Adventures in Portland, OR

One of my favorite places is Portland, Oregon. There is just something about it that stands out, perhaps it’s the eclectic people or the fact that they promote “keeping Portland weird.” Either way, I like it! It’s a very down to earth town, and I’m very into the whole eco-friendly/going green movement that seems to be picked up on more in Portland. It’s my kind of city.

So, on this particular occasion, my grandparents from California were on a bus tour that brought them to the city to watch the Rose Festival Parade. My father was going to drive the two and a half hours down to spend the day with him, so I figured I would join him and spend some quality time with the “G-folks.” After a pretty easy drive down (all thanks to cruise control) we made our way into the city. Parking, we decided to do a little shopping before heading over to the start of the parade. My mom’s birthday is coming up and she has been asking for this particular Tiffany & Co. necklace that she loves, so... you can only guess where we went. BUT considering that she will probably read this blog, I will not say another word on the subject. ATTN MOM: You’re still in for a surprise. (I love you!) Ok, but anyways- we walked around for a bit and then decided to cross the bridge and head over to the Colosseum where my grandparents were watching the parade.

Crossing the Broadway bridge, I had to snap some photos of us. It was a interesting structure, and provided some cool photography. It was an extremely bike and pedestrian-friendly bridge, which was nice compared to some of the bridges here in Washington. I would be very afraid to cross some of our bridges on foot. Walking through people sitting and waiting for the parade to come, we definitely got our fill of interesting people. Approaching the parade, we found a little spot to sit and watch for a bit. Surrounded by families and small children, it was so cute because there was this little boy that kept wanting to march with every marching band that would pass by. I definitely got a laugh out of watching his enthusiasm for such a passive (for lack of better words) parade. 

Becoming quickly bored by the overwhelmingly redundant scenery, we decided to head over to find out where we were supposed to meet the old folks. Upon our venture over there we ran into this couple who informed us that they had been given four tickets to watch the parade inside the Colosseum. They offered us the extra two and we all headed inside. However, I didn’t quite understand the point of why someone would want to watch a parade indoors... because doesn’t that take away from a huge part of why people like parades? I still don’t understand, but I guess it was nice at the time to sit on something a little softer than concrete. We spotted the grandparents and took a seat to wait out the increasingly boring display of entries... Can you tell I wasn’t a huge fan of the parade?

I took some photos of the “highlights” (if you could call them that) and I’ll let you decide for yourself where this parade ranks on the awesometer (awesome meter). Catching up with the grandparents was the best part though! 

We caught the MAX back into downtown, grabbed some lunch, witnessed a horrifying display of the F-bomb being dropped fifty times in less than a minute, and soaked in some of the sunshine that decided to pop out from in hiding halfway through the day. Upon heading back to the car, I kept seeing these people running around like they were in some sort of scavenger hunt. They were wearing bib numbers and they were part of “The Great Urban Race.” I did a little research and it apparently is a scavenger hunt! You have a sheet of clues and puzzles that you have to solve and get checked off. TOTALLY like the Amazing Race, which is something my best friend and I are DYING to do someday! The G.U.R. is coming to Seattle in August, so you already know where we’ll be! I wanted to do it so bad in Portland, I was almost tempted to run up to a team and ask them what our next clue was. Good thing I never follow through on anything...

Heading back into Vancouver, WA to the grandparent’s hotel, I had the opportunity to visit with my boyfriend and his family while I left the rest of the gang back at the hotel. After a couple of hours soaking in some sun and chatting with some of my favorite people, I dragged Kyle back to have dinner with me and the oldies. And boy, was that an experience. 

Before dinner, we hung out on the main hotel patio overlooking the Columbia River and it was beautiful!!! I could have stayed out there all afternoon. We then went into the dining banquet hall where Kyle and I were literally decades and decades... even half a century younger than some of the people in the room. Now, I work with a lot of elderly people and I have quickly become used to being around them. Kyle’s excuse was that he loves old people... Can you see me rolling my eyes as I type this? We piled up our plates and not even a minute after taking our seats, one of the older ladies started to sing. She was really getting into too, but everyone was just watching her like it was no big deal. I am sitting there, however, TRYING to be polite and not start busting up laughing at this unexpected and truly unpredictable sight (and I guess, sound). The best part was when my Grandma leaned over and says, “She does this at every dinner. Yesterday, she grabbed the microphone on the bus and started singing...” Oy vey. Can I just stop aging now? PLEASE?! 

