Working on the beach! The joys of location-independant work! This is JF's cousin by the way. He is also also traveling in an RV with his family and it is great to be spending time with them!
You know that moment when you are sitting on the beach with your friend and you both realize that there is nothing else you wish for right now, nowhere else you'd rather be. That you are living your dream. Yeah, that.
Mount Shasta is considered a sacred mountain with an energy vortex. The mountain has long been revered by the Native Americans of the area, who regard it as the center of creation.
These kids have so much imagination! Playing limbo under a fence!
Biking by brussel sprouts fields
Beautiful, secluded beach.
Two days ago, the plan was to hit the mountains to go to Yosemite, but the fact that we now needed to have chains for both our vehicles (California Law) and the fact that the nights would be well below freezing (and that our pipes could freeze made us change our mind. Two weeks prior, the original plan was to drive East of the Sierras to camp in some awesome boondocking sites with natural hot springs, but we had to change that plan because of the snow and high elevation of most of the camping spots we wanted to hit. So it was back to the drawing board, and disappointed to not visit Yosemite (again!), we decided to come back to an area we barely explored last year. Turns out, it was a great decision!! Biking by the sea in shorts and tank top (instead of rock climbing or mountain biking at 6 degrees Celcius) felt amazing! The smell coming from the crop of brussel sprouts, the sweet scent of the flowers and the sea breeze, leaving a sticky coat on our skin as we biked under the glorious sun was pure bliss!
As usual, I only have pictures taken at the trailhead since I don't carry my big camera with me when moutain biking (one day, I will have a small mirrorless that will come with me everywhere I go!). I posted some phone pictures however on my personal Facebook page and on Road it up FB page.
Phil's Trail system is one of the most popular mountain biking spot in Bend, and Phil's trail is a classic! When I read that if everybody would start mountain biking on a trail like this one, the whole world would mountain bike, I knew it was for me! I had a few headbutting moment with mountain biking in the last few months and I need a real fun ride to get back on the horse fully. Phil's trail was just what I needed! It was pure flowy non-technical fun!
It was cold (like 33 degree F cold, 6 degree Celcius) and we bundled up with 4 layers of wool and puffy coats before heading down the trail!
We only had 4 days in Bend this time, but we will sure be back to ride more trails. On our list for next time: Mrazek, Deschutes River Trail, the Mackenzie River Trail and much more!
We got to taste some different types of malted barley and smell hops (the smell is amazing!).
The Brewery was voted best place to work by Outside Magazine in 2014! I can see why! They even have chef on the premise that prepares you whatever you want at any time of the day... Oh! And free beer too!!
The Black Butte Porter is their flagship beer and it is pretty darn tasty!
There are MANY breweries in Bend, but the Deschutes Brewery is the old school patriarch. The original brewery and pub that was opened in 1988 by Gary Fish is still located on Bond Street in downtown Bend. The brewing facility on Bend's West side produces close to 200 000 barrels of beer per year, which makes Deschutes Oregon's number one craft brewer. Their beer is distributed in 28 states and 2 Canadian provinces (BC and Alberta).
The tour was very interesting (and free! Make sure to reserve online) and includes 4 sample of beer. The children are welcomed and are even served homemade ginger ale and root beer! We particularly liked the Chainbreaker White IPA, the River Ale, the Chasin' Freshies Fresh Hop IPA (seasonal), the Hop Pale Ale and the Black Butte Porter. We heard the Obsidian Stout was great, but it was not available that day. I love that they use local hops, wheat and barley, and that they have a whole network of local farmers that come pick up the leftover soaked grains to give to their cows, and that they give some of the cows' meat in exchange to the Deschutes pub for the burgers (they also turn some of that used grain into veggie burgers for the pub as well!). They compost everything else and use crushed old glass to make new bottles.
We sampled 10 of their beers and really liked the Pray for Snow, the Swill, the Big Daddy Fresh and the Apocalypse IPA.
