Weekend at Smith Rock

This past weekend, we went to Smith Rock, in Central Oregon, to rock climb. We've probably been to this area 20 times over the years and we always enjoy the sun, dry air and warm winter rock. Last year we stayed in a lovely house adjacent to the park that is owned by a climber from Seattle named Rob Price. I climbed with Rob a couple of times this past summer in Squamish and we decided a winter getaway to Smith Rock would be a fine way to cure the rainy season blues in Squamish and Seattle. Plus, Rob offered to fly us down in his plane - how could we refuse?

The weekend was great - we enjoyed socializing with Rob, climbing in the sun and having some deep, deep sleeps (it's very quiet and cold at night). Highlights for Elise were making waffles with Rob, riding horses and going in the hot tub. The horse ride got a little out of control when Chief (her horse) got spooked and decided to gallop. Luckily, Les and Holly (the owners) were quick to intervene and Pam snatched Elise off Chief's back before she fell. It kind of scared us all, but Elise - being the trooper that she is - gave it another whirl and everything ended well. In fact, just before we left for home, Elise got to ride on "Priceless" with Holly. She really enjoyed it and the ride was a great way to end on a high note.

Pictures from the trip...

Smith Rock in early morning light.



Priceless grazing in her pasture.


Making waffles with Rob in the kitchen of his house. Elise really enjoyed this, especially the consumption of the waffles the next morning! They were delicious...


In the hot tub on Rob's deck. A very relaxing way to wind down after a long day of winter climbing.


Evening sun in the horse pasture.


Climbing in the dihedrals at Smith Rock.


Elise doing a climb. This didn't go very well (you can tell by the expression on her face). The climb followed a groove up the wall and this scared her. We brought her down and found a much friendlier face (the next picture down) that she climbed multiple times - the day was saved.




Chewing some grass. I told that this is what farmers do and she seemed to like it...until she stabbed her mouth with the sharp end.



This is a sequence of shots Rob took of me climbing Chain Reaction, a popular climb that ascends a steep wave of orange rock. The conditions were perfect for climbing that day.




Feeding the horses some apple slices.


The calm before the storm. Minutes later, the horse got spooked and took off, scaring us all. The damage? One frightened and weeping 4-year-old, and three shaken adults. But all's well that ends well...


Pam, Rob and Elise posing at the top of the canyon with Ship Rock in behind.


Getting ready for the ride home. A look into the cockpit.


Elise posing under the nose of the airplane.


Rob circled Smith Rock before we headed north. Here's a shot I took of the park from the air.


A view of Mt. Baker. The weather was great for the first half the journey and we had beautiful views.


Flying in the small airplane was exciting for us all. Rob dropped us off in Bellingham at about 5:00 pm and we were home by 7:30 pm. It was a great weekend. Back to the Squamish routine...

Back in Squamish

We made it home from our trip safe and sound and are back into our Squamish work (and preschool) routines. The trip home was fairly uneventful and we were suprised at how little traffic there was getting into Vancouver or up to Squamish considering it was the afternoon of the closing ceremonies. No problems at all...

Last weekend was beautiful in Squamish so we got out and climbed in the Smoke Bluffs and saw lots of our friends. If all goes well, we'll go down to Smith Rock this weekend with Rob Price. The weather will be the determining factor.

Here are some random pictures from our trip with captions included. Enjoy...


The view of the cliff from the lake below. We spent a few afternoons relaxing on the shore in the sun while Elise collected dozens of freshwater clam shells.


Elise posing with a crayfish she and I found in the shallows near the shore of the lake. She did not want to touch it - I don't blame her.


The cliff where we spent most of our climbing days.


Waterfall off the middle of the cliff.


Elise and Daddy "cuddling" at the cliff.


A climber on Fugitive. Note the pad around her thigh. Climbers use their knees (and thighs) to jam behind large blocks on this cliff. It can provide a rest in the middle of a very steep and exhausting climb.


Elise posing in our cottage with the mask she made at the library storytime. It was very entertaining when she would run around the cottage naked with nothing but the mask on.


Our little hiker. She has become much more capable at walking distances which is a relief to my aching back.


A limestone cavern we explored on a rest day hike.


Elise in front of the cavern.


Elise posing in front of some flowering bushes near our hotel in Jamestown. She and I went for a really nice hike one evening, played at the train museum and finished with a good playground session at the local elementary school.


Elise posing in front of an old shed in Jamestown.


Elise and mommy relaxing in the sun by the creek near the climbing area.


Their were lots of horses in the fileds leading up the cliff.


Elise watching a movie on her iPod at the cliff.

Orange lichen covered the rocks...

Sonora

Our first week in Sonora has come and gone. We arrived to beautiful sunny weather which lasted the entire week. It was gorgeous - just like spring - and we reveled in it day after day. Unfortunately, it's started to drizzle and the remainder of our stay looks fairly unsettled. At least we go one nice week!




We are staying in Jamestown, which is a small, western-themed town just west of Sonora. We've rented a small cottage at a hotel in town. It includes a full kitchen, which is always best for us since we can cook meals and store lunch food. Every other day, we go to Jailhouse Rock, a basalt cliff about 15 miles distant. The cliff is a 30-minute uphill hike and, since Elise just keeps getting bigger and bigger, I'm getting a good workout each day! Fortunately, we can stash our climbing gear at the cliff which lightens our load considerably. The climbing is very steep and the routes tend to be long, so the sessions are physical and tiring. We have a nice view from the crag and have seen vultures, eagles and peregrine falcons. One hazard specific to this area is poison oak, and we've learned to identify it and keep Elise well clear. I got poison oak on my leg the last time we were in this area and it was not a pleasant experience. The hike to the cliff is very pretty and the trail wanders through small oak trees on a grassy hillside. Each day we pass horses, which delights Elise to no end. There is a small creek we cross and each day we stop on the way down to relax, wade and look for crayfish!



