Guess I might have to go to work tomorrow...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Let it Snow!
First major storm of the season and it's a doozie! Hope it sticks around through Christmas! I walked to Starbucks for a mocha but no such luck, the snow was too much for them I guess, it was closed. :-( Oh well, at least I got a walk in.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Wreaths Across America
Each December, the Worcester Wreath Company of Maine donates thousands of wreaths to be placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. The effort has also recently expanded to include other cemeteries around the country. You can read more about this project here:
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/About-Us/
I decided to go see the wreath laying ceremony, held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the changing of the guard at noon on Saturday, Dec. 12th.
More than 4,000 volunteers spent the morning placing the wreaths in the older sections of the cemetery, the idea being that those are the areas that are least visited and no one shall be forgotten. I wish I'd figured that out earlier enough to volunteer. Maybe next year. I did however take a wreath for Dad's grave, since he was not in one of the decorated sections.
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/About-Us/
I decided to go see the wreath laying ceremony, held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the changing of the guard at noon on Saturday, Dec. 12th. 
More than 4,000 volunteers spent the morning placing the wreaths in the older sections of the cemetery, the idea being that those are the areas that are least visited and no one shall be forgotten. I wish I'd figured that out earlier enough to volunteer. Maybe next year. I did however take a wreath for Dad's grave, since he was not in one of the decorated sections.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's Christmas Time!
It's taking me a while to get into the spirit this year, and I still have not started shopping, but at least I have a tree and it is decorated.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
How Many People Can Fit in Mom's House for Thanksgiving?
29.
Next year we'll aim for 30.
While we're used to Thanksgiving with about 15 people, this was a new record for the Hopkins family. Make that the Hopkins-Davis-Turvene-Snyder-Shaw-Crane-Braffman-Pfeiffer family!
It was a fun day, with more than enough food to go around, and a few extra friends of TJ that were brave enough to come spend Thanksgiving with 25 people they didn't know.
The day started off with a 5k Turkey Trot around Arlington, where 11 yr. old Helen (a Girls on the Run pro) beat every member of her family to cross the finish line in 31 minutes. 8 yr. old Alex was not far behind.
After all that running, the to die for sweet potato casserole, turkey, honey baked ham, pecan pie, and pumpkin cheesecake bars hit the spot!
Next year we'll aim for 30.
While we're used to Thanksgiving with about 15 people, this was a new record for the Hopkins family. Make that the Hopkins-Davis-Turvene-Snyder-Shaw-Crane-Braffman-Pfeiffer family!
It was a fun day, with more than enough food to go around, and a few extra friends of TJ that were brave enough to come spend Thanksgiving with 25 people they didn't know.
The day started off with a 5k Turkey Trot around Arlington, where 11 yr. old Helen (a Girls on the Run pro) beat every member of her family to cross the finish line in 31 minutes. 8 yr. old Alex was not far behind.
After all that running, the to die for sweet potato casserole, turkey, honey baked ham, pecan pie, and pumpkin cheesecake bars hit the spot!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Oregon - The Not So Good Part
What was I thinking. I keep asking myself that over and over and over again, and all I can tell you is that signing up for Cycle Oregon was clearly a lapse in judgment. Clearly, I should have done more research beforehand.
It sounded like it would be so much fun! Who wouldn't want to ride their bike 400 miles around Oregon for a week? I did realize that it would be camping every night, but was assured by my partner in crime Theresa that camping was a piece of cake, and besides, not like this was real camping! We were signing up for the "Tent and Porter" service so that somebody else set up and took down our tent each day! And moved our bags. And cooked our meals. And there was yoga, massages, live music, bike mechanics, etc. In fact, before departing Boulder, my friend Janeen dubbed this "glamour camping" or "glamping" for short. So after purchasing a queen size air mattress for our tent, I was feeling optimistic that I could handle this camping thing.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
This was hell. For some reason when I signed up, I didn't quite process exactly what riding and camping with 2,000 other people would entail. "Tent City" quickly became referred to as the "Tent Slums." The tents were literally 2 inches apart from one another (see picture). You could hear people snoring, puking, farting, talking, etc. Got to love the neighbors who felt compelled to get up before 5am each and every morning and hold conversation at full volume, often about their recent visit to the porta potty. It was nothing but porta potties for a week. A week!!!!! Ugh. I can't believe that didn't dawn on me before day 1. Every where we went, we stood in line. For porta potties (see picture), for food (see picture) for bike mechanics, etc.
The biking was ok. Despite some chafing issues on day 1-2, I managed to survive the rest of the week. The scenery was beautiful at times, punctuated by multi-mile stretches on the shoulder of the interstate getting passed by semi-trucks going over 70 mph and stretches of unpaved road.
