June 24, 2008
~ Sage Creek, Owyhees ~
Another fun adventure was had this weekend in the Owyhees. Josh and I met up at the insanely early hour of eight o'clock on Saturday morning, procured some coffee beverages, and headed to the southwest. As of this writing, we have become expert Owyhee-ophiles. This ride was to take us along some of the dirt roads that we have ridden on previous occasions. This time, however, we stuck to the lower roads that veered in the general westerly direction and made a loop out to Sage Creek. This is the same area as can be found the Wilson, Poison, and Jump Creek trails/roads. While Wilson Creek appears to be the most popular of these for mountain bikers, as Josh articulated, Wilson Creek is overrated because "it's just a bunch of cow pies."
And so we set off! The temperature was predicted to be HOT that day and I was greatly pleased with the thick clouds blocking the direct sunshine for the majority of our ride. Indeed, everything worked out perfectly, weatherwise. Only until the very end of the ride did I begin to feel a little on the overheated side of things, but there was sufficient wind to help cool me off. As we rode along the roads, we were frequently confronted with the decision of WHICH ROAD TO TAKE, as the number of possible routes seemed infinite. At some point, when we were confronted with that decision, we noted a structure in the direction of a particular road veering to our left. This structure aided our decision-making process, as we had to check it out.
Exploration is such fun! We never came to a firm conclusion on what the structure was, but we had a number of hypotheses. Suffice it to say that this structure was in the middle of nowhere, abandoned, in ruins, and had been picked over by both animals, humans, and firearms. In addition, there was a ravine-thing just behind this structure, into which a number of appliances had been thrown (refrigerators, televisions, etc.) and shot at by guns. Strange. I also located a very large pile of rusted tin cans which really appalled the environmentalist in me.
From there, we continued along our merry way. We stopped to gaze over a mini-canyon and enjoy a nutritional supplement, at which point, we made friends with two black cattle. These friends of ours trotted along the side of the road in front of us for some time. Soon after we left them in the dust, the clouds above us began emitting condensed H2O, which was a lovely sensation in the increasing heat. We paused a few times so that Josh could consider the map and ensure our proper location, which I appreciated.
At another point, we came upon a batch of water which we were obliged to cross. As I was in the lead, I attempted to charge straight through it, but met with resistance at both the depth of the water and the squishiness of the mud beneath my tires. I might mention that stagnant water in an area where cattle are allowed to graze freely tends to be rather pungent and I felt somewhat soiled after immersing part of my person in it. In addition, a great quantity of mud and rocks found their way into my shoes, which I failed to appreciate.
I'm not certain the distance that we covered, but it was a good three hour adventure (with lots of pausing). After the ride, we drove to Homedale for some lunch.
More photos available on my Flickr photoset.
June 18, 2008
~ the pros and cons of bartering ~
Now that the weather has finally decided to cease being winter, I have some outdoor recreation fodder for all of you. Before I get into that, I would like to consider the weather for a moment longer. Roughly one year ago, some friends and I participated in a cruiser bicycle parade to celebrate the 27th anniversary of my birth. On that day, one year ago, it was HOT. Like, really really HOT. So hot, that we were in fact, OVERHEATED. I feel inclined to state that it was near to 100 degrees hot, but I am not certain if that figure is fact or fiction. At any rate, HOT is what it was. This year, the same time of year as last year, it has been the opposite of hot. And while 100 degrees is too hot for me to be entirely comfortable in my skin, I also am not a fan of cold. Especially cold when you're expecting it to be hot because you live in the high desert and it's supposed to be hot during the summers. Anyhoot, this weekend the temperatures soared into the 90s and it was lovely not being cold for a change. /End rant about the weather.
