My First Mariner's Game of the Season

I went to my first Mariner's game of the season last night, and what a game it was. Griffey is back and scored his 400th home run as a Mariner. Late in the game Ichiro hit a grand slam to help bring the Mariner's to a final score of 11 to 3 over the Anaheim Angels. Not to mention it was a beautiful spring day in the Emerald City. I will add a photo or two to this post in a few days.
And speaking of Anaheim... I will be off soon enjoying the California sun (for the first time since I graduated in 2007) at Disneyland. Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder, here I come!

Second Beach Camping

A couple weekends ago I camped on the beach at Second Beach near La Push on the Washington coast. The weather was amazing and Second Beach spectacular. I explored tide pools, marveled at offshore sea stacks, saw gray whales at First Beach, enjoyed the sunshine, sat by the campfire roasting hot dogs, saw a shooting star, and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean just 15 paces away from my tent. On the way home, we stopped at Lake Crescent to look at a little slice of temperate rain forest. It was a great weekend, and despite having sand just about everywhere, camping on the beach is probably one of the coolest things I have done. Here are some photos...

Wallace Falls Hike

On Saturday morning, I woke up reasonably early to hike Wallace Falls in Gold Bar, Washington, on Highway 2. It was raining lightly as I drove out the trail head, but I was prepared with my hat, rain coat, and waterproof boots and happy the rain meant the trail wouldn't be crowded.

I hiked about five miles round trip, seeing lower, middle, and upper Wallace Falls. There is about 1,300-feet of elevation gain to the upper falls, so the hike is not terribly strenuous. But I will say that when the trail goes up, it is steep. This also means there are nice flat spots to catch your breath though as well.
The hike was great, with views almost the entire way. Hiking by myself, I set a fast pace and ran back down the trail to keep my heart rate up. Wallace Falls drops 265-feet within the state park, a height comparable to Snoqualmie Falls. It was very impressive to see and I really enjoyed the hike. The rain gave a very Northwesty feel to the hike as well. Wallace Falls is definitely a must-see for all you locals!

Vitamin D Levels Return to Equilibrium

I hope all of my fellow Seattleites have been enjoying the sunshine. Though the weather is going to turn chilly again tomorrow - we've been enjoying sixty and seventy degree weather here in the great Northwest. It's absolutely glorious. Reliable sources on Wikipedia report that 20 minutes of UVB exposure can return vitamin D levels to equilibrium for people. So for my health and well-being, I spent the afternoon yesterday sitting in the sunshine at Gasworks park doing nothing except people watching and restoring my dangerously low vitamin D levels. Ahhhh sunshine. Raise your hand if you forgot how wonderful the warm sun feels!

Last weekend I also camped on the beach (yes, like 20 feet from the ocean) at Second Beach near La Push. More on that soon once the weather turns crappy again. For now, my free time will be spent outside. TTFN!

Off to a Good Start

Well the Seattle Sounders are off to a great start. First of all, they are one of only two Major League Soccer (MLS) teams to still have zero goals scored against them. Second of all, Sounders forward Fredy Montero was MLS Week 1 Player of the Week and Sounders goalie Kasey Keller was MLS Week 2 Player of the Week. Third of all, Montero is first in the running for the Budweiser Golden Boot award. AND the Sounders are currently first in the Western Division.

If you ask me, that's just about the best start for a brand new team as we could have hoped for. Keep it up, Sounders!

Closing Washington Parks

The Seattle Times reported today on the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, who identified more than 47 state parks that could be closed temporarily or transferred to different governance to cut costs. Washington state legislature has suggested similar cuts to parks and recreation in the past.

Lawmakers eye $5 car-tab fee to keep state parks open
Seattle Times - March 30, 2009

I understand that these are tough economic times for everyone, especially state governments. But there is not much that infuriates me more than closing areas of recreation - most of all during a recession. If there is a time people have need for access to free recreation, it is now. Some of the parks they suggest closing include St. Edwards Seminary, Wallace Falls, and Fort Ebey - all parks that include constructive and free activities like camping, hiking, and mountain biking. These activities can help keep kids out of trouble, provide weekend getaways for families, and define Northwest life.

All I can say is cut costs elsewhere; do whatever it takes... do not close parks.

Pix from my Weekend

This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the second Sounders game, in which they beat Real Salt Lake two to zero. Undefeated! Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, and though my hiking plans were thwarted due to heavy mountain snowfall, I still got out to walk around Discovery Park and cruise Alki. Here are some pix from my weekend (in Seattle Times spirit, which often posts reader photos).

Hiking Mount Si

Mount Si is the most-hiked trail in Washington State. Over 80,000 people per year hike the 3,400 feet to the top of the mountain. Needless to say, many consider it a sort of right of passage for Washington hikers. Just outside of North Bend, Washington, it is a short drive from downtown Seattle and Bellevue.

