Our friends, Michael and Kendra, generously opened their home to us this weekend for a campout. A bunch of us descended on their 14-acre Newberg property, pitching our tents and setting up our camp chairs around a brand-new fire pit. 
We hung out, chatted, laughed, ate, played Speedminton and had a grand time! On Saturday, several went to the Magness Memorial Tree Farm for a short hike. It was a beautiful site off Ladd Hill Road near Newberg. Here we are at the "fire lookout": 
After, we celebrated our accomplishment with a traditional cheese buffet: 
Each evening looked like this: (thanks for the pic, Mike!) 
Now that's what summer's all about :)
Last month Eryn, Mom and I made jars and jars of strawberry jam. Now it's raspberry season, so I was at it again. I stopped this morning at the Parsons Farms stand at Carmen Drive and Kruse Way and snagged one of two remaining raspberry flats. I also scored some blackberries, Rainier cherries and rhubarb.
Knowing that the precious berries wouldn't last, I got right to work, rinsing, smashing, mixing, ladling, capping and labeling my latest round of freezer jam.
I made batches of raspberry, raspberry/blackberry and raspberry/blackberry/rhubarb. My freezer is now full to the brim with jam to last all year! YUM!
:)
(CE)2 has adopted a highway: Highway 99W from McDonald to Highway 217 in Tigard. Our first trash pickup was today, and since school's out for the summer, just five of us were there to clean the entire 2-mile stretch (4 miles, really, since we scour both sides of the road). Fortunately, my mom also helped for a couple hours (and scored our group free Frappucinos!)
For 6.5 hours, my group donned brightly colored reflective vests and picked up tiny pieces of trash, including more cigarette butts than I could ever count. If you're one who chucks your butts out the car window or drops them on the sidewalk before boarding a bus, please reconsider. Seriously. It's rude and disgusting, and, contrary to popular belief, it really is littering. Two (CE)2ers picking up trash today are smokers. They each vowed to never again flick their butts. YAY!
I am shocked by the news of Michael Jackson's death.
After months of thinking and planning, we finally did it... Solstice Stupidity! We hiked the entire Wildwood Trail in Portland's Forest Park... 30.25 miles!
The event started Friday night with a sleepover at our house. Tim, Laura, Jacob, Lindsey, Brad, Eryn, Joyce, Sarah and I spent the night laughing, eating, disbelieving and a little sleeping. We were up at 3 a.m. to get nine people dressed, fed and ready to leave by 4 a.m. This is what it looks like in our driveway at 4: 
After dropping a car at the end of the trail, we parked at the Hoyt Arboretum, booted up and walked to the start. We snapped a couple photos and hit the Wildwood together at 5:40 a.m. 
Our first organized stop was at 53rd, about 9 miles in. Laura's parents were there, car loaded with bags we'd each packed with food and clothes. It was nice to get off my feet.We naturally split into two groups, the faster maintaining 3+ mph. We felt great, chatting, listening to iPods and hiking in silence for another 10 miles. Mostly, we had the trail to ourselves. But we passed some runners and a few people with obnoxious dogs. At one point, someone said, "Good morning!" I looked at my watch and it was only 9:30 a.m. or something. WOW. It sure didn't still feel like morning!Around mile 20, I think we each started feeling some pain. But we were still going strong, especially knowing that another rest stop was just ahead at 25. Brad's parents were waiting at Germantown Road with more bags full of our clean, dry socks and food. Donna brought us homemade monster cookies - the best cookies I've ever eaten... ever. 
Jacob let some of the pressure off his feet. 
Brad's folks picked up Laura about milepost 19 after she decided to give in to nagging knee pain. At the rest stop, we waited for the others to catch up so we could all finish together. When asked if she wanted to finish, "HECK, NO!" was Eryn's response. She was more than pleased with her 25 miles.The rest of us got back up and pressed on to finish what we started. (Eryn and Laura returned home, showered and napped while we hiked!)We slowed considerably, with each step getting more painful. With hindsight, some of us decided that our last stop was way too long and let our bodies cool down too much. We stiffened, and the pain set in. Still, we kept going.
Quarter-mile markers dot the entire trail. You can't imagine the relief when we spotted this one: 
Just a short while later, at 6:40 p.m., we hit the end!! Tim snapped this wonderful photo of our sheer exhaustion at the finish sign (Except for Lindsey. Notice her huge grin. She ate 3 monster cookies at the rest stop and was so buzzed on sugar that she practically ran to the end.)
