Pictures from outdoor exercise.
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An afternoon paddle.
I waited until mid-afternoon when it warmed up a bit. I went to the ramp and headed upstream. I got almost exactly three miles - 3.03 miles according to my GPS. That included three or four ferries which added to the distance, because it was only 2.95 miles back. There were three "climbs." Almost four. One right out of the gate. Then another less than a mile upstream. Then another around the island by the water treatment plant. There was another that I only went about halfway up.
Upstream took 91 minutes with an average speed of 2.0 mph (30:12 per mile). Downstream took 35 minutes with an average speed of 5.0 mph (11:54 per mile). The downstream would have been faster, but I stopped to talk with a couple fellas next to a boat I saw on the way up while I heard shotgun blasts. They have a tag for the Willamette Unit, and they got a nice deer.
That hornet nest was still hanging in that tree. Still no frost. I didn't check it out any closer than I did before!
I left the canoe on the truck. We have two more really nice days before the rain sets in for the indefinite future.
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Canoe. Upstream. River gauge said about 10.9 feet and about 6000 cfs.
Well, I didn't make it all nine miles. That's OK. I still met my primary objective and mostly met my secondary one. The primary objective was to get farther than before, and the secondary one was to get to the big log house about three or four miles below the ramp I hoped I might be able to get to. I made it to the last steep section immediately below that big log house. It was about 5.7 miles upstream from my launch point.
It started cool and foggy. Fog lifted after about 45 minutes, and it became gorgeous.
A buddy came up from an hour south to do the paddle with me. There's a steep section you have to climb pretty much right out of the gate. He had an old-school whitewater boat and a straight shaft paddle. His boat was about 14' long. It doesn't have much rocker, but my 17.5 foot Voyager has zero rocker. Paddling on one side with a correction on each stroke, his momentum was lost with each and every stroke. It's for sure possible to do this climb like that, but it's a different technique than sit-and-switch in a go-fast boat. He had to turn around after about a quarter mile and didn't even make it to the top of that first climb.
I got out my cell phone and called him. I suggested he drive to the place we were trying to get to and come downstream. I figured he'd find me and still get a day on the water. I mean he drove all that way. A quarter mile (well, half mile since he also went back) wasn't worth the drive. He said he had things to do. I encouraged him more. I told him it's the last really nice day for a while, he had a built-in shuttle, and it's a section of river he's never paddled. He finally agreed, and he's glad he did. He sent a text when he launched.
I realized that we might "meet" right around Ambrose Island. I worried that if we took opposite sides of the island, we'd miss each other. I sent a text to tell him where the island was. When I saw the bottom of the island, I called. He was right at the top. I attempted to come up the river left side knowing it's often too shallow. It was. I hopped out and lined the boat past the shallow spot and paddled up to where he was relaxing in the sun and having lunch. That was the only time I had to get out of my boat; I was able to paddle the rest of it. I might or might not have been able to paddle the river right side of Ambrose Island. I paddled another 0.75 miles above the top of Ambrose Island, scouted that next climb, and turned back around.
As I approached the island again, he got in his boat and joined me. I had a floating lunch. We explored the bottom of the Middle Channel on our way back. We were able to get up past the bridge, so it's possible that it's passable. I may try soon, or maybe I'll wait for a little more water.
I don't know if I had enough juice to make that next climb past Ambrose anyway. Maybe if I stopped for a lunch break and fueled up. Maybe not. There didn't seem to be an easy place to line the boat up. Several logs are stuck in there, and most of them are on the side with less current. A mistake up there could be a very bad thing. I think I saw a weak spot in the current near the middle of the river. Maybe I'll go back and try it again when there's not someone waiting for me.
I took just under three hours to paddle 5.7 miles with an average speed of 2.0 mph. I did stop once and hop out to take off some layers. On the way back, it took 92 minutes to drift 6.3 miles with an average speed of 4.1 mph. It was longer because we explored the Middle Channel. It was slower than paddling because... what's the rush?
On the way up, I saw a couple in a tandem loaded with camping gear. I asked where they camped. They camped at "Beaver Island." I mentioned it's Ambrose and someone I know renamed it for a new map. The fellow said, "You're doing it the hard way." I told them where I was headed. Well, I guess I didn't make it, but that's OK. That's the only other folks we saw on the water.