Sandhollow to New Plymouth
On Saturday, as the temperatures were expected to be in the HOT zone, Josh and I got up early-ish and headed out for a road ride adventure before the heat set in. I might mention that the day before Saturday, Friday actually, we went on a road ride after I got off work, and I found myself feeling uncomfortably hot in the 95 degree temperatures - - which is what compelled us to get out on a ride while it was still cool on Saturday morning. As we were hankering for something of an adventure, we loaded our crap on the car and drove out to Gem County for some rural riding. At some point, my bicycle computer was acting strangly, and so I am not entirely certain the distance that we covered, but I am confident that it was somewhere around the 30 mile mark. We parked at Sandhollow (which I believe is just a gas station and general store, not an actual 'town', amid lots of ruralness) and meandered over to New Plymouth. I appologize that this post is so much about the weather, but yea...so as we were riding to New Plymouth, an incredibly strong headwind was making the ride significantly slower and more difficult. I had become to feel a bit less confident in my fitness as a result of this wind, the peddling was so strained.
We stopped for lunch in New Plymouth. I'm sure you all remember the Emmett to New Plymouth ride we did two years ago. Well, the deja-vu I experienced when we rode into New Plymouth this weekend was something else. And when we left to complete our loop back to Sandhollow, we passed by some of the roads that we took two years ago and the memories of that ride came back to me very strongly.
One memory of that ride, in particular, that I do not reserve a special place in my heart for was when we were chased by some dogs. If the memory serves, one of the dogs even bit Josh on the ankle (or was it the bike wheel?). Ah, the trials and tribulations of road riding in a rural state! I believe that I have previously articulated my disdain for some people opting to allow their dogs run free. I understand that dogs love running free and love chasing cyclists and scaring the crap out of them, but for me, it is unpleasant. Anyway, I was to experience quite a bit of deja-vu on the ride this weekend, as we had a number of encounters with dogs chasing us.
In other biking news, I've taken Elizabeth out on a few more mountain bike rides lately. I must say, she's a natural! We continue to ride the same loop as before. As I keep mentioning, this is the area of foothills trails that I found my love of mountain biking on. They're wonderful because they're so scenic and interesting, with a good blend of hills and flat sections. Also, they're an amazing amount of fun to bonzai on the downhill.
We rode on Monday evening the first time. Elizabeth seemed to think that I tricked her, but really, I just did not provide her with all of the information. We rode to the base of the Reserve area to wait for the others. I had mentioned "the others" back at my apartment, but she seemed to think that I was proposing a group ride at some point in the future, not that very evening. Essentially, after I had arranged to go mountain biking with Elizabeth, Josh called to say that he and another dude he works with wanted to join us for the ride. While I understand why Elizabeth might have felt not enthusiastic about riding with two dudes on her fourth mountain bike ride ever, I was familiar with the riding level of the other dude and was confident in Elizabeth's ability to surpass him. So anyway, Elizabeth seemed a bit offput at first while we were waiting for the dudes to arrive.
And so we set off! Right from the start, it was apparent that we were all just there to have fun and that it didn't make a shred of difference that there were a variety of ability levels present. And soon after we started, I was quite proud of Elizabeth's effort on the intermediate level hill-climb. This was her second time on this hill, and it is a not at all a beginner hill, and she made it up sections that she walked before. It was awesome. After this hill, there's a nice flatish section and then another big hill. Josh and the other dude were chilling at the intersection before this second hill, and Elizabeth just rode right on by them and put in a big effort on the steep hill. Again, it was awesome. After this hill, there's another flatish section. Then we turned around for our downhill. Let's see...we met up with the dudes around 8:45pm (because it was too hot earlier in the day) and there was a glorious sunset in progress during our downhill. I love mountain biking in the evening! Anyway, Josh and the other dude led on the downhill, followed by Elizabeth and then me. And I will refrain from beating a dead horse on this next point, but the awesomeness that was Elizabeth's downhill is beyond words. She totally kept up with the dudes and rode faster than ever before. Gosh, it was awesome. After the ride, Elizabeth and I hung out on my stoop drinking beers, which is the only way to end a good ride.
