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April 10, 2012

A Perfect Evening in Astoria, Oregon

Perfect weather. Perfect food. Perfect drinks. Perfect transportation. Perfect company.

This lovely evening in Astoria started out with a chauffeured ride in a 1945 Cadillac to our chosen restaurant: The Fort George brewery. It felt like we were stepping back in time. We stayed at the Cannery Pier Hotel, and one of their luxury accommodations includes complementary chauffeur service in one of their vintage cars.

Dinners out are a bit different now that Little B can {more or less} sit in a high chair. I love that he can now be a part of it all. We bring along food for him to keep him occupied (and fed, of course), and usually even manage to steal bits from our plates for him.

As soon as we arrived at Fort George, we knew we had made the right choice for dinner. Beers were chosen: a lager for Slaed, and the Rye Pale Ale for me, and with a quick glance at the menu, I was ready with my order. Slaed on the other hand needed more time. Does this happen with any one else…? He often insists on each of our dinners adding up to be the perfect combination. The two can’t be too similar or it just won’t work. The reason I tell you this is because when it came down to it, thanks to our server, we really did order the perfect combination! House-made sausage with peppers, onions, and sauerkraut AND fish and chips. Not just any fish and chips though. Albacore fish and chips. The best fish and chips you’ve ever tasted. Like butter. I was so busy eating that I neglected to take a picture of the food.

mr. black bean face

yes, the beer is served in mason jars. one of my favorite things.

We could have had the Cadillac come to take us back to the hotel, but we wanted to see more of Astoria, and take advantage of the beautiful night. Off we went exploring…via the the Astoria River Walk.

an “old fashioned” phone booth

Astoria-Megler bridge at sunset

connecting Oregon and Washington…

I called these “pier graveyards”…they were everywhere.

There is so much more to Astoria. Interesting museums, Victorian-style houses, Lewis & Clark… This was just a quick trip. I’m already planning our next adventure.

Info to Know:

Astoria is in Northwestern Oregon; situated near the mouth of the Columbia River.
It was the setting for the movie, “The Goonies”, filmed in 1985.
The Cannery Pier Hotel where we stayed is pet friendly. It’s located just below the Astoria-Megler bridge on Basin Street.
Fort George Brewery is in “downtown” Astoria: 1483 Duane Street.
The Astoria River Walk follows the Columbia River. About 4 miles are paved. The riverfront trolley runs along 2 of those miles. Find out more here.

Astoria on Dwellable

April 9, 2012

A Spring Visit to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

The Nisqually River

On our way out to the coast last weekend, we planned a quick excursion to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Since it’s restoration in 2009, Slaed has wanted to visit, and this trip provided the perfect opportunity for us to check it out.

The refuge, where the Nisqually River meets the Puget Sound, is in Olympia, WA; about an hour’s drive from Seattle. The meeting of the Nisqually River and the Puget Sound, make the area very diverse with fresh and salt water habitats. As we pulled up and entered the park, we were bombarded with signs prohibiting dogs. No dogs allowed, and they mean it! Poor Norm had to stay in the car. We made our way to the visitors center and decided that all we had time for was the quick “Twin Barns Loop Trail”. This didn’t give us much to explore, but we’d get to a taste, and know exactly what to do on our next visit.

As we walked along the boardwalk of the loop trail, I asked Slaed to guess the first animal we would see or encounter. He went with a safe guess: “a bird”. He was exactly right! The first animals viewed were a couple of geese. The wildlife spotting did not stop there. Along the way, we saw several robin, more geese, squirrels, a black bird, and a deer.

With spring in full swing, there was also plenty of flora to view. We learned that Skunk Cabbage is out in full force as well as these beautiful pink blooms. I will need to do some research to find out their actual name!

About halfway around the trail, we came upon the loop’s namesake.

Twin Barns

There were several overlooks providing wide spaces to observe. They often were accompanied with interpretive signs and even mounted scopes. Baby B took full advantage.

Taking a closer look.

It turns out, the 1-mile loop trail was just the right hike for us. We were able to enjoy the beauty of the refuge with a happy baby, and it was a great way to stretch our legs before the remainder of our journey. That’s not to say, we don’t want to see more next time. For our next Nisqually adventure, I’d like to hike the Nisqually Estuary Trail and Boardwalk; a 4 mile round trip route.

Next stop, Astoria, Oregon!

Info to Know:

From I-5 take exit 114. There will be clearly marked signs guiding you to the refuge.
Open daily from sunrise to sunset with the Visitor Center open Wednesday – Sunday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
There is an entrance fee of $3.00 per four adults. Children 16 & under are free
Hungry? Stop at Norma’s for a tasty hamburger. You can see it from the freeway. Staff is friendly, loves kids and babies, and even let us take a refill of our drinks to go!

April 9, 2012

1/2 marathon adventure: week 2

It’s week 2* of my Seattle Rock n’Roll Half Marathon training, and the weather is definitely on my side; at least temperature-wise. Highs in the upper 50’s, lower 60’s, and 68 today equals perfect running temperatures. Training this week is exactly the same as last week. However, I want to make sure that I am really doing my strength training as I only really did this on Wednesday last week. I also want to map out and calculate some other routes to add some variety into the 3 mile runs.

Plan for week 2:

Monday: Stretch & Strengthen: Plan to do a cardio strength class at the Y, and then lots of stretching when I get home. I think the sequence found here will be perfect. It’s from the blog, “my yoga life“. Hal Higdon has some great stuff on stretching here too.

Tuesday: 3 mile run: Plan to do a DIFFERENT (than last week) 3 mile run with B & Norman mid-morning.

Wednesday: 2 mile run or cross-training: Plan to do my favorite cardio class at the Y.

