2010 Backpacking Trip: Point Reyes' Coast Trail

Every post-Thanksgiving,

Samuel and I make a resolution that next year we'll
run a turkey-trot or something.

Basically we want to sacrifice personal comfort

by working up a sweat,

while doing good for someone else,

and feel a little less guilty when we sit down to feast.

It's not a tall order,

afterall we love to get outside anyway,

but still,

every year rolls around and we find ourselves in our jammies

in front of the boob-tube watching

Snoopy get dragged down the street.

{Exception}
I can't fail to mention that Samuel does manage
to make it out to the ward Turkey Trot every year. 

Go babe!

Granted,

parades and throwing the pigskin around is fun too...

and I'll admit,

we did that AGAIN this year,

only guilt-free and minus any next-year resolutions because

days previously hiked our heinies off on

one of the most beautiful coastal trails in California,

Point Reyes':

 T H E  C O A S T  T R A I L

And who better to share that with,

than three beautiful daughters,

a wonderful husband,

a sweet-heart of a sister,

and a horde of equally adventurous in-laws!

It was a dream come true,

and if you ever get the chance,

even for a day,

visit this magical place.

You will not be disappointed!

Seriously,

does it get any more fairy-tale-like than this?

The Great Blue.

She's big, beautiful, and yes,

just over that cliff that my daughter's standing on!

Ava,

geared up and ready to go!

Fresh-faced and clean!

That won't last long!

Our first wildlife sighting!

T H E  B A N A N A  S L U G !

As we neared base camp,

Ava found her favorite part of the whole trip.

A mini-gorge created by the trail splitting

right down the middle!

Off in the distance:

Wildcat Camp

Or shall I say,

"Home, sweet, home!"

For the next few days at least!

We met up with our party, the Green Beans,

and made fast work of setting up camp.

As you can tell by the sweaters and hats,

with the sun setting the temperature began to drop quickly.

That's no reason to hunker down though.

It's time to hit the beach!

Afterall,

you wanted want to miss seeing Indiana Jones would you?

Beautiful, beautiful girls!

We were thrilled to take them along,

and share with them the joys of

exploring this beautiful world,

pushing yourself to do something you've never done before,

living simply,

and enjoying good, hard work!

Frozen sweethearts!

Hot chocolate rules out here!

And candy bars make for a perfect dessert!

Goooood Mornin'!

At this point we'd all been sufficiently deprived of

day to day luxuries we take for granted everyday

(a hot shower, a cold bowl of cereal, a hot shower...),

that when we saw a passing cruise ship we all feel all over ourselves

imagining what fantastics meals and accomodations were on board!

Then we realized it was a cargo ship-NOT a cruise liner.

Uh.

Can you hear the air hissing out of our balloon?

Nature's best playground is...

Nature!

And the kids had a blast taking it on!

And you never know who you'll run in to.

Look!

It's Pocahontas!

Just kidding, Jules.

{smile}

The coveted treasure find:

Deer bones!

One even made home and onto our Christmas Tree!

Samuel,

taking care of business

before we hit the coast for a hike on the beach.

From left to right:

Isabella, Ava, Julia, Meghan, Abby, Lennon, & Sam (Lennon's bud)

I can't wait until Iris and our boys join the line-up too!

Alamere Falls

A 40-50 foot waterfall drop right into the ocean!

Samuel scrambled up to the top and

we all quickly followed suit.

The view was absolutely breathtaking!

It looks like the girls could slide right off the cliff

and onto the beach below,

but actually,

this is a section of the upper fall set quite a ways back. 

Back at camp,

the deer came super-close for some lunch.

I wonder who made that...

All smiles cause we're headin' home!

I love this shot.

It's really, really fun to travel in a large group. 

It kind of feels like we're in a PBS special

hiking in the Andes or something!

I'm proud of these girls!

They really pulled their weight,

literally!

{Except, Ava.  Who gave up her backpack pretty quick!}

More wildlife sightings:

Newts

(or salamanders)

Alternately pulling up the rear with Ava gave us some

great alone time with this girl.

She's a fighter,

and we love her spirit!

Renewing that memebership in the oh-so-exclusive

"Banana Slug Club"!

With the sun rapidly...

Yes, I said, "rapidly setting",

we made a mad dash for the lighthouse.

The Elk were out in force...

And, of course,

the lighthouse was closed!

We've been here many times,

and every time,

for one reason or another,

we miss it!

Lucky for us,

out here there's a view at every turn...

We had the best time ever,

and I am chomping at the bit to get out there again,

only as a whole family,

boys in tow.

It's camping at it's simplest,

and at it's best,

with a total body workout and

the very best sight-seeing too!

...

Now for a shower...

The Magic No. 9

For Bella-boo,

9-years old is pretty cool.

It's not the same as if were all crazy-silly over your birthday...
afterall, it's not like your turning five or something. 

But still, nine is pretty cool...

...

We started the day off with a few treats and

a really nutritious breakfast of...

D I N G - D O N G S !

{ Remember }

You're never too old or too cool for a Ding-dong!

Later came her favorite meal:

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes (no gravy!)

And for dessert:

A Rich Chocolate Cream Pie!

On the weekend we invited some

friends and family over for a...

