For labor day weekend we decided to head to Bend and relax in some sunny dry weather. I had been to Newberry National Volcanic Monument several times but the only memories I have there are of a snow covered landscape riding our snowmobiles up to the peak. So this time, Brent and I decided to make the hike up the Peak and check out the obsidian flows.
Instead of going camping like we had originally planned we decided to climb the South Sister. We loaded up the car and headed to Devils Lake for an early start to beat the heat. From the trail head to the peak of the South Sister is 6 miles with an elevation gain of about 5000 feet to the final elevation of 10,358 feet. Known as “Grace” the South Sister is the youngest and tallest of the three sisters.
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This weekend we ventured out for a midday hike along the beautiful Opal Creek. Nestled in the foothills of the Cascades the hike follows the old mining road up the creek to the historic mining town of Jawbone Flats (currently managed as an environmental education center). Along the way there were the remains of an era long gone, complete with quite the collection of trucks.
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For the last day of the Independence Day long weekend we took a family hike to Silver Creek State Park. Walking under and around the falls is always a show of extreme beauty. We took the roughly 10 miles of trail all around the park and afterwards wound down with a picnic lunch and a game of bocce ball!
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For the Independence Day holiday Will, Jesi, and Brent went on a moderate 5 mile hike in the Gorge to Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, and many others! The trail goes by 10 waterfalls in total, and the entire Gorge area is beautiful.
Afterwards we all went back to Portland to have dinner and watch the waterfront fireworks. Great day!
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A week before Memorial day we were offered the opportunity to climb Half Dome, who wouldn’t say yes? The climb was an amazing adventure for us all full of spectacular views and good company.
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For our engagement shoot we opted to hike to the top of Smith rock, and wound up with a spectacular backdrop. Much love to the amazing photography of Kimberly Kay and Chris Barth.
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Took a long weekend over to Smith Rock and snapped some pictures of the gorgeous landscape. Walking past all the climbers makes me miss rock climbing; I’ll have to get back into it someday. We took the Misery Ridge trail up one side and went down and around the back.
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After a few long days at the hospital with our grandfather we decide brunch and a nice adventure would do us some good. Jeremy, Jason, Lisalyn, Brent and I loaded up in the car and headed for the snowy falls.
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This morning we got up early to try to beat a forecasted snow storm, packed the SUV with survival gear and a picnic, and hit the road for a snowy waterfall adventure to Salt Creek Falls. The falls are one of the most spectacular in Oregon hurtling 286 feet into a gaping canyon near the top of Willamette Pass. Little did I know that just before the snow began to fall I was in for an amazing surprise.
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On May 4, 2012 I successfully defended my Masters Thesis, “Uplift Capacity and Displacement of Helical Anchors in Cohesive Soils”, to earn my MS in Geotechnical Engineering (a Civil Engineering specialty). The journey to the defense was definitely a difficult one, but I could not be prouder of myself for persevering and completing my graduate studies in only 16 months.
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