Winthrop Ski Trip, February 2014

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We make a trip to Winthrop, Washington at least once a year for cross-country skiing. We took off from Seattle on Thursday making a four day holiday. Our group consisted of Rick Massie, Jim Darmiento and his wife Ione and my wife Linna Wei. About half way to Winthrop, we stopped for lunch at the Milepost 111 Brewing Company www.milepost111brewingcompany.com in Cashmere, Washington for a sandwich and beer.

We have been staying at the Cottonwood Cottage www.cottonwood-cottage.com for the last four visits. This three bedroom cabin is located on the outskirts of Winthrop right on the Methow River and walking distance from Methow Valley Trail System. The Methow Valley www.mvsta.com is considered to have more cross country ski trails than any other place in United States.

After settling into the Cottonwood Cottage we were off to our favorite pub house in Winthrop….the Old School Brewery www.oldschoolhousebrewery.com This small place has been around for years and if you don’t get there early on weekends, you will find yourself standing. They have live music on Friday and Saturday and usually a different band each night.

This year the state of Washington didn’t receive much snow including the Methow Valley which limited where we skied. We actually had to drive to higher elevation to find quality skiing.

San Francisco Trip, January 2014

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It seems I make it down to the bay area at least once a year and every visit is fulfilled with fabulous restaurants, architectural site seeing, massages and cool neighborhoods.

I have always wanted to check out La Folie www.lafolie.com in San Francisco. Each course was spectacular and Chef Roland made the dining experience near perfect with his passion for French cuisine.

The next day we were off to the popular Yank Sing Restaurant in the Rincon Center. This is your high-end Dim Sum Chinese restaurant www.yanksing.com. This is a must hit when in San Fran….this place rocks, they have the best Xiao Long Bao.

After over indulging on some of the best dim sum in the Bay Area a hike up to the Coit tower was in order, this tower on the historic Telegraph Hill was built back in 1933 on a Federal Works project. If you walk from the bottom like I did it takes over 400 steps to get to the tower; after all of my sweating efforts it was closed for painting…totally bummed me out. After walking all day we stopped for a massage in China Town, this made up for the long stair climb to Coit Tower. I had a well deserved full hour full body massage.

Shanghai Trip, January 2014

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I started my 2014 travels with a direct flight from Seattle to Shanghai and met up with a friend the next morning. We took a taxi to the fairly new Hongqiao train station located next to the domestic airport and subway station. We took the G-series bullet train up to Xuzhou, China for the day. This city is most well-known has a transportation hub and is located between Beijing and Shanghai.

Any train designated the G series will be China’s new bullet trains. For a business class seat you pay much less than you would a crowed coach airline seat. Even though the train ride is three hours long, you get a non-crowded quiet car with very comfortable wide leather seat that lays flat for sleeping. Plus you get an electrical outlet for your computer or phone that also works with the American plug. You receive a full meal which reminds me of a TV dinner growing up. I highly recommend G series train travel when roaming in China. Please keep in mind that foreigners will need their passport to purchase their ticket.

This was another enjoyable trip with friends, travel and fantastic dinners.

Little Saint Helen’s Snowshoe, January 2014

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Little Saint Helen’s
Date: January 5, 2014
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 7 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,200 feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Exit 47, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Packed Snow
Hiking With: Mike Curry, Dr. Robert McElroy, Rick Massie & Macho my dog wonder.

A good friend of mine, Robert McElroy asked me to hike Little Saint Helen’s off of exit 47 on 1-90 near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington with a few of his friends. I have never done this hike….actually I have never heard of it either. Maybe because it doesn’t have a lot of elevation and during the summer there are horses and mountain bikes on the trail. I would never hike this trail during the busy summer, but with snow on it, it keeps all the bikers and horses off.

I asked Mike Curry and Rick Massie to come along too; this was my 5th hike in 2 weeks with Rick Massie. We didn’t quite make it to the trailhead due to snow, so we had to hike an extra mile to where we wanted to start. Due to the numerous logging roads and the snow we were never sure if we were actually on Little Saint Helen trail, it really didn’t matter what road or trail we were on, it was a gorgeous sunny day for a snow hike.

Mt. Washington Hike, January 2014

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Mt. Washington
Date: January 1, 2014
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 9 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,200 feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Exit 38 near North Bend, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Damp to lightly packed snow on top.
Hiking With: Mike Curry, Rick Massie & my dog Macho

After a year of traveling, playing, wining and dining I tell myself that I am going to reduce my excessive indulging of life! Well…at least cut back on the calorie intake. I try to start every New Year’s Day with a hike to start the year off right.

I asked Mike Curry and Rick Massie to join me for knocking off Mt. Washington on the first day of 2014. Usually Mt. Washington is a fairly quiet hike with only a few cars at the trailhead on any given day, well today the parking lot was full with a Seattle “Meet-Up” group. We took off before the 30 plus group got started and made it to the top to claim the only dry large rock available. It wasn’t long until we were surrounded with this group of friendly men and woman.

We ended the hike with a cold Mac & Jack’s at our favorite pub in North Bend, Washington…the North Bend Bar & Grille.

Granite Mountain Hike, November 2013

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Granite Mountain
Date: November 22, 2013
Difficulty: 7 out of 10
Distance: 8.6 miles / 13 Kilometers roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,800 feet / 1,158 meters
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Exit 47, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to Frozen to Packed Snow.
Hiking With: Rick Massie and Macho the dog wonder.