This past Saturday was my first experience hiking Mount Si. Two friends were visiting from out of town so we along with a coworker and friend took our chances on the partly sunny day to get outside and climb a mountain.
I've been on a fair number of hikes, but I will say that Mount Si is steep. It's up, up, up the entire four miles to the top (except for maybe 100 yards). But as such, it is an incredible workout. Needless to say, two days later - I'm still sore. About two miles in to the hike, we discovered snow still packed on the trail. With three of the group in tennis shoes, we waffled a bit about turning back or continuing to the top.
Luckily, we decided to press on and after a little slipping and sliding, we made it to the top for a view of the Cascades, Mount Rainier, the Olympics, Puget Sound, and downtown Seattle and Bellevue. I was happy I brought my binoculars. We sat for a quick lunch, but it was pretty chilly and snowing lightly so we didn't linger long.
Though we had been nervous about coming back down on the snow (most hikers we encountered on the way up were wearing crampons and using hiking poles), the way down turned out to be the best part of the hike. We set off gliding down the snow in a sort of mesh between sledding and cross country skiing. We made excellent time. Minus a few icy spots - it was a blast coming down the mountain.
As we drove away from the Mount Si parking lot, looking back at the mountain we realized how impressive it was that we just climbed an entire mountain. As I visited with friends later that evening, I made sure to tell them I climbed a mountain today! Hiking Mount Si was a great way to spend a Saturday in March. Hopefully next up within a few weeks: Wallace Falls.

Seattle Sounders Inaugural Game

On March 19, 2009, I was lucky enough to attend the Seattle Sounders FC inaugural game, which was also the Major League Soccer season opener. The Sounders played the New York Red Bulls in front of a packed house.


Season ticket holders received their inaugural game tickets attached to a bright green Seattle Sounders scarf with the team logo and Sounders in huge letters. As a result, the crowd was awash with lime green. Others were festooned with similar lime green Sounders paraphernalia. The crowd was great - everyone excited and anxious to see the brand new major league soccer team. But the crowd was also much less rowdy than your typical Seahawks game crowd, so there was no worry of a fight two rows in front of you or beer spilled down your back from the drunk fan behind you.

I love sports - especially the camaraderie of hanging out with friends watching your team battle against a rival. But I must say, as much as I like football or basketball and sometimes even baseball - soccer is the only major league sport I ever myself played competitively for a long period of time. This makes the game SO much more fun to watch. I know the positions and what they do; what a header feels like; what fancy footwork can be used to trick the opposing team; and simply how awesome and exhausting soccer is. I really enjoyed the game and cannot wait to see more games in the future.

Our fantastic goalie Kasey Keller keeping good care of the Sounders goal. He saved our butt a couple times this game and proved he's dynamite.
The Sounders got off to a great start and beat the New York Red Bulls three to zip. In soccer, this is by all means a good solid route. And what a great beginning to our brand new major league sports team. I see a bright future for these guys (though my crystal ball is not always accurate). And how cool is it that the Sounders have sold more season tickets than any other major league soccer team in the U.S. ever? Wow. Pretty incredible.

The Sounders outplayed and outran the Red Bulls. The Sounders beat them to the ball almost every time; took more shots on goal; and played tougher throughout the game.

Goal! Third goal of the game was a spectacular one - and the crowd went wild!

Support the Swift Walkers!

Last year two of my fabulous cousins organized a Swift Family Relay for Life team, called the Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure. Relay for Life is put on by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness and funding for cancer research. The event takes place all over the country at parks, playgrounds, and other outdoor areas. Teams relay continuously for 24 hours (actually only 20 hours this year) after spending months raising money and helping spread the word about the event.
Last year, we took turns walking for an hour at a time. We spent time throughout the day decorating luminaria for a candlelight walk to remember all of our loved ones affected by cancer. Teams camp overnight with someone always walking to support the cause. Our team captain last year blogged about the event.

Last year, at the Green Lake Relay for Life:

• The entire Relay raised almost $90,000 to benefit cancer research.
• Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure raised $6,633 to benefit cancer research.
• This made us the #2 fund raising team!

Now, it's that time again, and I have taken on Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure Team Captain duties for the Green Lake Relay for Life 2009! I am very excited to get the team organized and motivated for another year of Relay. So one of my tactics is to get you Seattle Swift readers to support our cause.


For my family members and friends, join our team! Or if you can't make it to the event, donate to the Swift Walkers. Or if you are not in Seattle, consider starting your own Relay for Life team or getting involved with another team. Most of us have loved ones who lost the battle to cancer... so show your support for their memory and future generations!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/swiftwalkersrelay

Let's Relay!