Home Sweet Home

11/8/2010

Okay, finally, here are some photos of the Pickle Haus! My Home Sweet Home while in Washington.

The kitchen:

The up stair's living room. (Fireplace is around the corner where you can't see it, but it's been nice to have fires in the evening when it's cold.)

The down stair's living room:

The front of the house, as you drive in.

And of course, the pickle ball court in the backyard:

Hike to Hidden Lake

11/7/2010

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday and with the chance of snow increasing as we get into the week, we thought it would be a great opportunity to take a hike to Hidden Lake. It was a bit cool for me - 45 degrees, but the hike was still fun! Here are some photos.

Seattle of Bust

11/4/2010

We are off to Seattle today to do some sight-seeing. I have been there before, but only if you count the airport, and the trip along the coast we took when I was about 14.....so I was excited to see some new things.

Our first stop: The Space Needle:

Here I am at the top, looking out over the city and bay:

A view from the bottom, looking up:

Next stop: Pike Place Market, home to the world-famous flying fish!

And, here we go....heads up, here comes a flying salmon now! (We also got to taste test some smoked salmon, but I have to say - Dewey's is better.)

Below is a view from the outside of the Market. The farmer's market here stretches for several blocks and takes up several buildings. There are also a lot of local artisans selling anything from jewelry to blown glass. There were a lot of beautiful things, but very expensive as well.

The last stop of the day was to the docks and to visit the Fisherman's Memorial, which honors those who have been lost at sea.

We had a great day exploring Seattle, but after battling traffic all day long, I was more than ready to get out of the city and back home!

Lake Wenatchee

Being from Minnesota and all, I wanted to see the popular skiing/recreational lake in the area. So, we went to Lake Wenatchee (about 15/20 min. from Leavenworth). They had a great campground and beach where we hung out for an hour or so. There are also some fun hikes around the lake/river area.

After we parked, I noticed this sign by the public boat launch: (Seriously??! $7.00 to put your boat in the water, weather it's a tiny fishing boat or a yacht? I've never been so glad to be from Minnesota and the midwest and a place where we don't do this - What is this world coming to?)

Dewey informed me that it is this way all over the state of Washington and Alaska too (that really surprised me since Alaska, as a general rule, doesn't charge people to enjoy nature!)

Hiking along Hwy 2

Since it's been such a great fall, and it's not like either one of us are working (ha ha ha) we have to get out and enjoy the day. Today I had Dewey show me some of his favorite spots in Leavenworth and then we did some hiking to a past fishing spot. Here are some of the photos that I took along the way. Enjoy!

Leavenworth, WA

Guten Morgan! (That's German for Good Morning) - So today I thought I would give you a photo tour of Leavenworth: Here we go:

As you come into Leavenworth on Hwy 2, you'll notice that even outside the city limits things start to look a little different...... Once you get to town, everything takes on a Bavarian theme - even national signage such as Starbucks, Wells Fargo, and Napa have changed their logos to fit the town.

One block off Hwy 2 through town, is the Bavarian Village - a tourist attraction of sorts that has kept the town alive.


It's 12+ blocks of Coo Coo Clocks, Nutcrackers and Wiener-schnitzel fun!




When you get tired of the crowds and folks dressed in their lederhosen, you can take a stroll down to the River Park:


A great trail that goes over the river and through the woods......



Hope you enjoyed seeing part of town. Next up: Views from a hike we took last week!

Road Trip Out West - Part 3

Today we drove from Cody to Bozeman, MT, which may not be far on the map, but it took us all day as we spent it driving through Yellowstone National Park. We entered the park on the East gate and drove the loop to exit from the North gate. Unfortunately, the road through the middle of the park with the waterfall was closed, so we didn't get to see it, but we did see Old Faithful Somehow we timed our arrival just right so we didn't have to wait longer than 10 minutes to watch it. It was also nice to tour the park in the off-season so we didn't have to contend with a lot of other park visitors! The photos attached are of our trip through Yellowstone. We had beautiful weather for the entire trip - and the fall colors were amazing coming through the hills and mountains.