! Y T R A P  Y A D H T R I B  S D R A W K C A B

{ A Backards Birthday Party}

We sent out thank you notes for invites,

ate under the table,

and then they dragged themselves around the kitchen floor. 

Not that that had anything to do with the backwards birthday theme,

but it made them happy nonetheless.



We played a roaring game of reverse musical chairs,

and ended up with 10+ girls

on one poor chair!

Our sweet treat:

Upside-down Birthday Cake with an

Upside-down Cone!

Naturally,

they needed to burn off their sugar-high,

so we took to the green space near our home for some relay races

and the hands-down favorite game,

Reverse Tag!

There's nothing funnier than seeing one girl running like crazy

from the rest of the girls who are ALL it!

...

When all was said and done,

my baby girl,

my first girl,

is one year older.

She is far more talented, beautiful, and intelligent

than I could have possibly imagined.

She is heaven-sent.

Isabella,

We love you so!

Continue in good things, sweetheart...

for it is right.

Love always,

Mum & Dad



Veteran's Day Hike on Auburn's Western States Trail: Could You Hear Iris Crying?

Just as the girl's and I promised,

we brought the whole family back to the Western States Trail

to continue our exploratory mission

and actually make it down to the water!

Being fall,

everything was exploding in golden foliage!

A perfect photo opp,

this ledge overlooks the water below

and only makes you thirst for more!

We came across this stone bench,

and it made for a perfect rest stop.

Well, almost perfect.

The cliff dropped off steeply below,

which meant I couldn't take my eyes off

Owen, Gabriel or Ava!

I think there collective goal was to give me

a heart attack.

Samuel would have helped watch them too,
but he was busy throwing rocks off the ledge.
His goal:
To hit the water.
Result:
Not even close!

The waterfall!



At one point,

we came to a cross roads.

Normally we vote,

but this time we split our party into two

to see which would provide the better access to the water.

Samuel, won.

But his pick was super-close to these creepy guys

who were hanging deep in the bushes.

We were outta there!

Mom said!

So off we went on my trail,

and though the water access wasn't as great,

it had these super cool bramble tunnels to run through.

It felt like we were in the Vietnam jungle!

Lunch was peaceful for the most part,

though I was still on edge from our earlier encounter.

All I can say is,

I'm so glad I wasn't alone with the girls!

The kids really appreciated the down time,

and like always,

each found their own nook and cranny in the rocks
and set up a temporary "house",

or in Owen's case, "space ship".

Gabriel,

he thinks we're still at home and he can easily

throw his food on the floor before picking it up again to eat it.

Unfortunately, son,

you do that here and it's covered in sand and dirt!

My handsome husband.

I love you, Samuel.

On the way there and back,

Samuel and I always carry Gabriel,

and for 95% of the time,

Owen too.

Do the math,

and that means when Iris poops out,

there's no one left to give her a ride out.

This is extrememly upsetting to her,

because you see,

she doesn't do math.

At least,

she doesn't do math well.

Because according to her calculations,

there are plenty of arms to give her a ride.



All in all,

this is exactly what we were looking for.

Not to make her cry,

but to see if she would lose it like we thought she would.

Let me explain:

This was more or less a trial run for

a more intense overnight backpacking trip

planned for Thanksgiving break.

We were on the fence as to whether she

could handle a trip like that...

and now we had our answer!

We love you, Iris!

Simple Chocolate Truffles

Easy, delicious, and to die for.

Though you may get a little messy, there's nothing better than...

Simple Chocolate Truffles

30-35 truffles

Ingredients

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli's)

3 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 c heavy cream

1 tbs light corn syrup

30-35 candy cup liners (Bonbon cups)

Flavorings (optional)

1 tbs orange extract

1 tbs raspberry extract

1 tbs almond extract

1 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

Coatings (optional)

1/2 c Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder

1/2 c Almonds, minced

1/2 c Pistachios, minced

1/2 c Minced Walnuts, toasted and minced

Directions

Microwave the chocolate and butter in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl at 20 second intervals, stirring frequently, until melted.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until simmering. 

Pour over the chocolate mixture, cover, and let stand for 2 minutes.

Uncover and stir gently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is well combined.

If using the optional flavorings, divide the chocolate mixture evenly into separate bowls and add while still warm.

Once combined, pour into flat tupperware containters, seal with a lid, and label (to tell which chocolate has what flavoring).
Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

{I use Glad sandwich containers and prefer to let the chocolate set overnight.}

When your ready to roll...

Line a rimmed baking sheet with your candy cup liners and set nearby.

Prepare your coatings as directed and place into shallow containers. 

{Note:  The more coatings you use, the less of each coating you'll need.  Adjust accordingly so you don't over-mince!}

Using a regular teaspoon or melon-baller, scrape the chocolate towards you.

{I find the melon-baller cumbersome, but others prefer it. You decide!}

Then, using your hands, quickly shape into balls and drop into the prepared coating. 

{Remember, your balls won't be perfect.  They're slightly mis-shapen thanks to the quickly melting chocolate and the speed with which you'll need to work.  I find the suble variation in shape part of the charm!}

When you have 5-7 truffles in each coating dish, gently roll the truffles in the dish until they are completely coated.  Transfer to a candy cup liner and set to work on the rest! 

Proceed until finished and then refrigerate to set.

Truffles are best at room temperature.  When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator 30-minutes prior.

Last step?

Remember to sample one of each!