2018 Wander List

As far back as I can remember, I have been road tripping to one place or another.  Canoe races, ski races, or the annual Triebold summer vacation were just part of what we did as a family.  I still haven't hit all 50 states, (I'm getting close!) and even if I had there is no end to the list of trips I want to take.  It's not just seeing new things, but who I get to see them with. Once the calendar starts anew, I start planning my next adventures.... probably because I have some shiny new vacation days burning a hole in my pocket.  This year I have some old favorites as well as a few new places making a spot on my list.

Europe

Of course I pick a place with 50 unique countries, and am completely vague about my destination, ha!  In all seriousness, I think I will make my first trek to continental Europe in 2018, I'm just not quite sure what it will look like yet.

(Image from Encyclopedia Britannica)

 Probably my best bet is for my wonderful friend Cat's Swiss wedding reception (she is getting married state-side in March).  Cat's mother is born and raised in Switzerland, and Cat has dual citizenship.  When we met as ski friends in 2002, Cat was spending large parts of her year with family in Switzerland.  I have yet to make the trip to meet the people, and see the things I have heard so much about (I have a distinct vision of what the family home in the mountains looks like).  I am really hoping for this trip, I just have to make the timing work.

(Image from Travel & Leisure)

If I can't swing a visit for Cat's reception, I will probably do a yoga retreat in Italy.  It would be a week in my "off season" with my favorite YouTube yoga instructor, with whom I have done a workshop already.  I haven't done a trip where I just relax in a long time, and a few hours of yoga a day with an open schedule to explore the surrounding area sounds like a great way to test out a more laid back trip.

Zion

(Image from nationalparks.org)

Each fall when Mike and I take our non-racing trip, I vote for the Utah National Parks tour- 5 parks that make a nice little drive-able circle, with plenty of sites in between.  I choose Zion as my yearned for stop in the tour- probably due to pinterest photos and travel blogs- but any of the parks will do.   We can maybe even squeeze in the Grand Canyon while we are at it.  Four years of being voted down (I can't complain too much- he chose Grand Teton/Yellowstone, Pictured Rocks, Hawaii, West Virginia, and Washington), and I think I will finally get my trip.  However, it is coming with a major caveat and turning into a "race"- the Grand Circle Trailfest to be exact.  I am not sure how I feel about running through three parks in three days and putting on 44 miles, but the stories will be good, and hopefully we can spend a few days before or after doing some additional exploring.

Nashville

(Image from Visit Music City)

The Girls Weekend 2017 was definitely a highlight, and we are hoping to make another trip in 2018.  Nashville was the second choice, so it moves to the top of the list.  The warmer weather, food, music, and nearby mountains have plenty of activities to entertain our group.  No plans are in place yet, but I am putting it out there- Hailey, Samantha, and Cat better be ready!


An Island

(Image from www.bwca.com)

Another vague location- I want to spend some time on an island.  Maybe Catalina, maybe Mackinac, Grand, or even the Apostle Islands.  It could be camping out on an island in the middle of the Boundary Waters, or the Adirondacks.  I think I want to paddle to get there, or at least paddle while I'm there (I'm looking at you, Isle Royale), but some island life would be a good thing.  It appears I am leaning towards a cooler climate, which is odd to most, but I prefer rocky beaches and cool water to sand and sun.  I have a feeling that Mike might disagree with me on this one, so when I post pictures from Jamaica you will know who runs the show!

Canoe Camping

Canoe Camping isn't a place, but sitting around the camp fire cooking pork burgers and dump cake is the place I want to be.  Each fall as kids, my sister and I would be coerced into camping out of the canoe with the whole family- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, a few extra friends. while we froze in our kid sleeping bags, paddled about 10 strokes in 2 hours, and lived for snack breaks, I can't help but miss these annual trips.  Mom and Dad always fit them in, and two years ago I did do one with Samantha and Alex, but we didn't get to one in the fall.  I will make sure to fix that this year.

