http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com Mostly true tales and some tall tales of Carry's adventures en carry@nwoutdoorgrrl.com 2008-07-02T23:09:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/olympia_happy_hour/ After an exhausting search, it is clear to me that there is no definative guide to happy hour in Olympia for newbies. I know there are great happy hours out there though. Nick and I took advantage of one at the famed Waterstreet Cafe two weeks ago. I could just go back there, but that would be...well...not very adventerous of me. Instead, I’ve collected a list of places that sound intriguing. My goal will be to visit each one before my time in Olympia is up. Combine this with my goal of visiting each of Olympia’s parks before I leave and I’ve got my work cut out for me. Tonight’s destination is the Fish Tale Brew Pub. Their happy hour isn’t until 9 p.m., but I have an afterwork invitation to join a colleague and some of his law school friends. The good company will be worth the higher drink price. I also have to steal a logo’d pint glass to keep our vacation souvenir tradition alive. (Shhh! Don’t tell!) The extra people and glasses on the table should provide a good diversion. Starting next week, I’ll begin working my way through the rest of the list of happy hour destinations I’ve collected. If you have any additional reccomendations, let me know! The Swing Wine Bar Where? 825 Columbia St. SW Why? Oodles of great wine, views of Capitol Lake. Do you need more? Happy hour? Daily from 3:30 to 5:30; happily priced beverages and bites Eastside Club Tavern Where? 410 E. 4th St. (in downtown Olympia) Why? 30+ microbrews on tap (including some cask conditioned ones), WiFi, ping pong, pool, and many other amusements Happy hour? Daily from 4 – 7 p.m., $3 pints. Falls Terrace Restaurant Where? Next to Tumwater Falls Park (across the river from the old brewery) Why? Great view; you can “walk it off” in the park before driving home. Happy hour? 3-6 p.m., Mon.-Sat.; $4 food, $4 house wine, $3 well martinis or margaritas, $3 microbrews, $2 domestic beers The Spar Where? 114 4th Ave E Why? McMenamin pubs tend to be funky and have good beers. Happy hour? Daily from 4-6 p.m.; cheap eats and cheap beer The Mark Where? 407 SW Columbia St. Why? Leopard prints and swank. ‘Nuf said. Happy hour? Daily 5-7 p.m.; $3.75 well martinis. The Brotherhood Lounge Where? 119 Capitol Way N. Why? Eclectic art, shuffleboard, live music. Happy hour? Daily from 4 to 7 p.m., $2 beers Olympia Carry 2008-07-02T22:09:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/ruth_icy_traverse/ Last year John and I had a trip up Mt. Ruth and Icy Peak planned, but it got rained out. When I heard that he had it on the calendar again this year, I eagerly signed up. We met at the typical John hour (before 6 a.m.) and headed to the ranger station just outside Glacier. There were many groups gathering at the ranger station to get their permits and blue bags. When I got out of the car, two nice-looking ladies introduced themselves and said how nice it was to see me again. (Really? Who are you?) After all the dire warnings about impossible road conditions, deadly bug bites, and “you’ll be lucky to make it back alive” vibes from the rangers, we left for the trailhead. I always leave ranger stations scratching my head. How can rangers be so unknowledgeable about the trails in their jurisdiction? And why do they always seem to try and dissuade you from going anywhere but 100-feet from the car? What exactly do they get paid to do? Their warnings about the rutted road turned out to be unnecessary and we made it to the TH without any trouble. In no time at all six intrepid climbers were headed up to Hannegan Pass. It was slow going due to several trail obstacles, but the increasingly good views made it worthwhile. Mt Ruth at the end of the Nooksak River valley Mt Shuksan and Mt Baker appeared just as we approached the Ruth Glacier roping up for the final ascent of Mt Ruth Forty-five minutes of hard work and we arrived at the top of Mt Ruth, a mountain with possibly the best views of any peak I’ve ever been on. From here we could see the Picketts, the North Cascades, the north face of Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Baker, Glacier, Blum, Rainier (barely)...so many peaks I’d have a hard time listing them all. Climbing & Hiking Carry 2008-07-01T14:04:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/my_first_track_day/ For Christmas my parents gave Nick and me a motorcycle skills class at Pacific Raceways. It wasn’t a course on racing or race technique, rather it was a day to build road riding skills in a controlled, car-free environment. We arrived at the track this morning at some gosh-awful early hour for check-in and bike inspection. checking tire pressure The day was divided into 20-minute segments - classroom, break, track time. Nick and I ended up in different sessions somehow, which we thought would be interesting, since they were teaching different skills in each one. My section focused on the S-M-A-R-T cornering technique (Scan, Mark, Adjust, Relax, Throttle). We learned how to read whether a corner was an increasing radius, constant or decreasing radius turn by looking at the vanishing point and other clues. We practiced picking lines and smooth throttle control. The best part of the day, though, came at the end when we started to shift body position on the bike in order to go faster and keep the rubber down. Nick’s class focused on the A-R-T part of S-M-A-R-T. Unfortunately, someone’s bad judgment ended his day early and left the Superfriend in shambles. I still had riding lessons left, so I kissed him on the cheek and handed him the camera. (No worries! Nick is fine, and he’ll get to go back in September when his bike is fixed.) lining up for our next spin on the track shutter lag made taking pictures of a fast moving bike challenging peddle scraping moment in the chicane corner #8 I had so much fun that I’m now contemplating the choice between a new pair of shoes and another track day. Oh, the dilemma! Motorcycles Carry 2008-06-28T03:28:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/more_olympia_weekend_fun/ Sunday brought more Olympia fun for the two of us. Nick went bike racing out