Thanksgiving in Baja

We had the greatest time in Baja for Thanksgiving with Anna and Dad! We had decent weather, swam with whale sharks, got to go out fishing - the only down side was Dad cracked his back the second day in when he was sitting on the deck and we dropped into a deep trough and then the deck came back up and smacked him. Ouch. It will heal, but a real bummer for sure!

  

It was a real treat getting to hang out with Anna on the boat - and we even caught some great fish too! Here are some pictures from the trip. 

Thor waits in the 90 customs line on the way into Mexico. 

Check out this crazy, narrow stairwell where we had breakfast on our first morning!

This papaya! They were so big there!

Thor- rolling down the Malecon when we switched from the hotel to Fisherman's Fleet on the second night. 

Anna- so cute! On our way to go swimming with whale sharks on Sunday afternoon. 

Success! Life dream complete. Anna swims with a whale shark!

On Monday we headed to Magdalena Bay for four days of fishing. Here's Thor playing the first fish. We had a lot of windy, choppy weather or first day. 

I fought the only marlin of the trip! It was probably about 100 lbs and soooo hard to real in. I was a little thankful when it broke off. I thought my biceps we're going to explode. 

Three banditos huddled for warmth on the run out to the fishing grounds. 

Sunrise view from camp. 

View of camp from the boat. We slept in the green house and ate under the grass-roofed area. 

Anna and Thor went out in the packraft looking for bait fish. 

Fortunately the fog burned off!

Me with a Sheepshead, and Thor with a Yellow Tail. 

Check out those gnarly teeth!

Snorkeling in the wide open, deep Pacific. Anna

 

Holiday Cheer! My Husband Loves Me.

This evening we were supposed to continue tiling the bathroom - but I got all nostalgic about the PIR bike lights and so  Thor decided we could put aside the work and head up to the track to ride around and partake in something festive. We barely made it - we squeaked in at 8:30 and were some of the last people on the track. We barreled around and sang The 12 Days of Christmas at the top of our lungs and had a great time. Xoxo -Thanks Thor!

Cutie pie!

One of the new light displays - there were quite a few more lights this year, but this wreath and poinsettias was my favorite. 

12 Drummers Drumming! Singing aloud as we ride along is one of my favorite holiday traditions!

 

October Overview

Happy Halloween! Here's a quick photo update of October:

Celebrated my birthday - 34 is going to be great!

Did some packrafting on the McKenzie River. 

Got in some high-country riding in Bend. 

Decided to start running at lunch again after over a year off - picked up some flashy new kicks that I am SURE make me run faster. :)

Gorgeous sunrises on the way to weekend adventures. 

Riding with great friends. 

A little more packrafting!

And the start of my third Whole 30!

Mmmm. Kalua Pork. Mmmm. You have to make it. so easy. Soooooo delicious. 

Elk burger with wilted kale, self-picked chanterelles, and homemade mayo (with avocado oil - so good). Yuuuum!

Cotton Candy Sky

This is one of the prettiest views of Portland I've ever seen. Took this with my iPhone on my bike commute to work last week. No filter applied - the colors in the sky were stunning!

A Birthday Weekend to the McKenzie

My birthday was this past week - hurray 34! I think it is going to be a good year. 

My birthday itself was great - breakfast with mom and AJ, and dinner with T at Castagna that evening. AND mom made a coconut cake. Yuuuuuuum!

A throwback picture to when my love affair with cake first began. 

Then Thor and I went to the Mckenzie area for the weekend to float and mountain bike. The weather was amazing - I love playing outside. It makes me feel alive. 

Before floating. 

Fall colors are incredible!

We ended up hanging out with Dave & Leah - who Thor knew up in Alaska. They're great! Dave showed us around a new (to us) trail on Oleary Ridge - a new IMBA Epic designated trail. 

A Sweater For Ava (or Anya)!

Finished this sweater a little while ago for one of Alana's twins. Mom knit the other one so we could send them two!

Pattern: Cottage Creations hooded cardigan

Yarn: Berroco, Comfort (nylon/acrylic blend)

Color: 9737

Old Friends & MTB and Paddling With W - SO fun!

This past weekend was a double-hitter. We PROMISED ourselves we were going to stay in town to clean the house and get organized for our trip to Canada, but of course we got talked into playing instead! 

Friday we rolled down to Oakridge to camp with our friends Morgan, Dave, Matt, Michelle and all their kids. It was great to see them! Our schedules don't overlap much now that they have little ones, so Thor and I were excited to get an invite to join them. It was really pleasant getting caught up a bit at camp, and Mira (~3 yo) and I even got to read a couple books together in the sprinter van!

Saturday the boys and I went riding, while Morgan and Michelle took kid patrol and spent time at the lake (maybe a better choice at almost 90 degrees!)

 

At the top of Alpine. We rode the Alpine-TireMtn.- Cloverpatch - Alpine loop. Always a great choice!

Me - coming down through Tire Mtn. a little fuzzy, but you can see how big the trees are!

Perfect blue skies!

The view from the bottom.