Mosier Twin Tunnels

Today's adventure took me to a place I had been to before, but this time I used a different mode of transportation and traveled more miles. 

The place: Mosier, Oregon's Twin Tunnels trail 

The mode: cruiser bike

The miles: almost ten? 

This is a really nice paved trail that used to be part of the original Columbia River Highway. It cuts a path through the mountainside by way of two consecutive tunnels. It offers sweeping views of the Columbia River below. There is a fair amount of shade from the fir and pine trees that line much of the trail west of the tunnels.

The last time I explored this trail, I walked. It was spring. I enjoyed the views of the wildflowers and took time to linger at the river overlooks and marvel at the construction of the tunnels. I watched as bikers passed by again and again. I wondered how far the trail went. I thought, hey, I want to come back sometime and bike this trail. I recalled the trail being relatively flat.

A few months ago, my husband got me an awesome new cruiser bike. Oh yeah, old school style with no gears, pedal braking, cushy seat, wicker basket, and a bike seat up back for baby. I convinced a friend to bike with me and convinced myself that the cruiser bike would be much more comfortable than dragging out my old mountain bike. After all, the trail was pretty flat, right? Except for that hill at the beginning, my husband reminded me. Bah, I was in shape and could do it. An extra 33 pounds behind and an extra 3 in the basket? No problem. I learned that it was only ten miles round trip. So, maybe there would be a hill or two, but I've got true grit. And I could walk on any big hills and ride the rest. It's only ten miles.

We packed up, drove to the parking area, paid our $5, ate a picnic lunch, cruised down the hill to the trail head, and started pedaling. Oh, there is a hill at the beginning. And all the way to the tunnels. It was hard. Too hard to keep pedaling, so I walked, pushing the hefty cruiser bike plus baggage. And more hills after you get through the tunnels. Then there is a huge downhill, which I tried to enjoy while my mind kept telling me that the trail is out and back and this downhill would later be uphill. At about what ended up being probably a half mile from the Hood River end point, but before another downhill, I suggested turning around. My daughter was hunched over for a cat nap in her bike seat and I was feeling the strain. It sure seemed a LOT faster to get back to the car. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the downhills, feeling good about myself for pedaling and pushing as much as I did on the way up. I enjoyed the sweeping views and marveled at the construction of the tunnels. I was worn out and very sweaty. Yeah, great cardio workout today! But next time, take a bike with some gears, silly. Remember - this trail is hilly!

Entering the tunnels from the west.

My daughter and friend being silly while I catch my breath.

For more information about this trail, check out The Columbia River - Mosier Twin Tunnels, Oregon and
 Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail - Oregon State Parks ....

  

Handstand

I am thin.

I am strong.

I am not an athlete.

I can paddle a canoe.

I can hike.

I cannot do a handstand.

I am insecure.

I am lazy.

I am not a couch potato.

I can walk.

I can run.

I cannot do a handstand.

I am flexible.

I am open.

I am not a gymnast.

I cannot do a backbend.

I cannot do a double flip.

But I can do a handstand.

Sweet Sweet Peas

My favorite subject for photos these last couple of years is a beautiful, funny, sweet, and amazing little girl. Okay, I may be a bit biased as I happen to be lucky enough to be her Mama. But she realy is all those things and more. So, here I share with you a couple of recent photo shoots of my daughter.

SWEET SWEET PEAS
This first series was prompted by my dear friend who got a kick out of a photo she saw of someone surrounded by green peas with the caption "Surround Yourself With Peas". On the day my husband agreed to move forward with our adoption application, he simply said, "We will call her Swee' Pea." That was three years and five months before we were matched with our daughter, Yi Xiao Dai. We continued to call her Swee' Pea until we decided on her American name. Our close friends and we still lovingly refer to her as Sweet Pea on occassion. So, this friend of mine, who happens to grow the sweetest sweet peas in memory of her mother, thought it would be cute to take a photo of my daughter and give it the caption "Sweet Sweet Peas." I couldn't pick just one to share, so here are my favorites.

HAMMOCK GIRL
This next series shows Sweet Pea's silly side, and her first experience with a hammock. Enough said. The pictures speak for themselves.

