There is snow in the mountains. A few adventurous souls are scouting out the slopes.
Good news, it is still snowing! Yes, you read that correctly. It has snowed 1-3 feet about 4,000 ft. with 41 inches of accumulation at the Paradise parking lot at Mt. Rainier.
Meanwhile, CWH and I are beginning our ski mountaineering education. Last night we spent two and a half hours playing with maps and compasses at the Mountaineers Clubhouse down on Sandpoint Way. It was amazing to see how many people were there to improve their outdoor skills.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
LAMB JAM!
The day is finally here. The second annual greatest day of the year. Lamb Jam. This is the day where I gorge myself on lamb and fine Washington wine. What could be better? Look forward to a recap of the event later- so long as my stomach doesn't rupture from too much delicious lamb. I love ewe.
Here is a recap from last year's event. http://www.thecookbookchronicles.com/blog/?p=2605
Here is a recap from last year's event. http://www.thecookbookchronicles.com/blog/?p=2605
Monday, October 18, 2010
A day in Napa Valley
After spending 3 nights in Yosemite, it was time for PAW and I to taste some wine. We thought we would take advantage of being in Napa on a weekday in the fall to experience some smaller wineries and get a good, personal experience. Our first tasting stop of the day was at Dutch Henry in Calistoga. We tasted through there available pours. Unfortunately, I lost my little notebook I kept my tasting notes in, so I will have to rely on my memory for my post. We tasted the Sauvigon Blanc, Zinfendel, Argos, Syrah, 2002 Cab Sauv, and 2004 Cab Sauv. Some highlights of our tasting here included the Argos (right bank Bordeaux style). I enjoyed the integration between the Merlot and Cab Franc on this wine.
There was an earthy mineral essence with a gentle red fruit pallet to this wine. The 2002 Cab Sauv was really good- This wine has all the characteristics of an aged Bordeaux. The nose smelt of sweet cherries, tobacco and dust. It was really reminiscent of wines made from fruit in Red Mountain in Washington. 2004 Cab Sauv- If this isn’t the younger, stronger, more energetic brother to the 2002, I don’t know what is. The nose was darker, deeper yet more closed. The pallet had intense dark fruit and spice. Almost a light tar. The tannins were strong. The finish was complex. Initially there was a wet stone component, gripping the front of my tongue, then, finer tannins and other spices kept me thinking about the wine for quite some time.
Our next stop was at Ladera. PAW planned to do the estate tour where we would learn about the vineyard, winery and caves. Along the way we tasted some cool wines including a barrel tasting.
Sauv Blanc- nearly clear in color. High in acid. Tangy palette
We also tasted a blend of the two estates, Napa Valley Cabernet. This was good but not as good as the reserve wines made from the individual parts.
2006 Howell Mountain Cab- This was my favorite of the wines Ladera made. It was darker and more earthy than the Lone Canyon Cab. The Lone Canyon had more ripe, red fruit and tasted more like a good, traditional Napa Cab.
Viader was our next stop. This property has a beautiful view. PAW and I took a seat at a table outside in the shade on the balcony. We were overlooking the valley far below and didn't mind that 
the temperature was pushing 95 degrees. Wines that stood out there were the Dare label Cab Sauv. It was a good wine typical of many of the other Cabs we had tried throughout the day. It was a steal at the $25 a bottle when sold as part of the six pack. The "V"Viader-wine is the wine that put Viader on the map. This 54% Petiet Verdot, 46% Cab Sauv was a solid wine. At the price point, I would find it difficult to justify the purchase. I’m sure glad I was able to taste this wine.
We thought that we would thank our hosts by preparing them a nice home-cooked meal. Besides, it was nice to cook after eating on the road for a week. I love cooking. Despite the temperature now approaching 100 degrees, something autumnal was in order; it was mid-October after all. We made a pear and spinach salad with herb-crusted baked goat cheese for our starter. The salad was paired with my favorite Sauv Blanc of the day- Ladera 2009 Sauv Blanc.
While I went to work on the salad, PAW took care of business by rolling out homemade ravioli sheets. We baked some butternut squash and mixed it with gorgonzola for the filling. The ravioli were then topped with caramelized onion-apple-toasted walnut-burnt butter sauce. This pasta was designed to pair with a 2008 Andrew Will Merlot brought down from Seattle. I think it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed the meal. They were quite appreciative of a nice meal after their spin class and there was no way they would let us do dishes. There is always next time.
