Hiking Cinder Cone

Hiking Cinder Cone

On July 19, 2017

In Cinder Cone Volcano, Japan, Lassen National Park

The second night in Lassen National Park, we stayed the far northeast corner at the Butte Lake campground. To access the campground, we drove down a long gravel road. In the RV, it defined a bumpy, country road.

The campground was secluded and quiet. Without the city lights, sky looked like a planetarium.

We woke early Wednesday morning to hike Cinder Cone Volcano. We wanted to start early because there is very little shade on the volcano. The trail leading up to the volcano was black sand and surrounded by tall pine trees.

The sand challenged our glutes and calf muscles and the trees provided delightful shade.

Also along the hike to the volcano, we had an upclose view of the Fantastic Lava Beds. The Fantastic Lava Beds formed when Lava seeped out the sides of the volcano and then cooled. The rocks were impressive.

The hike up the volcano reached a 45 degree angle.

Despite being a relatively short hike, it was strenuous.

From the top, we had views of the Cinder Cone Caldera, the Fantastic Lava Fields, and Mount Lassen.

We hiked down into the caldera of the volcano because we could!

It was no small accomplishment to reach the top. Especially considering the angle and lava rock path!

The highlight on the way down was playing “what are the odds” with Fiona. She lost and had to balance a pine cone on her head!

Southwest Lassen

By wabisabisole

On July 16, 2017

In Japan, Lassen National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in the Northeast corner of California. The park contains all four types of volcanoes – shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome. The largest volcano in the park is Lassen Peak. Lassen is also one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world. The last eruptions were between 1914 and 1921. We were able to visit the park between 7/10-7/12. The first night we stayed in the southwest part of the park.

We made a brief stop the first morning at Sulphur Works. Here we could view sulphur springs, fumerole, and a mudpot. A fumerole is created when the sulphur gas escapes the Earth’s surface. Here is a picture of the suphlur springs and fumerole. The steam was difficult to capture. Here is a picture of the mudpot.

I took a picture of the recipe card. Kawaii!

The park receives significant amounts of snowfall every year causing many roads and trails throughout the park to be closed during the winter. This past winter, the late season storms generated so much snow the main road through the park, Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway, remains closed. The park estimates they will be able to clear the 50 feet of snow covering the roads by August. This amount of snow and delay hasn’t been seen for at least 50 years.

We were able to drive up to Bumpass and park the rig. The Bumpass Trail remains closed because of snow. Instead, we walked up to the point where they were still clearing the road. The snow lining the roads was spectacular!

After lunch, we went for an afternoon hike to Mill Creek Falls. The hike was highlighted with beautiful terrain, wild flower fields, and views of Lassen Peak.
The falls were serene and beautiful.

Wine Camp

By wabisabisole

On July 10, 2017

In Benziger, Family, Japan, Sonoma, Wine

On Saturday, July 8th, Audry dropped me in San Francisco where I was able to meet up with my family to begin the second leg of my journey. My brother, George, is the official driver of the RV we rented to drive us around Northern California and Oregon. Juliana, my sister-in-law, is the navigator extraordinaire. My mom, Fiona (my niece), and I are the happy campers, gummy bear tasters and overall back seat ruckus rousers.

Saturday was our meet up and load up day. We hit the road for real on Sunday morning working our way through Sonoma Valley towards Lassen National Park. We made a long pit stop at the Benziger Winery for a tasting and a tour.

The Benziger Winery is a biodynamic winery. The for the past 22 years, the l 85 acres have progressed from organic to biodynamic.

Biodynamics is essentially the most purest form of organic farming and in this case, wine making. The process is biologically friendly with many levels of diversity to achieve growth and harvest of the grapes. Our guide, Patty, told us the Winery uses insects, natural predators, plants, and trees to attract pollinators for the grape vines. The same balance is utilized to prevent pests and diseases. Here’s a picture of three houses. An owl house, bat house, and blue bird house.

