Back in November of last year, my Army unit decided to hold a marriage retreat for us, but it was postponed because of bad weather until this past weekend. The retreat, or as Rebekah has taken to calling it, "the parent's runaway vacation," was held at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Stevenson is on the Columbia River about 40 miles east of Portland.
It was amazingly beautiful down there, which is saying something cause I've been spoiled living here in the North West. The lodge, resort really, was great. I try not to get all gushy about how cool things are and what not, cause I've seen some really amazing things and been some crazy places, but the lodge was top notch. Beautiful grounds, good service, fantastic food, and lots and lots to do.
One of the many things to do at the lodge was to borrow bikes to ride. Pamela and I decided to ride into the town and see the beach/pier. We took the long way, going up the mountain side and then back down around into the town. Of course, half-way down the mountain, my back tire blew out. Not just the tube, but the tire itself had a huge hole in it. So, we walked the bikes into town and the gas station attendant pointed us in the right direction for a tube and we headed that way. The hardware store did in fact carry bike tubes (me thinks this is not an isolated incident) and the folks there were kind enough to let me use some tools to change the tube. Then it was back to the gas station to fill'er up and continue on our way.
We made it to the pier and stayed there for a few minutes watching crazy people kite board. I'd never heard of this before, and it looks like a lot of fun. I'm thinking I need to try it when I get back from the desert. Anyway, if you're wondering what kite boarding (I guess it can be one word) is, it's exactly what it sounds like. You strap a snowboard onto your feet and hold onto a huge kite and ski across the water (I guess it could be a slalom water ski, I'll have to find out). Some of the more...adventurous ones were using their own wakes to launch themselves 15-20 feet in the air. Pamela took some video of it, so I'll have to figure out how to get that onto this from her phone. Anyway, it looked awesome!
All in all, we had a fantastic time and I was once again reminded of how completely lucky I am to have such a beautiful and amazing wife. Not sure how I pulled that off, but I'm awfully glad I did.
It was amazingly beautiful down there, which is saying something cause I've been spoiled living here in the North West. The lodge, resort really, was great. I try not to get all gushy about how cool things are and what not, cause I've seen some really amazing things and been some crazy places, but the lodge was top notch. Beautiful grounds, good service, fantastic food, and lots and lots to do.
One of the many things to do at the lodge was to borrow bikes to ride. Pamela and I decided to ride into the town and see the beach/pier. We took the long way, going up the mountain side and then back down around into the town. Of course, half-way down the mountain, my back tire blew out. Not just the tube, but the tire itself had a huge hole in it. So, we walked the bikes into town and the gas station attendant pointed us in the right direction for a tube and we headed that way. The hardware store did in fact carry bike tubes (me thinks this is not an isolated incident) and the folks there were kind enough to let me use some tools to change the tube. Then it was back to the gas station to fill'er up and continue on our way. 
We made it to the pier and stayed there for a few minutes watching crazy people kite board. I'd never heard of this before, and it looks like a lot of fun. I'm thinking I need to try it when I get back from the desert. Anyway, if you're wondering what kite boarding (I guess it can be one word) is, it's exactly what it sounds like. You strap a snowboard onto your feet and hold onto a huge kite and ski across the water (I guess it could be a slalom water ski, I'll have to find out). Some of the more...adventurous ones were using their own wakes to launch themselves 15-20 feet in the air. Pamela took some video of it, so I'll have to figure out how to get that onto this from her phone. Anyway, it looked awesome!
All in all, we had a fantastic time and I was once again reminded of how completely lucky I am to have such a beautiful and amazing wife. Not sure how I pulled that off, but I'm awfully glad I did. 
1 comment:
We've been at Ft Lewis and absolutely LOVED our time there. We hope to retire there someday, too. The photos you've posted on your blog brought back some good memories of the region. Thank you for sharing! ;)
Post a Comment