San Francisco!

We had one last adventure in September. Christina and I went down to San Francisco with two of our good friends. We had a great time, but we were also really tired by the time we finished. We walked a lot!

We rode the BART to downtown San Fran from the airport. We started out by riding the cable car from near the BART station down to Fisherman's Wharf area.

I really enjoyed the architecture in San Fran.

The cable car turn-around at Market and Powell, where we got on. To get on you have to wait in a huge line, but this is really the only place you're sure to get on, as the cable cars tend to be full at all the other stops. It's literally a turn-around--they manually spin the trolleys around to send them back down the line in the other direction.

The turn-around is sectioned off with a cable and the line forms all the way from the trolley stop (on the right side) around to the other side of the track (on the left).

We waited, and finally had our own turn to hop on the trolley. Several of us got to ride on the running board. It was fun. It was also slightly dangerous, especially being on the left side next to oncoming traffic. Anytime we passed oncoming trolleys or cars the conductor would shout "Lean in, left side!" and we would try to lean into the car so we didn't hit anything.

Steep hills.

On the downward slope towards Fisherman's Wharf. (That's Alcatraz out there in the Bay).

I was very bad about taking people pictures (as usual)--but Christina did better. Here's one she took of Cori, Breanna and me checking out the area around Fisherman's Wharf.

Boats near Fisherman's Wharf.

One of the ships at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

We stopped by Ghirardelli Square a couple times. The square used to contain a chocolate factory and still has multiple Ghirardelli shops on the property.

We didn't buy this 5 lb. chocolate bar (though we did buy chocolate!), but it's pretty impressive, isn't it?

Tasty clam chowder at Capurro's. 

Exploring Pier 39.

The weather was really wonderful! Perfect for seeing the Golden Gate bridge from the end of Pier 39.

Alcatraz. We didn't get to go on the tour, but I hope if I get to go back to San Fran that I can do that.

The musical steps at Pier 39.

We trekked back from Fisherman's Wharf into the North Beach neighborhood on a quest to see Lombard Street (the curvy street).

I loved the houses in North Beach!

I noticed a lot of scooters in San Fran.

Lombard Street. The curvy portion is at the very top (you can hardly see it in this picture). We were a tad crazy and walked to the top. 

You know it's a steep street when they have to add an extra triangular piece to the bottom of the garage!

Looking up the curvy section of Lombard.

Looking across to Coit Tower.

Cars weaving their way down Lombard.

Looking down Hyde Street at Ghirardelli Square and the Bay.

After our hike up Lombard, it was time for a treat at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop.

(Photo credit to Christina)

Last stop--In-N-Out.

(Also Christina's picture)

It was a great trip. Thanks, Breanna and Cori, for joining us!

Takhlakh Lake

This has been a really fun September! I have two wonderful trips that I'm very excited to tell you about. The first was a family camping trip to Takhlakh Lake. We've heard of Takhlakh Lake for years. I guess at first I was the one who really wanted to go there. Somewhere along the way, I kind of lost my enthusiasm, but Christina was still really interested in going. I'm so glad she pushed for us to finally go this year. It was probably one of the best camping spots I've ever been to. Takhlakh is a little lake at the bottom of Mt. Adams, about two hours away from our house. On still days, you can see an almost perfect reflection of the mountain in this lake. We were blessed with the very best weather you could ask for and some wonderful reflections in the lake. 

I'm not going to apologize--there are a lot of mountain pictures in this post. With every different time of day, the look of the mountain changes and I think it's all worth showing.

The afternoon that we arrived, the moon was rising right above Mt. Adams. 

Mt. Adams at sunset.

Again at sunset, from a different spot on the lake. There's some people in a canoe on the left side--I really wished we had some kayaks so we could go out on the lake!

The lake was a short walk from our camping spot. We went back to look at the mountain repeatedly each day. We also went  a couple times at night. Early in the evening the moon was out and the mountain was still reflected in the lake, but now illuminated by moonlight. Then we went back later in the night. The moon had set, but there were stars reflected in the lake--it was so beautiful! I wish I had pictures of those two views, but I don't. :-(

Sunrise--sunbeams shining over the shoulder of the mountain.

Shortly after sunrise. That ripple was created by Dad throwing a rock--it just highlights how still the rest of the water is.

Mossy trees around our campsite.

We did go on a short hike. Dad and Christina climbed on some lava rocks near the trail.

There were mushrooms everywhere!

We also saw some pikas on the rock slopes by the trail.

 Takhtakh Meadow--the trail's destination.

 One of the signs on the trail claimed that you could see Goat Rocks from the trail. We never found a spot where you could, but we did find a side trail that climbed up to a viewpoint where there was an excellent view of both Mt. Rainier and Goat Rocks.

Mt. Rainier

Goat Rocks

One more shot of Mt. Adams.

We had a great time, just relaxing out there for a couple days. The weather was a lot warmer than we had expected, which was a pleasant surprise. We even went swimming in the lake one day. Another thing that impressed me was how quiet it was up there. There's no noise pollution and not even the constant sound of a river or the ocean like we are used to at other camping spots. It was very peaceful! 

Labor Day at Cannon Beach

On Labor Day, Christina and I headed down to Cannon Beach to hang out for the day. We had a great time! It was good to get away for a while, even if it was just part of the day. We ate lunch on the beach, walked on the beach, looked at various little shops, walked the beach some more, and had dinner before leaving town. It was raining as we drove over the Coast Range on our way, but the weather actually proved to be pretty good. It was hazy at times, but by the end the clouds had lifted off and it was quite sunny!

I've taken pictures at Cannon Beach numerous times and I wanted to travel light this time, so I brought one lens, my little 50 mm. Throughout the rest of this post I'm afraid you will see lots of Haystack Rock. There's something about it--it's just so hard not to include it in beach shots. I think it's partly because it provides a frame of reference. I was fascinated by how the pictures turned out differently, depending on the lighting and the tide at the particular time I took the picture. 

Horses! This looked like so much fun.

This looked like fun, too!

 One girl (that's Christina) against a big ocean.

Windswept.

Sandy beach feet.

When we got to the base of Haystack Rock, the tide was out, so the base was exposed. There were all these signs around the perimeter warning visitors not to trespass. We could still get close enough to see some tide pool creatures, though.

Sea anemone

 Star fish

Berries, grapes and butterflies

It's been a busy summer. I've been working full time and while it's a real blessing to have a job, and to be able to save up for the future, it keeps me from getting out and taking pictures as much. I wish I had time for more adventures with my camera, but I guess this is a season where that will just be a bit more of a challenge. 

Well, we have gotten to do some fun things lately. One of those was going on our annual huckleberry-picking outing. We head up into Gifford Pinchot National Forest to do our picking. The berries were great! Sweet, juicy, and wild.  

Huckleberry hands. :-) My dear friend Breanna's and mine. 

Our little huckleberry harvest.

We've had another little harvest here at home. Our grape vine that we've had for three or four years finally produced some real grape clusters! City girl that I am, I was really excited to watch the whole process from tiny flower clusters to fully ripened grapes.

We've also had some golden raspberries ripening.

Another find out in the yard--I'm pretty sure this is a skipper. There have been lots of them on Mom's lavender bush.