Archives for July 2013

Sparks Lake Camping Adventure

July 28, 2013 by Kristen 1 Comment

Justin and I have been talking about camping together pretty much since we started dating. It only took roughly three years to actually go out and do it. After throwing around the idea for several weeks, a free weekend (which are far and few) opened an opportunity and we were quick to plan a night under the stars.

Friday morning Justin went into work, while I took advantage of the cooler than average morning temperatures and went on a run. Lately I have been noticing how much slower I run when it is 80-90 degrees outside, so I was happy to see my best clocked time in a while.

Around lunchtime, Justin and I loaded up the Kayaks (courtesy of my mom and stepdad), packed up the car, and headed up the Cascade Lakes Highway to Sparks Lake. We unloaded the kayaks, stuffed our gear wherever we could find space, and paddled away in search of a perfect camping site.

The sun was shining and a nice breeze welcomed us on and off as we paddled along. Quickly noticing the popularity of the lake and her campsites, we began to question whether we would find a place that was more isolated and near water. Eventually, we did.

There is something incredibly romantic about camping. Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and distractions that too easily interfere with the simplicity of togetherness, I felt relaxed and calm as we stepped foot on our campsite.

The first thing we did was set up camp. We cleared the area and put up our tent, got the campfire and cooking stove all ready to go, and organized various bags and belongings into their overnight positions.

The views all around were breathtaking. South Sister, Broken Top, and Mt. Bachelor all created an indescribable panoramic view from our campsite.

After all of our hard work, Justin had a Master Chef moment and prepared a meat, cheese, and bread plate to appease our appetite and hunger pangs. Because we went all out backpacker style (no cooler or ice) we made do with salami, Laughing Cow cheese, and flatbread. It definitely hit the spot.

Following our late afternoon snack, we headed back out on our kayaks for a stroll on calm, smooth water. The evening sun was glistening off the scattered clouds, creating a beautiful view sky blanketing the mountains and scattered trees.

When we paddled back up to shore at camp we put the kayaks on shore and changed into evening attire as the shadows and breeze created a coolness not felt for over a month.

Justin fired up the Whisperlite stove and heated some delicious soup for dinner.

We sat on a nearby log and ate dinner while watching the sunset.

A beautiful and quiet way to enjoy good conversation and a warm meal. I’ve always believed that the best way to get to know someone and find out if you are compatible is to either go on a multiple hour road trip – restricted to the space in a car – or an overnight camping trip. These times bring out personalities and qualities that we don’t always see or notice otherwise. Needless to say, Justin was the perfect camping companion.

We were lucky to be able to share a brilliant sunset as we started a fire and roasted marshmallows. I could not believe how quickly the time passed – before long we were snuggled in our tent and talked until we both fell asleep.

Our campsite was situated in a way that would immediately be hit by the morning sun. Just after six the sun struck our tent, instantly awakening us, thus we slowly crawled out of our sleeping beds and unzipped the tent to see what the morning would bring. As I exited the tent in search of a place to go to the bathroom, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks – spiders, webs, everywhere. At some point between the late hours of the night and early morning, several spiders had decided to build a fortress of webs around our campsite. I grabbed a nearby long stick and began swinging aimlessly into the air to create a path to a place where I could go. When I got back to the tent there were a few spiders scattered around it, clinging on for dear life. Justin and I now call this campsite area, Spider Cove.

We enjoyed the morning air and sunrise, before packing all our gear and loading the kayaks to make our departure.

The water was perfectly smooth and the temperature already warm. We glanced back as we were paddling away and made talk of “next time”. What a great first memory and experience camping with my husband. Hopefully, many more trips will soon follow!

An Epic Weekend In Arizona

July 23, 2013 by Kristen 2 Comments

This past weekend, Justin and I parted ways, as he left for a fishing trip with his buddies to McCloud, California, while I flew down to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my girlfriend, Kali. On Friday I woke early, slept during the flight, sipped a Starbucks coffee, and arrived to Phoenix just before noon. Kali picked me up at the airport and we immediately did a straight shot to Hotel Valley Ho to entertain ourselves at the pool that afternoon.

The Hotel Valley Ho is a super cute, “Flinstone Style” hotel, as Kali would say. We valeted the car, changed into our swimming attire, and made our way to a nice spot next to the pool and close to the bar. The pool is very intimate, relaxing, and a great place for people watching and social hour. We ordered a bottle of champagne, raised our glass for a toast, and enjoyed our girl time all afternoon.