After a tasty, and entertaining dinner, we said our goodbyes and headed back up to good ol’ Federal Way. I was extremely drained from the busy day, but again- Portland never fails to create memories. Gotta keep Portland weird, right?

Tiger Mountain - Issaquah, WA

One of my all-time favorite hikes has to be Tiger Mountain. It’s hard to choose a new trail to try when I could easily jump in the car and head an easy thirty minutes east to this glorious mountain that’s home to many hikers and mountain bikers. The first time I ever tried this trail was almost a year ago, last summer with my boyfriend Kyle. An avid backpacker and lover of the outdoors, he is truly the perfect match when it comes to a hiking partner. Our story went like this:

It was approaching noon on a rather normal overcast summer day here in Western Washington, and my boyfriend was visiting for the weekend before school started. I had heard some things about Tiger Mountain, and was really craving to check it out, so it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Kyle. The trail was pretty quiet, and we took our time soaking in the scenery and each other’s company. We hiked and hiked, and finally we approached a gravel road marking the end of the trail. It was either hike back the way we came, or continue with the unknown and see where the gravel road led us. The weather was clear, and I was still craving un-hiked territory, so Kyle let me make the decision of continuing on. A couple of miles into the leisurely walk down the gravel road, the rain started: not just a shower here and there, literally dumping down on us as we walked down the open path. We found another trail that we assumed led back to the other side of the mountain (where we started), so we took our chances. With time ticking, the sun going down, and a confusing switchback trail, it felt like we were going to be out there forever. 


Finally we made it to another gravel road and I swear, I remember it so vividly now and will forever, we booked it down that road. I had hurt my knee a little bit back in the trail, so I couldn’t run for too long before needing to stop and take a break. Kyle was so great with it all, and was so encouraging throughout the whole hike. While running down the hill I mentioned to him that I felt like we were on “Mantracker” or “The Amazing Race,” trying to escape the cowboy on the horse, or the team behind us to win the million dollars. We finally made it back to the car (10 and a half miles later) before sundown, soaked to the core but with huge smiles on our faces. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I was able to share it with one of the best people I know. 

A couple of months later, I hiked the same trail with my best friend, Olivia. It was a gorgeous trail, and I wanted to show her just how special it is. We were much luckier though, because the sun decided to shine for us and no rain jacket was needed. We took our time hiking through the mossy overhang of trees and muddy trails, while snapping photos of each other along the way. It took us a while to get up to the top, but the view was stunning. 

We took a Lunabar break, and soaked up some sun before using my previous knowledge in deciding to head back to the car while we had the chance. The walk back down was much faster, and the trail was a lot busier than when Kyle and I had gone. We made it back to the car with a huge “hooray!” and a high-five; thankful that it was now a very familiar trail that I could hike without any worries.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I proposed to my mom that we take our dog Holly on a walk. I was bored of walking around the neighborhood, so I suggested we try a hike, and none other than Tiger Mountain! With a pack full of snacks, water and doggy food, we were out the door and on our way. It was another gorgeous, sunny day and I was full of excitement, adventure and confidence in my knowledge of the trail. We pulled into a rather busy gravel lot and quickly made our way onto the trail. My mom quickly got things rolling with a nice trip over a stump in the trail, and I instantly began a count for how many times she stumbled over herself on the path. (Let’s just say it ended in the double digits). Holly was loving every second of this, and couldn’t get enough of her surroundings. We walked over bridges, up rocky inclines and through sticks and brush, but she never slowed or wanted to stop for anything. It was quite jaw-dropping, because she often refuses to walk with me down the street in our own neighborhood. This was the hiking doggy of my dreams!!! We made it to the top after just a mere forty-five minutes (record time!), and decided to take some time to get our daily dose of Vitamin D and enjoy the view (which will never be less than amazing!). It was incredibly peaceful and I could have spent all afternoon out on the mountain, looking out over the blanket of trees covering the scenery’s backdrop. It is so worth the short hike to the top, and the climb is far from boring. 

