I took Friday off and my daughter Lindsey and I drove down to Mount St. Helens. I’ve been to the east side of the mountain many times but this is the first time I’ve ever visited the west side. It’s a beautiful drive, I highly recommend it!

Windy Ridge on the east side is physical closer to Mount St. Helens but you can’t really see the crater well from there.  On the west side, Johnston Ridge is perfectly positioned for a dramatic view of the lava dome and the steam rising out of the crater. The visitor center at the Johnston Ridge Observatory contains a lot of information about the mountain and the May 18, 1980 eruption.

We had a great drive down. I stopped at most of the frequent scenic overlooks to take photos as we went. Being a weekday, the traffic was pretty light. I imagine things get busier on the weekend. On the way back, we stopped for dinner at 19 Mile House in Kid Valley, WA. This little restaurant and gift shop features a spectacular view and fantastic home-made cobbler!

More photos on Flickr!

As I confessed already, I played hooky Wednesday afternoon and headed off to meet up with one of my regular riding partners, Jim. We have a spot up north on Highway 9 we normally meet at so I hopped on the bike and waded into traffic. The problem with Seattle is getting *out* of the city sometimes.  Took me an hour and twenty minutes to ride roughly 40 miles. Oh joy. Fortunately the rest of the ride made up for that.

It was fairly warm today, in the 80s but comfortable on the bike as long as you’re moving. I wore my mesh gear anyway for maximum air flow and my hydration pack also. Our goal was to ride Highway 9, a nice twisty stretch of road north of Arlington, WA.  The problem is that Highway 9 is straight as an arrow south of Arlington.  Fortunately Jim knows an alternate route via roads through farming country. The roads are still mostly straight, but with frequent 90 degree bends so it’s still a fun ride.  And generally, no traffic to mention.

The ride up was great. As we often do, we stopped at a favorite restaurant near Big Lake, WA. I don’t even know the name of the place, but it’s right on our route so we stop there. They have great burgers! After a relaxing dinner, we mounted up and rode our route in reverse. The ride back was even better. The sun had dipped behind the hills to the west and the temperatures had cooled off a little. This made for perfect riding conditions. Far too soon, we were back at our meeting point and it was time to split up and head for home.

It’s a beautiful summer day in Seattle.  Someone with a good work ethic would stay focused on their responsibilities and not be distracted by thoughts of gloomy, wet weather in the forecast.

Good thing I’m not that person… while they sit in their cube slaving away for their corporate masters, *I’ll* be enjoying a spirited ride along picturesque two-lane roads. Suckers…

Argh… Ticketmaster finally posted the date for the Seattle performance of Cheap Trick. It’s Saturday, November 17th.  The *same* date I already have tickets for Kathy Griffin.

*sound of forehead bouncing on desk*

Hmm… stick with Kathy Griffin or sell the tickets and get tickets to Cheap Trick. Decisions… decisions… decisions…

I’m thinking Kathy, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a bit sad to miss Cheap Trick in concert.

Aha, see… Leesa isn’t the *only* one who can take deer photos! Not that it’s a competition or anything like that.

As is my custom, once I find an interesting place I tend to revisit and explore at different times and in different ways. I greatly enjoyed my visit to Hurricane Ridge on the motorcycle last weekend, so I thought I do a road trip back out there with the kids this weekend. As much as I love riding, it’s much easier to stop and hike around with a camera when you’re based out of a car.

The weather was very dramatic this weekend, clouds on the mountains with peaks rising through. We had to drive through one low lying cloud layer on our way up to the ridge. It made for a beautiful view once we were above it looking across the Olympics. Deer like the one in this photo were *everywhere*. We saw four or five just in the parking lot at the visitors center. The kids really enjoyed seeing them, especially Lindsey.

It’s just a matter of time before I head back out here again.  I noted several places on the way that I’d like to visit with camera in hand in the future.

Just in case you want to see more photos, you know where to look.

Or at least, that’s the vibe I was getting when I snapped this photo.  Kiko has a dark side… no, really!

I’m behind on posting movie reviews here lately, but I’ve been up to my neck in them. I think I’m off the next few weeks though. Here’s links to a bunch of recent reviews at Past The Popcorn.

Fido: (dark zombie comedy) Quirky and interesting, not everyone’s cup of tea but I like zombie movies!

Sunshine: (scifi thriller) Liked the first 2/3 and thought the ending ruined the movie

Hot Rod: (comedy) Wasn’t clicking with me at first but it grew on me and I wound up laughing my arse off by the end

The Bourne Ultimatum: (action thriller) Predictable but good, if you liked the first two you’ll love this one too, I did!

Stardust: (fantasy romance) A little long with too many story lines, but still a great fantasy movie… I liked it!

So how about you? Seen any good movies lately?

We spotted the ocean, At the head of the trail
Where are we goin’, So far away
And somebody told me, That this is the place
Where everything’s better, And everything’s safe

CHORUS:
Walk on the ocean, Step on the stones
Flesh becomes water, Wood becomes bone

Half an hour later, We packed up our things
Said we’d send letters, And all of those little things
And they knew we were lyin’, But they smiled just the same
It seemed they’d already, Forgotten we came

(CHORUS X 2)

Now back at the homestead, Where the air makes you choke
And people don’t know you, And trust is a joke
We don’t even have pictures, Just memories to hold
It grows sweeter each season, As we slowly grow old

Ok Comcast, I’ve been satisfied (not overjoyed mind you, just satisfied) with your cable service for several years now.  My HD DVR has worked ok (not great, just ok) but at least it worked.  Now you’ve “upgraded” the software on it and for the last two weeks, I don’t think it has worked for more than a few hours without crashing and burning.  And only physically unplugging the power and plugging it back in will reset the box.  I’ve talked to live tech support twice now, I’ve had a tech come out and look at it.  And still… it crashes more than it works.  Honestly, I think my setup box is about to have a violent accident. Maybe it’s time to start looking at digital satellite. I wonder if they really do offer more HD channels than cable…. hmm.