One More Writer

I rode my bike today, working out stiff muscles after a grueling hike up the South Sister this weekend. Although it was 9:30 at night by the time I headed home, visibility wasn't much of a problem on the bike path. Every few seconds I'd pass one a streetlight, casting shadows that grew longer as I drew back again toward the dark.

I've been riding my bike a lot lately, as the car's been out of service since the middle of May. I don't miss it much, as my friends have chipped in to give me rides and Val has been extremely generous with the use of her car. The nice thing is that work is a 6-minute bike ride away. But when school starts in late August, I'll need wheels again, as the commute to Salem is not exactly bike friendly.

The picture at top is from the backpacking trip Val and I took to the South Sister on Friday and Saturday. She'd never been backpacking, but evidently had faith she'd like it, as she shelled out money for a pack and hiking boots before we started out. Luckily, she liked it, so we'll probably get some more hikes in this summer before we go to Hawaii for 9 days in mid August.

Oh, yes, Hawaii: Val and I are going there, ostensibly to visit Ricky, who goes there for a few weeks every summer. But scheduling with Ricky didn't quite work out perfectly, so we'll be camping on Kauai and Molokai for a few days before he gets there and meets up with us.

I put up a slideshow of the South Sister trip. Click here or on the picture at top to see it. Regular readers might want to ration the slideshow in small doses, as it's always difficult to tell when I'll update next.