Read their story. I love it. It is so Bend!! Big powder day? The "Gone Skiing" sign goes up. Too hot to work? Mandatory company float (down the Deschutes River).
This is truly all you need.
A bookshop café? Yes please!
A dressed-up cyclocross race.
We had been wanting to visit Bend for many years already. We knew it was a cool laid-back Pacific Northwest town with great mountain biking and breweries, but that was about it.
Bend is only just a few miles away from some of the best mountain biking trails, hiking trails and ski resorts in Oregon. Outdoor enthusiasts flock from far and wide for parks like Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint, skiers and mountain bikers to Mount Bachelor, and rock climbers to Smith Rock State Park.
I have no clue how 10 brewpubs and three breweries (with more set to open soon) stay in business in a city of 80,000 persons. There are even cycle pubs for a very entertaining way of seeing Bend’s breweries.
For a city of its size, Bend has a remarkable array of good restaurants. And Dog Fancy magazine called Bend the most dog-friendly city in the country. It’s hard to say what the city doesn’t do perfectly.
For many who move there, the point is to step out of the rat race, slow down and enjoy the finer things in life.
So yeah. Bend is the place.
The wind was so crazy that day, we had to move the ninjas inside to finish the pumpkin carving... It was like a desert-storm, sand whisking our faces and all. The ninja costume was perfect!
Rocks were seriously flying from the top of the pillars. JF even got one in his mouth while climbing!
Java, the professional photo bomber.
Some of the treats: witch's fingers, bat poo, cat turd...
Happy exhausted ninjas
As you might know, we celebrate Halloween with a pumpkin hunt instead of trick-or-treating. This tradition started a long time ago, when the children were little (2010 here, there was snow on the ground too!) and we would invite friends over to our farm house and have one parent hide in every room with a carved pumpkin and homemade treats (every family had to bring 2 carved pumpkins and 2 types of homemade treats - enough for all the children), and the children would knock on the doors and then would have to answer a riddle to get the treat.
In 2011, we moved the pumpkin hunt outside, at my friend Nini's. In 2012, we raised the bar by celebrating in Arches National Park. It was a memorable year! 2013 was again at Nini's. Last year, we were in San Francisco and decided to go trick or treating for the first time. The girls wanted to go back to the bus after one street. They simply didn't like it. However, we went to see the Dia de los Muertos procession the next day and it was incredible.
But this year was really something! JF and I each had a pumpkin to hide in this wonderful playground that are The Feathers. The kids would finally spot one of the two in the dark, head towards it, then realize that JF wasn't beside it and knew he would surprise them by coming out of a bush somewhere (or down from a cliff!)! Kids love to be scared! Then, they huddled together in the dark, singing a song so as to not hear us go to our next hiding spot and we would start making scary witch laughs to let them know we were ready...
Waiting for them, hidden between these amazing rock pillars, in complete darkness, I looked up and tried to spot as many constellations as I could. I would finally hear their steps, their nervous laughter and surprise them with a screech! We had found some more complex riddles this year and we honestly all had a blast! We will never forget the year we celebrated Halloween at The Feathers!
Celebrating with cold hard apple ginger cider from the Okanagan!
What does it mean when we tell our children that we are proud of them? I have always struggled with that... Discussing it with friends, we came to the conclusion that it felt more empowering to tell our children: "you must be proud of yourself" or "you can be proud of yourself" instead of "I am proud of you". Pride should be something that you feel about yourself, not that you feel about someone else, right? You can share the joy of someone that is proud of oneself though and I sure had my taste of that the other day when I led my first rock climbing route (thank you, sweet friends!)! In 18 years of rock climbing (with long breaks along the way), I had never led a route. I always top-ropped. I explained the difference about climbing styles here. Those who have followed me for many years know that I have struggled with anxiety all my life and that it kept me from doing some things in which I felt unsafe and stressed, namely driving in traffic (I have had some scary panic attacks while driving) and pushing the limits of my comfort zone.
