Time to explore Mt. Hood.

Hiya blog world.  Sandy here.  Little Fox insisted on some hiking today.  Sounds like a good plan to me.  

Behind us is Mt. Hood.  The tallest mountain in Oregon (11,249 ft) and part of the Cascade Range. You can climb it but this fox and bear aren't going to today.  Of course, if we DID climb it....we might be able to wave to Sandy's crew up north.

What a view from the parking lot.  Little Fox said that our  goal is to make it to the Zig Zag river. 

After a few miles or so it seemed like a good time to take a rest.  The mountain is showing off today. Little Fox mentioned that he will have to make a note to come back at wildflower season. This might be a good meadow.

Made it to the canyon overlook.  Time to head down into the canyon. 

Made it to the river. The water is running pretty fast today.  

Little Fox insisted on another picture (go figure he didn't like the one where he was partially blocked).  This one is much better.

Time to head up the hill and have our lunch.  Sequoia is our trip leader today.  Let's go!

Handy Sandy is at it again.

 Hiya Gang,

Little Fox here.  There are a few projects around the house that have been on my list. 

1) Fix the planter.

2) Make pesto.

3) Can tomatoes.

Today's task is to fix the planter.  This planter is super important as it holds the strawberry plants.  My pal Sandy is going to take the lead on this one. 

Hiya Gang. Sandy here.  As you can see the groove that the boards go into is out of whack.  The problem is a tough one as the roommates don't want the plants disturbed too much.  Let's see what Handy Sandy can do. 

Yep, this is a problem for sure. I think I will put a little brace in and see if it holds.  Off to Home Depot! 

Piece of cake, or dare I say piece of strawberry pie (remember, it's the strawberry planter).

Anyway, a nice little project for me.  Got a 2x4, used the power tools and built a sturdy brace. 

The roommates are ecstatic with the repair (my pleasure)  and have promised a nice treat for dessert.  Keeping paws crossed. 

Welcome Sandy!

 Hiya Gang,

My special guest has arrived courtesy of Canadian Goose Airways.  Sandy arrived safely and soundly a few days ago.  As you may know, airlines are cutting back on their food service so Sandy was hungry for a home cooked meal.

On today's menu.  Fresh salmon on the grill with birch syrup from Alaska.  

The salmon was delicious.  Too bad there wasn't enough left for the roommates. 

  

Cleaning up the house for a guest

 Hiya Gang,

Little Fox here.  I'm just running the vacuum to get ready for a special guest.

Who could it be? 

Look out Lake Chelan....here comes Little Fox

 Hiya Blog World.
Little Fox here on vacation in North Central Washington.  Today's adventure is quite the adventure.

Sequoia, the roommates and I decided to take a little walk along the the Wenatchee River.  This river is fed from local creeks and snowmelt from the nearby mountains.  The Wenatchee is home to salmon (yum) and mountain whitefish.  This fox is fortunate the weather has cleared and you can't see as much smoke from the fires.

Leavenworth is a unique little town in Central Washington,  It's all Bavarian themed (lots of chocolate shops J and B).  This is one fancy hotel, it's called the PostHotel Leavenworth.  It's kind of expensive for this little fox but I hear it's amazing inside.

On word, there is more to explore.

Up next, is the home of Applets and Cotlets in Cashmere Washington. I'm not taking the factory tour today as the machines aren't running but I did get to sneak inside and take a look. 

Are you familiar with Aplets and Cotlets?  It was a big candy in the Pacific NW (and maybe around the world).  My roommate says that back in the stone age you would often see Aplets and Cotlets at Grandma's house. 

Aplets and Cotlets was the official candy of Expo '74 in Spokane, WA.

Didn't make it to expo '74 but my roommate did make it to Expo '86 up in Vancouver, BC.

Here''s the stove where the first Aplets and Cotlets were made back in the 1920s.  The candy was developed by Apple Farmers to use up surplus crops. In 2009 an effort was made by lobbyists to designate Aplets and Cotlets as Washington's official candy yet it failed as there was a disagreement between legislatures (shocking, right) in another growing region who wanted the official candy.

Final stop today: Chelan, Washington.

Chelan is a nice little tourist town on Lake Chelan.  Lake Chelan is known for boating and watersports.  None of those are on the agenda for this little fox but that's okay.  As I wandered around town  I met a few cool bears. 

Where am I off to next? 

Alaska 7 - Exploring Anchorage

 Hiya Gang,
Little Fox here.  Alaska is a pretty cool place.  Lots of wildlife, fresh seafood, glaciers, craft beverages, friendly folks and of course lots of hiking too.  Today's hike is at Bird Creek Falls.  A short hike near Anchorage. 

A little dicey on the last parts of the trail but the falls were amazing. 

Another cool hike near Anchorage was the Gold Mint Trail (Short version).  

This trail was in the Hatcher Pass area north of Anchorage but certainly worth the drive. 

I also got a chance to explore Anchorage.  Local bars and restaurants, unique bakeries and fancy hotels.  The fanciest hotel I explored was the Capt. Cook Hotel in Anchorage. 

For goodness sake, the hotel has its own coat of arms. 

Capt. Cook had quite a few voyages around the world.  His voyage to Alaska was to find the Northwest Passage back to Europe.  No such luck Captain. 

So much cool artwork in the lobby. 

This fox is hungry.  Time to say goodbye to Captain Cook and head out to a little cafe the roommates found called Moose A'la Mode. 

Any restaurant with stuffies hanging out at the door is the kind of place for me. 

All good things come to an end.  I'm fortified with some coffee and it's time for this little fox to head back home. 

In honor of September 11.

 In honor of those who lost their life today.   Drunk Fox and I are off to do some good deeds today.