On day 1, I really was trying to figure out how to get a taxi 68 miles back from Yreka, CA to the start in Medford. I figured I could get the rental car and come pick my bike and bag up, and maybe even figure out how to get home in time to race at Savageman the following weekend. But no, I thought, maybe day 2 will be better. Mentally, I bottomed out day 2-3. I suppose after that I had resigned myself to it, and started to feel like I was making progress toward the end of the ride.
By day 5, we finally arrived in the town of Grants Pass. The first town with restaurants. Woo hoo! The stomach flu had broken out in camp by then so Theresa and I decided to eat every meal from then on in restaurants. And also so that we could use the bathrooms. I've never been so happy for restaurant bathrooms in my life!
Day 6 was an optional riding day (no thank you!) and Theresa and opted for rafting on the Rogue River instead. Definitely the better choice!
There were some highlights throughout the week, good scenery and exceptionally nice local people and volunteers in each town. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for community development projects in rural towns in OR (and on this trip in CA) and it was nice to feel part of a positive mission.
The week finally ended, and we were never so happy to first - hit a hotel, with real beds and real bathrooms, and next to make it home. I have never been so glad for a trip to be over in my entire life.
It sounded like it would be so much fun! Who wouldn't want to ride their bike 400 miles around Oregon for a week? I did realize that it would be camping every night, but was assured by my partner in crime Theresa that camping was a piece of cake, and besides, not like this was real camping! We were signing up for the "Tent and Porter" service so that somebody else set up and took down our tent each day! And moved our bags. And cooked our meals. And there was yoga, massages, live music, bike mechanics, etc. In fact, before departing Boulder, my friend Janeen dubbed this "glamour camping" or "glamping" for short. So after purchasing a queen size air mattress for our tent, I was feeling optimistic that I could handle this camping thing.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
This was hell. For some reason when I signed up, I didn't quite process exactly what riding and camping with 2,000 other people would entail. "Tent City" quickly became referred to as the "Tent Slums." The tents were literally 2 inches apart from one another (see picture). You could hear people snoring, puking, farting, talking, etc. Got to love the neighbors who felt compelled to get up before 5am each and every morning and hold conversation at full volume, often about their recent visit to the porta potty. It was nothing but porta potties for a week. A week!!!!! Ugh. I can't believe that didn't dawn on me before day 1. Every where we went, we stood in line. For porta potties (see picture), for food (see picture) for bike mechanics, etc.
The biking was ok. Despite some chafing issues on day 1-2, I managed to survive the rest of the week. The scenery was beautiful at times, punctuated by multi-mile stretches on the shoulder of the interstate getting passed by semi-trucks going over 70 mph and stretches of unpaved road.
On day 1, I really was trying to figure out how to get a taxi 68 miles back from Yreka, CA to the start in Medford. I figured I could get the rental car and come pick my bike and bag up, and maybe even figure out how to get home in time to race at Savageman the following weekend. But no, I thought, maybe day 2 will be better. Mentally, I bottomed out day 2-3. I suppose after that I had resigned myself to it, and started to feel like I was making progress toward the end of the ride.
By day 5, we finally arrived in the town of Grants Pass. The first town with restaurants. Woo hoo! The stomach flu had broken out in camp by then so Theresa and I decided to eat every meal from then on in restaurants. And also so that we could use the bathrooms. I've never been so happy for restaurant bathrooms in my life!
Day 6 was an optional riding day (no thank you!) and Theresa and opted for rafting on the Rogue River instead. Definitely the better choice!
There were some highlights throughout the week, good scenery and exceptionally nice local people and volunteers in each town. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for community development projects in rural towns in OR (and on this trip in CA) and it was nice to feel part of a positive mission.
The week finally ended, and we were never so happy to first - hit a hotel, with real beds and real bathrooms, and next to make it home. I have never been so glad for a trip to be over in my entire life.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Oregon - The Good Part
From Colorado, Theresa and I headed to Oregon for a little sight seeing and catching up with friends before Cycle Oregon started. We had 5 days to see as much of Oregon as we could, and did we ever! I don't particularly like whirlwind sightseeing, but there was so much we wanted to do and 5 days was all we had before the riding started.
