Memories of vacation fun times + colon health

July 1June 2130, 2018

Hey y’all!

Happy belated Solstice! Summer vacation anyone!  Hells yes!  The family and I fairly recently just returned from a beautiful vacation out to the Pacific Northwest.  It featured, among other things, a trip to the beach

the (coast) redwoods

a hike in the Cascades

Vacations are my favorite! We had a great time, but now it is over. But that doesn’t mean I can’t tell everyone all about it whenever I get the chance!  And now’s one of my chances!

We started in Seattle 

and spent some quality time with my close friend Tyler 

and his beautiful paramour Kathleen.

We played some bocce ball, at which I still have a good knack, and ineptly attempted a game called pickleball, although I wouldn’t mind trying it again sometime.  We went to Pike Place Market where we quickly and efficiently took in the sights and bought shiny trinkets and crafts of all kinds, including this beauty purchased not by me, but by Mrs. Snot!?  

Did you know there are many bicycles, including bike shares like the Lime, which is allegedly only $1 per ride!?  

Then we made it to the enjoyable Honkfest!  

What a great community event!  If I didn’t have to drive I probably would have tried to borrow/hijack a trombone or, failing that, a trumpet.

We eventually made it out to the ocean, 

after a brief 2 hour hike in to the lovely Cape Alava.  It was then that I was eventually forced to realize I had foolishly purchased the wrong kind of fuel for our camp stove!  No, the MSR Dragonfly multi-fuel stove does not count alcohol as one of the multis.  Fortunately Mrs. Snot was undeterred.  She quickly fashioned a wooden platform to support the cookware over the campfire 

and we feasted on a delicious cheesy potato and noodle casserole.  Luckily the aggressive ravens didn’t abscond with the cheese until we’d already enjoyed our hearty campfire feast.  

There were some bones.  

Some rocks.  Some crabs and even the elusive sea deer.  

After a nice short hike back to the vehicle we jumped in for a quick 7 hour spin down to Yachats, Oregon. The ocean was unnervingly beautiful and intensely inviting to Snot Jr.  

I was in no mood for tarrying; however, so I eventually cajoled him back into the vehicle so we could get down to the (coast) redwoods.  The redwoods were comforting to me.  The trees were a beautiful shelter and they create their own cool climate, to a certain degree.  The redwoods and the giant sequoias appear to share a common ancestor - possibly Sequoiadendron chaneyi that existed 10-20 million years ago.  The ancestral tree was apparently widespread in the northern hemisphere.  As the climate became cooler and drier; however, the giants were confined to a few smaller pockets.  Now there are separate populations, primarily in California and also a cousin in China - the dawn redwood (Metasequoia).  I got all my info on the redwoods from a passionate and eloquent volunteer for the park, named Brad.  

Brad also informed Snot Jr. about an exciting pilot programme christened the Junior Park Ranger program.  After completing the required activities and racing to the visitor’s center to provide proof of his worthiness Snot Jr. was sworn in as a Junior Redwoods Ranger!

After our rendezvous with Cali del Norte we quickly about-faced and drove for a long time in order to make it onto a ferry to San Juan Island.

After arriving in plenty of time we were informed that the ferry was about 50 minutes behind schedule!  That was okay for the most part, although I may have not accidentally activated the vehicle’s theft-deterrent alarm at the San Juan County Park Campground at midnight if the ferry was on time!  It would have only been 11 or so!  Howdy y’all! Let’s camp muthafuckaz!  

After a lovely cruise on a whale watching boat I left the rest of the family to their own devices and headed off for the mountains via ferry and bus.  I had been training a few times for this experience and the excitement was palpable! I talked incessantly to strangers about various things I had heard that related vaguely to my fledgling puffin-like understanding of the Pacific Northwest.  Here is a sample of my conversational gambits:

1. ·     So I heard Opra bought a place on Orcas Island, eh?  (optional response)  But what I want to know is, is she running for president?
2. ·     Did you hear them announce the Lopez Island stop back there?  Ha!  Yep, I didn’t think this (ferry) stopped there!
3. ·     Are you from around here?  (optional response)  I’m from Nebraska (end conversation)

I would invariable end up telling people that I was going mountaineering on Mt. Baker.  So, that eventually transpired as my friend Tyler and I woke up bright and early to meet up with our group at the American Alpine Institute in Bellingham, Washington.  Here are a few of the things involved in the mountaineering:

1.    Our guides made sure we had the right gear.

2.    We took a before photo.

3.    We backpacked along the Heliotrope Trail up to a nice camping spot at around 6,000 feet above mean sea level

4.    We encountered a bold canine

• 5.    We practiced some fun self-arresting behavior, knot tying and roping in for glacial travel 
• 6.    It snowed about 9 inches, obscuring crevasses and delaying our planned alpine start (1:30 a.m.).
• 7.    Although we did not get near the summit, we had a nice “glacial tour” that was enjoyable, informative, and scenic.
• We pooped into bags filled with laundry detergent.
• 8.    We beheld a laconically aloof mountain goat from a distance

9.    Upon our survival and return to the parking lot, our guide generously meted out portions of a refreshing watermelon

All the good photos in this post were taken by Mrs. Snot.

As I have previously stated, we are now back and I even had the pleasure of participating in the always awesome Rollin' to Colon.  We rode quickly and easily with the wind, and then fought the wind and made it all the way to Colon, where the Red Zone looked quite open and alluring.  But I am unfortunately at an age where I am boringly responsible in most regards, so I forewent the RZ and instead made it back to the road for some more pedaling.  It was at the last Power Stop, before we missed our turn back to Valley, that I learned the following things:

1.    The American Cancer Society recommends that a person at average risk for colorectal cancer start getting screening done at age 45.  There are 2 primary methods for testing – a stool sample or a colonoscopy.

2.    Colon hydrotherapy is kind of like an enema but not smelly and you may be able to request it at your chiropractor.  I think it’s primarily for people who have colon cancer.

I enjoyed a tour of the inflatable colon:

Great to know!  Thanks people from the Great Plains Colon Cancer Task Force and the chiropractic nurse who was riding in Rollin to Colon.  

I was thinking of heading out to the Taco Ride one of these days but it’s been kind of soggy around here lately, which has been great for the kale!

The mulberries have been ripe and delectable.

So I hope your summer is going well.  Please enjoy a vacation, mulberry, and or colon health screening at your earliest convenience.

Summery blessings to you, your loved ones, and the rest of your family!
-BSO