Sunday, August 29, 2010

Oh Victoria


















Me and some friends took a day trip to Victoria BC on what, to our pleasant surprise, turned out to be a sunny August Sunday. We travelled on the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria in about 3 hours. I'd personally suggest considering alternate transportation if it's affordable. There were people literally getting sick on the ride there, and the food and ride over was on par to that of an airplane.



















When we arrived we left the rainy day in Seattle behind the find a lot of sunshine, flowers and people shuffling about. We began by hunting down the Choux Choux Charcuterie, which was closed on Sundays. Strike one. So, we headed back towards the water and found the Cactus Club Cafe, which had good food and is led by the only Iron Chef in Victoria, Rob Feenie.



















Afterwards we wandered through the Sunday market, not finding too much of interest. Then we came across Chinatown. Chinatown was one of my favorite areas because it had a lot of restaurants and interesting shops. I really enjoyed our discovery of the Fan Tan Alley, easily missed, but worth finding. It was very cute and had interesting shops with original artwork that was both decent and affordable.



















After that we headed to Lo Jo (Lower Johnson) for some boutique shopping that proved fruitful. All and all I'd say it was a pretty good day - minus that whole bird incident (that occurred twice). So I leave you with two words of wisdom - never forget! And wear a hood for protection. There's some crazy birds out there.



























Photography by me and Sarah Ramee

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Base. Camp. Muir.

















Mt. Rainier (highest peak in Washington @ 14,411 ft)

I've been lacking in updates lately, mainly because I've been so busy hiking and working that there hasn't been any time leftover. But, after a gorgeous weekend at Mt. Rainier I think it deserves the spotlight.

















Mt. Adams (2nd highest peak in Washington @ 12,277 ft)

Some friends and I are planning to summit Mt. Rainier on September 1st. Our last big hike was to the Base Camp, Camp Muir. We stayed overnight in order to get a good feel for the altitude, temperature, etc.

It was a gorgeous weekend without a single cloud in the sky. At night (unfortunately after my camera battery died) the sky was a gorgeous navy blue with a perfect crescent moon that was so large it looked like you could grab it right out of the sky.

The photos explain the rest!























Talk to you after the summit!

Photography by me