Yosemite- California Adventure
PAW took off Sunday from Lafayette, CA with our friend JN and headed towards the mountains. We didn't think we were going to get on the road until Monday morning because of the logistics involved with getting from Palo Alto, up to Layfayette, packed and on the road the morning after a wedding- but somehow we managed. And I'm sure glad we did because Yosemite is a long way from the Bay Area.
We camped at a Forest Service campground, just outside the park entrance. By the time we got our permits, breakfast food and drove to the trail head, it was already 10:30am. So much for an early start on the trail. We left one car where we planned to end our trip and took the other to Tuolumne Meadows (8,600ft). Our first stop was Cathedral Lake, 4.5 miles down the trail. We made pretty good time, although PAW and I could feel the elevation as we climbed up the hill. After a quick lunch and setting up camp at upper Cathedral Lake (9,700ft), we took an afternoon hike up the peak to our SW, Tresidder Peak. We nearly summited around 10,600ft and had beautiful views of the park, including down the Tenya Canyon towards Half-Dome.
After a short bit of time admiring the panoramic views, we decided to race down the hill to beat the quickly advancing thunder clouds. None of us wanted to be stuck on top of some wet, slippery granite trying to get back to camp. We were about 5 minutes from camp when the rain started. After an hour long storm of wind, rain and hail we were rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow- right in front of Cathedral Peak.
In the morning, I got out of the tent before the sun came up over the ridge. There was a thick layer of frost covering the grass and trees. The sky was clear. The air was still. Not a noise could be heard. And the lake was calm. I took a few minutes to soak in the peacefulness of the forest before it woke up for the day. This was a great opportunity to recharge from the previous weeks- the hustle and bustle of work and preparing for the trip. It was a pause from the wedding the weekend before and the wedding in the weekend to come. Just as I completed a little meditation, my camping com-padres emerged from their tent.
Later that morning found PAW and I saying our farewells to JN. He had to make it back to Oakland for his flight back to the east coast that afternoon.
JN was the last person we saw on the middle day of our hike. PAW and I wandered further south towards Sunrise High Sierra Camp and then crossed the ridge over towards the Sunrise Lakes. It was a short mileage day, so we were able to hike at a leisurely pace, enjoy our surrounding and still set up camp at a reasonable time. It was a great day- probably about 70-75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and not another hiker to be seen.
We thought we'd cap the afternoon with a little dip in the lake. While it had snowed a week before at the lake at 9,500ft and it being mid-October, the lake was AS COLD as I might have thought. PAW and I swam over to a little granite island with a few trees on it. I've never seen PAW swim so fast. I think it is because his body lacks the insulation that I have.
PAW and I thought it would be nice to prepare our dinner and eat it while watching the sun set over Tenya Canyon and Half Dome, so we got to cooking our potato soup with vegetables and chicken. I'm not sure if we cooked much faster than we anticipated or we majorly misjudged the time of sunset, but we finished dinner and the sun was still high in the evening sky. At least this mistake gave us some time to clean up before sunset. We were rewarded with a beautiful pink and orange sunset. Then, we went back to camp and had a sip of whiskey.
The next morning we woke up early and hit the trail. We made it back to the car around 9am and began our drive to Yosemite Valley. After our visit to the high country, the Valley was a little disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the valley itself are beautiful. They are just so much more populated, developed and finite than the grand panoramas, solitude, and wilderness the high country provided. We spent about 45 minutes in the valley before we decided we would like to get on the road, eat an In and Out burger and get to Napa for some wine tasting.
Highlights of Yosemite:
We camped at a Forest Service campground, just outside the park entrance. By the time we got our permits, breakfast food and drove to the trail head, it was already 10:30am. So much for an early start on the trail. We left one car where we planned to end our trip and took the other to Tuolumne Meadows (8,600ft). Our first stop was Cathedral Lake, 4.5 miles down the trail. We made pretty good time, although PAW and I could feel the elevation as we climbed up the hill. After a quick lunch and setting up camp at upper Cathedral Lake (9,700ft), we took an afternoon hike up the peak to our SW, Tresidder Peak. We nearly summited around 10,600ft and had beautiful views of the park, including down the Tenya Canyon towards Half-Dome.
