It’s Been a Minute …
Hello, Friends! I promise I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. I got the opportunity to visit my daughter Madison and her husband Zane in Boise for a whole month! I’m here also to house-sit and dog-sit for them while they travel to Texas for a week, and to Boston and Maine for another week, both for weddings. Remember that phase of life?!
It takes a minute to settle in to new routines; I no longer am picking up and relocating every five days or so. But I really do love Boise—what a cute, vibrant, very-walkable city! And their parks and trails? Stupendous. I’ve even been bike riding, which I haven’t done in a million years! They live a block away from the greenbelt which has amazing running and biking trails, following the Boise River. And it’s so arid here—even when it’s 100 degrees (and, yes, it has been 100 more than a few times the past few weeks—but it feels like 80, really. So wonderful. It’s also home to Boise State University with their iconic blue football field. I ended up going to a Banana Ball game there (IYKYK) and had an absolute blast.
So as I prepare to hit the road again to head to Canada for a couple of months (SQUUUEEEEEE!), I realized there were two more absolutely gorgeous places Maisie and I explored when we were in Washington state (also known as the Evergreen State, in case you were wondering):
U-Dub
I suppose if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: I love college campuses! If given the opportunity to explore a campus during my travels around the country, I normally jump on it, even adjusting my route like when I went to see Princeton and Yale last fall. This time, I was thrilled to carve out a day to explore The University of Washington in Seattle.
Like just about everything in the Pacific Northwest, the campus is gorgeous. The blending of Collegiate Gothic architecture with sweeping views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges brings a quintessential charm to this huge campus that is home to more than 52,000 students. It was pretty quiet when we were there, being the end of June and classes being done for the semester. I’d love to return in the fall when the level of activity multiplies tenfold with students returning to classes and sports and activities in high gear.
Of course, I love to tour the athletics facilities as well. I was a little bummed not to be able to talk my way into the locked football stadium ;-D, so instead walked around the perimeter and just imagined the 70,000+ fans screaming their heads off when the Huskies take the field. (To be fair, in my opinion, nothing compares to the 105,000+ screaming fans at Texas—and at Tennessee, for that matter. Just sayin’.) Washington puts a lot of resources into their athletics programs, and it shows. The facilities appeared to be top-notch. And I loved seeing the giant murals for some of the sports, comparing them to those that I currently design for UT.
A funny thing happened on the way to the fields. As I passed the baseball stadium, I noticed how all the fencing around it had been covered so that you couldn’t see in. Same with soccer. The baseball stadium main entry seemed to be a staging area of some kind. And there were a lot of security people around. Not police, but guards and people in bright vests. I asked one of them what was going on but he wouldn’t say. Then a car pulled up nearby, rolled down the window, and asked in a very European-sounding voice, “We’re part of the international media pool (or something along those lines), here for the Senegal practice.” Bingo! Now everything made sense. The Senegal National Futbal Team was going to be there to practice before their game the next day in the World Cup in Seattle. I was able to walk around the perimeter of the UW soccer field, but security was very tight and I could hardly see the field. I overheard some of the guards talk about other teams who had been there to train, including Egypt and Iran. I guess the Huskies’ stadium is the best one around for World Cup teams to practice in ahead of their matches in Seattle! #goodtimes
Washington: Mount Shuksan & Mount Baker
Just when I thought I had seen the most magnificent mountains the Pacific Northwest has to offer, I came across Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. HOLEEEEEE COW. Once again, I find it hard to summon the words to accurately describe their intense beauty. Instead, here are some fun facts:
Mount Baker is an active, glacier-covered stratovolcano in the North Cascades of Washington state, standing at 10,781 feet tall. Also known as Koma Kulshan, it is famous for heavy snowfall, scenic hiking trails, and being the second-most thermally active crater in the Cascade Range.
Snow and ice-covered Mount Baker is the highest peak in the North Cascades (10,781 ft) and the northernmost volcano in the conterminous United States.
Mount Baker holds the world record for the most recorded snowfall in a single winter season–during the 1998–99 winter season, the Mt. Baker Ski Area recorded an incredible 1,140 inches (95 feet) of snow. 95 FEET!!! The average snowfall is 50 FEET.
Immediately to the east of Mount Baker is Mount Shuksan, which is just under 12 miles south of the Canada–US border. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi word [šéqsən], said to mean "high peak".
Mount Shuksan rises to 9,131 feet and overlooks the famous Picture Lake. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the Cascade Range.
Hiking up to Artist Ridge on Mount Baker was EPIC! Still with snow on the ground in early July, yet I nonetheless needed to shed my jacket, and the mountain views were just stunning.
Well, friends, that’s a wrap on the first half of my travels this year. What does the near future hold? I’ll be heading to Canada for a couple of months, covering the lower mainland of British Columbia from Vancouver to Revelstoke, and possibly into Alberta to check out bucket-list Banff as well as Calgary! I appreciate any prayers for safe travels. Oh, and prayers that I can watch college football while in Canada! (priorities, you know?!) :D