As much as I love to travel, dream, and post pictures, I equally enjoy hearing about everyone else's adventures.  Leave some comments below with places/adventures that are on your list for 2018.

3 Day Girl's Getaway in Louisville, Kentucky

It’s the end of paddling season, so of course it is time for some fun time off.  In October, I wanted to do something fun that my sister, Samantha, would enjoy, and we settled on a Wanderlust Yoga festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Once the date and location were set, we invited friends Cat and Hailey to make it a true girl’s weekend.  We loaded up the car, made the drive south, and planned for a good weekend.

Day 1:

Everyone woke up early and ready to tackle our first play:  Go Ape! Zip Line & Tree Tops Adventure.  We booked a tree tops ropes course with rope ladders, zip lines, Tarzan swings, nets, bridges, and various other obstacles.  The course was self-guided, so after a short instruction on how to hook in safely, we were on our own. After 2 hours of climbing and swinging through the trees, this became a trip highlight.  Rating: 5/5

Next, we decided to grab some lunch and start the Urban Bourbon Trail.  This trail is 39 bars in and around Louisville.  Each bar and the Louisville visitor’s center have “passports” that can be picked up and then stamped at each location visited.  Drinking Bourbon isn’t necessary, but some type of purchase is.   The passport has addresses, hours, maps, and signature drink suggestions, which comes in handy when exploring the city.  If you get six stamps and mail your passport into the visitor’s center, then you receive a free t-shirt for completing the trail.  With three days to spend in the city, we thought it would be no problem to hit six stops and earn our shirts.  Stop #1 was the Bourbon Raw Bar located right downtown in Whiskey Row.  We planned on having brunch, which according to the website was being served, but ended up going with some soul food from the lunch menu instead.  Hailey isn’t a bourbon drinker, so she ordered other drinks for most of the trip, but Samantha braved the signature drink: The Ponzi Cream with bourbon and cream soda.  It tasted like a melted Popsicle in a good way, with everyone but Cat enjoying it. Rating: 4/5

We had time to hit another stop on the trail before the afternoon activities and chose the Old Seelbach Bar for Stop #2.  This was in a super fancy hotel, and there was only a bridal party in the bar with us, so we sat right at the counter.  I ordered the signature cocktail this time- the Seelbach with bourbon and champagne, which is apparently really famous, and also tasted like cough syrup. Rating 3/5

After lunch, it was time for glass blowing. My college roommate Kathleen joined us for the afternoon, since she now lives in the area.  We booked a make your own glass class, with Hailey and Kathleen choosing fall pumpkins, and the rest of us doing Christmas ornaments.  We were able to choose the colors and design of our creations, and it ended up being a ton of fun seeing how everything turned out.  The decorations were mailed back home once they were cooled overnight. Rating: 4/5

With such an action packed day, we grabbed a quick dinner before heading to our evening activity: The Waverly Sanatorium haunted house.  This haunted house is supposed to be “truly” haunted and the best of the best.  We were so excited (and scared) to do this, but after getting stuck in line trying to park for 2+ hours, and then realizing the line was another 3 hours long, we bailed out and decided to call it a night.  This was the only flop of the trip, and since we couldn’t buy tickets ahead, or go on a week night (they were only open on weekends), I’m not sure how it could’ve been avoided.  Rating: 0/5

Day 2: 

Wanting to rebound from last night’s disappointment, we prepped for the Wanderlust Yoga Festival.  This Festival travels from city to city each weekend, and has a 5 km run, an hour long yoga class, a meditation, and a yoga workshop, along with vendors selling food and yoga gear.  In Louisville the event was right on the Ohio River at the Waterfront Park, and the weather was perfect for a day outside.  The 5 km was on paved trails along the river and early in the morning to beat the heat.  Next was the yoga class, which was challenging, but doable for everyone in the group.  We tried to meditate, but after 5 minutes I snuck out and grabbed a cookie.  Finally, we did an acro (two-person) yoga workshop.  The instructor had us separate by height, so Hailey and I were paired separately from Samantha and Cat, which wasn’t as fun because the other girls in our group couldn’t be bases for the poses with little upper body strength.  Cat and Samantha found the instructions to be confusing, and wanted more one-on-one attention from the instructor.  We enjoyed the event overall, but it wasn’t a highlight of the trip.  Rating 3/5