We pulled it together for this picture and don't even look tired! (Though I'm sitting because squatting was truly out of the question)
We took turns laughing at each other as we ate pizza and celebrated our crazy accomplishment. Our feet and legs hurt so bad that we could barely move. It was hilarious!I can't say that I will do it again (I can't say that I won't do it again, either), but I'm so glad I conquered the Wildwood Trail with my best friends! What a wonderful day. What wonderful memories.-Liz :)
We planned to backpack Eagle Creek last weekend, but a forecast for thunderstorms Saturday night in the Gorge prompted us to alter our agenda. Instead, we got up early Sunday and headed for Washington's Table Mountain. We hiked part of the trail last year during a rainstorm, but most of the adventure was all new. It's a beautiful route from Bonneville Hot Springs through the forest.
After a while, you reach the Pacific Crest Trail. Then you hang a right at Heartbreak Ridge Trail and head up, up, UP! It was just .6 miles, but it might have been the steepest trail we've ever hiked (aside from mountain climbing)! We were under a deadline to get home, so we made the next viewpoint our turn-around spot. We're anxious to get back out there and finish what we started.We forgot to take pictures are the top, so we snapped a "summit" shot when we got back down to the PCT:
We had to get home in time because Sunday night is Garden Party night at Michael and Kendra's farm in Newberg. Everything's in the ground. Now we just tend to the little plants until they become dinner!
Lettuce, anyone?
Thinning the carrots:
:)
We hung out, chatted, laughed, ate, played Speedminton and had a grand time! On Saturday, several went to the Magness Memorial Tree Farm for a short hike. It was a beautiful site off Ladd Hill Road near Newberg. Here we are at the "fire lookout": 
After, we celebrated our accomplishment with a traditional cheese buffet: 
Each evening looked like this: (thanks for the pic, Mike!) 
Now that's what summer's all about :)
Knowing that the precious berries wouldn't last, I got right to work, rinsing, smashing, mixing, ladling, capping and labeling my latest round of freezer jam.
I made batches of raspberry, raspberry/blackberry and raspberry/blackberry/rhubarb. My freezer is now full to the brim with jam to last all year! YUM! 
(CE)2 has adopted a highway: Highway 99W from McDonald to Highway 217 in Tigard. Our first trash pickup was today, and since school's out for the summer, just five of us were there to clean the entire 2-mile stretch (4 miles, really, since we scour both sides of the road). Fortunately, my mom also helped for a couple hours (and scored our group free Frappucinos!)
For 6.5 hours, my group donned brightly colored reflective vests and picked up tiny pieces of trash, including more cigarette butts than I could ever count. If you're one who chucks your butts out the car window or drops them on the sidewalk before boarding a bus, please reconsider. Seriously. It's rude and disgusting, and, contrary to popular belief, it really is littering. Two (CE)2ers picking up trash today are smokers. They each vowed to never again flick their butts. YAY!
After dropping a car at the end of the trail, we parked at the Hoyt Arboretum, booted up and walked to the start. We snapped a couple photos and hit the Wildwood together at 5:40 a.m. 
Our first organized stop was at 53rd, about 9 miles in. Laura's parents were there, car loaded with bags we'd each packed with food and clothes. It was nice to get off my feet.
Jacob let some of the pressure off his feet. 
Brad's folks picked up Laura about milepost 19 after she decided to give in to nagging knee pain. At the rest stop, we waited for the others to catch up so we could all finish together. When asked if she wanted to finish, "HECK, NO!" was Eryn's response. She was more than pleased with her 25 miles.
Quarter-mile markers dot the entire trail. You can't imagine the relief when we spotted this one: 
Just a short while later, at 6:40 p.m., we hit the end!! Tim snapped this wonderful photo of our sheer exhaustion at the finish sign (Except for Lindsey. Notice her huge grin. She ate 3 monster cookies at the rest stop and was so buzzed on sugar that she practically ran to the end.)
We pulled it together for this picture and don't even look tired! (Though I'm sitting because squatting was truly out of the question)
We took turns laughing at each other as we ate pizza and celebrated our crazy accomplishment. Our feet and legs hurt so bad that we could barely move. It was hilarious!
After a while, you reach the Pacific Crest Trail. Then you hang a right at Heartbreak Ridge Trail and head up, up, UP! It was just .6 miles, but it might have been the steepest trail we've ever hiked (aside from mountain climbing)! We were under a deadline to get home, so we made the next viewpoint our turn-around spot. We're anxious to get back out there and finish what we started.
Lettuce, anyone?
Thinning the carrots:
:)
We made 80 jars of amazing freezer jam before we were too tired to mash anymore fruit.
And the homemade pie crust he had waiting in the freezer (along with a store-bought one).
YUM! :)
