October 2014

Terry, Jeff, Susan, and Frank in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2011

2009 had been quite a year or so we thought then. I sprained my ankle; Anthony got the flu and could not come; Frank added 3 hours to his 10-hour journey by driving to the other Davis, WV; Todd had an inner ear affliction; and my grandfather died. 5 years later, we headed back to West Virginia for peak leaf weekend.

The leaves were in fine form. In the mist, rain, and fog, the color popped. Up on the ridge, we couldn’t see very far and experienced the wettest trails ever. It was like hiking in a river!

West Virginia color

On Sunday morning, we got messages that Frank’s mom had been rushed to the hospital. We learned later that she’d had an aneurysm in the night and died before reaching the hospital. An incredibly disciplined woman who crafted a highly satisfying life and home, she had seriously and conscientiously invested in her health. She should not have left us at 70.

That Sunday started the grieving process as a family with absolutely no warning. We were heartened by her ability to be an organ donor, giving her lung, kidney, and liver. Her 13+ years of volunteer service at the U.S. National Arboretum and U.S. Botanic Gardens were honored and a flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol. We took walks and reminisced over family photos. We continue to live with our new reality. (Read more about Terry.)

Now two weeks later, I’ve just returned from a work trip in Phoenix & Tempe, AZ. A worthwhile professional trip and a restorative desert experience for the incognito explorer.

Skyrocketing into the Top 10

Wow! Visiting Grand Teton in September made for fantastic hiking weather! Our host, Hugh, said we enjoyed the best weather of the summer.

Our second two hikes on the trip have made it onto our Top Ten list! They are: 

• Table Mountain in the Targhee National Forest just west of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) 
• The 19.6 mile loop up Cascade Canyon across Paintbrush Divide and down Paintbrush Canyon in GTNP.  

Wildlife Sightings: a bear and a moose on the trail.

Table Mountain, Targhee National Forest, WY

Cascade Canyon Views, GTNP

Susan & Frank, nearing Paintbrush Divide, GTNP

Paintbrush Canyon, GTNP

Other trip highlights included sitting out on the deck during Snake River Brewing's happy hour (multiple times), pizza and red and black ales at Wildlife Brewing Company in Victor, ID (after the Table Mtn hike), and roller blading on GTNP's awesome trail. 

Frank enjoying happy hour

Susan & Frank roller blading, GTNP

  Check out all the photos here. 

Back in the Mountains

When we visited Grand Teton in 2009, we barely saw the Tetons. In early June, it was cloudy and rainy for much of our visit. Many of the classic hikes were not possible because of ice and snow, so we planned this trip in the hopes of great late season hiking weather. So far so good.

To get to Grand Teton, we took the scenic route from Salt Lake City through the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Caribou National Forests, which took us by Bear Lake and through the Star Valley and Snake River Canyon. 

Views from Mt. Glory

Upon arrival, we took our host's advice and drove up to Teton Pass to hike up Mt. Glory. Pretty much straight up, we got nice late afternoon light and views of the valley and mountains in all directions.

After our hike, we stopped at Q Roadhouse and Brewing Co -- great outdoor seating with heat lamps. We enjoyed the rhombus IPA for Frank and farmhouse ale for me, quinoa hush puppies (hipster or what?), and a burger with pretty amazing house-made bacon. 

View from Amphitheater Lake Trail, GTNP

On Tuesday, we roller bladed on the valley floor from Gros Ventre Junction toward Jenny Lake. We got in about 6 miles one way, and battled a fierce head wind on our way back. We arrived at Snake River Brewing Co. in time for happy hour and recovered from our blading in the beautiful late afternoon sun with their Stout, Sahti, and the artichoke dip - amazingly delicious! We attempted a lecture on the Gros Ventre Wilderness at the library, but found it to be standing room only, so we perused a Yellowstone exhibit comparing historic post card and photographs.

Cheeky Marmot, Garnet Canyon, GTNP

Wednesday brought us our first big hike (~12 miles). We joined quite a crowd of hikers, picas, marmots, and at least one bear on the trail to Amphitheater Lake and Garnet Canyon. Hiking bonus: we found a pristine Snickers bar on the trail, and after asking 5 hikers if they'd lost it, we claimed it for our own!

Northern Michigan Fun

The dock on Lake Charlevoix. 
Inspired by Nancy.

Susan & Frank at the Venetian 5K

Another fantastic Northern Michigan vacation with visits to the Leelanau Peninsula, Charlevoix, and Petoskey. Good family time, great rollerblading, fun on the Jordan River, lunch at Shorts, and a visit to Tip of the Mitt SCORE, not to mention lots of Venetian Festival experiences: 5K, races, parades, boat parades, carnival, and fireworks!

Summer is Here! Lewes Beach Weekend

Summer is here, and the uberbuddies enjoyed the annual Lewes beach weekend. Frank and I started with happy hour at Mispillion River Brewey in Milford, DE, on Friday. Everyone converged at the house in Lewes on Friday night for a weekend filled with wonderful company as well as good food, a farmer's market visit, running, biking, walking, roller blading, beach time on the bay and at the ocean, and a bonfire!

Happy Hour at Mispillion River Brewing, Milford, DE

Frank, Kathleen, and Todd at Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE

Lewes beach view

Shenandoah Spring

Before the start of Frank's new job, we headed out to the Northern and Shenandoah regions of Virginia's wine country. We enjoyed two days of picnic lunches with a glass of wine in the beautiful countryside and stayed at a lovely cabin with mountain vistas and rushing-river sounds. We are also fans of Shenandoah River State Park!

A beautiful and relaxing afternoon at
Glen Manor Vineyard, Warren County, Virginia
(We're looking up at Skyline Drive.)

The Shenandoah River from Culler's Overlook,
Shenandoah River State Park, Bentonville, VA

Day 3: Gatineau Park

With the assistance of an uber-helpful French Canadian, who allowed us to park in his driveway, we enjoyed a glorious and sunny 2+ hours of skiing on trails 5, 15, 27, 29, 35 & an unmarked connector. Whew! We were tired!

Lac Pink View from Trail 35

Gatineau Park, Views from Trails 36 & 50

Lac Meech, Trail 36

Snowy waterways, Trail 36

Susan and her Canada hat, Trail 36

View from the end of Trail 50

Ontario & Quebec!

It was a beautiful sunny, spring-like day in DC, and I was thinking, "Tomorrow, I'll be skiing in Quebec!"

Here we are in Gatineau Park, Quebec, which is just across the Riveriere Outaouais (Ottawa River) from Ottawa. In a skiing first for us, our lookout afforded views of a city. Look closely!

Frank & Susan looking out over Ottawa, Ontario

Gatineau Park has an incredible number of trails. In another first, park roads have been converted into skiing boulevards for nice, steady climbs and long, rolling descents. True to what we expect from Canada, trails marked green ("beginner") are really more intermediate. At the end of the day, we inadvertently took a red trail and had fun on the expert run. Once we retraced our steps, we tried a backcountry green trail with no tracks, and I wiped out three times. It's pretty hard to recover when your poles disappear into three feet of snow!

Winter Fun

Thanks to the super-frigid winter of 2014, we spent March 9-10 skiing at Lapland Lake Nordic Center in the Adirondacks. We found a great cabin with a friendly bear and enjoyed lots of relaxing time as well as a second run of Christiano's garlic knots and red and green pepper and mushroom pizza. 

Algonquin Lake, Wells, NY

Frank & Susan and our friend, the bear