Now back to the Bourbon trail: we needed food (and stamps!) bad.  For Stop #3 we hit Dish on Market which was within walking distance to Waterfront Park.  We each ordered a southern favorite, and shared, which was really fun.  The cocktails here were some of our favorite from the trip.  Nobody ordered the signature drink here (an Old Fashioned), but I had a Bourbon Mule which was probably the best drink of my life, and Hailey’s spicy Bloody Mary was the best of the three she had over the weekend, and our bartender was fantastic. Rating 5/5

We were so tired after our action-packed morning that we snuck back to the hotel, driving through Old Louisville to see the historic buildings and Churchill Downs.  The rest of the afternoon was spent napping and recovering before our big night out. 

For the last night of the trip, we decided to dress up and hit the town for the final three stops on the trail.  We planned for appetizers at one, dinner at the next, and finish it off with dessert at the third.  We made reservations for dinner, ordered a Lyft, and naturally just barely made our ride on time as Cat realized she had left her credit card at our lunch stop.  We decided to be dropped off there, and then walk to appetizers.  As we entered the downtown, Hailey realized that she forgot her passport with its three stamps!!!  We didn’t know what to do, but Cat saved the day and told us that we would just have to hit as many as we could tonight in order to get Hailey her T-shirt.  It was a tall order, but we knew we could push through.  Stopping at Dish on Market (Stop #3), the same bartender was still working, and gave Hailey a new passport with a stamp because he recognized us from lunch.  Cat got her card back, so we set off much happier than when we arrived.

For stop #4 (or 2 for Hailey’s new passport) we chose the Corner Restaurant and bar in the Aloft Hotel lobby.  We split an appetizer of deviled eggs, and enjoyed some exotic (to us) drinks per the bartender’s suggestion. I again had the signature cocktail the Whiskey Smash, which was good, but Cat’s Gin and Cucumber drink was our favorite, while Hailey’s vodka martini was a salty flop.  Samantha had a Mai Tai, which hit the spot on her sweet tooth.  Rating 3.5/5

Up next was the barbeque dinner we had been waiting for at Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar (Stop #5/3).  The food was excellent- we sampled Catfish, Pull Pork, and Brisket, and the drinks were some of our favorites of the trip.  Samantha had a “Michigan” old fashioned with about 6 sugars added to it, and Cat had turned me on to Gin, so I ordered a Smoke and Perfume with rhubarb bitters and habanero something or other.  Rating 5/5

We now had to start watching the clock.  It was a Sunday night, and Louisville wasn’t up for the night we had planned, so we strategically planned our stops in order to hit bars before closing.  Up next was the Bar at Blu (stop #6/4) in the Louisville Marriot Downtown.  This bar was basically a hotel lobby, and not that impressive compared to the ones before it.  We ordered some dessert to split, with Samantha, Hailey and I ordering White Russians, and Cat (rightly) sticking to a whiskey sour. This wasn’t our favorite, but we still had a good time. Rating: 3/5

Next we hit Hailey’s pick 8UP Drinkery & Kitchen (Stop #7/5).  It was the open air rooftop bar that overlooked the entire city.  The kitchen had already closed when we got there, but we were stuffed to the gills anyway, so chose a seat around an open fire and had the whole rooftop to ourselves.  I went back to the signature drink- just a dressed up Bourbon and Coke, and Cat had an awful Gin(ger) Snap that tasted like sap and raw ginger.  Regardless of the bad drink order by Cat (we all had one) this was probably the highlight of the night. Rating: 5/5

We needed on more stop to fill out Hailey’s book, so we chose the ritziest place we could find: The Brown Hotel (stop #8/6).  We had planned on getting dessert here, so of course we ordered a crème brulee, a derby cake, and a chocolate cake that you light on fire to get a lava of hot fudge.  We celebrated finishing our books with glasses of champagne before calling it a night.  Rating: Brown Hotel 4/5, Louisville Bar Crawl 5/5