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It was a beautiful fall day. They said it would be the last one for the foreseeable future. I couldn't go to the gym!
I bought an annual State Parks pass in December. I won't get my money's worth, but that's OK. Our Parks need the financial support. Still - since I had a paid pass, and since it was gorgeous, I decided to drive about an hour to a park that has ten tall waterfalls. I've been there a few times this year. I think it's the only place I have used my pass.
I forgot it's a holiday. Oops. It was very crowded. It was still a nice day. I would pass group after group after group after group, and every now and then I'd be far enough between groups that I had a little alone time.
Leaves were falling. Flow in the creeks is much less than in winter and spring. The waterfall named Winter Falls wasn't flowing at all. I'm still glad I went. When we get some nasty rain, I'll go back. I ran into a park employee when I got back to my car which I had parked at a more remote parking area to avoid the extremely full main lot. I told him I had forgotten it was a holiday. He said he did too! I asked if any other gorgeous fall day was this crowded. He said no way, but that it had been pretty busy all weekend.
Funny bit: As I got maybe halfway done with the loop, there was a group all wearing the same color and brand of shirt. They were at a trail junction and were looking at the map. I pointed the direction I was going and said, "The rest of the falls are that way; that other trail goes back up to the lodge." They were going to see the rest of the falls, and one of 'em said, "Well, at least it's downhill." I told them that they had been following one creek downstream, and now they were going to follow a different creek upstream. One of the folks said, "I guess we're screwed either way." Off I went. I took two side trails to see other falls that aren't on the main trail. Then, when I got to another junction, they were there looking at a map. I walked by, pointed the way I was going and said, "It's that way." One of them said, "Let's follow that guy." Finally I got to North Falls. I sat down under the overhang and took a short break and drank a half liter of my water. They walked by. Then when I caught back up with them and was about to pass, one of 'em said, "Where did you come from?" I told them they passed me under the falls and that I was drinking water and talking to the raven. He said, "I think you're a ninja." I told him I was a canoeist. Fun stuff.
Pictures below.
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Ninja and canoeist don't seem a natural fit but both are close to silent if done right, I suppose.
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I didn't have my canoe with me at the time.
They just walked right past me sitting on a bench. That's where I took the last picture. Maybe they just weren't used to seeing me still. I move fairly swift. Today was a first; two people passed me. One had on a trail running vest. He was on a pace. The other guy also just had a very fast pace and was just out hiking. I averaged 3.1 mph over 8.8 miles with about 1000 feet of elevation gain (and loss since I ended the same place I started).3 -
North of Vancouver and visible from the city, there is a ski-hill on top of Grouse Mountain, accessible via cable gondola. Alternatively, it is possible to hike to the top via a trail called the Grouse Grind.
Length: 2.5 kilometres (1.55 miles)
Elevation Gain: 800 metres (2,624 feet)
Base: 290 metres above sea level (951 feet)
Summit: 1,090 metres (3,576 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830
Average Time: On average it takes up to 2 to 2.5 hours to complete the hike.
Yet... there are trail runners who train on the trail regularly and complete the hike in less than an hour. There are few things more humbling than sweating your way up a hike and being passed by someone who barely seems to touch the ground, let alone breaking a sweat...2 -
I met a friend Wednesday afternoon to take a walk by the river. Our schedules haven't matched up in a long time; we had a lot of catching up to do. We walked four or five miles down one very small trail to the south end of that part of the park and then back north on the main trail.
On our way, I just had to stop and capture an image of the cascade of Cottonwood leaves on the trail. Our fall colors pale in comparison (bad pun) to other parts of the country. There are a few understory trees that turn more colors than yellow and then brown. Of course we have beautiful color on our landscape trees. In the forest, we have mostly evergreen conifers and trees that really don't turn orange or red. That's OK. It's still nice.
This view is looking south from the north end of the main path. The trees you see are mostly big-leaf maples, Oregon ash, and cottonwood.
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This is not a great view of it, but it's been coloring up nicely here over the last few days.