The last day of driving was Bozeman to Leavenworth, WA. I'm not going to do a separate post as we didn't take any photos and there weren't any notable stops. It was about an 8 hour drive and I have to admit we were both pretty sick of being in the car at this point. The Jetta may be great on gas mileage, but it's not made for long road trips! We arrived in Leavenworth around 7:30, so it was the next day before I got to check out any of the scenery. I will have that coming in another post, along with photos of the house we are renting this winter.

Thanks for reading!

Road Trip West - Part 2

Day 2 of our Road trip took us from Spearfish, SD to Cody Wy.

Our first stop of the day (after breakfast at Perkins) was Devil's Tower, Wy.

Again, wish we had more time as there were some great hiking opportunities around the area. After that, we trekked through the great state of Wyoming. Not a whole lot to see, so Dewey caught up on some sleep.

We stayed at the Irma Hotel in Cody. It's a historical hotel in downtown Cody built by Buffalo Bill himself. The oldest feature of the hotel is the bar in this photo which Buffalo Bill ordered and had shipped over from England.

The hotel was a fun experience even though we didn't have a pull cord on our toilet. (I was looking forward to that!)

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Irma Restaurant which is part of the hotel.

During the summer if you stay here, you can see live re-productions of gun fights nightly.

Road Trip West - Part 1

Our road trip started from Huron, SD and ended that night in Spearfish, SD. We left early in the morning, as we had lots to see and do. Our first stop was the Corn Palace in Mitchel - as no trip through SD is complete without seeing both the Corn Palace and Wall Drug. By lunch we had made it to Badland's Nat. Park where we had a picnic lunch. (Hey, we were traveling cheap!)

After touring the Badlands, we drove the Needle's Highway. (Thanks for the suggestion Jenn!). This turned out to be one of our favorite places and we had a lot of fun goofing around along the way at the "scenic turn-outs." Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to do any hiking which we both regretted. Maybe someday we will make it back there and we can spend a few more days! The drive took us through part of Custer State Park and then up to Mt. Rushmore. We made it to Mt. Rushmore about an hour before sunset, which was nice because I didn't have to pay to park, but that also ment that we skipped Crazy horse.

After that, we drove though Deadwood, Lead, and up to Spearfish for the night.

Hope you enjoy the photos from our first day!

Long Time no....post.

Hello everyone - My apologies for being so terrible at updating my blog. I've had a lot going on lately, but no more excuses, just lots of stories to tell! So here we go.....I'm going to start a few weeks back to catch everyone up:

After getting back from Alaska, end of Sept, I spent the next few weeks catching up with family and friends. I was able to spend a great Homecoming weekend in Marshall at my Almamater: SMSU (Go Mustangs!) and with my wonderful college crew - it was great to see you guys - it's not often enough that I can hang out with all of you and I miss you terribly!

On Oct. 12th, Dewey flew into MSP to spend the week around Minnesota and South Dakota. He wasn't here long, so it was mainly a trip for him to meet my immediate family and a few friends along the way. He was even able to meet Dad via Skype! As promised, we got to spend a morning at the Mall of America where he rode a roller coaster and the log ride with me. He really got off easy as far as shopping though since I didn't drag him into any of my favorite clothing stores!

We also made it to church Wed. night in Mankato, and spent the following two days with mom in Jackson where I crammed as much as I possibly could into the Jetta for the trip west.

Dewey was amazed at how flat the country was and how you could see for miles and miles. Needless to say, he took lots of pictures. Personally, I liked to laugh at how he was "rediscovering" life in the lower 48, after being in the Alaskan woods for 10 years!

On Sat. the 16th we left for Vermillion to spend the day with my sister and her fiance', Len. We went bowling that evening and I kicked Dewey's butt two out of three games!

The next day we went to Huron to see Lance and hang out. We had a good time watching his big screen and shooting the shit.

The photos attached to this post are of Dewey's arrival at MSP and his trip to the MOA the next day.

On Monday morning we left my brothers to start out road tip to Washington.

To be continued.....

Future Plans

9/16/2010


Now that I am getting ready to end the season, many of you may be wondering where the next stop on my adventure is (since you keep asking)...well...I'm moving to Washington!