Day 3:

To enjoy the last bit of vacation before heading home, we got up for a spin class at Cyclebar, which is kind of a night club meets cycling class.  Since it was a Monday, everyone else in the class was a regular, and it took us a bit of time to figure out how the bikes worked, but we were able to get a good workout in by the end of class. Rating 3.5/5

Before heading home, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the North End Café (Stop #9).  It wasn’t our favorite food, but we reminisced on the highlights of our trip, and made promises for the next time- which will hopefully be Nashville 2018!

7 Days in Western Washington

Mike and I try to get away on a "race free" vacation at least once a year just to relax and try something new.  Of course, our idea of relaxing is doing as much as we can in as short a time as possible, but for fellow adventurers, I would definitely recommend our trip this fall to Washington.  The weather was fantastic, the scenery breath taking, and the mix of ocean, mountains, urban, and remote is not something that we find often.  Without further ado, here is our itinerary for 7 days of exploring the Pacific Northwest!

Day 1: North Cascades National Park

We flew into Seattle after work and stayed with family, but this could easily be done by arriving in the morning and heading out to the Cascades.  Anytime spent in the North Cascades must involve a hike, so we chose Mount Dickerman.  It technically is in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (you need a Northwest Trail Pass for your car), which is outside of the North Cascades National Park boundaries, but is less than two hours drive from Seattle.  The hike is roughly 8 miles round trip and is steep! 

The trail starts low in the forest, filled with beautiful moss and ferns.  About two miles from the trail head you pop out into more alpine terrain, full of blueberries and little rodents called pikas.  The first snow of the year had already hit the Cascades, so the last mile of our ascent was full covered in a white blanket. 

This was the only day of our trip that had any rain, or cloud cover, so when we reached the summit we couldn't see the full views of the major Cascade peaks that we were promised, but the hike was so beautiful that we didn't care.  Overall this hike was a 4/5

After coming back down we checked out Mondo's for burgers and beer in Marblemount, then did a driving tour of the National Park before the sunset.  Oddly, every parks visitor center that we passed was closed, so we really enjoyed the pull-offs on the parks road explaining the geology, and pointing out the different peaks in the range.  Diablo Lake provides the classic view of the park, so we made sure to check out that overlook before calling it a night. 

 Day 2: North Cascades to Deception Pass

We woke up the morning after Mount Dickerman and were really sore.  That is the longest hike we have done on anything so steep, and we decided to pick something a little less intense for our second North Cascades hike.  We found the 4 mile Sauk Mountain trail and set off.  Sauk Mountain is on the Eastern edge of North Cascades, with less elevation, but the benefit of providing a view of both Puget Sound (maybe even the Olympics) and the full Cascade range.  We hit the trail early hoping to beat the crowds and earn a clear view.  This hike was completely different from the previous one.  Even the trail head provided clear views of the surrounding mountains with basically no tree cover.  This made us feel really exposed on the narrow trail as it switch backed. One false move and we would tumble straight down to the valley.

The hike took us around the peak and over boulders in a small rock field.  Once we reached the peak, it was 360 views with Mt. Baker the most prominent peak on the horizon.

As we descended, the fog from the valley lifted, putting us in a cloud where we couldn't see more than a few feet in either direction.  Good thing we had an early start!  This way probably the best hike of the trip 5/5.

The shorter hike also gave us plenty of time to explore.  We headed west towards the San Juan archipelago, and stopped in Anacortes on Fidalgo Island for a sea kayak tour.  We spend 3 hours exploring the bay with seals, porpoises, ducks, and bull kelp.  This was definitely a relaxing way to spend the afternoon 4/5.

After cleaning up with hit Adrift restaurant for dinner, which was a little fancy for our tastes, so we checked out the local Brown Lantern bar to even things out before heading to Deception Pass and Whidbey Island.  Deception Pass is a very narrow channel between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands that has very strong currents and tide.  We caught it just after the sun was setting, and while it didn't photograph well, we were really able to see the currents as we walked along the shoreline. 