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Looks pretty good to me but what do I know? lol2
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Today I did a hike. About 9.25 miles. Most of it was on a set of trails I've hiked before, but a portion was new to me. It also involved some route finding when I took what I thought was a side trail that ended up leading into a harvest unit. I could follow the trail for quite a while until it ended in a slash pile. I kind of knew which way to go, and I have a GPS device on my wrist. So off I went slogging through the harvested area and popped out in an area that is being developed for new fancy houses. Very muddy boots.
I also did the loop in the opposite direction I usually do it. I think that's a good idea. Change it up. Things look different from different directions.
I was a couple miles in and it started sprinkling. There was no rain in the forecast; it was supposed to be cool and sunny. Well, I should know better. It's late October in western Oregon. Um... and I didn't have my raincoat. Yep. Shoulda known better. But alas - it didn't look like it was much rain, and I was already a couple miles from my truck. Blue sky was all around. I continued. The rain stopped. I could hardly call it rain. Just light sprinkles. Kind of Oregon sunshine really.
When I got near the top, it started to drip again. Then it started to rain harder. Uh-oh. Now I was four miles from my vehicle. The warm layers I had were synthetic, so I wasn't terribly concerned, although I really didn't want to be soaking wet. I realized that since I was up high in the coast range foothills, it might rain up there even if it didn't rain a drop down in the valley. I knew I was about to go into a fairly open area, so I just hung out under a big Douglass-fir and waited. The rain seemed like it wanted to slow down. I said screw it and headed on. Right as I got to the open area of the trail, it mostly stopped. Bonus!
I didn't stay at the top very long.
By the time I got back down to the trailhead, it was once again a bluebird day. My boots were caked with mud. I changed them out and got in the truck after carefully removing the mushrooms I had stashed a couple miles from the end of the trail. There was a log just full of Pleurotus (oyster mushroom). I took four caps and left the rest. I didn't have a collecting bag. I didn't even have a backpack. I carefully put them in two pockets of my jacket. I also found one very large chanterelle, but my pockets were full. Had they not been full, I still wouldn't have taken it. It was soggy and starting to rot. I left it to spread its spores.
The trailhead is at the top of one of the hills at the edge of town. Near the bottom of that hill, only a half mile away, is my gym. I went in and treated myself to a nice sauna, a shave, a shower, and some more sauna time.
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The joy of the west/wet coast. If it's not raining, wait half an hour!!1
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The joy of the west/wet coast. If it's not raining, wait half an hour!!
That may be true in April, May, June, and September if it's just a shower. Sometimes October. From October through when it sets in, it's wet and gray for days and weeks. Mid-November through February, it's also pretty dark all the time. From 5 July through August, you can pretty much count on NO rain. We get one or two rainstorms during the summer. Otherwise it's dry. That also means the air is full of dust from agricultural operations, and once fire season starts, it can be smoke-filled. But I still love it here.
I lived in the Intermountain West for several years. There was snow on the ground for months at a time. I got acclimated, but it just doesn't feel as cold when it's consistently below freezing. I sometimes (yeah, I was younger and dumber) would walk out to get the mail barefoot. I find that if it's been in the mid-20s for days and the air dries out, it feels warmer than when it's 38 and raining. That damp cold goes to the bones.2 -
My time on the west coast was all coastal. That might have biased my opinion.2
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Gravel bike ride. It kicked my butt. I am wondering if gravel biking is really for me. But then again, it was steep, and there's a very steep section right at the start. I had to walk after pedaling less than a quarter mile. I think I got off to walk six times. The last time was back on pavement part of the last quarter mile back to my truck.
Total miles only 7.2. Total climb ~1500 feet. This was a new personal best since I've had my Garmin wrist device. The last one wasn't a gravel ride - it was before I even had the gravel bike. It was just a fun ride out to the next town and around some hills a couple years ago.
The ride started with a steep gravel road that crested, then descended, then turned towards a land trust property and climbed steeply again. Near the top, I took another road to the very top overlook, then a singletrack back down to the wider trail/road. From there I headed down a trail that I like to hike. Part of THAT was steep. Too steep - I was on the brakes a lot. Near the bottom where it's VERY steep and has some tight switchbacks, I had to hop off to get around the turns.
