Klamath Triathlon

Runny nose, sore muscles, and slight color on my cheeks are my trophies for Wednesday, the 9^th of February.  Nate thought it would be a great idea to have three physical activities on the longest treks of our journey to date.  I enjoyed our riverside jog in the redwoods, but I was a bit frigid and spooked during our hike through the redwood forest.  It was the first day I hiked next to more than a dozen convicted men, armed with chainsaws, and stared me down like they hadn't seen a lady in a long time.  I know the marshals wouldn't give a chainsaw murderer a chainsaw but the sight of orange jumpsuits armed with heavy equipment working on the trail gave me the chills. 

Nate is a little more obsessed with trees than I realized, I got a little jealous when he hugged one.  We drove through the Klamath range until we stopped in the quaint western town of Weaverville to mountain bike a ridge top trail.  This mountain biking experience redeemed our previous ride in the OR mountains, and if I hadn’t jogged and hiked earlier that day it would have been perfect.  However Nate knew I would want my own burger and fries at In-N-Out Burger and he wanted me to enjoy the meal guilt free.  I am so grateful that he has planned such a grand adventure for us. 

Next stop, Sacramento!  Only when traveling can I remember my limited experience of America. This is embarrassing, I had no idea oranges were ripe in winter and grow in northern California which is the reason they’re reasonable to buy in January.  I thought they were from South America, where the seasons are reversed.  The last three days in the Sacramento area have been sunny and in the 60s. I wasn’t expecting to see palm trees and cacti until LA.  Blinded moles would be an appropriate description for Nate and me at the end of each day.  We can barely keep our contacts in longer than 8 hours.  We visited Nate’s cousin Alyssa in Loomis and enjoyed waking up to a beautiful sunrise from the window of her guest bedroom each morning.  Unfortunately we spent many of our hours in Sacramento downloading, printing, signing, notarizing, mailing and pretty much running around like chickens with our heads cut off in order to complete the sale of our home.  We can finally say it’s out of our hands at this point and the weight our condo has completely lifted off our shoulders leaving us as free as birds.
 

Wine tasting in California was the big highlight of our time with Alyssa.  She decided to take us to the ‘casual’ wineries without wine tasting fees; however I must say that California casual would be comparable to our prestigious wineries in Washington.  Californians really know their wines!  If only I wasn’t so sick from over exerting myself and stressing out about the closing documents of our home.  I volunteered to be the designated driver and remembered that having fun is really in the state of being spontaneous.  For example, my wrong turn on the way home from the wineries resulted in an amazing sunset drive through rolling hills and farm lands.  I can’t remember the last time I drove “roller coaster” style.  I think about 10 years ago.  Alyssa and her boyfriend Rick helped us relax and enjoy and we are so grateful for their hospitality. 

Wat'sup Cuz

Nate's cuz Alyssa and Rick

Nate and I decided I should stick with my aviators

Sheep AKA Nate Entertainer 

What is that bright globe in the sky?

Sunrise at the river

"So when you were 6 when you told your dad you saw Japan?"

"It's soooo soft, Courtney."

Ridge top mountain biking

Looking forward to those biking shorts Mom!

Out in the wild west

Nate was showing me how it's done

Sundial Bridge

Nate's been looking forward to this stop for years.

                                                

Soggy Sandwiches in the Sand dunes

Well, it did rain. The forecast went from sunny to a winter storm advisory over the pass so we had to drive through some snow.  Though we didn't need to put on our chains, we saw that a few drivers had crashed their cars.  Once we got over the pass the sun seemed to follow us around, highlighting some beautiful Oregon farm land.  In Lincoln City, we ridded ourselves of one stinky backpack which Max defiantly pissed on before our departure.  When we stopped in the local Starbucks, we loitered like gypsies for a few hours taking care of business with free Wi-Fi.  Starbucks has become our home away from home.  After we set up camp near Yachats it rained the whole night.  The next morning I was up at 3 AM and every hour after.  When it stopped raining at 6am, I was so excited that I woke up the “bear” before his alarm to take advantage of the break in weather and tear down our campsite. 

One of our goals on the trip is to complete thousands of miles without getting a ticket...well Nate got pulled over.  He was watching the officer behind him and he a bad feeling about the situation, which was confirmed when the trooper pulled us over to let us know that our bikes were obscuring the license plate and brake lights.  We lucked out as he decided to just give us a warning.  There isn’t much we can do, but Nate removed the water bottles on the bikes so the plate is more visible.

