Hiking in Oregon

Ok, so maybe you all are getting tired of hearing about volksmarching. However, this weekend I went to an event in Cascade Locks, Oregon and have thus decided that Oregon is the most beautiful of all 50 states and that I probably should live here someday. I was about 1/2 hour east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge and the drive alone was worth the trip but the hike was so incredibly outrageously gorgeous that it bordered on ridiculous. All in all it took me over 5 hours to go up and down on a 25k course. I started the hike with a couple from Sacramento, CA who were really nice and gave me all sorts of advice for my drive home next month. Then I continued alone for the rest of the hike although there were lots of hikers on the trail and it was fun to meet all these different people. When I got to the turn around point at Crossover Falls I took a rest by the river and then headed back down. I soon discovered on the way down that my water bottle had leaked all over the contents of my backpack. So the last two hours of my hike was done with a wet and sticky back PLUS sans anything to drink. It did mar the experience a bit but as you can see it was such a beautiful view that it wasn't hard to forget about all that.

Winding down

Hi, everybody! My assignment here in Tacoma, Wa is about to end and I will soon be making the drive back down to Texas. July 8 is the day I'll start the trip and instead of taking the same route I came up here on (ya'll saw how well that went) I think I'll go south on I-5 through California - stopping and staying with a few friends on the way then east through Arizona, New Mexico and then Texas. However, I'll only be able to spend a few days with the family before going back to Albuquerque where I'll start my next 3 month assignment. I'll be working at the same hospital as last time and I couldn't be more excited. I know the point of me traveling is to see new destinations but I figure what good is loving a place if you don't get to go back and enjoy it some more? I truly dig Albuquerque and the surrounding area. I made a lot of great friends and ate too much good food! It's like a second home to me and it's a comfort to know where I'll be spending the next 3 months. PLUS, it feels like I'm just down the street from my family in Tx - seeing how I'll only be 4 hours away as opposed to 30! I'll keep everyone posted on my travels and of course I expect phone calls to keep me company on the 4 day drive.
I really will miss the Pacific Northwest. I am constantly amazed at how beautiful it is and my time spent here has been very rejuvenating. I'll miss it and hope to come back but for now it is time to move on.

Bonsai!!!!!

Today, Sunday, I did another Volksmarch - this time at the Weyerhauser Campus in Federal Way, Wa. - about a 30 minute drive from my apartment. It did rain or drizzle on us most of the way but the views were incredible. I went with a coworker and we completed the 10k course, ate a Lion's Club breakfast consisting of pancakes and ham and then went around one more time on the 5k course. Volksmarching is a really big thing up here and I am happy that I have found it because it is exactly what I have been looking for. There are events in all 50 states so I should be able to continue to Volksmarch all over the country - AND YOU CAN TOO! Check out the American Volksport Association webpage for events in your area! http://www.ava.org/index.htm There were different parts to the walk: trails through the most beautiful woods, around a pond, through a rhododendron garden (the Washington state flower) and a bonsai exhibit.

Weekend Volkswalk

Today I went to a Volksmarch event at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (http://www.nwtrek.org/). For once this week the weather was beautiful and I had a great 10k walk. My 2nd. I saw some amazing animals in a great setting - in their own habitats - without cages. After the walk which took me about 2 hours to complete due to all the picture taking I took a tram ride through the rest of the park and saw caribou, bison, rams, racoons and some BIG elk!