Then I popped out where I normally park to do the 10K out and back hike. From there was a steep gravel road to another gravel road to a paved road with a long steep descent. I let it run for the most part except when there was a car coming at me or there was a blind turn. Maximum speed 33.0 mph. Then the last climb up a final paved section. Average speed for the whole ride 5.6 mph.
Most of the ride was through mixed conifer forests. Part of the land trust area is oak savanna. Very nice. Overall, I am glad I went. I bought a nice gravel bike in spring and haven't ridden it much. I almost aborted my plans twice. First, the place I went didn't have any parking. There's another place to access that forest, but it's on private land. I have a permit to park there. The timber company gives out free permits as long as you go by and renew them every year. You can choose up to ten of their tree farms to access. Well, my parking pass wasn't in the truck. I didn't want to drive to the saddle, so rather than abort, I decided to check out another spot. There was NOBODY THERE! As I got my bike off the rack I realized I had neglected to bring a water bottle. Oh well. I also remembered checking my frame bag to make sure I had a pump and spare tube. Right as I got started, I realized that my tool actually wasn't on the bike - it was on another bike. Grrr. Almost aborted again, but I figured I could always hike out if I had to. Yeah. Nice ride I guess.
I might or might not keep riding for fun as we get nasty weather. Part of it depends on how much cleaning and maintenance I want to do. I will need some cold weather biking gloves; I just wear regular gloves for normal commuting in winter. I found a pair of cold-weather biking pants at the consignment shop after I had my bagel this morning. I stopped in to see if they still had a brand new Pelican case on deep discount from their regular store as they stopped selling boating stuff. They did. I got both. The pants don't have a chamois, so I'll need to get a liner if I want to ride with them for any length of time.
When the trail or road wasn't too steep (up OR down), I really enjoyed it. The packed soil on the single track was more fun than the gravel roads. I need to find some less steep gravel roads and trails to go explore.
I'm glad I went.
It kicked my butt though.
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Another hike today out at Silver Falls.
A friend who I've known for over 30 years, and who is one of the first folks I met when I moved here, joined me. She's retired now too, although her husband is still working, so he didn't join us.
It was a great day. We didn't get rained on. It was mild - almost too cool, but not bad for hiking. We walked to all ten waterfalls. My GPS device said it was ten miles - same as it has said a few other times I've been there lately. I think it's off because it gets "echoes" when we walk along the steep cliffs and behind some of the waterfalls. I think it was closer to nine miles. Well, between 8.8 and 9.9. How's that?
There was a bit of fall color. We saw some fungus. She is a mycologist and much better than I am at mushroom identification. Her husband literally wrote the book on truffles. I had fun trying to identify the fungus we saw and asking her if I was right. To my astonishment, I actually knew most of what we saw. I had previously decided, a few years ago, that I had graduated from "novice" to "amateur." What's the level above that? I might have achieved that status. I still have a lot to learn, and I keep learning. That's fun! Also for fun, I kept saying to her, "Can I eat it?" even if I knew I couldn't. It's kind of a joke, but whatever.
Since it was a weekday after school is back in session and not a holiday, it wasn't that crowded. There were still quite a few people, but a lot less than I had seen the last few visits.
Enjoy these images:
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You're living in a beautiful part of the world, for sure!!
The perennial question of mushrooms... can I eat it and still keep living?1 -
There are lots of mushrooms that won't kill you but that will make you very sick. Others can do severe damage but leave you alive. Many are of unknown edibility.
The deal is, mushrooms are awesome. Without them, for example, we wouldn't have forests. They do wonderful things for us. They also just have an amazing diversity and can be beautiful. You can enjoy looking for mushrooms even if you don't eat any or even harvest any. Some folks like to identify them even if they know they aren't going to eat them.