It’s hard to put it into words, so I think these photos will sum it up nicely.

Sammamish River Trail - Redmond, WA

Taking advantage of the day off work, I decided to round up my sister and our bikes and travel back to a recently familiar location that has quickly become one of my favorites. A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I ran a four mile race at Marymoor Park in the very nice city of Redmond. My mom asked for some support, so I thought “what the heck? why not run the 5k (as I was told before learning it was going to be just a little longer in actuality) with her?” I had been sick for almost a week by now, but I didn’t let the amount of snot coming out of my nose or my lack of voice damper my mom’s day. So, with a dreaded early wake up call on a crisp Saturday morning, we made our way to the park and to the registration table to pick up our race bib and t-shirt. Coincidentally, BuDu Racing was timing the eight mile race, so I chatted (as best as I could) and introduced my mom to Rory and Deanna Muller, the best bosses I could ask for! Upon beginning the race, my mom and I decided to pace each other (even though she is much, MUCH faster than me) and just enjoy the race and each other’s company. The scenery was so lovely, running along the river and the beautiful buildings made it so much fun! The whole race I just kept thinking about bringing my bike out here and just going for miles to explore this trail. Running is not my favorite, so re-doing this on my bike warmed my heart just a little faster than the thought of pounding pavement again.


And then the day was here! Two weeks later, I finally was on my way back to explore even more of this intriguing trail and my sister had not been there prior, so she was the perfect person to bring along. Piling the bikes in the back of her new (to her) 2000 Jeep Cherokee, we set off with a pack full of snacks, bike pump, helmets and some old cassette tapes we found in the attic. Let me explain, because if you are reading this I guarantee you are playing that game of finding which thing doesn’t belong with the others. And you would be right! Our Spice Girl cassette does not belong with the bike gear. Ding ding ding - we have a winner! But seriously, we found them because Emily’s car has a cassette tape player and we wanted to see if it still worked, along with bringing back some memories with a little “Last Time Lover” and “Mama,” both of which are never going to be played again in that Jeep Cherokee.


With such a great driver at the wheel and almost-accurate directions on my iPhone, we arrived at our destination! Just upon entering the park, there is a parking lot on the right hand side that is closest to the beginning of the trail and only costs one dollar for the entire day. We parked and Emily got the bikes out of the car while I went to the pay station to pay for our parking. Making sure we had everything, we were off!

Moving fast along the trail, we discovered that we were just one of many, many bike riders and families that were taking advantage of the day off, and it was nice to see so many people out and about. Passing the two mile turnaround spot for that prior race, I was determined to keep moving into undiscovered trail territory. Emily was lagging a bit, so with a couple stops and starts, it turned into more of a “leisure” ride, so I had to dial down my Border Collie-like enthusiasm for speed and mileage.


We finally made it to this old, red-iron bridge crossing the river and probably into another trail, so we made this our turnaround spot for today and I let Emily take a small break while I made it a photo- op. From looking at the signs, I let Emily know that we were three miles into the trail, meaning we had three more on the way back. She sighed a huge sigh of exasperation, and continued to let me know of the numerous things she could have been doing on her day off of school instead of this dreaded activity. I snapped a photo of the whiny girl on the bridge and insisted that since I was obviously going “too fast” for her, she should get a head-start on riding back while I snap a couple of more photos for the blog. She grinned and her last words were “eat my dust” before pedaling off like a maniac for a quarter of a mile through the groups of people also on the trail.

The river was very peaceful, and the trail that continued on from where we were turning around looked to be a little less surrounded by apartment homes and buildings. There was also an off-road trail that led into a cluster of trees that sparked an interest, so I mentally made note of what to do next time I am back in Redmond with my bike.

(I was a happy camper.)