Day 3: Olympic National Park

With two action packed days behind us, Mike and I decided to spend our first day viewing Olympic National Park on a road trip.  We took the ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend, and then planned on a day of site seeing.  We drove the northern side of the park, and then headed down to the Hoh Rainforest to see the famous Hall of Mosses.  This is just a short 1 mile loop through the temperate rainforest.  One of the coolest parts of this area was the silence of the woods.  The trail had a reverent feel.  It wasn't the highlight of our trip, but it gave me an idea to do a hike through the center of Olympic National Park next time we make the trip 3/5. 

Next we went to the coast to see Rialto Beach.  My Aunt Justine often works on the Olympic Peninsula and recommended it as a favorite spot.  This did not disappoint.  The weather changed just a mile from the coast and turned cool and hazy, which made for stunning pictures.  Mike and I were the only ones on the beach that went in the water, but we had a blast skipping rocks, and chasing the waves.  Naturally, we left the beach soaking wet and full of smiles 5/5.

With more time to burn, we headed back to the northern part of the park and stopped at Crescent Lake to check out Marymere Falls.  Usually I am not much of a waterfall person, but we were enjoying our easy day of exploring, and decided to see all of the parks most popular sites.  I ended up enjoying this hike much more than I thought through the old growth forest.  The falls were tall, but delicate 4/5.

Finally we decided to head into town for dinner at the Next Door Gastropub in Port Angeles.  We really enjoyed the fun burgers (mine had beets and goat cheese, Mike's was a less adventurous beef & bleu), although I prefer the dive bar atmosphere more myself.  We stopped at Harbinger Winery on our way back to our cabin on Crescent Lake, and made it back in time to watch the sunset on the Olympics.

Day 4- Olympic National Park

The Olympic Peninsula has so much to see, so we decided to spend a second day exploring.  First, we went to Sol Duc Falls, which we had skipped the day before in favor of Marymere Falls.  After we had enjoyed walking through the forests so much that we decided to fit in the 1 1/2 mile loop.  The forest was beautiful, and the waterfall was nice. I preferred the hike to Sol Duc, but the falls at Marymere, although both were very enjoyable 4/5.

With most of the day still ahead of us, we drove to Hurricane Ridge to hike Hurricane Hill.  This 3 mile hike is one of the most popular in the park.  The animals in this area are pretty tame, and Mike enjoyed photographing the marmots and black tailed deer.

This hike gives huge views of the Olympic range from the top of a grassy ridge.  This was the only hike that we had to share the summit with other hikers over the entirety of the trip 4/5.

Next, we headed to where we were staying in Quilcene and had dinner at the 101 Brewery, one of two restaurants in town.  Quilcene is known for its oysters, but the restaurant was out, so we had burgers.  We went to the other restaurant, Timber Lodge, for dessert, and still having some time to kill, we drove to Finnriver Ciders and listened to some local bluegrass music.  A fun day, but we could have fit a bit more in without too much trouble.

Day 5- Mount. Ellinor & GAME DAY

The fifth day of the trip was a Sunday and that meant Mike had to watch the Lions.  Unfortunately, the Lions had a 1 PM EST game, which made it 10 AM in Washington.  I like the Lions, but I don't want to plan my vacation around them.  Mike was willing to miss the first half of the game, so I had until noon to do some exploring.  I chose a difficult hike that is one of the most popular on the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Ellinor.  This hike is 6 miles round trip and can get pretty busy, even though the last mile of the climb is pretty much a scramble up bare rock. 

 Having the game to watch got us out on the trail early, and we had the trail and the summit all to ourselves.  Similar to the Mount Dickerman hike we went about half way up in the woods, and then left the trees and entered the rock garden.  We really had fun picking our footing and scrambling up to the top.  We hiked quickly and worked up quite a sweat by the time we reached the top. 