Simultaneously, the winery uses compost procedures and manure from the 60 sheep and 2 cows on the premises to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients for the grape vines. The sheep are also used to “mow” between the vines and their hooves help to aerate the soil. The winery also recycles the water for irrigation.

Our first tasting was during the tour. It was the 2015 West Rows Chardonnay – Signaterra. Buttery and not too much oak.

The grapes are hand picked preventing bruising and damage.

Instead of traditional methods of crushing the grapes, a high speed camera and laser imaging enables imperfect grapes to be pulled out and only the very best grapes remain. Fermentation then occurs in these large and well insulated vats.

Barreled wine is stored in caves constructed by the winery. The caves are 28,000 sqft and naturally maintain 60 degrees / 70 % humidity. The white oak barrels are used because they offer the perfect density for aging their wine selection.

2014 La Reyna Pinot Noir – it was ok.

2013 Oonapaus Sonoma Mountain Red – One of Juliana’s favorites.

2013 Three Blocks – My favorite!

We purchased two bottles of yummy deliciousness. One was consumed with lunch. Fresh fruit, local bread, and olives.

The second bottle was saved for tomorrow…

Day Three – Yosemite Falls

By wabisabisole

On July 10, 2017

In Friendship, Half Dome, Hiking, Japan, Yosemite, Yosemite Falls

Friday, was our last full day in Yosemite. Audry and I discussed possible hiking options. We both decided we wanted to avoid Vernal Falls, Mist Trail, and John Muir Trail all three were part of our hike to Half Dome. Instead, we took the Valley Shuttle to Lower Yosemite Falls. A few pictures of our approach to the falls. The first picture is Upper Yosemite Falls.

Lower Yosemite Falls was magnificent. The extra snow and late season storms in Northern California really enabled the Falls to be a beautiful spectacle this time of year. So much energy! And wind! It’s our “Flock of Seagulls” look.

After visiting Lower Yosemite Falls, we eventually found the trail for Upper Yosemite Falls. It was only 3.2 miles to the top. The guidebook said it would take 3-6 hours. Let’s go!

The trail was a steep vertical ascent with countless switch backs. The views of the Valley floor as we climbed were breathtaking. Half Dome will always be one of my favorites.

Up and up and up we continued to climb.

After about two hours, we reached the halfway point. Here we had a stunning view of Upper Yosemite Falls.

And in the other direction, Half Dome.

As we rested, we contemplated which direction we should go. Further up the mountain, about two more hours to the top of the Falls, or back down. We made a wise choice to head back down. By the time we were back in the Valley, We were both famished. We stopped at the Yosemite Village Grill for a cheeseburger. I quickly gobbled mine down with a Lagunitas IPA.

We hopped the shuttle back to our tent. I attempted to convince Audry we should go see Mirror Lake. It’s flat and only three miles round trip. Nothing I said convinced her. Smart girl. It was 6:50pm. I said if I’m not back by 8:00pm, look for me. Off I went. Expediently. I only paused for a few pictures.

Mirror Lake was pretty and serene. I’m glad I went and glad I didn’t force Audry to go. Because it was a bit anticlimactic after the earlier views and without perfect light and weather conditions.

I returned a faster route and arrived back at our tent at 7:59pm. Audry was making preparations to come find me! What an amazing friend! Our time together was truly an adventure. Thank you for filling my happiness bucket. Xoxo

Easy Day

By wabisabisole

On July 9, 2017

In Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, Friendship, Hiking, Japan, Yosemite

After our long and strenuous Half Dome hike (19 miles), Audry and I thought we deserved a break on our second day in Yosemite. We decided to hike along the Valley Loop Trail from Half Dome Village to Bridalveil Falls. The guide book described the hike as being an easy flat hike. This sounded delightful and manageable after the strenuous Half Dome hike. We set out with the intention of hiking four miles round trip from our tent to Bridalveil Falls. After we had been walking a while, we passed a sign saying Bridalveil Falls was 3.4 miles. Hmmmmm. That seemed longer than we expected. No worries, we can just take the free Valley Shuttle from Bridalveil Falls back to Half Dome Village.

