This has nothing to do with Denver...

Well, it is with great pleasure that I look forward to loading up the car this evening, armed with one bag of clothes, my GF, my dog, a thermos of coffee and a block of Tilamook white cheddar cheese and pointing it east. We'll travel the Columbia Gorge towards Pendleton and once we get there, we'll take a southerly route towards Boise, Idaho. From here, it'll be further east passing by Salt Lake City Utah and then into Wyoming and finally coming to a rest some 20 hours later in Denver, Colorado.

I made a promise to myself when I moved out to Oregon, that I'd get out and truly experience the wonder and the glory of the fabled American West, but driving 20 hours straight to get to Denver doesn't really qualify. Granted, we'll be passing through some pretty areas, but most likely these will all look the same in the dark. Actually, I'm kinda of dreading the long drive, but looking forward to it all at the same time. The trip isn't really about going to Denver, it's about the "trip", it's about spending some quality time with the GF, it's about getting to see some family, and it's about picking up something I've had my eye on for a really long time.

Which... leaves me to this:

For those of you not in the know, the above images are from Cincinnati's Crosley Field, which was home of the Reds from 1912 - 1970. It was constructed during the great era of steel and concrete ballparks like Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. During the years Crosely was in use, it saw many great games and memorable moments in baseball history. For example, during the Great Depression, with baseball attendance at an all time low, Cincinnati installed lights and hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in the first ever professional baseball night game. That date was May 24th 1935 and President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the distinction of pressing a button that lit up Crosley Field for the game.

So you might ask, what does that have to do with Denver?

And my response is... absolutely nothing.

Nothing expect what is waiting there for me.

4th of July weekend...

Once again, in lieu of actually "writing" a blog... I'm going to post some photos from my 4th of July weekend to the coast for camping and surfing and firework watching. As we're constantly reminded, photos, more often than not, speak louder than words (and well, some people and small children don't read so well - so hopefully they can enjoy this post as much as anyone else.)

it's a bit foggy on top of Mt. Hebo

Make that foggy and cold, about 45 some degrees for the first weekend of July.

Anna and I warming up by the fire.

Amy, Julie and Riley warming up...

Sam and I's awesome double decker camping set-up (it'd be even more awesome if it hadn't deflated half-way through the night)

Dinner time!

Julie reading maps by the fire.

Amy climbing cell phone towers

Sunset at Mr. Hebo

looking out over the valley. That little rock under the clouds in the far left of the photo is Pacific City's haystack rock (as seen in later photos), the rest is the ocean!

Sam and I on a mountain top.

Surfing at Pacific City/Cape Kiwanda (that's haystack rock in the background)

Sam and Riley

Amy and Julie found a nice parking spot on the beach.

4th of July birthday fireworks shin dig at Rockaway Beach

bonfires make any occasion special, even the 4th of July.

That night we camped in an empty culdasack since it was the only place we could find. I mean, at least we had ample storm drains in case it rained.