I started noticing a difference for the first time last year when we were in Arches National Park and I climbed on top of Double-O Arch. I must say that our travel companions are amazing friends that have got to know me very well and understand my struggles (and that like to challenge themselves), so along with JF, they are amazing cheerleaders!
In the last few weeks, I drove in busy Vancouver and in situations that would have otherwise been very stressful not so long ago, and felt very confident and not stressed at all! Having a GPS has also changed my life, I must say!
And here I was, feeling giddy about trying to lead a route and set a belay by myself once up there. I checked my steps at least 3 times, but I did it!! And felt less scared than I thought I would. Sport climbing is a mental game. You can climb the same route easily with a top rope, but once you know that the rope isn't above you, you feel much less confident about the same moves... And the falls can hurt.
So, onward and upward! I am proud of myself!
Taking pictures with Mathilde at sunrise. This place is simply magical.
Heading to the Sunshine Wall. A gorgeous 20 minute hike from our base camp at Frenchman Coulee.
warm and sunny (and windy!) on top of the mesa.
We have to go through a short (and very narrow!) slot canyon to get to the wall. There was a drop at the end and we had to carry Java down. He was NOT impressed...
The view from where I was belaying...
Jennifer leading her first route. A 5.9+!!!
Look at the awesome pillars!!
Mara sitting on the "saddle" of Ride 'em Cowboy (5.9+), one of the most popular route on this crag. There are always line ups here on the weekends!
Just another sunset in paradise...
Sun gazing dog...
On the hike back, as we rounded a corner, we all stopped in our tracks, mesmerized by the big glowing rising moon (which is much smaller on the picture that it was in reality).
On the first day, we unknowingly started working on the toughest route on The Feathers (Hardening of the Arteries 5.10C ). The kids worked hard and persevered!
Some funky route names we came across so far: Crackmaster lambada, Elvis’ Pharmacist, Give Me a Second My Elvis is Pinched (those tight harnesses!)
When we came rock climbing here last year on our way to Portland, OR, we knew we would be back for more at some point. We can camp in the bus right by the rock climbing walls! No approach walk (this also means we can climb until it is almost dark!). The kids can go to the rig to eat, play, pee... It's heaven! And the beauty of this place is stunning. It is pretty packed on the weekend. Young cool hipsters come from Portland and Seattle to take selfies of themselves up on the wall (yes, we have seen that!) dressed up like they just jumped out of a magazine... We made the average age go up quite a bit! But they were all super nice and excited to see kids rock climbing. The Red Bus intrigued many and our lifestyle made a few commiserate over the fact that they had to drive back to the city for a week of work... Hey, we have solar power and good Internet connexion (even here in the middle of the desert!), we are good for a week!
There are two main rock climbing areas: Frenchman Coulee (The Feathers and Middle East Wall) and the Echo Basin (Sunshine Wall, M 'n M Wall, Powerhouse Wall and more.). The Feathers are short basalt columns; there is a North Side and a South Side. The difference in temperature when the sun is out is incredible!. On the North side, people were belaying with down coats and hats, while on the South side, we were belaying in tank tops and sweating! The routes are longer on the Sunshine Wall. There are now over 600 routes at the area, ranging from 5.2 to 5.13 (mostly sport, some trad, lots of begginners route, but lots of choss too). You need to get a Discover Pass for $30 to be allowed to park and camp here. This pass gives you access to all the rec sites in Washington State for the year. Here's a pretty decent topo we found online. We love this place! And we love our life!
As Yukoners, Vancouver is our medical hub, the place we go to see any kind of specialists. Since JF was having an eye surgery done on both eyes for a visual dysfunction, we decided to bring the girls to see a specialized optometrist. We found out some pretty interesting things about all of our eyes, namely that Mathilde has some moderate binocular dysfunction that explains a lot of things (reading difficulties, focus problems, letters and numbers inversion still frequent, etc.). In her case, all 6 of her eyes muscles are weak, making it really hard to track objects, focus clearly, etc. whereas in the case of strabismus, for instance, it's only one muscle that is weak. The treatment for this type of dysfunction is vision therapy, which is pretty much physiotherapy for the eyes. The problem is that usually, you have to be in one place for a whole year and come to weekly appointement (the whole treatment costs roughly $4500 and is not covered by most insurance plans). This amazing clinic understood our situation and got us to meet with a therapist that explained all the exercises to do in the next 6 months by ourselves!