Heading back on the trail, it took me a couple of minutes before I spotted Emily still pounding away at her pedals, with nervous glances back to check on my progress. I chuckled, and with some pounding of my own, caught up to the exhausted and defeated young sister of mine. I gave her some kudos for the hilarity of it all, but could tell she was ready to be back at the car. Spotting the butterfly garden up ahead, we took another break and this time, she brought out the reserves of energy bars I had in my pack. She munched on her Larabar, and we just sat there for a while observing the passerby's and realizing how tired we actually were. The garden was beautiful though, and as you can see - they pay people well to maintain it for visitors like us.

Long story short, we made it back to the parking lot, but we spotted a playground not too far in the distance and of course, HAD to go check it out. We rode down the paved service road before stumbling upon Emily’s favorite part of the trip - the concert stage! The empty stage was just sitting there, and in a matter of minutes Emily was up there running around, singing and exclaiming how she was meant to be on stage. Boy, such enthusiasm came out of nowhere and it was hilarious to watch her perk up so much and pretend to greet me as a fan with those cliche slow-touchy-hive-fives-that-aren’t-really-high-fives. I snapped a photo of the diva, and made my way onto the stage. Leading up to the stage was a strip of pavement, and soon Emily made that into a runway and showed the park just how to work it. Again- it was hilarious!

Slowly, I pried her away from her “destiny” and we piled the bikes back into the car and set off to grab some lunch at PCC Natural Markets (my favorite spot for gluten free chocolate chip cookies!). With some tasty food in our bellies, we set off for home and I must say, I think Emily enjoyed herself. I don’t think sleeping in is really worth it when you have so many things to explore- especially in the Pacific Northwest and western Washington alone! Now it’s time to plan where I will “drag” her to next...

Mt. Rainer Duathlon - Enumclaw, WA

Budu Racing is the company and product of much hard work, a great husband and wife team, and the source of my many paychecks. It never feels like work though, so it’s one of the most enjoyable jobs a person could have. I’ve been working with them for a couple of seasons now and we’re just getting warmed up to the beginning of triathlon season! Among the many different types of events they hold, like mountain bike races and duathlons, triathlons are my favorite! A lot of racers that I talk with dread the swim part of the tri’s, but that would be my favorite. So I always have a good laugh when we exchange looks of disgust for one another’s “favorite” part of the race.


On this particular day, Budu was holding a duathlon in Enumclaw called the Mt. Rainer Duathlon. This is the first duathlon I have ever worked, let alone witnessed in my life. So I was plenty curious in seeing how it all played out. With an early start of 5:30 I was out the door and on the road. The sun was rising, I had my favorite album playing on the car stereo, and I was one of the lone people driving along this country road passing horses munching on their morning serving of grass. It was heaven. As much as I dreaded the early morning, this made me want to wake up every morning at this time just for the spectacular view of mountain ranges and the sun rising. I actually snapped a picture of Mt. Rainer because I couldn’t stop fixating on how stunning it was, and the picture sure doesn’t do it any justice. (I was also driving so don’t mind how illegal and unsafe I was being, just focus on that beautiful mountain!)

Arriving at the Enumclaw Expo Center, we began registration. Everyone was in a great mood and all were excited that the weather was so fantastic. Part of registration is to give a quick synopsis of what’s in their packets and instructions on the days schedule. So to inform all of you who aren’t quite sure what the heck a duathlon is, here’s the scoop. DUathlon means two, whereas triathlon must obviously mean three. So the event consists of two things: running and biking. First the racers run a 5k (I believe, it always depends on if its the long or short course, but this is what we’ll go with until I’m corrected otherwise), and then bike 14 miles (long course did two loops, so 28 miles), and then they must run another 5k, or however long it is. Run, ride, run. Simple as that. Included in your packet is your run bib number, your bike’s bib number and your timing chip which will give you your overall time and splits between each “leg” of the race. I thought I would snap a photo on my phone of all the happy Budu Racing employees at registration. I love my coworkers!

Upon the start of the race, Olivia (best friend) and I got started on setting up the food table while cheering on any participants making it to the transition area to begin the bike course of the race. This is how what transition looks like...

Not soon after, I was rushed off to follow the last biker as he left transition and headed out. Cruising along with the boss’ daughter we found some great scenery and had to snap a photo to commemorate the 28 mile trip (we had to go around twice, one for following and another for cleanup of all the signs and cones).

