Hiking

Pretty Full Day

  1. Breakfast in Aiken
    • We went to the New Moon and came to the conclusion that we are still eating there because of past performance. My muffin, while good, was not heated nearly enough. Donna’s hot chocolate had to be requested a second time before being served. If our last 3 visits here, were our first three visits here, they would be our only 3 visits here.
  2. Walk in Hitchcock Woods
    • Instead of our usual ingress point we started at the South Boundary entrance because we were already downtown for breakfast. A beautiful fall day and we shared the 2,000 acres with a horsewoman and her dog plus another woman walking a couple of small dogs. As is usually the case with our walks in the woods, we were certain of our path for approximately 75% of the time, never actually lost, just sometimes not sure where we were in relationship to the map.
  3. Pack the car and head north
    • I am constantly amazed with how much stuff we can stuff in the small trunk of the Miata. I am also constantly amazed with how much stuff we have to take with us for being away from home for a mere 48 hours.
  4. Lunch in Newberry, SC
    • The Grill On Main serves a mean Patty Melt. Donna had a cup of vegetable soup and a half of a chicken salad sandwich. The chicken salad had some mustard and maybe thyme in there to give it a different twist.
  5. Photographed 5 Post Offices
    • Whitmire, Union, Buffalo, Jonesville, Pacolet & Pacolet Mills. We stopped at White Stone, but it was busy and it had enough character that we decided to come back on the way home Sunday when it might not have cars in front of it.
  6. Dinner in Asheville Fletcher, NC
    • We had pizza from the second place we tried. We drove the 4 miles to a place just inside the Asheville limits that had some good reviews I found on the web. We left after we never got any attention from a server after being seated. That and the dozen small ants that crawled out of the menus and had to be squished under our fingers. The next place we tried was take out only so we ended up dining in our room at the Fairfield Inn in Fletcher, NC. The pie was not bad and probably would have been better if we could have eaten it moments out of the oven instead of the 15 minutes or so later that it took us to get back to the hotel and get settled.
  7. TDPM on USA
    • Commodore Norrington: No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn’t point north, [looks at Jack’s sword] and I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.
      Captain Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.
Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 463

Lovers Lane

Lovers LaneGnorm went for a walk in Hitchcock Woods with us today (some peektures) It was another beautiful fall day, almost a carbon copy of yesterday; cool, crisp with the very definition of blue sky overhead. It was great to get out and take a hike. Because we got a late (for us) start we had to share the woods with dog walkers, runners (Hi Anne) and horseback riders. We probably saw 10 people! Donna and I took Gnorm down our favorite trail, but it just made him sad because his new girlfriend from yesterday wasn’t with him.

At the end of last week, every time I came home from work the internet connection was down. I would have to reboot the modem, and sometimes the router too, a couple/few of times to get it stable. Yesterday it was fine, but today as I prepared to listen to the FRS‘s last game of the season, it just wouldn’t work no matter how many times I rebooted everything. I ended up on the back porch with the laptop and took a ride on the internet on a neighbor’s dime. Someone close by has an unsecured WAP… After on more reboot of everything, including the PC, I now have internet on the desktop. I can connect to my wireless network with the laptop, but I cannot see the desktop nor the internet. Plus I can no longer get the router’s admin panel from the desktop even after resetting the router. Fixing that will be a job for tomorrow after work.

The Emperor got a bath this afternoon and had the royal scary dentures installed. They will add a little spice to some of the October Post Office photos.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 425

Into The Woods

Hitchcock WoodsFor the first time in about 4 months Donna and I ventured into Hitchcock Woods. The weather was very cooperative as it was in the low 60s, so we both got to dress in layers to start. We even got turned around once and although Donna likes to say we got lost, I like to think of it just not being sure of where we are at that moment.

OK, I watched Killer Klowns From Outer Space this afternoon, well, 20 minutes of it anyway. Maybe if I was magically transported back to the 80s…

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 398

Snohomish & A Hike

SnohomishAfter breakfast we got up and walked around the small downtown of Snohomish. Lots of antique stores, lots of coffee shops and lots of old buildings.

We then went over to Scott and Beth’s to see about going for a short hike/walk. Donna has a book with a 100 walks through natural places in the Puget Sound area and Donna had picked out a couple close by ones. Scott was at work so we figured we’d take Beth and and baby James for a nice distracting walk. When Donna asked if we should wear our hiking boots, I told her, “Nah, James will be in the stroller, so we’ll pick a nice easy rails to trails type thing.”

Beth had a different book, A 100 Family Friendly Hikes, and had picked out one she had done a few years before. After loading up the cars we followed Beth over to her Mom’s house as she wanted to join us too. Cool, the more the merrier. There we all piled into her Mom’s SUV. Joanie proceeded to tell us that she and her husband, Les, have done this hike before and promised we’d love it. The trail ended at a nice little lake where we would have a great view of the 6100 foot tall Mount Baring. They read the description of trail to us from the book which told us we would start by leaving Rte. 2 in the town Baring and drive through (traverse was the word the book used) a valley to reach the trail head.

After last years visit to Washington state I mentioned something to the effect that people were different out here compared to home. When we started traversing the valley I knew I had underestimated in just how different they were. When we turned off Route 2 the road quickly went from paved to narrow gravel forest service road. After about 10 minutes of driving up a windy steeply inclined road I asked aloud when would we get to the valley. The reply I got was that this was the valley. Oh boy, apparently if the ground isn’t vertical it is considered flat. The surprises weren’t over though.