But then, yesterday (Tuesday) we rode the same thing again. It was cooler yesterday (the temperature), so we were able to hit the trails around 7:30ish. The ride was very similar to the one the day before, except no dudes. I have to say, I think that it was good to have Elizabeth ride with the dudes - - because no matter how much of a stern drill sargent I try to be, nothing compares to a person trying to keep up with other people. And so on yesterday's downhill, even though she wasn't going quite as fast as when she was trying to keep up with the other dude, Elizabeth was going so much faster than ever before and I was very impressed. If you consider that fourth photo of Elizabeth, you'll notice a huge smile on her face while she bombs down a trail. What fun!
June 12, 2008
~ Ruffled Jacket ~
Converted this to seamless raglan.
I must have passed over this project in Vogue Knitting twenty times without ever thinking anything of it. Then, between projects, I was searching for a cabled cardigan pattern and began considering this project with modifications. Please see here and here for original pattern photos. I made considerable modifications, as per my tendency to not follow patterns. I've posted my pattern notes on Ravelry. More photos on flickr as well. I employed Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Workshop for the Raglan shaping. This was my first bottom-up raglan, and I made some error on the shoulder shaping. Now begins the experiment to fix the error. How pompous I feel after converting this project to seamless! The original instructions call for knitting this in EIGHT PIECES (two fronts, one back, two sleeves, two cable panels, and one ruffle = 8 = CRAZYPANTS!) and then seaming them all together. Finally, I would like to articulate my great love of this yarn. This yarn came from a thrice-frogged project and has held up beautifully after being knit and pulled apart three times.
June 9, 2008
~ Seattle adventures ~
Josh and I went to Seattle for a few days last week to celebrate the anniversary of my birth. Yay, birth! Our adventures centered around eating, shopping, and wandering. As a preliminary, photos are available on my Seattle photoset.
For the hotel, I received a banging good deal on a place downtown. Downtown, however, has a number of meanings. For me, "downtown" refers to a place where all of the cool young people spend their time. I attribute this interpretation to the fact that Boise is not a big city. In cities larger than Boise, "downtown" generally refers to the business and financial district. When I scheduled the hotel, I didn't give any consideration to the meaning of "downtown." And so, in Seattle, we found ourselves among lots of people in business suits, towering skyscrapers, and concrete. As such, we embraced our walking shoes and the bus system, so as to spend a good amount of time outside of downtown.
For the hotel, I'd also like to mention that this was advertised as "a three-star hotel for the price of a two-star." Which was exciting because Josh and I normally stay at 1 or 0.5 star hotels, so we were living the high life!
We arrived at the SeaTac airport Wednesday afternoon. The bus system, I found very user-friendly and affordable. It cost $1.50 to ride from the airport to downtown. After we checked into our hotel, we employed a technique that we used several times during the trip: asking locals for recommendations. As restaurants in the downtown area were pretty expensive, Josh asked a local person for a cheap place for dinner. She referred us to Bruno's, an Italian / Mexican restaurant. That odd combination (Italian/Mexican) should have compelled us to turn around, but we were hungry. The interior of the establishment was overflowing with plastic plants, which should have also compelled us to turn around, but we were hungry. I had a chimichanga from the Mexican side of the menu, and Josh had some spaghetti from the Italian side. The two sides of the menu offered very different experiences: I loved my chimichanga, Josh was really disappointed with his spaghetti. I had a decent opinion of the establishment until we were about to leave and I decided to visit the restroom. Let me tell you, if I had gone to the restroom when we had first arrived, I would have insisted that Josh and I leave immediately. I was very disturbed and revolted by the conditions of the restroom and I can no longer look back on my chimichanga experience without being grossed out.
Our next adventure involved a lot of wandering around. We wandered over to Pike's Market, along the waterfront, and then through downtown. We stopped for beers at a place called Cyclops, where Josh ordered a special local beer that I forget the name of. Later that evening, we went down to Pioneer Square. From a street vendor, we bought DELICIOUS hotdogs and then went to New Orleans (a pub) for more beer and live jazz music. There, we had the Purple Haze raspberry beer, about which I had mixed feelings. The jazz was wonderful.
