Happy New Calendar Numbers Everyone!

     Hopefully you spent your New Years doing something fun, watchin' fireworks, toasting some bubbly, something festive. Did you choose a resolution? One that you can keep? We didn't really do anything for the calendar change this year, Ash had to go to bed early to wake up for work the next day, and I just played computer games and relaxed... and watched the cops busting people on the road below passing through town drunk driving.... those idiots......the drunks i mean, not the cops lol.  As far as a resolution goes, I think we considered achieving our goal of moving cross country enough of a resolution met that we can afford to chill for at least a couple of years haha. In all seriousness though, the typical resolutions people have like loosing weight, getting healthy, taking a vacation, or getting motivated to do something great, all these things are fulfilling themselves just by virtue of us living out here. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to get good exercise just by having fun hiking and seeing the sights. I've done a little video to encapsulate our recent 8 mile jaunt on the PCT:

 (follow the instructions from the last blog on how to make the video quality better, this time it's in high definition, choose 1080p. it will take a while to load but once it does, maximize the video by clicking the button with the four arrows pointing in opposite directions at the far right of the loading bar. Then press play and enjoy!)

View The Video: CLICK HERE


If you want to see any of the photos as still pictures
( like mom does for desktop backgrounds): CLICK HERE



On a hiking unrelated note, I had one of the best craigslist scores recently, a $5 office chair.. yes.. only FIVE BUCKS!:

And in case you were wondering, it looks just as good in person as it does in this photo (with the exception of a tiny tear on the seat that was repaired and not noticeable). Check out all that great sun. I picked the best spot in the house to put the desk. You can just sit there and take in a panoramic  almost surround view of the gorge!


I can't believe we have been here what is it, going on three months already? In a way it feels like we've just arrived, but in another weird way it feels like this has always been home. Like I can't imagine living anywhere else... is that strange? I guess it's just that we love it so much. The weather, while cold, has not been unpleasant. It's still novel to some degree but I genuinely like it. It makes things beautiful in a way that no other climate can. Things sparkle and shimmer in the cold and snow and ice. Items that were previously ugly like the mud puddle in our driveway become beautiful little artifacts. I can't get over the frozen waterfalls. We pass several of them on the way to and from Portland and some of them get completely frozen and still, it's the strangest sight. Speaking of Portland, I've gone there on several occasions so far and that city is really something else. I'll be taking a camera with me next time so I can share all it's urban marvels. Another interesting thing we took note of recently is that neither me nor ash has been bitten by a mosquito the entire time we've been here. I know even now in the dead of winter in FL those little buggers will still get you if you aren't careful.