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January 25, 2008
New House!
I am moving into a new house! The new house is in the Rainier Valley, just north of Columbia City. The house features a beautiful garden and backyard patio, and also a detached studio/barn/garage building in the back. This house will provide much more space for Amie and I to dwell in, and we are both excited about setting up the barn as a music studio and gathering place. The only disadvantage is that our bike commute distance has about doubled, and to ride from here to downtown one must choose between one of two evils: Rainier Ave S, or hills. We are still experimenting with various routes to find the optimal one.
We are currently in the final stages of the moving process. I just now moved the server into the new basement and had the DSL line transferred. We miss the old neighborhood in the CD, but we are meeting our nice new neighbors here; the people across the street even stopped by to bring flowers!
As for the old house, my dad and I still own it. It needs a little fixing up and then we are going to either sell it to friends or rent it out. From talking to several friends about it, there seems to be much interest, as it is a rare affordable house in the Central District.
So Amie and are going to be pretty busy over the next month getting both houses in order. But hopefully we'll find a bit of time to go out and have some fun.
January 13, 2008
Hot Springs Adventure
Last weekend, I went to Scenic Hot Springs with my friend Evan and several other friends. Scenic Hot Springs is not the destination that it used to be; the elaborate decks and multiple soaking pools that had been built there have been torn down in recent years. Apparently there was some dispute involving the property owner, his insurance provider, and King County; the site has been reduced to a single small soaking pool and it is officially closed to the public. However, with the owner or caretaker.s permission, people are allowed to visit the hot springs. Contact info and the latest updates about Scenic Hot Springs can be found at this website.
We parked at the Surprise Lake Trailhead, since parking along the highway at this location is limited to 15 minutes. From the trailhead, there is an old road that heads in a southeast direction from the parking area, following this road takes you back to the highway, and then you have to hike along the highway for a short distance before reaching the road that heads to the hot springs. Most of us had snowshoes, and they came in handy since there was a fresh dumping of snow. After a short distance, the road reaches the BPA powerlines, we followed the powerlines uphill a ways, as they sizzled over our heads. Just past the .three-armed tower., the trail to the hot springs takes off uphill. Following this trail for another ½ mile brought us to the hot springs. We all took a nice long dip in the tub. We met some interesting folks there as we were soaking, including a fellow that was who was doing some field research for geothermal energy sources by Snohomish County. After soaking for a couple of hours and turning ourselves into wrinkly prunes, we headed back down to the parking area. We returned back to the minivan just before darkness fell.
December 27, 2007
Late December at Early Winters
It's been a while since I last posted an update. I have been involved with some real estate deals, which is kind of exciting, but also kind of a pain in the butt and consuming much of my free time. More about that topic later, because now Amie and I are on vacation and not thinking about that subject. We are currently hanging out in Mazama, WA with my dad and Beth.
We drove out here yesterday via Steven's Pass, which took about 6 hours. Normally, when the North Cascades Highway is open, this drive would only take about 4 hours. We are staying two nights at the Mazama Country Inn, a cozy place right in downtown Mazama.
Today, all four of us went snowshoeing up the Monument Creek Trail. It was a very nice spot; the trail was fairly easy to follow, the elevation gain is moderate, and the trail generally stays above the bottom of the valley with occasional nice views of the creek below and rocky cliffs on the opposite side of the valley. Santa brought me a fancy new handheld GPS unit, which I learned to download topo maps onto so I could track our progress as we crunched through the snow. As I learn some of the more advanced features of the GPS, I might be able to include detailed maps on any future trip reports. Now we are resting comfortably at the rustic Inn with wireless internet, and contemplating a dip in the hot tub.
Tomorrow, we leave Mazama and head east toward Sandpoint, ID, where we will stay with Amie's family until New Year's. We are considering taking a northerly route via Highway 20, but that will depend on the weather and how early of a start we get.
November 24, 2007
Yay for CDMA
It's day two on the Empire Builder. The train wasn't too crowded last night, so Amie and could split up and have two seats each. I slept okay, but woke up with a sore neck and a pounding headache. They really crank up the heat on these railcars and the air gets really dry in here. We're currently speeding through southern North Dakota; looks just as desolate as when we came through a couple of weeks ago, except that there is a dusting of snow in places.
I am quite pleased with the internet access that I can get from the train over Verizon's CDMA network. I can only get it when Verizon's home network (not the "Extended Network") is available, and on weekdays I would normally be charged for airtime, but it is Saturday and so airtime is free. The speed isn't the greatest, but it's just fine for doing things like checking email and updating this blog.
The electrical outlet shortage on the Amtrak Superliner trains is still an issue, as I noted on a recent trip on the Coast Starlight, but this time I came prepared with a power strip and extension cord.
November 23, 2007
Begin Return Trip
Today we boarded the Empire Builder for our journey back to Seattle. This time we don't have the luxury of the sleeping car and we are traveling coach class. That means no free meals on this trip, although we came well stocked with snacks and thanksgiving leftovers.
Speaking of thanksgiving, it was yesterday. My grandma, Amie, and I cooked up a small feast for three at grandma.s house. There was probably enough food for seven or eight people, so leftovers aplenty. We packed up what we could for the train ride, and left the rest for the Wheaton folk.