near Boston Harbor, and I took advantage of the time to do a much needed load of laundry. Once he was back, it was off to play tourist again. We started with ice cream at the Farmer’s Market and a walk along the waterfront. Our ultimate destination was the (almost) 100-year old tugboat - Sandman. In Olympia’s heyday, it hauled lumber, pulp, oil, and oysters. It also hauled much of the sand that filled in the area under downtown (hence the name). It was a working tug until about 35 years ago. Now the fully restored boat lives its life as a tourist attraction and exhibition boat. Picture of Sandman’s sister tug in its working days Our lovely tour guides It still wasn’t time for happy hour yet, so we headed up to Tumwater Falls Park, next to the old Olympia Brewery. a nod to the native people in the area We searched for the falls that adorn the Oly beer cans, but were never sure we found the right one After the park we capped off the weekend with drinks and food at Waterstreet Cafe (Acqua Via’s sister restaurant). A four course “meal” consisting of all happy hour menu items and drinks set us back $25 each. Not a bad way to finish a wonderful weekend. Olympia Carry 2008-06-24T03:09:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/sunset_on_the_capitol_building/ After dinner at Acqua Via last night, Nick and I went for a stroll around Capitol Lake. We got back to the town side just as the setting sun cast a pink glow on the Capitol Building. Olympia Carry 2008-06-22T18:46:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/mima_mounds/ Standing on a mound, looking out at the mounds We had our pick of events yesterday between Tour de Blast and the Capitol Criterium. Instead, we opted for a 55-mile country ride south and west of Olympia. The main attraction, besides solitude and beautiful roads, was the Mima Mounds. We started from my rental house in Olympia and took the Chehalis Western Trail south. After 15 miles (and a few turns off the trail) we arrived at Millersylvania State Park - a great stopping point for a snack and water bottle refill. Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park We criss-crossed local roads past people’s farms and homes until reaching the booming town of Rochester. Nick has raced here before and pointed out the way to Independence Valley. We turned the opposite direction, though, and soon battled fierce headwinds as we approached the hills. We were rewarded as we turned north by a tail wind and made good time up to the Mounds. They’re admittedly a little hard to see in the picture, but they’re neat in a Roswell-alien-like way. There are thousands of these over-sized gopher hills (about six feet tall and 40 feet across) in the Mima Prairie. They are made of silt and sand (probably left behind 13,000 years ago when the Vashon glacier retreated) and sit on a bed of gravel. Each mound has a “root” of silt that extends into the gravel below the mound. No one knows for sure how they formed. Theories include formation of polygonal ice wedges in soil near the edge of the glacier, burrowing by colonies of pocket gophers, and erosion or deposition by glacial floods around regularly spaced trees or shrubs of a long-vanished ice age landscape. What do you think? For a turn-by-turn route description of a 35-mile variation of our ride that starts and finishes at Millersylvania State Park, click the map below. Cycling, Olympia Carry 2008-06-22T17:55:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/burfoot_park_at_sunset/ Instead of going home this weekend, Nick is driving down here for a south Sound adventure. Since I didn’t have to drive anywhere tonight, I took the opportunity to check out Burfoot County Park. The sun was just going down as I got there. Next time I’ll remember to park outside the park, so can stay longer without being locked in at dusk. Olympia Carry 2008-06-21T03:31:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/parade_of_the_species/ Him: Hey hon, what should we do tonight? Her: Let’s take the goat for a walk around Capitol Lake. Him: Oh, let’s! sighted at the end of our walk this evening Just look at that face! Olympia Carry 2008-06-20T05:15:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/rendezvous/ Nick in People’s Park across the street from Tempest Nick and I were missing each other like crazy earlier this week, so we decided to meet in Tacoma for dinner. I picked Tempest, which is owned and run by Tom Douglas’s sister. I’d heard fantastic things about her cocktail concoctions and the food was well-priced. Little did we know that it was located in the heart of Tacoma’s infamous Hilltop neighborhood or that Tempest was a gay bar. Neither turned us off of the place - it really was a fantastic neighborhood bar. It did, however, add to the adventure of rendezvous.  Olympia, Family & Friends Carry 2008-06-18T13:03:00-08:00 http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/november/comments/climbing_in_the_olympics_take_two/ Me with rope leads Stan and Jim on the summit of Warrior The climbing gods must be smiling on me. Last weekend’s trip up Warrior marked the third climb in as many weeks that were successful. Eight of us met at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Quilcene Ranger Station. The Forest Service desk jockeys had no reliable information regarding the road or trail conditions, so we headed out. We picked the Big Quilcene River approach because the standard approach via the Dungeness River Trail was missing a key bridge. With spring runoff at its peak, we decided not to risk a river crossing. We also anticipated magnificent views from the camp at Marmot Pass and a possible scramble of Buckhorn Mountain. Right from the start it was apparent that we had a strong group. Unfortunately, the smallest party member also had one of the biggest packs. This slowed us down significantly. The team rallied to carry some of her gear which helped a little. We reached Marmot Pass but were sorely disappointed by the whiteout that welcomed us. So much for the views! Since it was mid-afternoon, we convinced ourselves that descending to Boulder Shelter would be a good idea. At 5 a.m. we were off again, headed towards the Warrior-Inner Constance Cirque. Alpenglow on Mt. Mystery Climbing & Hiking Carry 2008-06-17T03:45:00-08:00