We continued walking and enjoyed the views the trail gave us of El Capitan.

We could also see Upper Yosemite Falls.

And view Bridalveil Falls as we approached.

It was beautiful! Mesmerizing! And crowded! Strategic camera angles enabled me to crop out most of the people.

After our visit at Bridalveil Falls, we were ready for an adult beverage. We started looking around for the shuttle stop. But couldn’t find one. We saw a sign when we passed the split for El Capitan for the shuttle and so we walked back. And had a few more chances for amazing views.

Eventually, we found the shuttle stop and made it a little closer back to Half Dome Village before getting caught in traffic and deciding it would be faster to walk. By the end of the day, our simple four mile loop turned into 11.5 miles! Ha! Easy Day!

We earned and enjoyed a pint. Check out what we liked to call our “Yosemite tan” – or just dirt.

Lottery Weiners

By wabisabisole

On July 8, 2017

In Half Dome, Hiking, Japan, Yosemite

The popularity of hiking Half Dome in Yosemite has steadily increased over the years. To preserve the integrity of the cables, the National Park Service limited the number of daily hikers to only 300. To obtain one of the permits, the NPS instituted a lottery. The preseason lottery opens during the month of March and results are announced in April. A second lottery is held each day during the hiking season. The hiking season lottery is held 48 hours in advance of the day you desire to hike and results are announced 24 hours prior to your desired hiking day.

Audry and I both entered the preseason lottery and neither obtained a permit. We were disappointed and knew we would try the daily lottery but, didn’t put to much hope into obtaining a permit.

We entered the lottery on Monday, July 3rd in hopes of securing permits for Wednesday, July 5th. Audry was the winner! She was able to secure two permits for us!

On July 4th, I left Tokyo at 8:00 pm and arrived in San Francisco at 1:30pm. Audry picked me up at the airport and we drove to Yosemite. We stayed in Half Dome Village in a permanent tent. It was getting late by the time we were settled and we tried to make it an early night because we wanted to be hiking by 5:00 am.

And we were. We started out to Half Dome at 5:00 am and returned to our cabin just before 7:00 pm. It was a fourteen hour hike. We checked at least 5 times along the way we had our permits for the Half Dome cables. Every time, yes! And we laughed.

We got drenched within the first hour along the Mist Trail and Vernal Falls.

We oohed as we hiked past Nevada Falls.

We aahed as we hiked through the Redwoods and Sugar Pines.

When we finally had Half Dome in our sights, we cheered. And kept climbing.

When we reached the cables, we rested before we climbed. Guess what we didn’t have to do – show our permits to climb the cables! Yep, no one was there to check!! What??!?! All of the other hikers were just as surprised as we were. Guess the day after a holiday isn’t a very busy day!

We conquered.

We enjoyed the view!

And then we hiked back down…

And down… if only we could have rafted down the Merced River!!

Finally, we reached the paved road. So close!

And by the time we got home, Half Dome was sleeping.

We owned Half Dome that day. We were tested and we were victorious!

America

By wabisabisole

On July 4, 2017

In America, Japan, Longchamp, Travel

Happy Fourth of July!

Speaking of America, I’m flying to San Francisco this evening for my 3-week summer camp. It all started with my brother asking me to join him and his family on a Northern California/Oregon road trip. From there, I orchestrated an amazing vacation optimizing my time, costly plane ticket, and excruciatingly long flight (11 hours). I have been planning this adventure since January and will spend time with friends and family who are all traveling to meet me. I’m truly appreciative of their efforts to see me. It’s an understatement to say I’m excited.

Simultaneously, a huge shoutout to Dave for supporting me to enjoy this wonderful opportunity.

Here is a quick list of places we will visit.

Yosemite National Park

Napa/Sonoma

Lassen National Park

Volcano National Park

Redwood National Park

Paso Robles

Big Sur

There will be many other side stops during our journey. I will do my best to share adventures via wabisabisole along the way. I must also communicate the expectation that I want to maximize my time in the company of my friends and family and don’t want to spend too much time with my nose in my phone. Im looking forward to unplugging for a little bit. Plus, I will be limited on my data because most of the places won’t have wifi.