The views were spectacular!  Both Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier were in full view. 5/5  On the way down, we saw probably 30 people walking up, so our early morning start time was definitely a positive.

After getting back to the car with drove to Buffalo Wild Wings in Olympia as we knew this would have the game.  Mike thought he was having the best day ever, until the Lions managed to un-score a touchdown with time expiring and lost to the Falcons.  Oh well, at least it was exciting.  We drove back to Seattle and joined up with Uncle Greg, Aunt Justine, and Kendall for a dinner of Thai take-out.

Day 6- Seattle 

After 5 days on the road, we had Uncle Greg and Aunt Justine give us a tour of their city. First we stopped by the Ballard Locks, that connect Puget Sound to Lakes Union and Washington.  We didn't see any Salmon jumping, but we were able to see some boats move through.

Next, we hit my favorite spot in the city, Pike Place Market. The first stop was a cup of espresso, followed by a visit to the legendary gum wall.

 Afterwards we perused the market, look at ceramics, jewelry, art, spices, tea, dried cherries, and bought the fixings for dinner.  Once we had our fill of the market, we walked down to Pioneer Square and checked out the old architecture.  

After a quick nap, Uncle Greg took us out to Lake Washington in the surf skis.  Mike and Greg went K2 to start, and I went K1. After about 40 minutes I switched with Mike.  It was a really great experience, but we are not nearly as comfortablw in kayaks as we are in canoes!  For dinner Aunt Justine's brother Alex came over and Kendall joined us too, and we feasted on Salmon, Crab, and salad that we bought at the market.

Day 7- Mount Rainier National Park

When planning the trip we decided to save a day at Mount Rainier for the end- the best for last.  Our whole trip was so good, that I just wasn't sure that Rainier could offer us anything more- but it was different than what we had seen in any other hikes and we loved it.  For this final day, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Justine, and fellow Michigander Ryan Harris joined us for our hike on the Burroughs Mountain.  

Burroughs is right next to Mount Rainier- so close that you can almost touch it.  There are three "burroughs" each offering a little closer view of Rainier.  We decided to hike to the furthest burrough, and hike a different trail back, so it was about 10 miles round trip.  Leaving from the Sunrise Visitor Center, we already felt close to the big mountain, and we just kept gettting closer. The entire trail was over Tundra-like terrain, which gave it this eerie and exposed feel.

 Along the way we spotted some mountain goats in the distance. When we reached the top of the third burrough it felt like the summit of Rainier was only another burrough away- it was awesome!  

We didn't have any problems with snow cover, and had such a beautiful day that they only challenge the weather provided was sunburn.   After such a fun day of hiking, we returned home happily tired. 5/5

Overall, this was one of the best trips we have taken.  I can't wait to see what we will explore next year!

Top 5 Posts of 2015

Hello all!  As we are reaching the end of 2015, I am looking over my year in blogging.  After reviewing the numbers, here are your favorite posts and events in the last year, maybe some that you may have missed the first time around.

5. Founding Farmer In April, we celebrated Grandpa's birthday on the farm, as well as looked back over how we got to where we are today.

4. Good Production Practices: Working with your Vet Part of a series, this post goes into how we interact with our vets on a daily basis when making animal treatment and care decisions.

3. 5 Things I learned from Michigan Young Farmer Leaders Conference  Mike and I attended a Farm Bureau Conference in Traverse City, and spent two days learning... plus a little bit of time skiing.

2. #MathieuStrong This is my only top 5 post that isn't directly about the farm, but more about our free time, training and as a family.  I also give an update about our paddling friend Mathieu after his logging accident.

1. Good Production Practices: Managing Herd Health The most popular post of 2015, this post goes into detail as to what we do on the farm to keep our pigs healthy, and how we treat them when they do get sick.


Since it's the end of the year, and my birthday, I am also posting a good memory from 2015.   This picture is from the hike Mike and I took on our anniversary in Kauai.  I am excited about the adventures we have planned for the year ahead.  

(Hiking the Napali Coast)