Francophile in the West

From being a tried-and-true Seattleite to an adoptive Coloradan, certainly a lot has changed in the past several years for me, geographically speaking. However, my love for the PNW and for Seattle in particular has not faded, despite more than two years since my last trip there! This spring, I expressed an interest in visiting Seattle and Owen was game, so we made a plan and at the end of July, away we went! It was wonderful to be back home in the Pacific Northwest. I've missed it something fierce. Owen had been to Seattle once before a few years ago to visit friends, so it was fun to explore the city with him and show him the "native's tour" of town.  Our first stop the morning after we arrived: the University of Washington campus! Having been a tour guide in college, and with the UW as my all-time dream school, I had to show it off to O with a personalized campus tour. :) And, of course, no visit to the U-District is complete without a trip to one of the ne...

Mid-July saw O and I off to the wilderness for the weekend to backpack to Gore Lake, in the Eagles Nest Wilderness outside of Vail, CO. I visited Gore Lake for the first time last fall and instantly fell in love with the spot. I wanted to share it with O as one of my favorite camping spots in Colorado, however, my brain had conveniently blocked out just how tough of a hike it is to get there - especially with a 35lb pack on your back! O and I are both mountain beasts, though, so on Saturday morning, we trucked our way up the 6.2 mile trail and 2,500 feet of elevation gain and made it to Gore Lake at 11,400 feet. Despite the steepness and general intensity of the hike, it's a gorgeous trail along Gore Creek and through aspen groves, and the reward in arriving at the lake is unbeatable.  Columbine flowers My faithful hiking & running hat, caught in action. It was a perfect Saturday at the lake. There were only about a dozen people there, ourselves included....