After a couple hours of sunshine and swimming around, we ordered some food to re-energize. The ceviche was fresh and light.

There were lots of fun chatty people and memorable laughable moments. I admit, I got a little tipsy and probably overdid it a bit, but apparently it is an initiation for all of Kali’s and Matt’s friends. That evening we joined Matt (Kali’s husband) and had dinner at Gallo Blanco, a restaurant inside the Clarendon hotel. Sleep was soon to follow. Exhausted.

Saturday morning we awoke to the sun and heat. After all the energetic fun the day before, Kali and I decided to have a more “low key” day. Kali brought out the floaties and we relaxed in the pool, reading our books and various magazines.

I am currently reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed and it is phenomenal. Talk about a brave woman taking some major PCT steps to change the trajectory of her life. As of now, I am about 80% finished.

After laying on a floatie for four hours, sipping a Diet 7Up and water, we ventured inside and prepared a veggie, meat, cheese, and bread plate, along with a couple pina coladas (extra strong – thank you Kali).

Once we were finished at the pool we cleaned up, got ready, and headed out to happy hour at Postino Wine Café. It was spectacular. A cute place filled with a variety of people.

I even had a handy dandy place to rid my gum! Brilliant.

Kali and I each had a couple glasses of wine and shared a bruschetta plate: Beets & Goat Cheese, Tomato & Basil, Apple & Fig, and Bacon & Mozzarella. Unbelievable.

Before heading home, we stopped by Blockbuster to rent a couple of movies for later that evening. Arriving back home we decided to let our food digest before going to dinner, so we poured glass of wine and watched a few mindless episodes of Wicked Pretty Moms. After a while, the three of us piled in the car and drove to the Windsor for dinner.

There was a huge thunderstorm that evening, so our outdoor seating lasted about 5 minutes before moving inside to a perfectly located booth. Once again, the food and drinks were amazing. We told a few stories and shared some laughs before starting back to the house to watch a movie.

In prep for The Host, Kali and I poured a glass of wine while Matt used his new high tech state of the art juice squeezer to create a fresh concoction. The thing is a beast! Kali laid out a few chocolate truffles (amazing) and we got through about 30 minutes of the movie before falling asleep. Matt, however, made it through the entire thing. I’ll have to rent it again.

We all slept in on Sunday and were surprised to wake up to dark skies pouring water and shooting lightning. Apparently the rainstorms around the Phoenix area can produce massive amounts of water with nowhere to go, which we were able o witness. Stuck inside, Kali and I decided to call it a shopping day (oh, darn!) and hit up the mall. We headed to Fashion Square and made some great purchases at H&M, Forever 21, and Macys.

After several hours of shopping, we stopped for lunch at Z’tejas and enjoyed a margarita, pork nachos, and carne asada tacos. It hit the spot.

Arriving back home, we had some time to kill before taking our last adventure out to a dinner+movie, so the three of us played Cards Against Humanity (which is actually a four person+ game) and created a fourth invisible person we named Dummy. It was hilarious and my stomach about collapsed from laughing so hard.

We finished the game with enough time to sprint out the door and make it to Studio Movie Grill. What a great, more upscale concept for a dinner and movie – and wine. We watched The Heat which was hilarious.

Tired yet again after a full day of fun, we journeyed home and parted ways for bed. I slept well and enjoyed every minute of my stay. What a memorable trip. I can’t wait to visit again in the future.

Tour des Chutes Century Ride

July 15, 2013 by Kristen Leave a Comment

This past weekend I successfully completed another goal I had set for myself, and that was to ride 100 miles on my bike. Justin and I signed up for the Tour des Chutes a couple weeks prior and were eager to partake in our first athletic event together.

The Tour des Chutes is an organized ride around Central Oregon with varying miles of 25, 50, 75, and 100 for all levels of experience. The purpose of the ride is to promote awareness and raise money for cancer survivorship and research. As my dad passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2006, this event hit close to home with me.

All those participating in the 100 mile ride met at 6AM in the parking lot of a local elementary school in NWX. Shivering and cold, it wasn’t long before we got the signal to “GO!” It took about an hour to warm up and feel comfortable, but once the sun hit us, I never complained again. I prefer sweat to numb fingers and toes.

