Where did Summer GO? Part 1

So I can't believe how this summer has FLOWN by! It makes me a little sad even, to see the last post I had was in July. I have read/ listened to tons of books, at least six I can think of off the top of my head, and I might even review a few on here. This post won't be about books though, and it won't be about crafting, though I suspect I'll be doing more in the coming months. I have ambitious plans for this Christmas, but more on that later!

July was crazy, but August, that is the one that flew by. What I think I'll do in this post is just share some of the pictures from my summertime adventures.

July was full of, (miserable) Jogging, Hiking and Biking... Although I didn't do any of the biking. I'll start first with the biking... My step-father did the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride and my mother and I were the "support staff" for him. (I was there to take pictures and just generally be impressed.)

This, in itself may or may not sound impressive except that the bike ride is 204 miles (328.3 km). Crazy.

My step-father did this in ONE day. Crazier.

My step-father is 70 years-old. Has had two knee replacements and a stint put in. Ridiculousness.

They wrote an article about him in our local newspaper. Complete silliness. (but also kinda cool.)

I will share some of those pictures, plus some my mom doesn't like. I don't care because she posts pictures on Facebook of me every now and then, where I look absolutely terrible and this is my payback. :) (I Love you mom!)

I don't know ANY of these people, but I have MUCH respect for them.
It was quite HOT out when they were riding.

View from the road. I think this is in Kelso...

This is the finish line. Hollowday Park in Portland, OR. When people arrive they
immediate find a place to discard their bike then locate the nearest Beer Garden.

My step-father, Corky, pointing out his next destination, the Beer Garden.

Mom and I on the Support Staff for Corky. We got t-shirts. We really did nothing
but follow him and shop our way south but we had fun, and we took video of him
when he crossed  the finish line.

 And then there was the Hiking...  I've been personally making an effort to lose some weight and I'm have some success. Partly because I am driven see fewer crappy pictures of myself showing up on Facebook (thanks to others who clearly hate me), but mostly because of my two motivators, Jenny and Candi.

These two young women have been at it maybe only a couple months longer than I, but they are doing fantastic! I can't even explain how well they are doing, but I know the pictures you are about to see are a month old now. A month is a LONG time in terms of the amount of weight lost between the three of us. I'm not going to talk about numbers, but I want you to know, these girls are my inspiration, and these pictures don't do anyone any justice. With that said, here are a few that I'm willing to share.

First there was the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Hike near White Pass in Washington State:

Caityn, our Mascot, couldn't seem to get this photo-op together...

I love this view because it's so lovely AND it has
Caityn, my cousin's yellow lab swimming out to
a stick in the middle.

Me, trying not to mess up the picture too much. This is Lake
Packwood or maybe it's Packwood Lake. Either way...

The view from the trail! It's Mt. Rainier!

I'm clearly not tired yet... this should be the beginning
photo. I don't even look sweaty yet in this shot!

And then there was Pete's Creek trail in Olympic National Forest... This one was a beast, and we didn't complete it. Photos never do the wilderness ANY justice. I am so impressed by the beauty of this area.

Colonel Bob - Pete's Creek trail side. Steep but shorter than the
Northern side.

This is the GOOD part of this trail.

This is part of the NOT SO GOOD part.

Rain forest trees are huge.

We stopped when we reached the wildflowers. Apparently about
half way to the top. I hear the view is spectacular though.

I am already planning my next hiking weekend. One last hurrah before the end of the summer. We have such short summers here in the Pacific Northwest. This year might be a little longer.

August, what a whirlwind month! So much happened that I think it's worth a whole separate post.