Thanksgiving in Portland, OR

We're obviously a little behind in the posts... but whatever. :-)

Over Thanksgiving we traveled up to Portland to visit with our friend Kat that lives up there.  We rented a car and left Merced after work on Wendesday and drove to Yreka (note: not a spelling error).  The driving weather was forecast to be less than desirable but we found that the weather wasn't an issue- the rental car was.  Headlights that illuminate roughly 30 feet in front of the car are not very helpful on dark mountain roads and windshield wipers that smear the water around make seeing difficult.  Other than that, the drive was uneventful.  We made it to Kat's apartment around 1 pm on turkey day.  The rest of Thursday was spent wining, dining, and catching up with Kat.

On Friday we got a bit of a late start and Kat had to work so we were on our own.  First we walked to a little cafe just down the street from Kat's apartment, then we drove across town to the rose gardens.  There were few roses at the time but we could tell that the garden would be quite amazing in full bloom.  We'll have to check that out during warmer weather.  Following a snack and a half hour of debating what to do next we decided to head to wine country.  We figured we'd go visit some wineries and then pick Kat up when she was finished working.  Things changed when Atalie spotted a giant Goodwill store. An hour-plus later we got back on the road but it was getting late so we headed up towards the winery Kat works at (Cooper Mtn), stopping at another one (Ponzi) along the way.  We did tastings at both and bought a couple bottles that we enjoyed (and could afford).  The night was finished off with dinner and a redbox movie.

Saturday we got up early and headed to Voodoo doughnuts (famous for odd flavored pastries) for breakfast.  Kat had to work again so Atalie and I decided to hit up the Saturday market, which had lots of cool stuff (just out of our price range) and see some of the other shops around Portland as well as some craft brew houses (there are plenty to choose from in Portland).  We ended the night at a really nice steakhouse (we were the youngest patrons in there).

Sunday, we made the drive back to Merced... a little bummed that we didn't get a chance to see more of Portland.  But at least we got a taste of it and got some quality visit time with Kat.

Getting dinner ready.

 In the rose gardens (minus roses).

 Voodoo donuts breakfast.

Dinner with Kat at Jake's Grill.

Mt. Shasta on the drive back to Merced.

November 19- Sentinel Dome & Taft Point

Patrick and I wanted to get one more use out of our annual National Parks pass before it expired, so we walked a couple short trails in Yosemite the weekend before Thanksgiving. Options are fewer in the winter since many of the roads, trails and passes are closed for the season, but we were fortunate enough to get partway up the road to Glacier Point to venture paths to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. We were also fortunate that we didn't under-dress (I decided at the last minute to throw gloves/hat/extra fleece in the car, just in case) since I checked the Valley weather/temperature, forgetting we'd be at the higher elevation.

This tree/root/whatever was an eye-catching absurdity as it grew and protruded from the middle of a boulder. As you can see, the path was fairly easy and pleasant except for occasional ice patches that threatened sure footing, particularly when we reached the steeper ground to the dome.

As we ascended, the air grew very dense with fog. The Dome didn't have snow at the top of it, but the cold breeze coated the shrubbery with crystals of thick frost. The fog obscured our view but it created a very solemn and surreal feeling. It sort of reminded me of when a movie character is transported to a virtual reality that looks like a never ending empty white room.

This made me think of Galadriel's Mirror (Lord of the Rings), which I thought was really neat. But when I got closer it wasn't a frozen pool that Patrick was peering into, just a smooth metal compass mounted on the stone. Oh well- it was still a fun thought to conjure!

On the way to Taft Point there were deep fissures that allowed us to glimpse the Valley floor from far above. A person on the top of the cliff in the foreground can provide some scale.

When turning away from one of the fissures, something in a bush caught my eye- a pair of sunglasses someone must have set down and forgot about. There's a scratch on one lens, but the condition is way better than any of my pairs in drastic need of replacement, so I was thoroughly pleased at the more than appropriate find. Patrick said it's a decent semi-pricy brand of sunglasses too. We lost our camera case last year in the park, so I guess that's part of the balance of nature!

Patrick, perched on an arch overlooking El Capitan.

The sun paid us a visit, illuminating the base of El Capitan with rays that chased away the fog for a time. It made an incomparable backdrop for a photo.

Here's the same view but panned to the left a bit to capture the other ridge. Around every corner in Yosemite, there seems to be another gorgeous and amazing perspective of God's creation!