clear skys

Hello bloggeratti, I do hope you'll take pleasure,

in this photo I snapped while riding North in fine leisure.

"The weather's darn nice," I say with a scuffle,

And should do quite nice to set hair a fluffle!

drop the mouse, drop the cell phone, all those papers and books,

they can't bring you much, save high blood pressure and skooks.

Nothing compares to breathing deep from outside,

but I would recommend, reaching out, far and wide.

Destination Spotlight: Mt. Erie

48°27'14" N, 122°37'37" W

Mount Erie

1273 feet

Fidalgo Island

Skagit County

Washington State

USA

Mt. Erie's location in relation to Bellingham


The climb from Heart Lake Road to the top of Mount Erie is not very long, about one and a half miles. While the climb only gains 800 feet from the bottom of Erie Mountain Drive to the top, there are some incredibly steep sections. Around half of that elevation is gained in the last half mile, where the grade kicks up to well over 20%. I'd argue the energy to get to the top is well worth it, the view from the top can be quite silencing.

Mt. Erie is the pointy one, seen here just behind Samish Island

A Cat keeping watch over the corn field, Skagit Flats

Comin' round the mountain

The photo above this one was taken from the road at the bottom of this photo

Looking South

Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters blend together from the view at the top

Trippin up

The first pitch

With the tide out a bit, the oyster beds reveal their man-made structure

Finish it up with a Chuckanut ride, San Juan twilight tide

The end of the beginning?

How nice of them to wrap my diploma in my student loans letter! As the saying goes, an eye for an eye?



oh yes, it has ended. Or should I say, it has begun?

dry roasted almonds

A few days ago I was walking into the library here in Bellingham and I walked by a small boy, maybe around 3 years old, who was telling his mother how he wanted to be a lion. The boy was completely serious. It wasn't of the tone, "I wish I could be a Lion." More like, "I want to be a Lion, let's make that happen."

Here a short slideshow of Deanna and I enjoying a nice romp through the forest.

Maui photos are ready for enjoyment!

Deanna and I were in Maui for about a week in December for the wedding of our good friends. The slideshow includes some of our experiences in Maui, including the wedding talent show and a kite boarding session.

(I reccomend hitting the expand-to-full-screen button to get the full experience!)

Bicycle to Neskowin

Here are a few photos from a beautiful ride from Philomath, Oregon to Neskowin, Oregon.

The day was cold, crisp and clear,

seriously cover up! or risk loosing an ear!

I stuck to the back roads almost exclusively

The gravel section was sometimes smoother then some of the pavement sections!

This climb was so fun. I'd guess at about 4-5 miles of gravel road.

Fuel station in Siletz, OR.

Unfortunately, this scene was fairly prevalent for much of the ride.

I was super excited when I got to the estuary, signifying the ocean was soon to come.

Anyone eaten here before?

Taking Old Hwy 101 from Lincoln City to Neskowin was amazing. This portion here was still icing in the mid-afternoon twilight.

The view from the last few pedal strokes of the ride. The sun waning East.

Overall, it was a spectacular ride. Very peaceful, aside from the Lincoln City section. The back roads through the Oregon coast range are spectacular as usual.

christmas eve bicycle ride