Hiking to the Oyster Dome

We went for a hike on Saturday with our friends Daniel and Hollie. We drove to Blanchard Mountain and then hiked several miles north across the face of the "mountain" to the Bat Caves and Oyster Dome.


Here we're standing at the Bat Caves and the base of the Oyster Dome. This area is called the Bat Caves because extremely large rocks have fallen off the large wall behind us and piled up. The piled rocks have created "caves" that you can crawl through. We didn't crawl through any on this journey.


Ah, the view from the top of the Oyster Dome: It's breathtaking. It's, I think, about 500 feet above the bat caves. The trail to this point is basically 5oo feet straight up - pretty rough. The view is worth it, though. You can see a lot of the San Juan Islands.



Apparently, Hollie isn't afraid of heights. Personally, I couldn't get that close to the edge. Abby took the picture, so she must not be all that scared either.


Here are the four us posing at the top of the Oyster Dome, relishing the fact that we made it to the top and dreading the climb down.


After the hike we went to Saturday night church and then capped the evening off with a visit to Coconut Kenny's for great Hawaiin BBQ food.

Mini-bike races

Last weekend was our annual Grape Stomp weekend. Things were a little different this year. Mostly because there was no grape stomping; it was canceled. We still got together for a fun weekend, though.

Abby and I wracked our brains to come up with a team competition that would be just as fun as stomping grapes. After much searching, we (Abby) finally found something that we thought might compare. She got the idea from work: Mini-bike races. We literally raced bikes designed for five-year olds.


I tell you what, it was a tight squeeze for all of us to sit on and peddle these teeny-wheeny bikes around. THEY WERE SO SMALL! And, they had training wheels on. Of course it was these nuances that made it so funny to be a part of and watch. Most of us guys are over 6 feet tall... These bikes weren't made for us, and at one point we had to temporarily stop the races for mechanical repairs. We were putting some serious wear and tear on them.


Usually, we stay with the Champouxs (pronounced shampoo) when we go grape stomping. This year, we rented a fatty 4,000-square-foot "cabin" in Cle Elum. Abby found a place for all 16 of us. It was incredible. When 16 people and two infants can all stand in front of the fireplace, you know it's a little more than a cabin.


It had a dinning room table that all 16 of us could sit at.


Here's a shot of the front of the cabin.


And one shot from inside the cabin.


On Saturday afternoon we spent a few hours at the nearby lake. The weather was awesome.


It was the perfect opportunity to float paradise (our giant 10-foot diameter donut float).


We played Bunco on Saturday night. Abby and I bought a prize to give to the winner. I think that if Taylor had known what the prize was, he would have played with a little more enthusiasm. : ) The prize was... are you ready for this... a SNUGGIE! What's the snuggie? It's the blanket with sleeves. Congratulations Emily!


When we weren't competing or eating, we were enjoying many of the luxurious amenities the "cabin" had to offer. Here, Abby and I are enjoying the amazingly comfortable patio furniture.


The big surprise of the weekend was what Brett showed up with. You notice anything in this picture? Kinda looks like he had a run-in with a vampire. Hahahahahaha. Brett said, this is my first hickey ever. I quickly corrected him and said, "You mean your first three hickeys ever?!"