On the first day, while I helped Mathilde for her peripheral vision exercise, I realized I did even more poorly than her.... and decided to book an appointement for the twins and I... We found out that both twins eyes muscles are in good shape, but that they are both near-sighted!! I was pretty surprised to find out about that since both JF and I have myopia... When I hopped on the optometrist chair, I understood. She told me that I had much more severe binocular dysfunction than Mathilde (weak eye muscles that make convergence, peripheral vision and depth perception - in my case - very hard). Ah!!! And I thought all my life that I was simply a poor basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton player (and well, any other sport that included a ball or anything moving really...!) and that I was a bad driver. Now, I at least have a good excuse for my clumsiness!!... and numerous bike falls!
The doctor explained that there should be 3 components to an eye exam: eye health, vision and eye muscles, but that almost all optometrists only check the first 2. I actually had one optometrist told me I had peripheral and depth problems about 15 years ago, but never told me I could actually *do* something about it! She told us that she was flabbergasted by how healthy our eyes were! She told the girls: you are sure eating your greens, are you? I was pretty surprised to hear that our eyes reflected our green juice intake! She told Mathilde that our eyes don't care about meat, dairies or grains, that they are all about fruits and veggies! She went on to draw a very interesting parallel by telling her a story. She talked about farmers working the field that needed strong muscles. She said if one has weaker muscles, he gets tired more quickly than the other ones and will want to move on to another task or take a break. The others will think that he is lazy or that he lacks focus, but it is because his muscles are not as strong as theirs... Mathilde sighed and spontaneously said: I knew it wasn't all my fault!! Sweet girl of mine... I wonder how many children diagnosed with learning disabilities and ADHD actually have a visual dysfunction... Too bad it's not more known... and too bad most optometrists do not screen everybody for this type of problem. There is a great Ted Talk about this here.
Anyways, we didn't go to Vancouver for nothing! We also took advantage of our time there to spend some time with our Yukon friends who are spending the year in North Vancouver. We shared a few good meals and bottles of wine, and went for a short hike in beautiful Lynn Canyon together.
And now, as I write this, we are driving into Washington State for the next leg of our adventures!
Birthday Mandala: a great idea inspired by a close friend of Jennifer.
There were homemade waffles + whipped cream, loads of beautiful handmade gifts, a dip in a cold clear water lake, a birthday mandala on the beach, her favorite cake and a great rock climbing film festival. Big smiles all around.
My baby girl is 10 and I've spotted my first *real* wrinkles this morning. Talk about a reality check.
Learning to ride a rip stick.
Making a dreamcatcher under the supervision of two very interested little boys.
Celebrating The Man 38th year on earth with our delicious chocolate-espresso cake with basil buttercream frosting.
Heirloom tomatoes. Yum.
Dancing in the rain.
Visiting the Pacific Ocean.
The drive up to the trailhead was an adventure in itself!
Spoon Lake
We made it to the top!! We sat in that little shelter, protected from the wind, and quickly ate a snack before heading down.
Drinking water straight from the source!
A birthday bouquet
When we read that this hike was among the top 25 hikes in BC and that it was close to our campsite, we knew we wanted to go! It was the perfect hike to celebrate JF's 38th birthday. It is up there in our top 10 hikes!
The road that leads to the hike is quite something! If you go, make sure to have a rugged high-clearance 4 x 4 vehicule (very steep sections and major dips in the road for water evacuation).
Cheam is 9.5 Km round trip, the summit is at 2112 m (6929 ft) and the elevation gain is 665 m (2175 ft). That is to say, it climbs quite a bit! From the top, you can see the mighty Mount Baker draped in snow (in Washington State) off in the distance.
