MLK Day by the Shore

Over the long weekend, we went to the coast with my friend, Carol. We had some typical Oregon winter weather with pouring rain as we drove through the Coast Range and then clouds, sprinkling rain, and fog in Oceanside. We enjoyed playing cards by the window overlooking the ocean and occasionally popping down to walk on the beach when the rain and unusually high tides allowed.

Low tide in Oceanside.

We had a stroke of luck for the lunar eclipse, with a clear sky just as the shadow of the Earth started to leave the moon, giving us an excellent view of what the media referred to as the Super Blood Wolf Moon. To their credit, it was amazing!

A beach party for Carol and Nancy.

Back to the Columbia Gorge

We were excited to try out our cool new day packs after Christmas, and a cold but sunny Sunday gave us the perfect opportunity. We drove to Angel’s Rest, a relatively close-in hike in the Columbia Gorge.

We were joined by a co-worker of mine. The views at the top were spectacular. The wind, however, was strong enough to knock me off my feet at one point.

-Hendrik

Winter views

One bright spot during the short winter days is that I get to work in time to see the sunrise.

There is a (temporarily) vacant office near my desk, and every morning I spend some time in there enjoying the sight.

I won’t complain when it’s light out before I leave home though.

-Hendrik

Cross country skiing

Next up in winter wonderland fun: cross country skiing. We set out with our adventure buddy, Jessica, skiing up the trail at Kelly canyon. It was Hendrik’s first time on skis of any type and he did a great job on the first half of the trail, which was all uphill. Of course, that means the second half was all downhill and he didn’t like that so much. He disliked it so much that he took off his skis and walked back. As for me, I think it was the first time I finally got the hang of cross country skiing and I actually had some fun.

Nancy, Jessica, and Debbie showing off their skis!

We both enjoyed part three of the adventure, which was soaking in the hot pool at Heise Hot Springs before the drive back to Idaho Falls.