zoo is much larger, in terms of acres, than most zoos and the enclosures were generally large pastures/grasslands/savannah. They had a fairly extensive railroad setup, and the day I went there were almost no people visiting.
On the other hand, my visit to the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park had large crowds. It was clearly a favorite of local families, and was a completely different experience than the zoo. But it is a pretty nice aquarium!
In September of 2023 I took a quick day trip to Lake Tapps, up near Tacoma, a couple hours from my house. I took the new kayak, this was the first time I used it for a long trip. The paddle from one end of the lake to the other and back was about eight miles. The weather was very nice, the water was clean and clear. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Lake Tapps is interesting from a use and historical perspective. Everything you could want to know is at the website of the water supply agency that now owns the lake: https://cascadewater.org/lake-tapps/lake-levels/
I went a long way out of my way in August of 2023 to do a half marathon that had a lot of elevation gain! 1,600 feet of elevation gain over the 13 miles, most of which was in going up and down one major hill in the middle of the run. It was great. Where else can you get all worn out and have this much fun!
A trip to the Southern Oregon coast is special, not something I do often. So I also stopped to see the boardwalks of Coos Bay and North Bend, I camped at the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, stopped into the Botanical Garden at Shore Acres State Park.
The Pacific Crest Trail is a big deal in the trail world, and I like to hit it whenever I get the chance. In late summer of 2023 I took the opportunity to run the PCT, visit the fish ladder at Bonneville Dam, and go to the Skamania County Fair. This was an enjoyable trip for me. I appreciate the opportunity to share it with you!
In March of 2023 I visited White Sands National Park. I thought it was really cool, I am so glad I visited. I spent just a day, it is not a huge park. While there I toured the places you can visit by car, but the main event was a hike of the Alkali Flat Trail. While I had hoped to do the trail as a run, it was such loose sand that it wasn’t runnable. That didn’t diminish the quality of the experience however, the park was still extraordinary!
Wow! The 100th episode.
As you may realize, I really like traveling up the Columbia River Gorge. It is a scenic delight and there are lots of things to do.
So, in late July 2023 I went to see the Goldendale Observatory, the Maryhill Museum of Art, and the Stonehenge replica. The trip was quite nice. I camped at Maryhill State Park, although I didn’t video any of the park. I did see a few other things that made the video, please take a look!
A rich guy named Sam Hill built the art museum, the Stonehenge replica, and quite a bit else in this area. But he built his place originally as a home and expected his wife to move out here to the boondocks to live. She refused! What in the Sam Hill was he thinking!?! I love this phrase, but while there are numerous thoughts about where it came from, it originated long before our Sam Hill. Too bad, it fits the situation well! One article I read noted that the idea of this museum “Like many of Hill’s dreams…was fuzzy, zealous, and smelled lightly of mania..” (Interesting read: https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2020/08/the-bizarre-history-of-the-maryhill-museum-of-art)
I spent a day in March of 2023 touring the Petrified Forest National Park. Wow, there was a lot of petrified wood! I saw much of it!
The scenery was pretty nice in places too, and I saw the Billings Gap from an overlook on a short run.
This episode is another one based on the work of Australian Beau Miles who did 12 Days of Newness at Christmastime in 2022. Here is his playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXoBa_nJj5lXiTC_BswxAQqMz3G4tjoWG&si=x-_lXM1io7YdYWhY
My attempt at activities new to me is a little more modest, and was done based on whatever we could find for the two weeks I spent in Maine this past summer (2023). But this was one of the best trips ever. It combined things I love doing. You know I like exercise and travel, there was quite a bit of both. It is also one of my great joys to visit with my kids and their families. And I love doing new things!
And we did do some fun new things! I did an adventure race with my daughter from Delaware who came up for the event. While it was my second adventure race, this was the first time I had done this one. I did a run for the first time in the Alewive Preserve. I went to batting cages for the first time which was fun, primarily because my granddaughter was working there in her first job. We went to a first run movie. We went indoor skydiving for the first time. We did a hike in the Boston Preserve, the first time I had been there. And we did an indoor zipline, which was my first time on a zipline.
Overall it was a fun couple of weeks, and while we didn’t get to try a dozen new things, we did have some new experiences, which is always one of my favorite things. Sounds like a Disney song!
In early March of 2023 I visited the Mojave Desert. The visit was characterized by more Joshua trees than I had seen in Joshua Tree national Park, and a great bike ride through the desert. The bike ride was a long climb up the Old Zinc Road.
In June of 2023 I visited the Oregon Garden again, as I do every year, for the Petal Pedal. I thought it would be interesting to compare my 70 mile row of the prior week to the 70 mile bike ride on the Petal Pedal. Unfortunately, the only way they were the same was that I didn’t make my goal… Isn’t that disappointing!
But as events go, the Petal Pedal is still one of my favorites. And you probably already realize that I love gardens, and the Oregon Garden is a good one, I always enjoy walking around and taking it in.
Early on in my swing through the American Southwest, I spend a few days near Durango, CO. Due to the really cold weather I stayed in a hostel for a few days. Despite the unplanned nature of the stop, I managed to find some things to do. This video covers a day I spent riding the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway up along the Animas River, and a swim in the Durango Community Center swimming pool.
In the summer of 2023 I went up to the town of Chehalis Washington, not too far from home. There was an organized bike ride and a community craft fair, and the military museum was open for the event. So, I did the bike ride. As long as I was out on the Willapa Hills Trail I did a run. And then I went back into town to do a quick view of the town, visit the museum, walk through the fair, and eat wood fired pizza!
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