So now we are barreling through Wisconsin at 79 MPH in the semi-comfort of our coach seats. They're not as nice as the sleeping car accommodations, but it still beats anything found on an airplane.
November 20, 2007
Vacation within a Vacation
For the past three days, Amie and I have been staying at a bed & breakfast in the Lakeview neighborhood just north of Downtown Chicago. It's not that we were getting tired of Wheaton, but we wanted a few days to be free to roam the city. The location of our bed was prime, just a few blocks from the El (red and brown lines) and easy biking distance from the lakefront bike trail.
Before leaving us to our own devices in Chicago, my Grandma, Aunt Jan & Joni took us ice skating at the new skating rink at Millennium Park on Saturday. This was fun, I have never been ice skating before; I was a little wobbly at first, but I quickly caught on since all that it took was a combination of roller skating and skiing skills (the snowplow works great for avoiding collisions with other skaters). After that, we all headed to Pizzeria Uno for a classic Chicago deep-dish pizza. Then, Amie and I were on our own in the Windy City. It was Saturday night, so we checked out what the North Halsted District had to offer for entertainment. We dropped into a club called "The Berlin". it was an interesting place, but very smoky. We have been spoiled by the clean air in Seattle nighttime hangouts, thanks to the indoor smoking ban, although we heard that Chicago has passed a similar law that will go into effect next year. The Berlin featured cool video displays and a DJ that played some interesting and diverse tracks, however, the mixing was sub-par.
The next day, we hopped on our bikes and rode down the lakefront trail. We plopped ourselves on an open-air boat in freezing weather and took a tour of Chicago Architecture. This was a fascinating tour along the Chicago River and was guided by a very knowledgeable volunteer from the Chicago Architecture Foundation That evening, we had dinner at the Chicago Diner, a very yummy vegetarian/vegan joint just down the road from our B&B.
On Monday, we got on our bikes again and rode to the Wicker Park neighborhood, where we checked out some cool bookstores, shops, and even found a place to do some hot yoga. In contrast with the freezing temperatures of the day before, today it was humid outside and with temperatures in the 60's!
On Tuesday, before we headed back to Wheaton, I checked out some of the construction on the CTA Brown Line. I also rode on the new "Pink Line". which is the new El line that runs on the old Douglas line, but connects directly to The Loop via the Lake Street El (Green Line) and a stretch of north-south track that had been semi-abandoned.
We are now lounging comfortably at grandma's Pristine Palace in Wheaton, and doing extreme things like watching cable TV.
November 15, 2007
Hanging out in the 'Burbs
Amie and I have successfully arrived in the Chicagoland area. We are staying with my grandma in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, IL. It has been unseasonably warm here, so we spent the first few days outside. There is a wonderful bike trail here called the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP), which follows the right-of-way of an abandoned electric interurban railway, and we spent a couple of days riding on this trail. On our first trip, we rode out to Elgin on the IPP, intercepted the Fox River Trail, headed south, and then made a loop and returned on the Geneva Spur of the IPP. Along the trail, we spotted a snapping turtle and a tree with very strange fruit. On another trip, we headed south on the Joliet Spur and worked our way towards Naperville, where we spent a few hours at a climbing gym. The climbing gym is in a huge health club complex near a big interchange of the East-West Tollway, it was not a very bike-friendly environment and we appeared to be the only people arriving at this health club by bicycle. When we were finished climbing, we rode back to the IPP in the dark, and didn.t see much traffic on the path. Although the IPP is a wonderful bike facility, it does not appear to get much use for transportation purposes.
Yesterday, we ventured into the city for a day of sightseeing and riding the CTA. We visited one of my favorite buildings, the State of Illinois Building, officially known as the James R. Thompson Center. A security guard thwarted our attempt to observe the unique atrium of the building from the 16th floor (the top), but we found the 8th floor to be more accommodating. We had less success at the Museum of Holography; unfortunately it was closed when we arrived, contrary to the posted hours of operation. After bumming around the city for a little while longer, we hopped on a Metra train back to Wheaton.
November 10, 2007
Mid-Westbound
Amie and I are currently enroute to Chicago on Amtrak's Empire Builder. This entails spending 48 hours on a train through some of the most scenic and desolate parts of the country. This can hardly be considered an ordeal, with sleeping car accommodations, free meals included, and a friendly car attendant who brings us champagne and cookies every evening. A few moments ago we departed Rugby ND, "The Geographical Center of North America", and now we are sailing through south-central North Dakota at 79 MPH. This is the most relaxing way to travel, it's so much better than flying or driving.
And yes, I have internet access here on the train. I figured out a way to link my cell phone through a USB cable and seting up a Dial-up Networking Connection in Windows on the laptop; it involves going into a hidden menu on my phone and entering a secret password. This slick little setup gives me free net access through Verizon.s CDMA network on weekends and after 9:00 PM (otherwise I have to pay for minutes, which can add up quickly!)