The ride was really well organized with sag vehicles for mechanical support, well-marked corners and turns, and food/drink stations along the way. Justin and I felt great the entire ride, meeting and riding with people along the way, and enjoying each others company. Because of the staggered start times, we eventually met up with the other riders of various distances. The last food stop was very popular!

One of the things I enjoyed most during the event was watching Justin converse with and encourage the other riders. The last 10 miles are quite difficult as they ascend a couple large hills. As we passed other riders, some struggling more than others, Justin always had something positive to say to them. My favorite moment was when we passed a teenage kid who was out there on his own and riding a mountain bike. You could tell he was struggling a little and as we passed, Justin gave him a good pat on the back on the back as we rode by and said “nice job.” The kid stood up and started pedaling hard and strong, and I could see that Justin’s encouragement made a difference to him in that moment. I fell in love all over again.

Arriving to the finish line with Justin was pretty memorable. We finished strong and in good time. There was a lot going on at the finish area including music, raffles, people cheering, and a line a mile long for the burrito bar. Although free food from Longboard Louie’s was tempting, Justin and I decided to head home and relax for a few hours before an event later that evening.

Awesome event Tour des Chutes. Thank you!!!

Cork and Barrel

July 14, 2013 by Kristen Leave a Comment

Yesterday evening, Justin and I attended Cork and Barrel, a gourmet food and wine event that helps raise money to benefit the KIDS Center. This is a wonderful non-profit organization that brings various agency services and providers from around the community together to help counteract, evaluate, and treat child abuse. Justin played a role in making the connection with the wineries in Walla Walla, as well as assembled a few of the vacation packages for the live auction, thus we were fortunate enough to be in attendance with 400 other guests.

We arrived at Tetherow Golf Club shortly after 4:30pm and were impressed with the overall set up. There were three large, elegant tents nicely spaced for walking around and socializing outdoors. Two of the tents hosted various wine tasting stations, accompanied by paired small plates prepared by chefs from around the region. There were also various items and wine selections set up on display for the silent auction.

I was absolutely thrilled to see several of the winemakers from Walla Walla make the journey down to Bend. After wine tasting in that region a number of times, I definitely have developed a list of my favorites including Va Piano, Sleight of Hand Cellars, Gramercy Cellars, Adamant Cellars, Walla Walla Vintners, and Dusted Valley (to name a few)…

After socializing and tasting some fabulous wine, we were all directed to the third tent for a gourmet five-course dinner and live auction. Everyone was seated at a table of eight, along with one of the Walla Walla winemakers. Our table hosted Julie and Jet Titus from Seven Hills Winery, an absolute joy to talk to. The food was served, wine was poured, and conversation flowed throughout the venue.

Justin and I were able to escape in between courses and catch some great pictures of the sunset (and ourselves, naturally).

Tetherow’s Executive Chef Zac Hoffman created a five-course meal that started with a beet salad and gazpacho, followed by a beautiful charcuterie plate, main entrée of pork osso bucco, and chocolate cake dessert. Not a smidge was left on my plate. The live auction provided much entertainment as fishing trips, wine tasting weekends, and golf experiences were going for top dollar. All together, the event raised $260,000 for the KIDS Center. Remarkable!!!

The evening was pure bliss – great weather, wonderful people, and flavorsome food and wine. I look forward to hopefully attending Cork and Barrel for years to come.

First Fourth on Camano Island

July 8, 2013 by Kristen 1 Comment

This past weekend the hubby and I decided to road trip it up to Camano Island for a holiday weekend with the family in celebration of the Fourth of July. I had heard great things about the endless celebration and fireworks on the beach, thus was very eager to arrive. After a six-hour drive to Seattle, and another two hours of battling traffic on our way to Camano Island, we reached our destination late Wednesday evening and were greeted by my mother-in-law, Mary. She had prepared a much-needed feast with cheese, bread, salad, and a variety of seafood options.

After indulging in some yummy food and playing a couple games of Sequence (the best) Justin and I headed to bed and fell into a slumber.

Thursday was the Fourth of July. Justin and I got up fairly early and decided to journey out on a 44-mile ride around Camano Island.

I thought the ride would be flat and easy, being as though we are at sea level and on an island, but quickly discovered quite the opposite. Up and down over rolling hills, some of which were very steep. At one point Justin clocked a speed of 47 mph. After two and a half hours of beautiful scenery and tough riding, we were spent!

That afternoon we were joined at the Sugar Shack (Mary’s house) by the rest of the family – Jill, Mike, Madison, and Kendall – and there was plenty of fun to be had.

