Welcome to the Jungle, Washington Park Arboretum.

Spring has finally made it to Seattle, WA! Are you ready for the perfect 70 degree days, slight humidity and perfectly clear blue skies? I know I'm ready, except those days are not quite here, but the trees and plants have began to bloom! Head out to the Washington Park Arboretum for the day and take a stroll through the 230 acres of beautifully maintained trees and plants. The UW Botanical Gardens is responsible for all of the plants and trees within the Arboretum and continue to landscape and keep the grounds pristine.

You will find yourself walking along a trail entering different sections of the Arboretum, which each section houses different types of trees and plants. Out on Lake Washington you will find Marsh Island, which is surrounded by lilly pads in full bloom and an array of long grasses. As you head in land you'll go through the oak family, winter garden, Japanese maples, woodland garden, Asiatic maples, rhododendrons (Our state flower), and many other beautiful and intriguing sections of trees and plants. If all of this is a little overwhelming and you're wondering how you are going to see all of these sections in one day, don't you worry. You can go to the gift shop near the main entrance of the Arboretum, and sign up for either a guided tour or audio tour of the 230 acres!

If you are willing to pay a small fee you can enter the Japanese Garden which you will find in the Northwest corner of the Arboretum! The Japanese Garden is home to hundreds of Japanese specimens and water gardens. Meditate and put yourself at ease while walking through this beautiful garden. A great place to take a slow walk and really enjoy yourself on a sunny day.

The Washington Park Arboretum is truly a great place to run, jog, walk, or sit down and have a relaxing picnic! I hope you enjoy your time at the Arboretum!

Stevens Pass Snowmobiling?

We all know Steven's Pass is a world class ski area. Known for it's steep, technical slopes and hundreds of inches of crystal light snow it receives yearly. But what you probably didn't know is that during the third week of April every year, Stevens Pass lifts shut down and the mountain's lift-line roar tapers off. The silence is heavenly, the chickadees can be heard for the first time all year and squirrels can be seen scurrying across the ungroomed runs. That is until snowmobilers make their way up to the mountain.
Ever year after the mountain closes, the Mill Creek side of Stevens Pass is opened to the snowmobile community. Snowmobilers park on the east side of the pass in the Nordic Center parking lot, and snowmobile about 5 miles in to the base of the southern cross chair lift. From here they can power up the groomed runs, double black diamonds, and even cruise along the top of the ridge and look down on the front side towards highway 2 and the base area of the ski resort.
I had the opportunity the week after the mountain closed to do just this. It was a fantastic day trip, and we were blessed with over a foot of new snow the night before. I would recommend that if you want to be the first one up the mountain and your from the west side, stay the night before in the Nordic Center parking lot. If you risk getting up after 8:30 a.m., you may not find a spot to park your truck and snowmobile trailer. I stayed the night before in my car, and was on the mountain by 7:45 a.m. the next morning and did not have to worry about the onslaught of traffic filling the parking lot.
If your looking for an excellent day trip with technical terrain and the different setting of a ski area close to home, snowmobiling the back side of Steven's Pass is for you.

Camping near Leavenworth

What's not to love about the East side of the mountains? Especially when you have the chance to make a trip over to Leavenworth camping for the weekend. I travelled over early in the afternoon on Friday with two friends, and explored the Icicle, at the base of the Cascade Mountains for spots to camp. Unfortunately, with it still being fairly early in the spring, most high altitude camping spots were either snowed in or inaccessible due to closed trail heads and forest service gates. But there are still several accessible developed campgrounds open early in the season. One of which was Eight Mile campground, about five miles up the Icicle. It's location is ideal, with easy river access and numerous trails to explore right around the campground.
Our group decided that we were going to find an undeveloped spot to camp for the night and avoid the traffic of other campers. The spot we found was extraordinary. Tucked into a cliff side about 75 feet up in the air, rested a flat, sandy and perfectly located camping spot looking over the river. Easily accessible from the back of the cliff, we hiked onto the 15x20 platform and set up camp. From here, we looked could see out towards Leavenworth and up into the Snow Lakes area.

We were blessed with beautiful weather during our trip and had an overall fantastic time. One thing to make note of anytime you travel into the woods is the fact that there will be ticks. While setting up camp, we found several ticks in our gear that had attached while hiking to the camping spot. Be sure to check your clothing whenever entering your tent in order to avoid any unwanted visitors!

I would recommend to all of my friends to make a trip over to the east side of the mountains and enjoy the beauty of the Cascade's and surrounding scenery. Just bring sunscreen and bug spray!

Surfs Up Brah: Westport, WA

On Saturday, my buddies and I loaded up our surfboards and drove out to the coast to Westport, WA for another fantastic surf session. When the ocean has 5 ft - 10 ft swells to offer and the wind is behaving, you can count on one of the three surf locations at Westport to provide decent waves to ride.

Half Moon Bay (or known as the Cove) is by far my favorite of the three spots. The bay is often sheltered from the howling winds, which will allow for clean breaking waves to roll in one after another for hours of shredding! I recommend this spot from my personal experience. However, if you enjoy surfing right towards danger, this next spot is for you!

The Groins is the next spot on the map, and is right next to the boat marina. You are probably hoping I am going to say the boat traffic is the issue at this spot, but it is the many jetties made out of massive boulders which create the danger here. You'll find yourself riding in on some nice waves, but don't let the temptation of riding them all the way until closeout consume you! If you ride too long you'll find yourself hitting some jagged boulders and well, that will put a ding in you and your board! I don't mean to instill too much fright into you, because in the end you will enjoy a few good rides!

Finally, the third spot is known as the Jetty. You are exposed to the mighty Pacific Ocean when you surf this area! A long jetty shoots out into the ocean, which allows surfers to walk out to the desired waves and hop right in! This is nice because paddling out through shore break can be quite the task! So ride the "perfect" wave in, jump out onto the sandy beach, and walk back out on the jetty while you scope out the next "perfect" set!

Overall, I enjoy every surf session here at Westport, and I hope you are able to enjoy your session! However, make sure to suit up in a cozy 4:3mm wetsuit with booties and gloves! The water is a brain freezing 51 degrees Fahrenheit, but the experience surpasses the discomfort of cold water! Enjoy.

"Pedal-Driven: A Bikeumentary"

"Pedal-Driven: A Bikeumentary" Trailer from Howell at the Moon Productions on Vimeo.

Colonnade Bike Park

Today was my first day riding the 2 acre Colonnade Mountain Bike Park this Spring. Located directly under I-5 between Seattle's Eastlake and Capitol Hill neighborhood, this park caters to riders of all abilities and skill levels. Riders can progressively build up from ground ladders and small drops to technical loose dirt sections followed by razor sharp switchbacks and steep single track trails.

Because of the apparent variety in terrain in Colonnade bike park, one would expect numerous riders at all times of the day. Think again. During my last 5 visits to the park, I have seen less than 10 riders total.

With such a fantastic resource at the fingertips of outdoor fanatics in the Seattle area, why is it being underutilized?

The street address is 1600 Lakeview Blvd. E, Seattle WA, 98102

The Main website is http://evergreenmtb.org/colonnade/