THURSDAY
The next day, we started the day right with some caffeine and treats at a coffee shop. We then went over to Columbia Tower, and rode the elevators to the 73rd floor to admire the view. After that, we went back down to Pioneer Square and did our main tourist activity, participating in the Underground Tour. It was very interesting and provided a good opportunity to get out of the rain for a bit. Ah, I haven't mentioned the weather: it was overcast and rainy for 99% of the time. You all probably recall the numerous times that I have indicated my preference for non-rain, but it proved to be quite tolerable with my rain-proof jacket.
For lunch, we wandered over to the International District and went to an "authentic Hong Kong" restaurant. Josh and I were feeling like exploring food options outside of our normal comfort level. And so he ordered noodles with oyster sauce and kidneys and liver, while I ordered shrimp potstickers and some meat/rice dish that I forget what it was. Josh's noodles were good (I helped myself plenty to his meal). I've been wanting to try liver for some time, as it is supposed to be really good for one's person. I ate 1.5 pieces of liver before the gag reflex began. Josh ate all of the rest. The kidneys were a different story. I'm not sure the nutritional benefit of kidneys, but Josh ate one piece and was extremely revolted. He articulated that the kidney tasted like solidified urine and recommended that I not sample one. My personal meal experience would have been better if I had gone with vegetarian options, as I am not a very good carnivore. I ate most of my rice and had some good potsticker experiences, but then I had several instances where I bit into a meat product and wasn't sure what it was that I had in my mouth, and wished that I had gone with a vegetable dish.
We then wandered for a very long time. Eventually, we got to the Capitol Hill area where we visited some shops and had a sit-down at a coffee shop. As we were making our way back to downtown, Josh became stricken with a severe case of Athlete's Foot. I surmise that the soggy shoes from all the rain were responsible. We parted ways at a pharmacy where he could get some ointment for his feet and I continued to wander. I went into a number of retail stores and tried on about four hundred clothing items, but did not find anything I wanted to purchase. I then returned to the hotel, utterly exhausted, and vegetated in front of the television for some time.
That evening, we went for dinner at Elliot's which came highly recommended. We spent a lot of money on crab, which Josh has apparently never before eaten. It was not the best crab dinner as a result of what I believe was margarine instead of butter. Afterwards, we wandered some more.
FRIDAY
After getting some coffee and breakfast, Josh and I took the bus up to the Freemont area where we walked around. There were a number of shops we visited, and Josh procured a pair of pants. We also had lunch there, at some super new-agey/hippie place which I don't recall the name of...something like Silence-Heart-Spirit, or whatever.
After that, we decided to catch a bus to the university district. While waiting at the bus stop, I identified a fellow knitter by her hand-knit scarf and struck up a conversation about local yarn shops. As a result of my being VERY introverted, I'm not generally one to converse with strangers and, for me, meeting people is near-to impossible, but throw knitting into the situation and I'm suddenly rather extroverted.
In the University District, Josh and I found several second-hand stores to peruse. I had good luck and found FIVE shirt items for no more than $10 each. Afterwards, I deposited Josh at a coffee shop and went off to the recommended yarn shop, where I found myself in yarn shop heaven. It was called Weaving Works and I was impressed with how well organized it was. Normally, the yarn organization of a yarn shop can elude me, but this place was very well organized by fiber content and then by brand. I was shopping for yarn for two projects that I've got in mind and I splurged big time. After considerable thought and comparison, I chose Noro Silk Garden for a scarf and Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed for a sweater. They are glorious! I also purchased two sets of four buttons, which I found very satisfying. Afterwards, we asked some people for a dinner recommendation and they referred us to an Indian restaurant. Josh and I shared an order of samosas and a curry dish. I also had a beer. It was, by far, the best meal of the entire trip, and was one of the more affordable meals.
To top off the evening (and because our feet were tired), we decided to go see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was not very good and we probably could have done something better with our time, but whatever.
