MJK Thrills N Spills

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Backpacking in the Sawtooths

Mike and I and our friend, Dave, went to the Sawtooths in Idaho again this year for another backpacking trip just before Mike and Dave and another friend, Lane, that was going to meet up with them later left to packraft the Selway River in Idaho. We did a loop trail from the Pettit Lake Trailhead and headed straight to Toxaway Lake first and then over to Twin and Alice Lakes and back to our car.

We arrived very late in the night on Thursday night so rather than look for a car camping site, we just started our hike at 12:30 at night! We hiked only about a mile in and then set up our tents and were in bed by 2:00 AM. The trail up to Toxaway was probably the perfect one to climb up on because it was a fairly easy grade. We set up camp by a little river and waterfall that was super beautiful! Oh and it was so hot this weekend that we were jumping in all the lakes and rivers all along the way. Our first camp site was full of tiny little gnat looking bugs that we think ended up being No'See'Ums which bit Mike and Dave mercilessly! They had angry-looking, red bites all over their arms and legs. I only got one bite on the back of my left arm.

Then we hiked over the pass to Twin and Alice Lakes. On the way we saw fields of wildflowers and the most amazing waterfall over granite slabs. I rocked that pass!! I felt so so good as I hiked over it. I think it was the fastest I've ever hiked over a pass. We decided to try to find a camp site down past Alice Lake some, along the river again, but we discovered that the trail up to Alice Lake wasn't as flat as the one to Toxaway - it was quite a narrow canyon! So that meant that we did not find a suitable camp site until fairly late in the evening and within 2 miles of our car. Ha! So our hike out to our car the next morning was pretty short. But overall, the hike between Alice Lake and our car was much more scenic and beautiful than the one to Toxaway.

After we made it back to our car, we went into Stanley to kill some time and pick up a few supplies and then we went to Redfish Lake to wait for Lane to show up - where we played on the beach of the lake. Then I took off for home arriving that evening. And Mike and his buddies stayed in Idaho to packraft the Selway.

Our route

The beautiful meadow!

After a swim in Farley Lake

After our swim at Farley Lake

Hiking from Farley Lake to our camp site below Toxaway Lake

The waterfall by our first "real" camp site

More pretty waterfalls along the hike

The amazing waterfall on the granite slabs just before the pass

Mike purifying water by the amazing granite slab waterfall

Looking down to Twin Lakes from the top of the pass

Mike & Dave looking down on Twin Lakes from the top of the pass

Mike taking a snooze and protecting his arms from the No-See-Ums

More waterfalls!

Alice Lake

Cool cliff above Mike

The trail coming down from Alice Lake

Camp site #2

Such a green and lush trail!

Mike showing us his bug bitten legs

Hanging out at Redfish Lake beach - my feet and Mike in the background

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Little Red This Year

After a one year hiatus from Little Red Riding Hood Century, Teri and I signed up for it again this year. Did we really get any training done in preparation for it? No, not really much at all. But we still rode it . . . well, most of it. We had to decide between riding 50 miles and 70 miles and we had to decide fairly early on in the ride - at mile 22 where the two routes split. So we decided to do 70 miles because we were too afraid that we'd come in at 50 and still have plenty of energy and therefore regret not doing the 70. We both decided we'd rather call Kelly to come rescue us while attempting to do the 70 than regret only doing 50. So we did 70. And I was dragging my wagon for the last 15 miles. But we made it! Even with our very little training. It's been real Little Red!

Orlando with My Brand New In-Laws

Mike and I joined his family for a trip to Orlando, Florida the first week of June. It was theme park heaven and on steroids! We were exhuasted by the end of the trip because we were getting up and out of the house we rented by 8 AM and then sometimes wouldn't get home until after 7 PM! But it was such a blast. Did you know that Disney World has multiple parks? Yeah, I didn't either. Each park is the size of Disney Land in California! Since Mike and I flew in Saturday morning so much earlier than everyone else and were leaving a day earlier than everyone else, we went straight to the Disney Hollywood Studios park. Yeah, we were lame and didn't take any pictures that day but it was mostly because we were EXHAUSTED from our flight to Orlando - it was a red eye on which neither us slept very well if at all, and then it landed at 6 AM. So we were done by 1 PM and headed for the house to take naps until the rest of the family arrived.

Then on Sunday we went to the Kennedy Space Center and seriously spent the whole day there checking out the Atlantis rocket, going on a bus tour to see the launch pad, and watching a couple 3D space films. Afterwards, we checked out Cocoa Beach. We didn't go there until late in the afternoon so we didn't swim, but I don't think any of us were too disappointed by that since the beach was full of seaweed and a lot of people, sometimes sketchy crowds.

Me, Jeremy, Christine, Drew, Bre, Erika, and Marty

Mike with Erika in the background at Cocoa Beach

Me, Erika, Christine, and Marty at Cocoa Beach

On Monday, we headed straight to Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure park and straight for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter part of it. The pictures below are of Hogsmeade, Hogswart Castle, and Hagrid's little hut. It was such fun to see real life representations of the book locations! Hogw art's castle was super cool - we saw the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom, the big eagle that guards the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Gryffindor commons, etc. We tried butter beer and pumpkin juice at the Hogs Head. Butter beer tastes like cream soda with a butterscotch flavored foam on top - it was yummy! And for the record they sell both frozen and regular liquid versions of it and the frozen version is better because you can mix the butterscotch foam into it more easily. And of course we went on a bunch of rides too - one that was a Pop Eye water ride and we all got soaked!! Mike and I learned that we are NOT fans of the virtual rides where you just sit on some sort of seat and it jostles you around while you watch some massive TV screen or projection to make it feel like you are on the ride. Ugh. Those kind of rides made us both sick.

Mike in Hogsmeade

Me in Hogsmeade

Jeremy, Bre, Drew, Erika, and me in the Hogs Head waiting to try butter beer

Hagrid's hut

Hogwart's Castle

Tuesday, we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom which is very similar to Disney Land in California. This is the day that we all wore the tie-dye shirts that Christine and the kids made for everyone.

Wednesday we were off Universal Studios again, to their other park where they have another Wizarding World of Harry Potter section but this one has Diagon Alley and Gringotts. For the record, we all seemed to like this Harry Potter world better than the Hogsmeade one.