The OR coast is amazing with its awesome rock formations including devils punch bowl and natural arches but the highlight for Nate was the sand dunes.  Nate planned a great hike across the dunes to the coast, a nice 6 mile round trip trek.  First the trail led us through some native vegetation that is quite unique this area and then when we stepped out on the sand dunes themselves I realized why the poster said to plan extra time.  It’s a bit challenging to hike on the beach, even more so on sand dunes.  Forest between the beach and the sand dunes prevented us from finishing our loop as all the trails were washed out.  We sat down for our lunch, Nate mentioned we should hurry and eat as there were some black clouds in the horizon behind us.  Not ten minutes later those same rain clouds were spitting on us.  We literally ran on the sand dunes back to the car.

At the end of our evening we rolled into California and a Redwood Forest Campground.  As soon as we checked out the rates, $35 for a tent site for one night, I requested that we go into town and stay at a hotel instead.  California is so broke they recently raised all campground rates which make it less expensive to enjoy power, hot showers, Wi-Fi, hot breakfast, well I’m not complaining.   

Too wet and cold for Courtney!

Devil's Punch Bowl.  Worst punch ever.

Sun bear Nate.

Trail to the dunes.

Forest oasis

Lunch!

Vibrant moss and a Madrona branch

Brandon beach rock formations

Cranberry fields

Near the CA border

Natural Arches

Portland Pondering

If you go to Portland you must bring a bike.  When biking on various streets and through riverside parks Nate and I were amazed at how many people were out running, biking, jogging and walking at 11:30am on a Friday.  Do people work in Portland?  There are so many alternative modes of getting around and it is so pedestrian friendly.  I really enjoyed how flat the city is in comparison to Seattle and surrounding area.  That isn’t to say we didn’t bike hills.  On Thursday I experienced mountain biking for the first time.   I’m told carrying your bike more than you ride it is the true definition of mountain biking.  On the Story Burn Trail Nate planned for us to do an 8 mile loop, which would typically take about 45 minutes to an hour.  About 2 miles in and 1.25 hours later I requested a defeat and back track.  The riverside trail was so muddy that it was quite a workout attempting to hold our footing and pushing our bikes up the mountain side.  Gym Nate Extreme kicked my butt. 

Not all activity I experienced in Portland took me to my physical limits.  I enjoyed Jessi’s dance party on Thursday night.  Nate and I got to stumble our way through a few social dancing styles including Fox Trot, Waltz, Swing, Rumba and my personal favorite the Tango.  I had so much fun dancing with the pros but nothing can compare to dancing in the arms of my lover and best friend, Nate.  Jessi is an amazing dancer and instructor.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Jessi’s man Jim who took us to a great pub to sample the local brew.  Portland serves local…as the standard.

The next stop on our map was Redmond, OR.  We came in on the first Friday of the month and we got to participate in Art Hop.  Art and gift shops host free drinks and some food to entice shoppers to come out.  We met some great new friends along the way.  Our cousins Josh and Jenny and little Emma hosted us for the weekend and we enjoyed our time with them and the whole family.  My favorite quote of the weekend:  Mommy Jenny said, “Emma, hold your horses.” Emma replied, “I don’t have any horses.”  Nate’s Uncle George and Aunt Terri hosted Super Bowl Sunday, which was quite a relaxing afternoon, I felt so at home I took a Sunday afternoon nap.  The boys watched the game while Aunt Teri and I reminisced over Sarah’s wedding and then discussed all the beautiful details of Amanda’s wedding.  Two weddings in 10 months is no little matter.

Next stop the Oregon coast, everyone pray for mild weather, it’s supposed to rain.

Gym Nate Extreme!!

Now clean with the help of a winter storm

Met up with Kevin, Nate's roomie in Switzerland.

We then met up with Jessi and Jim!

"High" class hotel, found this in the hall...

...Max enjoyed the view though!

He also served as Nate's front-seat driver

I don't have anything to say here...

Nate's cousins Josh and Jenny.

The boys were more interested in the alley dances than the art.

The whole crew.

The soon to be married happy couple!

Doesn't he look lovely in an apron?

Patrons waiting patiently for breakfast.