Fireworks. Games. BBQ. It was a giant celebration of freedom all throughout the neighborhood.

Justin and I enjoyed a lot of time on the beach and played some Cornhole on our OSU boards that were a wedding gift from Derek and Liz Strubel.

That evening we had a big BBQ feast with ribs, hamburgers, and hotdogs, accommodated by a few amazing side dishes. Everything was prepared to perfection.

Following dinner we headed to the beach as our neighbors stretched along the shoreline were beginning to light off fireworks.

Justin started a big fire in the fire pit and we cozied around, roasted marshmallows, and watched the sky illuminate all around us.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! Brilliant colors and light falling in every direction. I love a good fireworks show and this was by far one of the best I have seen. After several hours of nonstop action, we headed to bed well after midnight.

Friday morning came quickly and Justin and I were the first to rise and enjoy a cup of coffee. Awake and ready to go, we headed north to the Lululemon outlet. Yes, it is amazing. A few sports bras, shorts, and tanks later, we hit up Starbucks for a second dose of caffeine before arriving back at the Shack.

The rest of the day was filled with games, walking the beach, lounging and magazines, pedal boating, and pizza. Not to mention, a few games of Sequence.

Following a fun filled holiday weekend, Saturday morning arrived and we packed up to head back to Bend. On our drive home, Justin and I made a very rational decision to stop for lunch at one of the most unexpected places, St. John’s Bakery.

This is one of those places you pass in the middle of nowhere with an unfamiliar look and unusual name that leaves you curious and intrigued. Every time we have passed by the parking lot is filled with cars, thus after a recommendation by a friend who had a decent experience, we decided to give it a try. The bakery is an extension of a Greek Orthodox Monastery. Greeted by orthodox nuns when you walk in, it is a very conservative place that helps raise money for the monastery, filled with a variety of purchase options including pastries, an assortment of foods, a selection of coffees, handmade soaps, candles, textiles, and an array of other nick knacks. Justin and I walked away with a lemon pound cake, chocolate pound cake, and two gyros (filled with tzatziki sauce, pork, lettuce, and tomatoes). It was some of the best Greek food I have tasted and we look forward to making more stops in the future.

Another Day in Paradise

July 7, 2013 by Kristen Leave a Comment

I love a good ol’ Bend day with my husband. By this I mean packing in a lot of fun activities from sun up to sun down. It’s very typical of the lifestyle in the Yax household.

We awoke with the sun and headed out for a long ride on our bikes. Switching the route up a bit, we rode out east of town and did a great loop through farm country and high desert landscape.

Midway through our loop we stopped at the Alfalfa Market where we fueled up on G2 and Honey Stinger waffles.

I always like a quick stop at the Alfalfa Market because:

a) It is a lone wolf in the middle of nowhere
b) It is a great place to people watch (boaters, cyclists, farmers, etc.)
c) The views all around are pretty impressive.

(Did I mention the restroom?)

The ride back to Bend is always pleasant due to the gorgeous Cascades Range plastered in front of you the entire time.

Our ride ended at the 50-mile mark as we pulled up to the house. It wasn’t even noon…what to do next?

Justin and I have been playing with the idea of purchasing stand up paddleboards for some time. We heard about the convenience and quality of inflatable boards and decided to rent a pair for the afternoon. After picking up the boards at the Inn at the Seventh Mountain, we headed up to Sparks Lake for what would be an unexpected water adventure. The boards were already inflated, for the most part, so when we arrived Justin topped them off with air and we were set to go.

As we made our way into the water and onto the board, we both quickly realized the reality of “inflatable boards.” Although tough, the boards were not sturdy enough to carry the weight of a standing person without producing a semi-fold and taking on water. Justin’s board was little more durable than mine, yet he was still only able to maintain the upright position for a few minutes. I caught an awesome picture.

I, on the other hand, paddled around on my knees as water topped the middle of my board preventing any attempt to stand. Fail. Oh well, I was still able to produce a smile and enjoy the views.

The decision was made that there will be no inflatable paddleboards introduced to our garage in the near future.

Satisfied with our entertaining morning and afternoon, we decided to call it a day, head home, fire up the BBQ, and kick up our feet for the evening. Justin prepared an awesome meal with grilled pork loin and onions, sauteed brussels sprouts, and roasted mashed cauliflower. Ridiculously yummy!

A glass of wine and 24 on Netflix made for a great ending to a textbook day.