We traveled to Yosemite Valley early in the week and had a great time. The scenery there is truly incredible and the day was gorgeous - we took lots of pictures. Highlights were a picnic lunch on the banks of the Merced River, a hike to Lower Yosemite Falls and a climbing session (for Elise) on Swan Slabs. This was the perfect setting for her - I set up top-ropes on the low-angled slabs and she scampered up them with zeal! We finished with a walk through the famous Camp 4 boulders, socialized with lots of people and helped Elise do some bouldering. It was a long day, but well worth the effort.



Another interesting outing involved a hike to some natural bridges in a small gorge. The bridges were actually underground limestone caverns through which a small creek flowed. The terrain was dramatic and we enjoyed a 2-hour hike, all of which Elise did on her own. She's become quite a bit more capable and is enjoying tackling these activities independently. (If only I could convince her to hike to the cliff on her own!) After inspecting the caverns, I let Elise take some pictures with my camera, which always delights her. She took pictures of "mommy" and they actually turned out okay.



Other than the climbing and sightseeing, we are just enjoying being away from work and relaxing. There are some good playgrounds in the area and we've toured them all with Elise. She went to story time at the library the other day and made a very nice mask. Tonight we are going to the Candy Vault - an old-fashioned candy store in Sonora - if Elise will eat her dinner. We hoped to head into San Fransisco, but it's a tad far so that may not happen. We are following the Olympics from afar, and are pleased that Canada has had some success!

We return home on the 28th and don't relish leaving our relaxing routine behind.

Marc

Elise's Fourth Birthday

Elise's fourth birthday has come and gone, and what a week it was! Grandma Bourdon came for a visit and we had a busy time with lots of activities.

The week started with a ski trip to Blackcomb. Elise is progressing in leaps and bounds and this day was special. She skied down beside the Magic Chair three times on her own without any physical contact from either Grandma or myself. She was visibly pleased with herself and kept exclaiming, "I'm doing it all by myself". It was a great time, but Elise was not pleased when I told her we'd have to wait until after the Olympics to try again, due to the incredibly restrictive parking regulations that are about to go into place.

Riding the Magic Chair with Grandma.


Skiing "Hocus Pocus" with Grandma.


This movie shows Elise skiing Hocus Pocus, her first time down the run without any help.

The next event was the Olympic torch relay. We learned that the relay would go past our house so we made a point of trying to get out and see the display. There was a lot of vague communication regarding the timing so we wandered around the neighbourhood and waited on the corner for some time to no avail. Pam went off to an appointment and Elise, Grandma and I went back inside. We heard quite a commotion from the street, so we dashed back outside just in time to watch the torch parade make its way down Guilford, right beside our house! It was a moment to remember, for sure. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures as it was after dark.

Elise, Pam and Grandma waiting for the Olympic torch on the corner of Guilford and Westway in Valleycliffe, Squamish.



Elise has been attending gymnastics classes at our local recreation centre. It seems to me that her climbing skills are not translating very well to proficiency at the various gymnastic tricks, but part of that problem seems to stem from her lack of focus. She rushes from apparatus to apparatus and rarely tries to be very careful about what she is doing. Also, her listening skills need work. While the other kids watch the instructor carefully, Elise tends to spin around and look at the ceiling, rarely keeping her focus. Maybe she just has too much energy!

Here she is hanging from the bars. The instructor had them squeeze a stuffed animal between their legs and "throw" it into a hoop. This proved to be a challenging coordination test for most!


This is Elise on the balance beam, which is covered in stuffed animals. Elise tends to rush and occasionally jumps off the beam just for fun. She doesn't seem to understand the staying on the beam is the goal. As long as she's having fun...


The final, and most important, event of the week was Elise's fourth birthday. She's at an age where she totally "gets it" and we counted the number of sleeps all week long. She loves to party and was beside herself with anticipation.

She woke early on the 7th (her birthday) and we went out for a pancake breakfast at White Spot. Afterward, we came home and opened gifts. She got so many wonderful presents it's impossible to list them all here, but thanks to everyone for the thoughtful gifts. Here she is opening her Russian doll (a wooden doll that has multiple layers).


Here she is posing with two of her other gifts, a princess dress and a glass dolphin.


We spent the rest of the morning baking her cake. Pam did the grunt work (baked the cakes and made the frosting) and I did the structural design. She requested a starfish cake so I made a template and built a five-legged creature. It was tedious work, but it seemed to turn out quite well and was a hit at the party. After her nap, I took her to the pool for a pre-party swim, which was a nice father-daughter activity before the mayhem of the evening commenced.

The party started at 5:30 pm and the kids really enjoyed playing together. We had a pot luck dinner while the kids tore around the house and formed a loud marching band in the hallway. Here Elise is waiting for her cake. Kayan (the little boy in front) couldn't contain himself and had to help blow out the candles - all four of them!


The party went well and there were no major incidents. The kids tore apart Elise's room (as was to be expected) and the adults enjoyed socializing. Afterward, we cleaned up the house and read Elise some stories from her new books. She was thoroughly exhausted. At bedtime, she asked me, "how many sleeps until I turn five?" I replied, "just enjoy being four for now Honey, five is a long way off". As she lay down she said, "next year can you make me a rainbow trout cake?" Now that will be a challenge!