Baxter's Choice part 1

 Hiya Gang,
Baxter here in charge of the blog for a while while LF is off visiting his pal up north.   Sandy and him have been having lots of fun adventures....enough about them today is all about me.  

First up is a hike along the Wilson River in the state forest.  Ok, this day is partly orchestrated by the humans but the last part is pure Baxter.  A nice fall day at the forest center but in reality the forest center is just a starting off point for our hike. 

Fall is short in Oregon but the colors never disappoint. 

The forest center had a mushroom class going on today, maybe I should ask if this is an edible one.  I'm guessing no.

Can you see the river in the background?

During the right time of year this section of river is full of anglers looking to get some fresh seafood (Chinook Salmon). A few anglers out today but we are a little too far from the Tillamook Bay where most of the action is. 

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A little waterfall along the way back. 

Onward to our next stop.  Hint, it involves cows, cheese, and ice cream and it's near the Tillamook Bay.  Any guesses? 

Jerry and Ben's Halloween Contest

 Hiya Gang,

Time for our entry to the annual Halloween Contest hosted by our friendly Midwestern bears Jerry and Ben. 

Baxter here and my co-host today is the one and only Easter Bunny.  Since it's near Halloween the Easter Bunny doesn't really have much to do so he's decided to help out.

The treat for the contest is going to take some time.  Our goal is a candy corn martini.  

This is the professional picture off the website, we'll see how ours compares.

As any good mixologist knows a perfect cocktail starts off with only the best ingredients.  Brachs Candy Corn.  

So far so good, that is until the Easter Bunny pulled out the vodka.  As you can see we have Burnett's Whipped Cream vodka (this drink is going to be sweet). 

Apparently, this whole jug of vodka only cost $10.99.  Well, at least the candy corn are good quality.

Ok, let's get down to business.  5 ounces of vodka, plus 1/4 cup candy corn (plus a little extra to satisfy the bartenders) and we're off. 

As you can see, the Easter Bunny really likes candy corn (makes sense being a bunny and all).  Infuse the vodka with the candy corn, wait 24 hours and then start making the drink. 

Fast forward 24 hours:  The candy corns have dissolved in the vodka.

"This drink is going to be sweet, not cool but sugary" Easter Bunny replied.

"Yep" agreed Baxter.

Time to layer 2 ounces of the vodka mix with a couple of ounces of pineapple juice.

"Looks like carrot juice" 

 

"What is the final step again Baxter?"

"Whipped Cream!!!!" 

Of course it's time to compare our concoction to the picture from the internet.  

"Our layering is off and we need more whipped cream.  But not a bad first attempt eh Easter Bunny?"

"More whipped cream for sure and a scattering of candy corns might help."

Editor note:  The humans consumed the rest of the candy corn with glee. 

Thanks for hosting the contest Jerry and Ben.  Please accept this cocktail as our entrance into the snack division for the 2023 content.
Baxter & Easter Bunny.

RedRum

Anyone ever see the movie "The Shining"?  If so, Redrum makes sense. 

Here I am at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.  Such a beautiful day for October so it's time to do some exploring.  

The mountain is out today. Us Oregonian's refer to Mt. Hood as the Mountain.  We do have many mountains in our state but Hood is the largest and most well known.

Time to start my hike.  Looks like I have two choices.

1) Mexico: 2,108 miles.  Long way, great weather.

2) Canada: 550 miles.  Shorter, cheaper prescription drugs, and Little Fox.

Tough call.

Hmm, I think I will go to Zig Zag Canyon which is 3.5 miles.  It 

Made it to the canyon.  The water is still running pretty fast. I'll observe from a safe distance.

Back up the hill towards my lunch spot. The forest is so pretty on a sunny day. 

Time to head back to the lodge. The humans are mentioning ice cream and a beer (not at the same time).  I'm keeping my paws crossed.

Update: Neither a beer nor ice cream was provided.  Instead the humans made sugar free jello for dessert. 
How do I contact management? 

An adventure with Baxter

 Hiya Gang,
Baxter here.  I'm carefully hanging out on this barb wire fence while my roommates get the dog ready for our hike.  It's a beautiful fall day so we're taking advantage of the sunny weather. 

The area I'm exploring today is an old ranch, turned hiking trails.  The wildflowers are pretty good here in the spring. I have to admit I blend into the scenery pretty well. 

Sequoia clearly found the trail.   He knows lunch is coming soon. Must be a canine instinct.

Wide open spaces, so much to explore. 

Whew, made it back to the start of the trail, near the old fence and cabin foundation. 

Being that I'm an ice cream afficianado I insisted we get something for the drive home.

My roommates begrudgingly agreed and treated me to a Ruby Jewel Ice Cream Sandwich.