Thursday: 3 mile run + strength: Plan to do an early morning run with B & Norman AND this easy strength training routine thanks to “another mother runner“.

Friday: REST!

Saturday: 30 minute cross: Plan to do an early morning walk around the neighborhood with the whole family. We will probably walk for at least an hour though.

Sunday: 4 mile run: Plan to run with Norman. I’ve mapped out a pretty hilly route, but I’m excited for the challenge.

Runners out there: What are your favorite and most effective stretching and strength training routines?

off we go!

Like last week, I’ll have a “rundown” on Sunday.

*week 1

April 8, 2012

the rundown: week 1!

Last week, I shared my training plan for week 1 of my preparation for the Seattle Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. I’m excited to share my “rundown” with you. I must say, blogging my training plan proved to be hugely motivating. Whenever any thoughts of veering away from my goals came to mind, I was able to quickly refocus because I knew I had to stay true to the plan. I also knew that any excuse I came up with would seem silly.

Goal is in bold. What I actually accomplished is below.

Tuesday: 3 mile run: I ran with Norman.

Ran 3 miles with Norman! A fairly straight forward out and back run. Pretty flat with just one small hill.

Wednesday: 2 mile run or cross training: Plan to do a cardio class tonight at the Y.

“Total Strength” class at the Y. It’s a mix of cardio and strength training. This class makes me so happy. I love the mix of people (men, women, young, old(er), etc.) who come, the music puts a smile on my face, and the instructor is so upbeat and positive.

Thursday: 3 mile run +strength: Plan to do an early morning run with B & Norman + push-ups & hand weight exercises.

Ran 3 miles with B & Norman! Same run as Tuesday.

Friday: Rest!: Perfect timing as we’ll be traveling to the coast for razor clamming.

Did lots of resting in the car. We had such a fun day of traveling to the coast. I’ll share more of our adventures later this week.

Saturday: 30 minute cross-training: It will be more than 30 minutes, but my cross training will be clam digging on the beach! I’ve heard using those “clam guns” is hard work.

Digging clams is hard work. It’s also discouraging. We caught very few clams…a combination of bad timing, and the clams not “showing” themselves. Lots of beach walking though!

Family of clammers

Sunday: 4 mile run: Plan do any early morning trail run with Norman around Cape Disappointment.

Ran {at least} 4 miles with Norman on the beach at Cape Disappointment State Park! It felt great to take a break from “camp life” to run along side the ocean. Beautiful views of the mountains too, and two lighthouses.

One of the two...

Norm's view

11 weeks to go. I’m feeling great. Look for my week 2 training plan tomorrow!

April 5, 2012

Easy Hike: Thunderbird Park in Glendale, AZ

While in the Phoenix area for a visit with Gramma, and Spring Training, we discovered a perfect, family-friendly hike. Yes, we do a ton of walking; nearly everyday. But it’s been a while since we’ve been on an actual hike, and this was probably our first “real hike” as a family. To make this hike happen, I also discovered something else: how to wear Baby B on my back with the Ergo. I love this option as a way to get around with B, and I think he really likes it too. He is able to see more of the world, than in the front carry, and he’s also able to sleep if he should get tired on one of our outings.

Thunderbird Park, the location of our hike, is in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix. Instead of our usual green of Western Washington, we experienced the brown of the Arizona desert. We traded moisture for extreme dryness, and cool temperatures for what felt like scorching heat. Being short on time and unsure of what Baby B would bring to the table, we made up our own route, cutting off from the original hike. Looking at the park map, we entered by the amphitheater, took H-4 out, crossed over on H-4b, and made our way back on H-1. Short, sweet, and just right given our conditions.

Our Journey:

Thunderbird Park

Gramma points out a bird’s nest.

beautiful (barrel?) cactus with hints of red…

I love the way the cactus’ sprinkle the scene

Judy (aka “Gramma”) and I with B in the Ergo!

Slaed and I…can you spot any signs of Baby B?

Ouch! Be careful…

beautiful shade of green on the branches of these trees.

bright yellow blooms

a thirsty guy after all that tough hiking!

Info to know:

The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
The main entrance to the park is on 59th Avenue (between Deer Valley & Pinnacle Peak)
For trail information, visit the park website here. There is good information about choosing the hike best for you (and your fellow hikers).
Be sure wear light clothing & SUNSCREEN, bring water, and have a hat to shade you from the sun.

April 4, 2012

next running adventure: rock n’ roll half marathon

my running buddies

With the help of Hal Higdon, and his training program, I officially begin training for the Seattle Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon this week. I ran the Seattle Half Marathon in November of 2010 with his help, and I’m hoping I can be just as successful this time. The Rock n’ Roll 1/2 should be tons of fun with live, local bands all along the course, lots of beautiful Seattle views, and hopefully some familiar faces cheering me on! This will be my 3rd half marathon; first post-baby. I’m really excited about working toward this goal although I know it will be quite different with B around! The program allows time to build up miles, time for rest, and time for cross and strength training; all important components for a successful race. I plan to keep track of and document a lot of my training here on the blog in hopes that I will stay motivated and honest with my goals.

This week’s Training Plan:

Tuesday: 3 mile run: I ran with Norman (done!)

Wednesday: 2 mile run or cross training: Plan to do a cardio class tonight at the Y.

Thursday: 3 mile run +strength: Plan to do an early morning run with B & Norman + push-ups & hand weight exercises.

Friday: Rest!: Perfect timing as we’ll be traveling to the coast for razor clamming.

Saturday: 30 minute cross-training: It will be more than 30 minutes, but my cross training will be clam digging on the beach! I’ve heard using those “clam guns” is hard work.

Sunday: 4 mile run: Plan do any early morning trail run with Norman around Cape Disappointment.

Look for a “rundown” of this week’s goals on Sunday!