We actually started off in Washington. Family friends Dave and Liz Lincoln recently moved from VA to White Salmon, WA (or at least took up a secondary residence you might say). White Salmon is just across the Columbia River from Hood River, OR and is located in "The Gorge." It is an outdoor person's playground. Tired from a plane ride, time change, and a flat tire incident with the rental car in Portland, we arrived at the Lincoln's around 9:15pm on a Tuesday night. Liz started pouring the wine and she and Dave got out the maps of the area and brochures on every fun thing you could possibly want to do. Liz asked if we had any reservations or plans for the the next day, to which we said "No." Before we knew it, she was on the phone to the white water rafting outfitter, Zollers, and we were booked on a 9am rafting trip down the White Salmon river - class 3 and 4 rapids.
What a trip! It was awesome! Excellent guides, a couple of raft-mates who were vacationing from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and live right next to my old high school, and a just an all around fun time rafting down the river that included a 14 ft. drop over a waterfall. I wish I'd been able to take my camera a long, but it's safe to say it would not have survived the deluge of water in the raft.
After refueling, Theresa and I drove out to Mt. Hood for some up close pictures and hit a few wineries. Then Dave took us for a sail out on the Columbia River that evening as the sun was setting. It was fantastic! It was great to get a view of the area from the water and it was so relaxing to just sit on the boat and sail.
The next day we did a brief hike up Dog Mountain - a straight up climb - and then started the drive toward the coast, stopping briefly at the Bonneville Dam along the way to see the fish ladder.
Next up was Lincoln City, OR - the home of Theresa's friend Sandy. She too was an awesome hostess, taking us out to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, setting us up in her sister's incredible beach house for the night, and then navigating us down the central coast of Oregon to catch some spectacular scenery as we made our way south toward Medford for Cycle Oregon.
Along our drive, we stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area for a dune buggy ride. It was so much fun! The dunes stretch 62 miles along the coast and are 7 miles wide. It is an immense area of sand, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Theresa, the adrenaline junkie, informed our driver that she wanted him to drive it like a roller coaster and that he did. Top speeds, on the side of dunes, quick turns, I was sure we were going to flip over, but thankfully we remained upright. I am still trying to rid myself of all the sand though!
Before the riding began, Theresa and I made a quick trip out to Crater Lake, determined not to miss it when we were so close! I wish I could have spent an entire day there, hiking and swimming but we just didn't have the time, so we settled for a couple hours driving the rim. It was indeed spectacular.
We actually started off in Washington. Family friends Dave and Liz Lincoln recently moved from VA to White Salmon, WA (or at least took up a secondary residence you might say). White Salmon is just across the Columbia River from Hood River, OR and is located in "The Gorge." It is an outdoor person's playground. Tired from a plane ride, time change, and a flat tire incident with the rental car in Portland, we arrived at the Lincoln's around 9:15pm on a Tuesday night. Liz started pouring the wine and she and Dave got out the maps of the area and brochures on every fun thing you could possibly want to do. Liz asked if we had any reservations or plans for the the next day, to which we said "No." Before we knew it, she was on the phone to the white water rafting outfitter, Zollers, and we were booked on a 9am rafting trip down the White Salmon river - class 3 and 4 rapids.
What a trip! It was awesome! Excellent guides, a couple of raft-mates who were vacationing from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and live right next to my old high school, and a just an all around fun time rafting down the river that included a 14 ft. drop over a waterfall. I wish I'd been able to take my camera a long, but it's safe to say it would not have survived the deluge of water in the raft.
After refueling, Theresa and I drove out to Mt. Hood for some up close pictures and hit a few wineries. Then Dave took us for a sail out on the Columbia River that evening as the sun was setting. It was fantastic! It was great to get a view of the area from the water and it was so relaxing to just sit on the boat and sail.
The next day we did a brief hike up Dog Mountain - a straight up climb - and then started the drive toward the coast, stopping briefly at the Bonneville Dam along the way to see the fish ladder.
Next up was Lincoln City, OR - the home of Theresa's friend Sandy. She too was an awesome hostess, taking us out to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, setting us up in her sister's incredible beach house for the night, and then navigating us down the central coast of Oregon to catch some spectacular scenery as we made our way south toward Medford for Cycle Oregon.
Along our drive, we stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area for a dune buggy ride. It was so much fun! The dunes stretch 62 miles along the coast and are 7 miles wide. It is an immense area of sand, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Theresa, the adrenaline junkie, informed our driver that she wanted him to drive it like a roller coaster and that he did. Top speeds, on the side of dunes, quick turns, I was sure we were going to flip over, but thankfully we remained upright. I am still trying to rid myself of all the sand though!
Before the riding began, Theresa and I made a quick trip out to Crater Lake, determined not to miss it when we were so close! I wish I could have spent an entire day there, hiking and swimming but we just didn't have the time, so we settled for a couple hours driving the rim. It was indeed spectacular.
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