SATURDAY
We got breakfast at a recommended establishment (which proved to be not very good) and walked around a bit before catching the bus to the airport.
All in all, it was a good trip but the weather made me somewhat depressed. We arrived to a sunshiney Boise and my spirits are getting back to normal. Yesterday, we went on a fun mountain bike ride. I need to put in some time on the bike this week, as I recently found out that Josh and I have been sponsored to ride the 100 mile course in this coming weekend's Bob LeBow Bike Tour for which I am utterly unprepared! Something tells me that I will not be riding the entire 100 miles - - hello sag wagon!!!
June 2, 2008
~ buttonholes ~
On this day, it is wonderful to be me.
I had a glorious weekend mostly all to myself. One might think that surrounding oneself with funloving people would be the ticket for having a great weekend, but for me this time, spending the majority of the two days alone was perfect. On Saturday, I spent a good amount of time going bananas rearranging the furniture in my apartment. I am coming upon my three year anniversary of being in this apartment and spicing things up a bit with some rearranging and an extra bit of deep cleaning has been key for this particular successful relationship. For some time, the apartment and I have been at odds, however, regarding a certain round table and two chairs that did not fit well into the small space. This weekend I finally gained the strength to part ways with these furniture pieces. It was hard - - and it wasn't the furniture, it was me and the apartment - - the furniture items were perfectly servicible and lovely, but not right for us (the apartment and me). Anyway, so after dumping the table and chairs off at a thrift store, I noted the empty space in my apartment and set off to buy a new furniture item. Given space and money, I could really be a furniture whore, I could. I performed a precise measurement of the empty space, and was determined to locate a piece of furniture that would work for us (again, my apartment and me) and set off on the hunt. Amazingly, I went to just one discount store and found the EXACT PIECE OF FURNITURE that was perfectly aligned with the needed dimensions and amazingly functional with drawers and a few shelves, but small and cute to work perfectly for us. I was pleased. AND, the apartment feels much less claustrophobic and cluttered, it's wonderful.
On Sunday, I should mention the radical hike that Elizabeth and I went on. We ventured over to the Pole Cat trails and did a loop - - neither of us have been on these trails before (I didn't even know that they existed!) and it was a lot of fun. As usual, I forgot to bring my camera, so I have no photos of the stunning scenery or the ginormous Bramble bush that we saw.
Below is a photo I took the other weekend ago. This was when the massive storm system was moving through and the Boise sky contained these wonderful cumulous clouds. I was rather fond of these tractors as well.
Speaking of clouds, a few entries ago I mentioned how I was in Grangeville during the onset of the storm system. Well! Talk about stormy-bo-bormy. On the way back, my coworker drove us down the White Bird Summit and I took photos the whole way down. If you venture over to my flickr deal, you can see a number of photos coming down from the summit. This one below shows the prairie outside of Grangeville right before the torrential downpour.
Here's a gratuitous photo of Joshua wearing some silly sunglasses in Urban Outfitters. As you can see, he was going with his Amish beard look recently again, but I think he got tired of people thinking it was an Amish beard, as it is clearly a Seventh Day Adventist beard! Actually, I think it looks more like an alternative take on the Wolverine superhero beard, but that's me.
And for those of you who can't get enough of me writing about knitting, I finished this project a week ago and have been using it as my new purse. If you're really excited about reading all about my modifications, please consult the Ravelry entry, as I don't feel like duplicating what I already wrote.
And then...currently I am working on this "Ruffled Jacket" from this winter's issue of Vogue Knitting. I am modifying it to be a seamless raglan and have added an extra set of cables along the sides as well as cables along the sleeves (also plan to add the ruffles to the sleeves as well).
Tomorrow, Joshua and I fly to Seattle to celebrate a number of things worth celebrating, not the least of which will be my birthday! It's supposed to be cold and rainy the entire time and I am a-okay with that. Both he and I have been working way too much lately and I think that getting away for a while will be very very nice.