Dinner Tonight: Fresh Homemade Thai Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce

One of my family's favorite treats to get when we go hiking near Hood River, Oregon, is the fresh salad rolls from Lampoei's Thai food cart. So, when I was browsing the aisles at an Asian market a week ago and saw packages of rice paper with a pretty picture of salad rolls on the label, I thought, "I could make those." It is so easy to find good new recipes online. I often read through the first two or three I see that have positive reviews and loosely follow one or more, thus creating my own variation of a recipe. The approximate recipes I used follow the photos of my creation. I plan to stir fry some snow peas from the garden with some red bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger to go with it. Maybe I'll also put in some chicken or tofu to make a complete meal. This meal would be great for a hot summer day. We are about 10 degrees cooler and 15mph windier than ideal, but we'll have to find a way to enjoy it anyway.

Fresh Thai Salad Rolls

carrots, cut into small matchsticks
cucumber, cut into small matchsticks

rice vermicelli (size XS; I found some from Jiangxi Province in China, where Ellie was born!), cook/soften in hot water, ten rinse, let cool, and chop
mixed salad greens, chopped (I used some from my garden, which has been loving our cool early summer)
cilantro, chopped
scallions (green onions), diced

I tossed the above four ingredients (vermicelli through scallions) with the following light dressing:
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs rice vinegar
a little less than 1 Tbs fish sauce
a pinch of brown sugar

rice paper (banh trang; I used medium size, 25cm)

Soak the rice paper in warm water. Put on some of the greens mixture. Layer on some carrots and cukes. Roll up carefully.

Salad Roll prep

Assembling salad roll

Peanut Sauce:
The amounts are approximate, as I wanted it a little thinner so kept adding a little more water, coconut milk, lime juice, and soy sauce to thin it out and get the taste I wanted.

1 C creamy peanut butter
1/2 C coconut milk
3 Tbs water
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs fish sauce
hot sauce (I used about 1 tsp chili garlic sauce, because that's what I had; use up to 1Tbs hot sauce of your choosing, depending on how spicy you like it)
1 Tbs fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Put it all in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Add some chopped cilantro just before serving, or as a garnish.

Enjoy!

Lavender Experiment - Part 2

Last week, I attempted to distill lavender oil from freshly cut lavender (see post from June 6). So, I simmered my lavender in a stockpot for a long time. I checked the water that I collected in my glass mason jar and looked for the coveted essential oil. I held it up to the light. I peered at it from many different angles. I thought that I wouldn't get a lot of oil, but from what I could tell, there was none. Alas. I suppose this process is akin to trying to make maple syrup at home - larger quantities and bigger equipment needed. Hmm... Eric wouldn't mind parking his BMW out on the street so I can set up a proper distillation apparatus in the garage, would he?

All is not lost from my little experiment. The water I collected (aka - hydrosol) has a very strong lavender scent, and can be used for many things. I will try to find some small glass spritzer bottles for using the hydrosol as a room/laundry/calming spray. I have learned a thing or two and may even have another go at it, which is more than I can truly say about many lab experiments I did during all my years as a science student and teacher.



Lavender Hydrosol



Local Calendar Photo Contest

I love taking pictures of the beautiful places I visit. Luckily, many of these beautiful places are not that far from home. I am very much an amateur photographer and have a simple camera. I think I have taken a few good pictures, though. So, when I saw that my electric cooperative was soliciting photos taken by members for next year's calendar, I decided to enter the following three photos. What have I got to lose, right?




Poplar Farm in Autumn

 




Lone Juniper

 




Colorful Resting Spot at Rasmussen Farms

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Today

Today, I am doing a little experiment. I have been growing lavender in my flower beds for years and have always thought that I would like to do something with it, aside from the occassional dried lavender bouquet. So, as the first buds appeared, I browsed the internet to find out how to distill lavender oil at home. I wanted it to be simple and only use equipment found in my kitchen. So, I'm using my stainless steel cookpot partially filled with water and freshly cut lavender flowers and stems; a wide-mouth mason jar propped up on a mason jar ring to collect the oil and hydrosol; and the pot's staniless steel lid placed upsidedown on the pot so the condensate will drip into the mason jar from the center handle. Then, I'll have to separate the oil and hydrosol. Wonder if it has any chance of working. It's fun to find out!