As if we weren't exhausted enough after riding our mountain bikes 204 miles from Seattle to Portland, we decided to do a climb up the 8,365-foot Mt. St. Helens volcano on the following weekend.

 

Climing passes for St. Helens sell out fairly quickly in the summer months, so it was lucky that our friend Sto had planned ahead and secured some passes several months earlier for himself, our friends Daniel and Dennis, and Shawna and I. However, it was very unlucky that the forecast for the weekend was rain, and lots of it... but since the passes were for July 21 and could not be changed, we decided to brave the weather and make the trip anyway.

 

The first overwhelming obstacle we had to overcome was not the mountain itself, but the aggregious traffic along Interstate 5 that pushed us a couple hours over schedule on Friday and made us lose our campsite (which closed at 9pm). We were able to instead set ourselves up in tents at a cute little R.V. park that had a covered cooking area, pay showers and a restaurant, so we weren't complaining.

 

The climb up St. Helens on Saturday morning was suspiciously quick and easy for the first couple of miles through the woods, but the pace slowed drastically as we reached the barren and bouldery Monitor Ridge that was also where the cloud level began. The following scramble was windy, foggy, and sideways-rainy with about 30 feet of visibility in any direction. Dennis, Sto and Daniel did manage to reach the summit for a few quick minutes before scurrying back down to less inclement weather; Shawna and I, sans GPS and warm clothes, played it safe and turned back somewhere around 7,000 feet.

 

Your weather deterred us this time, little volcano... but don't get too complacent. Because now we know your tricks, and we'll be back to summit next summer!

 

- Jas

 

 

The weekend we had been training for all summer has finally come and gone, and I dare say we pulled it off with style and aplomb! That's right: on July 14 and 15, Shawna and our mountain bikes and I successfully completed the arduous trek from Seattle to Portland without injury and with few technical hiccups to slow us down.

 

At a distance of 204 miles, the length of the ride far surpassed our previous "longest ride" which was a comparatively paltry 75 miles. However it was definitely the most scenic ride we've done all summer, with amazing views of pasture land, rivers, forests, and mountains including a towering Mt. Rainier. It was also the biggest "group ride" we've done all summer, with close to 9,000 other participants to banter and jockey with along the way.

 

Riding with our friends Sto and Daniel (Bill ditched us at the 3-mile marker to do the trip in a single day), we saw a lot of fun stuff and had a bundle of great experiences. However, to avoid taking your entire afternoon to describe all the details, I'll go ahead and boil it down to a concise and mildly amusing format for your reading pleasure.

 

Total miles in the route: 204

Total hours each of us spent on bikes: 14.5

 Total number of matching saddle sores on Jason's backside at the finish line: 2

Number of flats the night before the ride: 1

Number of flats during the ride: 1

Number of flats caused by a single thorn hidden in tire: 2

Number of riders who wrecked immediately in front of us as we crossed the finish line: 1

Number of time Shawna screamed as she ran over a dead cat: 1

Number of times Shawna screamed as she ran over a live snake: 1

Number of times we've ridden our bikes since we returned to Seattle: 0

 

So there you have it! Although we haven't decided whether we'll do it again next year, we're in agreement that it was a worthwhile experience and a great sense of accomplishment for both of us. If you'd like to hear more details or stories, drop us a line!

 

Take care,

- Jas

Each year when the Sun starts getting up early and going to bed late, I start looking forward to the annual 4th of July "float party" that's thrown by our friends Fraser, Bill, and Mike.

 

These guys are nuts. They drive their power boats to a calm bay on Lake Washington, drop anchor, and lash them together along with a dozen varied inflatable watercraft to make one giant floating "island". They camp on the island, they barbeque on the island, and for most of the 4th of July people are coming and going to and from the island party via inflatable rowboat (the rule is that the most recent arrival becomes the next ferryman, heh heh).

 

With views of a large wooded park, a cute Seattle lakefront neighborhood, and the vast expanse of glittering lake, it's a great summer setting for grilling spicy dogs, relaxing with a beer, and taking a dip in the lake when you start to overheat. But the island is also the perfect place to catch up with over 30 of your friends and coworkers who show up throughout the day -- there are usually over 20 folks chatting and laughing on the island at any given time, if you can try to picture that!

 

As we've grown older and become more busy with work and whatever else seems to keep us so damn busy, it can be easy to go for months without catching up with even your best of friends; Fraser's 4th of July float party is a great place to anchor relationships and keep old friendships from drifting out to sea. Thanks, Fray!

 

- Jas