This is how we camp.

Keith and I and my parents and Amanda and Keith (aka K2) stayed in the Adams Ranger Station cabin this weekend. It was only a couple hours' drive for us, but more like 5 hours for Amanda and Keith. It borders the Gospel-Hump Wilderness, which we've always wanted to see/go to (right out our back door, practically), but had never visited. We'll definitely be going back. With some hiking boots.

oh hai

Keith and I went up on Friday around noon to scout the place and take a drive to the nearby lake(s) where Keith hoped he could fish.

Keith was watching the fish rise wayyyyy down there, lower Gospel Lake

We made it all the way to the Moore's Lake trailhead (another 3 miles into the lake) and back down to within 1 mile of the cabin when the brakes on the (1988)
beater
Ranger seized up and we ended up walking the rest of the way back, with the dogs, alongside the highway where gravel dump trucks were running. Good times. Still, not 12 miles out and not in the middle of the night, so no real room to complain. But: no fishing.

inside the cabin

Saturday after a delicious pancake brekkie, we all piled into my parents' quadcab and drove even farther up the same road, all 14 or so miles to Square Mountain Lookout. Pretty basic and, I imagine, pretty windy. But what a view!

Square Mtn. Lookout - WYSIWYG

Click on the photo for a larger size.

This is Mia's idea of camping---when you get to go inside and sleep on a bed at night. She was a pretty good girl.
She let K2 pet her for about 15 minutes one morning (she let him pet her all weekend, actually) and then nipped him on the back of the leg a little bit later. Bad dog! And we had to wrangle Lazlo whenever Amanda and K2's dog Cliff was around because Lazlo thinks he needs to ... I don't know what... dominate Cliff? He's done that already, so I don't know what his point is. Anyway, just to be safe he was on leash a lot of the time.

Cliff is a good dog, despite what Lazlo thinks.

After making it back down the very steep road from Square Mountain Keith hopped in the Ranger and the brakes had un-seized themselves and we did a happy dance.

The scenery up there is gorgeous and we're lucky to live so close to somewhere that is TRULY wilderness. I'm not kidding when I say we'll be going back with hiking boots. Gospel Lake, for sure, is a trek we'll make and I think Moore's Lake, too. It would be great to spend a couple weeks in the backcountry next summer and this is so close it'd be criminal not to.


It's definitely looking like fall up there. A lot of reds and oranges. I just had to break out my "nifty 50" to document it.

Activities

That's me crossing the finish line of my first 5k. Not a goal I would ever thought I'd set for myself. I used to be one of those people who thought running was stupid. I wouldn't say I'm a total convert now, but I see the value in being outside and pushing limits and zoning out. At least that's why I get out of it. Also, calories burned.

I started "training" using the Couch to 5k program back on March 14 and had several setbacks (shingles, blisters from the hike) that caused me to backtrack, but the farthest I had ever run without stopping was just over a mile.

I decided the BBQ Days Fun Run would be my last chance this year to get in a race, so I decided to go for it, push myself, and see how far I could go. My goal was to run the whole thing without stopping, but I didn't know if that would be possible.

almost to the halfway point

Saturday a.m. I ran to the halfway point, past the halfway point, to a shady curve where I walked for about a quarter mile and then I finished running the rest of the way (including up a hill, which is why I stopped--to have the energy to go up it). At the end I was thinking, I shouldn't have stopped. But I did. But I am still happy with myself since I hadn't run at all the week before.

Sunday I covered the Extreme Bull Bash for the newspaper. Not exactly my scene (I feel bad for the animals, especially when they're getting shocked), but I got some great shots. The newspaper has decided to start selling prints through zenfolio as well (in fact, I pitched it to them), so the photos are technically not mine. (Prints for sale/view will be here later this week.) But here's a preview.

This is Clayne Haight, a local high schooler who was one of the younger riders in Saturday's competition. They had PBR bulls and even some pro riders, but not that many successful rides. Bulls kept escaping from the chutes. It was a little hectic. But the turnout was really good and I think it's something they will do next year.