The last guy we ended up following was so awesome and as an older man, definitely persevered through the biking part of the race. It was a hilly course, so many struggled with that aspect. But, when we got back to the start/finish he was just coming in to run under the finish banner and I had to go up and give him a big hug and smile to let him know that he finished first in my book. Ironically after saying that he ended up winning first for his age group! That is one of the special parts of working such events, the spirit of it all is so light and fun. First place is cool, but finishing is rewarding in itself. It’s very inspirational and with triathlon season coming up quickly I am even considering entering into one myself. Best friend Olivia says she’s going to do one this summer, so I am very excited to get to cheer her on and see her cross the finish line with a huge smile on her face.


I love my job! :-)

Point Defiance Park - Tacoma, WA

I realize that Spring has just only begun, but it’s hard to accept that winter is really over. It is constantly raining, the sun hardly shines and you would think we have been sucked into a different universe that correlates with the weather in the North Pole. Except I’m not seeing any elves or reindeer around my neighborhood. However, I have been using the weather as an excuse to further my “hibernation” and although it has been nice, enough is enough. It is time to wake up and start crawling out of the dark hole I call my bedroom, and rediscover the world around me through my favorite outdoor activity: hiking! With a half day of work and surprisingly suspicious blue skies, I decided to take advantage of the good weather and go on my first hike of spring! Upon mentioning this to my mom and sister they wanted to get in on the fun, so we decided to bring the dog and make it a girls trip to one of our favorite local spots: Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. With about 702 acres of park, hiking and running trails, rose gardens, beaches, wildlife, Fort Nisqually and the Pt. Defiance zoo, it always has something to do. I’ve hiked around some of the trails before, but we all decided to try a new one that looked potentially promising. Looking for signs of spring time popping up in between the bushes and stumps of tree tops, I was on a mission. 

The trails were a little muddy, but that was excusable seeing how it had rained every day of March and what seemed like the first half of April. On a lighter note, everything was so green and beautifully luscious. The sun was shining and you could feel the newly produced oxygen flowing from the trees and into your lungs as you inhaled exuberant sighs and breaths along the rocky trail. It was so overwhelmingly refreshing to finally be able to step outside and enjoy the Pacific Northwest on one of its finer days, that I had to stop for a couple minutes and inhale as much fresh air as I could while alternating with exhales of stress and tension. It’s amazing what deep breathing and a little outdoor exposure can do for one’s soul. 

Passing by the skyscraper tall trees and countless bushes of green, we reached the end of the trail. It was a short walk, probably taking us 30 minutes to walk the trail including our frequent stops. Emily found a cool tree stump to climb around on, so I had to snap a quick photo to throw in the blog. 

The view from the end of the trail was nice, and we encountered lots of people parked and sitting on their cars just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful day. Walking back to the parking lot where our car was, I was a little bummed I didn’t see any wildlife! I’ve seen raccoons at the park before, so I was at least expecting that. There were a lot of beautiful birds flying around, so I just started to comfort myself in the fact that I did see some “wildlife” when my mom yelled “Olivia! Raccoons!” I think I sprained my neck from looking up and around as quickly as I did, but it was worth it because they were so cute. One was trying to cross the street and join the others in the tree, but was seeming to have a hard time gaining enough confidence to bolt across the road and take its chances. I snapped a couple of photos of the ones in the tree while trying to coax them to come down and play, but both my mom and the voice of reason in my head told me no, so I decided to listen... this time at least. 

Overall it was a great first mini-hike of Spring, and if anyone is looking for a little casual walking or a place with something to do, this is the spot to go. The five-mile loop is perfect for walking and bike riding, which is the next thing I will have to go back and do seeing that I just bought a new bike! With lots of little spots to lay down a blanket for picnics, and the Antique Sandwich Co. just down the street for a bite to eat, you can’t go wrong in this part of town.

Enjoy your own backyard and take advantage of it! It’s one of the biggest and easiest privileges to enjoy, so take a few minutes and show some appreciation. On to the next hike... let’s hope for more lovely weather! :-)

Peace, sun, and hiking,

Olivia