I'm planning on being back in the Midwest for about a month. Arriving in MSP on the 23rd at 6:30. From there, mom has most of my weekends already filled with visiting Lance, dress shopping with Amanda, and of course, I squeezed in the SMSU homecoming weekend, so I can visit, see, and catch up with all my college friends. (Can't wait!)

Around the middle to end of Oct. Dewey will be flying in to meet the family and some of my friends, hanging out for about a week and seeing the best of the Midwest.

Then we are planning a road trip out through SD, WY, CO, MT, ending in Washington. (He's never seen Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, The Royal Gorge, etc.... so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity!)

After that, we will be living in Leavenworth, WA. It's a cute little German town in the middle of the Cascade Mountains/State of Washington. (I'm picturing something a little more "German" and "touristy" than New Ulm, but along those same lines.) I've been hearing a lot of cool things about the town and the fun little shops (a lot of local artist or unique art work is sold there), and how they go completely nuts for the holidays - Christmas especially - how fitting is that for a person who has 7 Christmas trees! Or, about the fun German restaurants in town.

We are renting a house by the golf course, complete with pickle ball court in the backyard. (I'm told this is similar to tennis, but with a smaller rubber ball and ping-pong like paddles.....??? Hum.... What I find more funny is that the house is named "Pickle Haus" and we just happened to nickname Dewey "Do-Pickle" (for no particular reason) last summer.) I've just started to apply for jobs in the area, and since Dewey grew up a short drive from there, he has several connections to help him find work this winter. Ideally, we would both like to get jobs at Steven's Pass, the ski resort 15 min. up the mountain from Leavenworth. (wish us luck).

Anyway, we have a lot more room that we probably need, so if you feel like a visit or trip out west, give us a call! We'd love to see you.

I am planning to continue with the blog. After all, I'm sure inquiring minds will want to see my klutzy self on skis, snowboard, snowshoes, etc.
Not to mention, my Alaska friends will need photographic proof of Dewey in the mall (decked out in his Carhearts and Xtra Tuff Boots.)

Until next time - Sharon

9/14/2010

Holy Smokes Batman - it's been a whole month since my last blog entry....my apologies!

Things here at the lodge are winding down, as the end of the season is in sight. We have exactly 6 days after today left with guests, and I have only 8 days left at the lodge.

But before I get into my upcoming plans, I need to backtrack and show you what I've been up to in the last month.

First, check out the King Salmon I caught while "Mooching for Kings" with Sean. This wasn't quite as big as the King I got at the beginning of the season, but a lot of fun because the way we fished gave me more to do than just sit back and watch my rod tip bob up and down.

Anyway...here are the photos:

Enjoy - Sharon

More photos from Bailey Bay

Here are a few more photos from the Bailey Bay hike.

Enjoy - Sharon

8/10/2010

Today, Dewey and Art returned from their hunting and camping trip at Hooker Lake on Prince of Whales Island. They got to camp in a Forest Service Cabin and, despite a lot of jeering from fellow co-workers, also packed a small generator and coffee pot. (Guess "roughing it" includes waking up to Folgers in your cup.) Besides being away from work and out in the middle of nowhere in the woods (Dewey's personal idea of heaven) they got a deer!

Since I love showing off my boyfriend, I thought I would post a photo of him and his deer.

You should note, that unlike the Midwest, there are no white-tail deer here. Instead, there is black-tail, which is a smaller breed.

~Sharon

Bailey Bay

8/8/2010

Today we got to hike at Bailey Bay back to the hot springs. I got to hike this last year, and it was a highlight of my summer, so I have been looking forward to doing it again.

This year I hiked with: Guy, one of the guides here; Lara, the house float; Jaimie, the morning server; Brian, the dishwasher (he is a little strange - to say the least); & Michaela, the bosses' 11-yr old daughter.

We got dropped off at 9:30 and were picked up around 2. Even though it was foggy/cloudy, and it started raining in the afternoon, we had a GREAT day!

Attached are photos from the day: The Waterfall; Canoe we used to cross the lake; all of us at the Lean-to after a lunch of PB&Js; all of us in the hot tub. Enjoy!

~Sharon