It gets very windy as we neared the summit and with the trail being in the clouds, it felt like we were in a giant freezer!
Cheam Peak was part of the oral history of the Sto:lo peoples. The Halkomelem name for the peak, Theeth-uhl-kay, means "the source" or "the place from which the waters spring." Seems very fitting that we felt compelled to drink the water straight from the waterfalls we found on the trail!
Oh, the pleasures of the big city...
This hike is called the Crown Jewel of Chilliwack and we understood why! The trail is stunning with some steep incline, boulder climbing and a narrow log bridge. The lake is a great reward at the end, the water is so clear (and cold - ask Java! He fell in it, head first)! There are tent platforms near the lake for backcountry camping. It is a stunning camping spot! Too bad it is such a popular place, we would have come back with our tents.
About 20 min into our hike, while watching an incredibly wide spider web, we noticed a teapot half hidden in the moss on a stump. Then, a few meters up, another one. We kept looking around as we hiked up and found more and more! It was such a fun treasure hunt! We knew the trail was called Teapot Hill, but had no idea that this place was so cool.
The Teapot Hill Trail is located in Cultus Lake Provincial Park. The area was named Teapot Hill in the 1940s by a logger who found a teapot on the hill. In recent years someone began leaving teapots on the trail for others to find. The trail goes from 20 m to 300 m altitude in 2.3 km. It’s a nice short hike that works the heart pretty good! And the view from the top is pretty rewarding too!
We counted 51 teapots on our hike! I am sure there are even more.
It is incredible to realize that only a few hours from the super dry Okanagan Valley, this place here (the Fraser Valley) is so wet and alive. The rain forest is gorgeous and reminds us of the Oregon Coast. The smell of that forest is so different and I can feel my skin soaking up the moisture in the air!
Mara working on her first 5.10a!
Some days we climbed in t-shirts and tank tops, some days, we had four layers on!
Poor Java found an underground wasp nest... and got a taste of their medicine. He was in shock and shaking, and the kids thought that dressing him up would keep him warm...!
I love how her shadow seems to be angry... Her love-hate relationship with rock climbing!
You can see here that Karl is lead climbing and Ellie is top roping (explanations below).
Left: Ellie coming down after having climbed a 5.9. Right: Karl and Jennifer setting up the belay on top of the route.
Our beautiful, happy, wild children!
On the 8 days we were in Pentincton, we spent 6 at the Skaha Bluffs. When you have such an awesome rock climbing spot 5 minutes away, you make the best of it! In times like these, food becomes a mean to an end, and we don't want to lose anytime cooking! We lived on pastas, wraps, Vega bars, fruits, lots of snacks and water!
I know that rock climbing is an unfamiliar world to many and is perceived as an extreme sport. Like any sport, rock climbing can lead to injuries, but when practiced safely the way we do (and at the level we do it), it is a very safe sport with minimal risk, safer than many other sports (like mountain biking!). There are 3 main types of rock climbing: top roping (when you install a belay on top of the route and you are held by the rope from up top - this is the way all of us, except Karl and JF - climb for now), sport climbing (when you clip quick draws in bolts already drilled into the rock wall and clip the rope in them as you go up - this way, if you fall, you fall down to the last bolt you clipped) and trad climbing (when you climb a wall that is not bolted and put your own gear - called cams, nuts, hex, etc. - in cracks and crevises in the rock and then clip your rope to it - if you fall, you have to trust that the protection you installed will hold you!).
When you follow basic safety measures, rock climbing is safe and very enjoyable. It is a great way to work on your fear of heights. Installing top anchors (usually, on top of a route, there are two chains from which you create a belay with slings and locking carabiners - you can reach that anchor by walking up around the cliff in many places or by having someone lead the route and install a belay once he is on top), and knowing the rope tying and belaying techniques are a must before you start climbing outside. I highly recommend anybody that wants to start to take an intro class at a local rock gym.