We arrive in Chicago tomorrow afternoon, and then we have two weeks with a very open-ended agenda. I am calling this my summer vacation because I didn.t really get to take much time off last summer, so the point of this venture is really just to get out of town for a couple of weeks. Plus, my grandma and aunts live in the Chicagoland area, so I.ll get to spend some time with them too.
Well, I better sign off so I don.t miss the scenery. To my left currently are four lights off in the distance, three orange ones and one white one. To my right is the flashing red light of a radio tower, probably the cell tower that I.m communicating with right now.
More later...
October 21, 2007
RTID = TIRD
I am urging people to vote NO on the transportation district Proposition #1. Although the ballot measure includes an unprecedented amount of money for light rail and other transit projects that I support, it also includes a lot of wasteful spending for freeway expansion. It's true that only 40% of the package goes to roadway improvements, while 60% goes to transit; however, the roadway improvements are only partially funded, which implies that other funding sources will need to be tapped to complete those projects. If you compute the total cost of the roadway projects listed in Proposition 1 and compare it to the cost of the transit improvements, the cost of the roadway improvements will certainly outweigh the cost of the transit improvements.
Future roadway improvements should be funded by tolls and congestion pricing, not a regressive sales tax. You pay a fare to ride the bus, right? So why not pay a fare to drive on the road? I wrote about this topic about 6 months ago, check it out if you want to read more about congestion pricing. Since then, the state has started implementing an electronic toll scheme on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, called Good to Go. The state also recently won a federal grant to implement congestion pricing on the 520 bridge, it may overhaul the whole outdated concept of freeway; I believe that Proposition 1 counteracts and complicates this exciting new program.
Finally, supporters of Proposition 1 say that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is just not true. Proposition 1 = more freeway lanes = more cars = more greenhouse gas emissions. Sure, the transit projects will be beneficial, providing people with alternatives to driving, and focusing new development into walkable transit-oriented communities, but will it reduce traffic volumes on I-5? Very unlikely.
So, with disappointment I will join Ron Sims in voting no on Proposition 1, hoping that something better and more forward thinking will come along in its place.
September 30, 2007
Mushrooms!
When I was a kid, I used to find mushrooms somewhat unpalatable, but now Amie has gotten me excited about hunting for local varieties of edible mushrooms. Last weekend, we went up to the Rapid River drainage, a tributary to the Beckler River, which is up near Skykomish, WA.
Amie dropped me off at the Meadow Creek trailhead a few miles up the Rapid River Road. I primarily wanted to go hiking and scrambling as far as I could make it with the allotted time, while Amie and our friend Robert wandered the lower valley looking for various varieties of wild mushrooms.
I'm no pro when it comes to identifying mushrooms, but I knew that the King Bolete, a prized delicacy, vaguely resembles a golden brown hamburger bun and can grow to ridiculous sizes. So, I kept an eye out for these while not straying too far from the path. At about the 3300' elevation level, I started seeing a few of these hamburger buns popping out, and by the time I reached 3600' they were all over the place. My plan was to scope out the selection on the way up, and then pick the best ones on the way down. I reached Fortune Pass and went on a bit further towards Fortune Ponds, but I didn't quite have enough time to reach the ponds; I turned around at about the 4500' level. At this elevation, the Boletes were not in good shape.
On the way back down, I picked a few choice specimens of what I believed to be King Boletes. I only picked a few because I didn't have much space in my day pack and I wasn't 100% sure that these were the right ones. I rendezvoused with Amie and Robert near the trailhead just as darkness was falling. Amie and Robert had collected a trove of chanterelles, chicken-of-the-woods, corals, and a few other varieties. I showed them my Kings, and they got all excited because they had not found any of them. If I had known how prized these beasts were, and more confident in identifying them, I would have tried to gather more of them. Next time...
Back at home we tried cooking our finds. We sliced up my Kings; some of them had maggots, which was kind of gross, but apparently just fine as long as they haven't eaten too much of the flesh. We fried up some of the better slices in olive oil and munched on them; they were tasty but had a funny texture. Then, Amie made a pasta dish with the fried Kings and some of the other mushrooms that she picked. It was absolutely delicious. I'm sold: Wild Mushrooms = Yum! Those standard store-bought mushrooms, however, still make me somewhat wary.
To continue into the past of the 0K Blog, click here: [2007.2].
© 2007 Owen Kehoe
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Before leaving us to our own devices in Chicago, my Grandma, Aunt Jan & Joni took us ice skating at the new skating rink at Millennium Park on Saturday. This was fun, I have never been ice skating before; I was a little wobbly at first, but I quickly caught on since all that it took was a combination of roller skating and skiing skills (the snowplow works great for avoiding collisions with other skaters). After that, we all headed to Pizzeria Uno for a classic Chicago deep-dish pizza. Then, Amie and I were on our own in the Windy City. It was Saturday night, so we checked out what the North Halsted District had to offer for entertainment. We dropped into a club called "The Berlin". it was an interesting place, but very smoky. We have been spoiled by the clean air in Seattle nighttime hangouts, thanks to the indoor smoking ban, although we heard that Chicago has passed a similar law that will go into effect next year. The Berlin featured cool video displays and a DJ that played some interesting and diverse tracks, however, the mixing was sub-par.
