To Phoenix

In mid-November, Sam got selected to attend a national seminar on safety in Phoenix, AZ. He extended his free trip a few days, bought me a flight in and we had a lovely weekend visiting and exploring Arizona with Scott, Candace, Delaney, Fiona, Edie, Pippa & the pets!

Our wonderful welcome to Scott, Candace & the girls' house in Chandler, AZ. (Sign by Fiona)

Pippa made us a Welcome sign, too.

We started the weekend with Pippa's Girl Scout Group's fishing trip.

Sam helping Pip secure the worm to her hook.

Pippa patiently waiting for a bite.

Back at the house to hang out and catch up!

Sam, two pups & one cat.

Being amazed by Rex's jumping ability!

Grapefruit tree in their backyard. 

Neighbor's lemon tree.

Sam found a ripe grapefruit! (From the bowl on their kitchen counter)

Fun to hang out with Kane and Rex again.

Saturday evening we had an authentic Mexican food feast!

All of the tasty fixin's

Pippa helping to prepare the best tortillas!

On Sunday, we explored Scottsdale, AZ.

We grabbed a tasty lunch at an interactive and fun restaurant with a great variety of games!

Delaney and Edie played giant Jenga.

Fiona and Pippa played giant Connect Four.

Candace and Fiona played Bags.

After lunch, we walked through the streets and shops of Old Town Scottsdale.

Near the art museum exists this iconic sculpture - we couldn't resist getting a picture.

We all enjoyed a taste of Hawaiian Ice after our exciting day. 

Sunday evening, Sam, Fiona and I went for a sunset hike on South Mountain.

Saguaros!

Great view of Phoenix and surrounding cities.

More saguaros!

And MORE saguaros!

Great picture as the sun begins to set (credit: Sam).

Fun saguaro.

City and mountains with the setting sun.

City lights and final stages of the sunset on our descent.

 Thank you for the wonderful weekend, Scott, Candace & the girls! It was so much fun to see how much you love your new home :)

Whales, Summits & a 5-Mountain Sunset

Friday, October 3rd - Sunday, October 5th

We wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, so we drove out to the Coast for some Fall camping. It was a weekend of perfect weather and two mountain summits with breathtaking views. This state is pretty damn lovely.

We were lucky enough to find the coveted "Hole" site unoccupied with it's spectacular ocean views.

We were both looking forward to sleeping in the truck again. 

The pelicans would do this funny thing: upwards of 7 of them would fly in a line along a wave, right before it would break. It was very strange, and entertaining.

SEAL! Sam spotted him/her and we kept a close eye on him/her.

Whale-watching ... we could see the "pssssshhhh" of when they sprayed water + air from their blowhole. It was very exciting to see them "blow" from a distance.

A whale pssshhh-ing out water and air. You can (vaguely) see a boat cruising to the left - what a show they must have had!

Preparing for sunset.

The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, located off the coast of Cannon Beach, in the distance.

Fun colors of the sunset - and the site's namesake ("Hole").

Flawless sunset.

Cinnamon Cream Rum 'Orchata + Chai Tea to start our Saturday morning.

First summit of the day: 5-mile hike up Neahkahnie Mountain, located north of Manzanita in Oswald West State Park.

We made it to the top! What a view.

Overlooking the adorable town of Manzanita, OR.

Later that Saturday, we drove toward Saddle Mountain for a 5-mile sunset hike. The view from the top exceeded ALL expectations in the best way possible!

Hiking up Saddle Mountain.

The "crotch" of Saddle Mountain. The summit up ahead was our final destination...

Summit of Saddle Mountain: our magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean to the West.

Astoria, OR to the Northwest featuring the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Washington state.

Now... our 5-Moutain View!

(#1) Mt. Rainier in Washington, 110 miles away.

(#2) Mount St. Helens on the left, 76 miles away; and (#3) Mt. Adams on the right, 107 miles away

(#4) Mt. Hood (a.k.a. Mr. Hood or Hoodster) in the distance with the Moon overhead and the other "saddle" of the Saddle Mountain. Mt. Hood is 134 miles away from Saddle Mountain. The Moon is 238,900 miles away from Earth.

(#5) Mount Jefferson - a mere 175 miles away! (Yes, it was hard to capture with the camera, but completely visible!)

The Coastal Range with the sun getting ready to set.

The sunset...

We ended our day with Sam's famous Dutch Oven Chili ... followed by Dutch Oven Tent/Truck. YUM!