It has been unusually cold and sunny here in the Northwest, but to see the sun in November is a treat and one should take advantage of that. Rick Massie and I decided to hike Granite Mountain about one hour west from Seattle knowing we would have beautiful skies and abundant views from the summit.

We got an early start with only one car at the trailhead. The trail became snow packed about half way up where we stopped and put on our traction devices. It was damn windy as we came out of the trees into the open, we stopped and added layers. The wind was blowing a constant 30 mph plus on top, the last time I had so many layers on was maybe when summited Mt. Rainier in 2005.

After the hike, I warmed my mind, body and soul with a bowl of jambalaya soup at the North Bend Bar & Grill.

Beijing Trip, October 2013

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It’s not every day you get a clean, clear blue sky in Beijing, in fact…we had two beautiful smog free days back to back. But, we were not that lucky on the third day and beyond…it was back to its normal filthy pullulated self. I was visiting Beijing for a few days with a couple of other friends, Rick Massie and Brendan Jackson both from Seattle too.

Besides visiting the usual Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square, you must visit the 798 Art District, www.798district.com this place has some cool funky ass shit and you will need three hours or more to see it all.

Of course when dining, one must experience Beijing Duck….which I did three nights in a row!

Oklahoma Trip, October 2013

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The last time I was in Oklahoma was the same reason I flew back this time…a Trujillo wedding. Four years ago it was Miranda Trujillo marrying John Williams, this time it was Miranda’s younger brother Chaz marrying Jessica Cornell. I have known both Miranda and Chaz from birth and had the privileged to see them develop into wonderful young adults.

As soon as I landed in Tulsa I headed toward Jay, Oklahoma to visit my longtime friend Randy Trujillo and his wife Merikki. After a few beers and some bullshitting, we took off to see Jessica and Chaz…the soon to be newlyweds. Chaz was in the process of making a wooden bench for people to sign at the wedding.

Next day I met up with Chaz and his good friend Matt Rush at the J-Cafe for a hearty breakfast…the biscuits and gravy type. After filling the belly up with sunny-side up eggs and hash-browns Chaz took me to the quarry pit to shoot my 1911 style Kimber and Zig-M handguns; both are .45 calibers.

I wasn’t in the wedding, but I was invited to the wedding rehearsal and to the cabin at the Sycamore Springs Ranch goo.gl/YCceuG where the wedding and reception was held. After the dinner rehearsal the men of the wedding party and of course little ole me spent the night at the cabin. But before we passed out and woke-up to a few scorpions on the walls, Chaz and I did what any grown testosterone filled man would do…wrestled in the dirt. It was all good…bloody ear and a few bruises.

The wedding day was picture-perfect with comfortable temperatures; it rained earlier in the day…enough to settle the dust and cleanse the air. I found myself on the mechanical bull later in the night at the reception, not sure how long I rode but I think did pretty well for a city slicker. Next day my inner legs were bruised and arm aching from hanging on for dear life.

Before I flew back to Seattle the next day, I met up with my sister Dawn and her husband Ben Hosterman for lunch at the Atlas Grill goo.gl/QBfu5S. Located in downtown Tulsa in the Atlas Life Building, they serve up delicious breakfast and lunch…a must hit. They brought their handsome son Hayden along…an intelligent active young boy!

Winthrop, WA Trip, September 2013

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The last time I visited Winthrop goo.gl/7yrYi6 was January, 2012 for some bad ass cross country skiing with the same group on this trip; Jim and Ione Darmiento, Rick Massie and my wife Linna. My friend and co-worker Jim Darmiento rented the same cabin goo.gl/BJtMK6 this year as he did for the January trip and again…it was perfect. All four of us drove up on Thursday and met at the cabin and then headed off to town for some warm Mexican food.

Contrary to popular belief, not all Chinese know how to ride a bike; this was Linna’s first riding experience and just the little bit we saw in the parking lot….we were having doubts. She successfully rode the trails and only biffed it once after hitting a rock sticking up. After a shower back at the cabin, we headed to our favorite place in Wintrop the School House for some grub and beers. We ended the night back at the cabin sitting around the firepit.

Next day we hiked up Goat Peak to say hi to the famous Lightning Bill; he has manned the forest look-out tower every summer for 19 years. He was actually boarding up the tower for the winter as we summited. After a few pictures and munching down Linna’s legendary sandwich we headed back down for a hot shower to get ready for dinner at the Sun Mountain Lodge.

We packed up and headed toward Seattle Sunday morning stopping in Leavenworth, Washington for lunch.

Goat Peak Hike, September 2013

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Goat Peak
Date: September 21, 2013
Difficulty: 4 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles / 8 Kilometers roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet / 457 meters
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Location: Near Mazama, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: Damp
Hiking With: Jim Darmiento, Ione Darmiento, Linna Freeman, Rick Massie and Macho.

The hardest part about Goat Peak goo.gl/XUCb1n is the 11 miles of rough gravel road heading up to the trailhead. The trail starts off fairly easily and then gets down to business with over a mile of steepness without traverse. The last half mile lets your heart-rate calm down as you stroll to the look-out.

At the look-out you will encounter the famous Lightning Bill and his two dogs Thunderdog-Shilo and Blaze; he has manned the look-out for 19 years now. Our group arrived on top just in time to snap a picture with him before he closed down the tower for the winter.

After a quick descent we headed back to our rented Cottonwood Cottage in Winthrop, Washington and cleaned up and had a lovely dinner at Sun Mountain Lodge.