I continue to expand my knowledge, and since it's a nearly unlimited spectrum, I will never be done as long as I want to keep learning. There are two or three new mushrooms I'm trying to learn right now, and I sure hope I find some of them. I am probably going to go out today or tomorrow to a spot I go once a year to look. Weather is absolutely awful. I'll be soaked and cold. I might find something fun.2 -
My stepson spent years in Special Forces, even helping teaching foraging off the land to new recruits. He's big on mushrooms... says they're better food than most of what we people eat. I've never learned much about shrooms other than how to make a good cream of mushroom soup.1
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Some mushrooms have lots of protein. I went out to look for chanterelles today. Last year we didn't get many. It didn't rain until after we'd had a couple frosts. This year we've had a few bouts of heavy rain, and it's not that cold yet.
The place I went is a place I try to only go once a year. Last year it was bare. I often go after commercial harvesters have been through. Now that I am not working, I can go on, oh... a Thursday! Instead of Monday which used to be my day off and is a day after everyone else goes picking. I did well.
I gave a bunch to a mycologist friend who doesn't happen to have any right now and is ready to cook some. It's the couple I joked about earlier when I kept giving my friend a ribbing by asking her, "Can I eat it?" about every mushroom we saw while hiking, even though I actually had a clue. Her husband said, "Like the Stellar's Jays." He joked that mycologists like to ask if "you can eat that" bird when they go out with bird watchers. It makes a point....
I gave several away, cooked some tonight, and set the rest out to lose some moisture before I process them. This one weighed in at a half pound!
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By processing, do you mean dehydrating and vacuum-packing?0
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I don't dehydrate chanterelles. They dry just fine, but they don't rehydrate well. They are rubbery. What you ~can~ do is dry them and then turn them into a powder with something like a coffee grinder. You can then use the powder to add chanterelle flavor and umami without dealing with the texture.
Once they get a little more dry (today or tomorrow) I will go over them again with a 1" paint brush to clean them a bit and sort them. I carry a 1" chip brush in my vest when I'm in the woods. I cut it diagonally so I have some long bristles and some short stiff ones. It's better to clean them before you put them in the basket; the dirt spreads all over. There's almost always some fir needles that end up on them, so another clean is in order.
After some of the excess moister is gone and I've cleaned and sorted them, I'll focus on cooking the ones that are the least likely to store well. Then I'll put some in paper sacks and keep in the fridge. I'll use those over the next couple weeks.
The rest get sauteed, packed in vacuum seal bags, and frozen. Then I can have chanterelles all year!
Pro tip for wild mushrooms like chanterelles that have lots of water: Start with a dry saute. Put them in a hot pan. Liquid will come off. Pour off the liquid and save it. If you cook them in this liquid, you're boiling the mushrooms, not sauteeing. When they are done giving off moisture, you can add a little butter and keep cooking. When they are fully cooked, slowly pour the liquid back in. It will cook off, but the flavor will go back into the mushrooms. It's so good!
I love garlic, and sometimes I put the tiniest bit in the saute. Usually not. Garlic can overpower the subtle flavor. Also, there might be a dish I want to cook without garlic. I mean, technically it ~could~ happen.
I enjoy hunting for mushrooms. I don't think I really will need any more chanterelles this year, but I'll probably still go back out. It would be great to find some king boletes, some cauliflower mushroom, and eventually some candy caps and hedgehogs.
After I get all these in the freezer, maybe I'll even want more chanterelles. A friend says she has three or four meals with them and is done for the year; she loves shiitke, and she grows a lot of 'em.3 -
My outdoor adventure today will hopefully be edible. After playing with the lawnmower and rocks, I went foraging for prickly pear tunas. I gathered a couple of dozen which I tend processed. Kinda wish I had a better strainer to clear the white floaties.2
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More stuff from outdoors.
More mushrooms.
But not particularly exercise except that I have watered these logs for a few years. I put them in a six gallon bucket of water for a few hours then turn 'em over to soak the other half. During summer that's a couple times a week. My friend says: "Soak 'em 'till they sink." They can't sink in the bucket; not deep enough. In winter I sometimes move them OUT of the rain so they don't drown. The big one has been maybe three years, and I had almost given up. My same friend says: "You gotta believe!" So here they are.
This particular strain is a cool-weather strain. It's also a strain that I think is visually stunning.
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Very cool!! And yes, they're interesting!!
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