Clams!

Just like singlespeed mountain biking, digging razor clams on the coast is much more fun at night. Kerry spots the clams with the lantern and I dig em up. Odin mostly runs around looking for dead birds, fish or marine invertebrates to munch on.

Kerry and I both have a license and our limit is 15 each. We got our 30 clams pretty fast this time so we stopped at the Green Lantern for some food. I had Oysters and Fries and Kerry had Shrimp and Onion Rings. We thought the food was pretty good, it was obvious that the fries were cut fresh - not frozen - and the onion rings were great.

This is how to dig a razor clam -

Snow!

New helmet cam video

Here is some new video of Kerry and Odin rippin' it up last weekend. I hope to buy a new Apple computer soon so I can edit the video and add a soundtrack.

I shot these in a clearcut just north of Fall Creek Camp in Capitol Forest. Only a few hours after we took these shots there was a forest fire in the same area. Investigators determined the fire was caused by arson. Details

- Lee

Cherraisins

What would YOU call dried cherries?

Here is what lied in store for the 10 lbs. of cherries we bought at the Gorge. What will we do with an end result of two quarts + of dried cherries, or cherraisins, you ask? Trail mix, dried soup recipes, apple/cherry chutnies, oatmeal toppings, share with friends, barter, baked goods. You name it!

Here is Lee pitting, Kerry halving, Kerry placing. We had 10 lbs of Bings, and about 2 pounds of Rainiers from friend John's tree. We are drying them for him in return for few to keep.

Bowl of pitted rainiers, JAR O' PITS! And end result. Beautiful.

Here is a GREAT recipe I learned from a restaurant owning friend: Cherry & Apple Chutney with Brie and Chibatta. Its not very accurate in terms of quantities, but you can add however much of each thing to taste.

Dice up an apple (granny smith tends to work best for me)

Dice up some dried cherries

Saute fruit in pan with some white wine, reduce all the way down

Meanwhile, broil some chibatta with brie on top until melted

Place a bit of chutney on top

DELICIOUS

Gorge-ous

We finally made it to the Columbia Gorge! We camped at Beacon Rock State Park on the Washington side, but we spent time on both sides of the river, Hood River being Kerry's favorite part of the trip (unfortunatley no photos to document), a small town with a lot to offer. Breweries, wineries, cafes and some of the best mountain biking in the country...AND on the Gorge! We went to reap the bounty of fresh northwest produce at it's ripest, but only got as far as the gorge. Once we arrived there, it was hard to leave the place...SO much to see. We did however, make out with 10 pounds of cherries (at $0.98/lb.), destined for our dehydrator. Stay tuned for details.

Kerry (and Odin digging at...something) at Crown Point Lookout, an unanticipated view from the old highway on the Oregon side.

Lee and Odin in front of Beacon Rock--the remains of an ancient volcano scoured away by the Missoula Floods. A walkway was built all the way to the top. Odin appreciates a good view.

Lee and Odin on the Little Beacon Rock hike.

Bridge of the Gods!

New Toy

We just got a new helmet cam from www.VHOLDR.com.

Check out this video of Kerry and Odin flying down one of our favorite trails in Capitol Forest!

OMG where have we been?

we got tired of blogging so much so we quit for a while.  Now we are ready to blog again.