The Hazard Chronicles

What a week!

I don't even know where to start, and I don't think I will have time to give this week the write-up it deserves. Nevertheless, something is better than nothing, so here we go.

Rachel and I did our "anniversary trip" this week. It wasn't really our anniversary- that happened back in May. We do the trip when it works out best though, and this year it was the beginning of July that the stars of work, childcare, and recreational opportunities all fell into a nice even line. The previous week Rachel had been down in southern Utah for an extended reunion. Her mom drove back up with her, and for a full week Wendy took charge of our house and kids so that we could go and pretend for a little while that we were still in our 20s. And man, did we have fun.

The first day we stopped over at Vantage for a pretty night of camping and some great rock climbing. I was actually still a little bit high from my previous week's climbing accomplishments (see next week's post), and was able to carry that energy onto some pretty awesome routes with neat and unusual moves. "Vertical dancing," I think, is what Rachel called it. Good times.

From there, we went down to Seattle and met the host of the hostel where we would spend the next few days. We had a private room that was just big enough for a bed and a 2 foot walkway in front of it. And a window with a view. We don't need much.

As for activities, we planned to hit all the points that put Seattle on the map. Grunge rock- check. Coffee- check. Quirky landmarks- check. Techy stuff- yep, did that too.

Seattle really is a neat city. The University of Washington campus is beautiful with a lot of historic buildings. The campus gardens are even more beautiful and make for nice walks where it is easy to forget that you are in a downtown urban sprawl. Walking along the coast downtown is the opposite of this, where it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of activity, people everywhere, smells of fish and cured meats permeating every corner. From there we go to a more tranquil beach where we can listen to the water lapping the shore, smell the salty air, feel the sand on our feet, and admire the lighthouse in the sunset. At nighttime there are endless opportunities to catch good live music while eating dinner, relishing the energy of the city- the intermixing of diverse cultures- the constant movement- the sounds- the smells- the feel of something so big that it- the city- is almost like a living organism itself- with us and everyone else being the cells within.

Unfortunately, my phone broke on this trip a few days later while rock climbing and all my pictures were lost. What we do have are the ones that we had sent to Wendy back home to show the kids. And so, as limited as they may be, here they are:

Starbucks reserve roastery.

At the top of the Seahawks stadium.

Top of the Space Needle

Look how dressed up we are! Actually, no. That picture is from Brandon's wedding last year. But I did superimpose it over The Crocodile because this was a fun highlight for me.

From the Seattle website: "Since 1991, music fans far and wide have recognized the Crocodile as Seattle's best live music venue. There is no other spot in the area with such a storied and beloved past, and no other rock and roll venue that has earned its right to occupy the hearts of so many. Incredible bands played within the walls of Belltown's much loved living room, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Mudhoney, and Yoko Ono."

The band we saw wasn't famous by any means, but it was really good and made for an enjoyable night out.

Here we are really "dressed up" in front of the Museum of Pop Culture. This was a neat place with cool interactive exhibits. My favorite were the jam rooms- soundproof rooms with a setup for a band where a person could play instruments and belt out music to their heart's content without anyone else being able to listen.

The guitar tornado inside the MoPOP.

More superimposed pictures- This is but one of the displays at the Chihuly Garden of glass sculptures. I have never experienced art like this before. Pretty neat.

We were in Seattle for a total of two and a half days. They were wonderful days and left us with an appetite for more. Maybe our kids will go to school there and we can have an excuse to visit more often (hint, hint).

From Seattle, we drove down to Olympia where we had tickets for Man of La Mancha. An unexpected surprise for us was when they changed the script a little from the original- placing a Deaf actress in the role of Dulcinea/Aldonza. Rach and I both thought the substitution was extremely effective and poignant, and we would both place this performance as the best show we have seen so far this year and probably in the top ten that we have ever watched. Not bad for a relatively small theater. Not bad at all.

After our brief stop in Olympia, we continued our drive South into the Portland area. The time spent here was split roughly in half between taking in the natural beauties of the Columbia River Gorge and the creative artistry on display at the Waterfront Blues Fest. There really isn't much more to say- stunning waterfalls and lush forests followed up by mesmerizing music at the largest blues gathering West of the Mississippi.

What an event- some of the biggest names in Blues, Soul, and Funk playing one right after the other in a giant three-day long concert. The atmosphere was positively electric.

Our seats, right in front of the stage. Blues, my favorite kind of music, is best appreciated when you can see the musicians up close working their magic.

The Blues Fest ended too early for us, but we had to be on our way to our next, and final stop. Smith Rock. This is one of the finest rock climbing destinations in the US- and when it comes to good sport climbing, has some of the best routes in the entire world. It is also a spellbinding landscape to take in- almost enchanted-like, with the slowly winding river below you and the towering cliffs of red basalt rising above.

We spent most of our time pursuing high quality cracks to climb since we don't have a lot of those close to where we live. And boy, did we get what we came for. Perfect dihedrals all over the place, textured walls, clean routes- I was in heaven. Besides these, there were some great sport routes that we did, following stunning lines up small knobs and pockets. The climbing here was definitely varied, and in the course of just a couple of days I found myself pulling out tricks that I hadn't used in a long time.

This was...interesting. This is also the only picture we have of the actual climbing (actually sliding through a tunnel in the rock on a descent) since my phone got erased.

We were smelly and our hands were raw as we loaded the car at the end- the trademark signs of a great trip. Also, of all the things we did, the moments in between are actually what provided some of the best times. The conversations. The getting lost together. The holding hands and secret smiles and sidelong glances. The laughter. The tears. The frustrations and small personal victories. All of this, compounded by fourteen years together, made this one of the best trips we have taken together.

Have a good week!