At the parking area, everyone got out while Beth strapped James into one of those three wheeled baby jogger strollers. At the trail head I noticed that this was not any rails to trail thing at all. Think backcountry North Carolina, Appalachian Mountains stuff. West Virginia gnarly single track mountain biking trails. Roots, rocks narrow wood bridges. I bet an eighth of the mile and a half trail was smooth and wide enough for the stroller, the rest of the time it was on the front wheel with the back lifted up or vice versa. There we also a dozen or so places that the stroller had to be portaged over obstacles. Incredibly enough baby James slept calmly through all the jostling, snoring away.

The lake and the views at the end were well worth the trip. Joanie even had brought in some cheese and crackers for an impromptu picnic on the shore of the lake. It was probably near 90 degrees in Aiken today, but at Barclay Lake I was cool in a T-shirt with a sweatshirt over it. There was still snow on the mountain across the way.

For the return trip Joanie decided to give her daughter a break and carried the 20lb James zipped up in her sweatshirt like a front papoose. Donna pushed the empty stroller with me helping lift it over stuff. Next time either of these women offers to take Donna and I on an easy trail in the woods we will go gladly, but we will be sure to have on our hiking boots not sneakers.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, up again, still up.
PT Cruiser Top Transitions since 05/25/07: 8

57,000 Little Purple Flowers

FlowerWe went for a hike in the Woods this morning. In our quest to walk on all the trails in there we entered in a different spot than usual and purposely walked on some trails that really didn’t go anywhere special, just looped and/or spurred out along the edges. We did stumble on the big field that was full of these little purple wildflowers (botanists feel free to let me know what they might be.)

For lunch Donna had a hankering for Mexican so we headed over to our new favorite place for that regional cuisine, Maria’s. We got the usual Carnitas and forgetting that we really didn’t need them, 3 hard shell tacos. Sierra Mist to drink for the lady and I had ice water.

Meal Cost: $15.27
Tip: $2.73
Spent Today: $18.00
Year to Date: $909.27

On the short 1-1/2 mile drive back from Maria’s the Emperor ticked past the 57,000 mile mark. To make up for passing that major milestone on such a short trip, tonight when we went grocery shopping we took the 28 mile longcut to the store that is only a mile away.

I found this cool place on the web that will create just the right striped background image for you, Stripe Generator 2.0, now I just wish this template wasn’t so confounded complex so I could add some stripes here.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 130

Its Not Easy To Be Green

Dead TreeToday was chillier than normal (I won’t say “here” because it seems like that most everywhere), so we waited until after lunch to go for our walk in the woods. Nearly everything is green now (except for the dead trees) and the sky was a bright blue with nary a cloud in sight.

Donna had to donate a couple of vials of blood for a cholesterol test this morning. She had to fast for it, so we went out afterwards to get breakfast. That’s right a return to the New Moon was in order. Another Cranberry Pecan Muffin for hijm. Everything Bagel with cream cheese for her. A bottled water to split.

Meal Cost: $3.98
Tip: $1.02
Spent Today: $5.00
Year to Date: $839.49

Aiken Standard PhotoAfter breakfast we walked across the street to put a five dollar bill in a pink bucket. The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at USC Aiken were holdiing their 4th annual Rock-A-Thon to raise awareness of breast cancer and to collect money for research. Members of the sorority took turns sitting in rocking chairs in front of the Plum Pudding for 24 hours. They had less than 4 hours to go. Last year they raised $1,500 and their goal for this year was $3,000. All the money raised goes to the to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The Garnetman Project has hit a major roadblock. Andy Smith replied to my email and his price for an 11×17 B&W image and a 8-1/2×11 colored version is $300. I’m not saying that it is not worth that much, because it probably is, but it is more than I wanted to spend. I think I was hoping would have come back with $100, that I could have justified to myself.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 114

Busy Saturday

Painting At The Horse ShowWe started the day with breakfast at our favorite place, no not Hardee’s, but the New Moon Cafe. We got there just after they opened and had to wait in a line 6 deep, but as always the food was worth it. We both had a Cranberry Pecan Muffin and we split a bottled water. We also bought two Everything Bagels for our Sunday breakfast.

Meal Cost: $5.53
Tip Jar: $1.00
Spent This Meal: $6.53
Year to Date: $771.49

After eating we went over to Hitchcock Woods and took a hike. Not only did we want to take a walk in the woods, but we wanted to go watch a bit of the 91st Annual Horse Show (even though our neighbor wasn’t participating.) After buying some note cards and becoming “Friends of the Woods” it was time to hike back to the car.

Once home, we ate lunch and did a couple loads of clothes, before semi-dressing up for dinner out with the Master’s Miata Club Dinner Out Auxiliary. It was member Patti’s birthday so we went to a little fancier place than usual, Calvert’s. We were there at 5:30 specifically so we could take advantage of the “Sunset Dinner for Two.” We both eat for $28.95 and that includes salad, entree and desert. I had salad with Blue Cheese dressing and the London Broil (mmmm) with steamed veggies and twice baked potato. Washed down with a glass of Pinot Noir. Donna had Creamy Vinaigrette on her salad and then the Seafood Crepe with Sprite to drink. The b-day girl got a special Chocolate Roulade desert with a candle in it, while the rest of us were served Chocolate Bread Pudding. Donna took one bite and didn’t like it, so I sacrificed for the cause and ate both deserts.

Meal Cost: $40.50
Tip: $6.50
Spent Meal: $47.00
Year to Date: $818.49

The other two couples live over in Augusta, so they had a shorter drive home, too bad for them. When we left for our 35 mile drive the temperature was 70, the sun was setting and the full moon was rising. We pulled into our driveway at almost full dark. This is why convertibles were invented.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 104