Rock climbing is a very rewarding full-body workout and it is an incredibly confidence building sport. You learn to trust yourself and your belayer (he/she litterally has your life in his/her hands). Looking at the route, you have to visualize your movements: a great brain exercise. It is fascinating to see how some of our kids stay calm in demanding situations and work extremely hard to get to the top. Seeing them persevere throught tears of frustation and allowing another adult to guide them back to their center when they lose their cool is very heartwarming. And it pushes us to do even better.
The BEST blackberries we ever tasted! So sweet and juicy!
It's the third time that we visit Covert Farm. Every time, we get there a few weeks before the end of the season and we get to enjoy the last of their produce. They usually tell us to eat what we want that is leftover from the blackberries, raspberries and melons for free (no more blueberries, peaches and nectarines this year). We stuffed ourselves with mouth-watering orgasmic (and organic!) blackberries until our bellies couldn't hold anymore... Then we headed to the strawberry field and popped as many sun-warmed strawberries as we could in our mouth. We picked all sorts of tomatoes and peppers. Last year, we had bought mind-blowing moscat grapes and hoped they still had some this year. The owner sent us to the special place in the field where there might have still some left... We were on a mission. And we found them. The kids screamed like gold diggers... and we stuffed ourselves one more time with these delicious sweet grapes.
Beside the wine tasting building, there is an awesome trampoline (called the bouncing belly) to keep the kids busy while the parents drink wine. We had such a good time!
As we reached the crag we had chosen to climb that day, we thought we were alone since it was a week day, but noticed a man high up on the wall, auto-belaying himself. The man looked to be around 75 years old. He asked us a few questions with a thick accent and simply could not understand that we were homeschooling. He kept asking us if it was a school group, or if we were volunteers... until I told him we were traveling together and had spent the summer in the Yukon, our home base. That, he seemed to get... and he slowly opened up. He told me that he came from Poland in the 80's and roadtripped all around Canada, all the way up to Dawson City and Alaska. I asked him where he climbed before living in this area and very humbly told me he climbed in many, many places, namely in Afghanistan before the war, in the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Himalayas. He attempted Everest and fell in a crevasse just above Camp 3 and got very injured... He reminded me of a shorter version of Yvon Chouinard (founder of the Patagonia company, you can hear his story in the great movie 180 degrees South - Conquerors of the Useless). He told me he used to ice climb and mountain bike a lot.
Later, he asked me if I knew how the road to the Denali was, if it was doable in a small car... The man still has dreams. At 75. As we parted ways, I told him I admire the fact that he was still out there, rock climbing and mountain biking (although on easier trails, he said, "because the bones are not as solid at my age..."), that so many people who were active like him in their young age, stop being so as they age... He looked at me with his big blue eyes and simply said: But that's the essence of life.
I felt like bowing to this wise master. Instead, I just smiled a warm smile and felt extremely grateful for this beautiful encounter. There are people you cannot forget.
We spent the weekend at the Bluffs and loved every minute of it. Since JF couldn't lead or climb routes because of his broken arm (for non-climbers, leading is going up a route first and clipping the rope as you go, then installing a belay on top), so he taught Karl how to do it, which he did like a pro! Rock climbing routes have the funniest (and sometimes dirtiest) names... We climbed Lick it in your panties and Hair on a G string...! I've seen routes called Your Mom's Crack (so you could say: I climbed your mom's crack... And bike trails called My girlfriend and Your girlfriend (So you can say I rode your girlfriend or I ripped your girlfriend...! Ahem!).
We met lots of climbers that live in their vans or their old cars and travel from one climbing spot to the next. These guys live for climbing! They are the ones that are commonly called "dirtbags". I love their laid back vibe, friendliness and carefree attitude.
On Sunday night, everybody was exhausted and we cracked beers and ciders along the still warm rock walls away from the wind, watching the sunset on Skaha Lake. We came back to our cars as night was falling, feeling our tired bodies, smiling from cheek to cheek, feeling so very alive.
**If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of rock climbing (and dirtbags!), I highly recommend you watch the awesome movie Valley Uprising. We watched it (again!) with our friends on Saturday night and they loved it!