In the meantime, enjoy your Independence Day celebration and happy summer!

Tokyo Shopping

By wabisabisole

On July 3, 2017

In GAP, Harajuku, Japan, Pizza, Shopping, Tokyo

Dave and I went up to Tokyo on Sunday for two reasons.

1. Pizzeria da Michele for lunch.

2. I needed to go shopping!

Since we weren’t running a marathon the next day, like the last time we enjoyed a pizza lunch at Pizzeria da Michele, we shared a small caprese salad and a pizza. The pizza was incredible.

After our lunch, we went to Harajuku for my “American” shopping. I wanted to go to GAP for a few staples for an upcoming trip. I was able to find just what I needed!

As we were walking around, I mentioned to Dave that I have bought more GAP clothing in the past year living in Japan than I have in the past five years living in the U.S. The style is classic and more importantly, they have American sized clothes.

I did make one super fun purchase. I’ve seen summer hats with cat ears on a couple of people. Dave found me one on Takeshita street! I love it!

Dave was quite the sport as we walked around. Harajuku is always crowded and more so on a Sunday. I snapped this picture as we started walking down Takeshita street.

When you visit, we will definitely walk around the Harajuku area. Let’s just try to avoid the Sunday crowd!!

Parallel Universe

By wabisabisole

On July 1, 2017

In Friendship, Japan

Today, we celebrated our 11th month of living in Japan. This journey has been incredible. Personally, I have been tested and grown more than I ever imagined. Obviously, I couldn’t have and wouldn’t have wanted to experience any of it without Dave and without the support of our family and friends. Over the past couple of weeks, I have enjoyed our friends and family sharing their experiences in America that parallel my experiences in Japan.
First example – My friend, Sue, shared with me a picture from a restaurant in CT. She captioned the picture with “on a clear day…”

My mom found a vase specially designed for Ikebana in Bel Air, MD. She claims, had I not lived in Japan, she wouldn’t have know the meaning of Ikebana. I wouldn’t have either! And I had my first personal experience at making an Ikebana arrangement. Check it out!

My sister-in-law, Bobbie, shared a picture of sunflowers and puppies after my blog yesterday.

I have many more examples of so many friends reaching out to me/us and showing love. It means the world (literally) to us. From the bottom of my heart, I/we thank you. Being apart is hard and by sharing your experiences with me/us, it makes the world seem that much smaller. Xoxo

Humid Rain – Sole Adventures

By wabisabisole

On June 30, 2017

In Flowers, Japan, Running

I anticipated during the rainy season, there would inevitably be an early morning run or five in the rain. What I didn’t expect was how humid it would be even when it was raining! Between the rain drops and my profuse amount of sweat, by the end of my run I look like a drowned rat. It’s definitely not pretty. Simultaneously, I feel so sluggish because my clothes are soaked and my breathing is more labored because of the humidity. I was starting to wane on motivation.

Recently, I read an article in POPSUGAR about how incorporating intervals into your run can help to burn more calories and gain speed. The article encourages runners to alternate between periods of pushing hard and periods of recovery. I don’t really care about speed and who doesn’t want to burn more calories! Plus, I needed something different to help me stay motivated. I decided to try running intervals on my run today. I would run “fast” until I saw a pretty flower! Then I would stop and take a picture. I made it through my normal route without getting too bored! I was constantly looking for the next flower so I could stop.

And look at the flowers I captured in the humid soggy rain!

The highlight of my mushy run was seeing and actually being able to pet a boxer puppy on the beach. Normally, the Japanese don’t like you to pet their dogs. But, this sweet girl came up to me and let me pet her! I think she knew I loved the nugget. I used one of my recovery periods to pet the puppy. The way she frolicked as she walked along the beach reminded me of Hannah and was a ray of sunshine on a gloomy and steamy day. I took this picture as they walked away. I caught her just as she turned around to say goodbye. You gotta love the boxer smile!