After a short bit of time admiring the panoramic views, we decided to race down the hill to beat the quickly advancing thunder clouds. None of us wanted to be stuck on top of some wet, slippery granite trying to get back to camp. We were about 5 minutes from camp when the rain started. After an hour long storm of wind, rain and hail we were rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow- right in front of Cathedral Peak.
In the morning, I got out of the tent before the sun came up over the ridge. There was a thick layer of frost covering the grass and trees. The sky was clear. The air was still. Not a noise could be heard. And the lake was calm. I took a few minutes to soak in the peacefulness of the forest before it woke up for the day. This was a great opportunity to recharge from the previous weeks- the hustle and bustle of work and preparing for the trip. It was a pause from the wedding the weekend before and the wedding in the weekend to come. Just as I completed a little meditation, my camping com-padres emerged from their tent.
Later that morning found PAW and I saying our farewells to JN. He had to make it back to Oakland for his flight back to the east coast that afternoon.
JN was the last person we saw on the middle day of our hike. PAW and I wandered further south towards Sunrise High Sierra Camp and then crossed the ridge over towards the Sunrise Lakes. It was a short mileage day, so we were able to hike at a leisurely pace, enjoy our surrounding and still set up camp at a reasonable time. It was a great day- probably about 70-75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and not another hiker to be seen.
We thought we'd cap the afternoon with a little dip in the lake. While it had snowed a week before at the lake at 9,500ft and it being mid-October, the lake was AS COLD as I might have thought. PAW and I swam over to a little granite island with a few trees on it. I've never seen PAW swim so fast. I think it is because his body lacks the insulation that I have.
PAW and I thought it would be nice to prepare our dinner and eat it while watching the sun set over Tenya Canyon and Half Dome, so we got to cooking our potato soup with vegetables and chicken. I'm not sure if we cooked much faster than we anticipated or we majorly misjudged the time of sunset, but we finished dinner and the sun was still high in the evening sky. At least this mistake gave us some time to clean up before sunset. We were rewarded with a beautiful pink and orange sunset. Then, we went back to camp and had a sip of whiskey.
The next morning we woke up early and hit the trail. We made it back to the car around 9am and began our drive to Yosemite Valley. After our visit to the high country, the Valley was a little disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the valley itself are beautiful. They are just so much more populated, developed and finite than the grand panoramas, solitude, and wilderness the high country provided. We spent about 45 minutes in the valley before we decided we would like to get on the road, eat an In and Out burger and get to Napa for some wine tasting.
Highlights of Yosemite:
- The granite formations in Yosemite are very different to the geology of Oregon and Washington forests. There are large sheets of granite and knolls lead to much different.
- Solitude.
- The smell of pine forests on a warm afternoon.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Car contents to make a successful roadtrip
Two suits
Two pairs of dress shoes
Two backpacks
Two bear cans
Two pairs of well worn hiking boots
A couple of sleeping bags and pads
One tent
One case of Napa wine
One cooler full of fruit
Several poulds of dirty laundry
Two Seattle dudes with beards and glasses
California Adventure- October 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Apple and Beet Tarts
Last night CWH, MTS and I made a little fall 
treat- an Apple and Beet Tart. MTS made her amazing pie crust. It is so flakey and delicious. I 
harvested beets from a friend's garden down in Hood River and picked up some Granny Smith apples from the orchards in Parkdale, OR.
After we rolled out the crust, we grated a layer of sharp cheddar cheese on the bottom. Then we cut the apple and beet into thin slices. The slices were then fanned across the cheese layer.
We topped the beets and apples with caramelized onions and a dusting of cheddar. The tarts were beautiful and delightfully tasty.
We also had a little bit of fun for our friend's birthday.
harvested beets from a friend's garden down in Hood River and picked up some Granny Smith apples from the orchards in Parkdale, OR.After we rolled out the crust, we grated a layer of sharp cheddar cheese on the bottom. Then we cut the apple and beet into thin slices. The slices were then fanned across the cheese layer.
We topped the beets and apples with caramelized onions and a dusting of cheddar. The tarts were beautiful and delightfully tasty.
We also had a little bit of fun for our friend's birthday.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)