Think Spring!

Hello Lyons...let's get going on the blog! Where is everyone? We're not looking to hear about your exotic lifestyles--we want to know what you're up to! Here's what we've been up to:


The eagles are out all around the Yakima River canyon. We've tried to get out on weekends at least one day hiking and checking out the wildlife. 2 weeks ago we headed south to the sun and warmth along Hwy 12 to Oak Creek Wildlife Center where there is a elk feeding station. I'd never seen so many elk in one spot! Then we headed down the road and took an awesome hike up into the hills. It has been so dreary and grey around Ellensburg that we just had to get to sunshine...amazing what Vitamin D can do for the soul! Thank God for the sun...this is the time of year I am so appreciative of spring. We miss you guys!

Yunnan Continued: Shangri la and the Tiger Leaping Gorge

Having descended from the mountains in a somewhat more graceful manner than the original ascent, we found ourselves in the fabled Shangri la. 5 kilometers out of town is the largest monastery in the region. I think that they said that around 3,000 monks live here!

From Shangri la we took a bus (from this point forth you may assume that nearly all travel took some form of common transportation expect when we renting bikes for the day in Lijiang) to the beginning of the Leaping Tiger Gorge trek. I would encourage you to look it up. It is a two-day (for most people) hike that involves sleeping in a mountain hostel over night) I was a little spooked I must say. In the end no one died and the worst thing that happened was that I got a very nasty sunburn and the shakes from such an intense work out.

We then proceeded on to Lijiang and Dali.

China August 2008: Yunnan Provence

And I bet that you were expecting something that had to do with France...

I don't yet fully understand how to best create a montage of pictures but I'll give it a go. These are from my trip to China this last August. We traveled to a new place nearly every day for two weeks!

Counting down the days until the big trip with purple post-its on my bathroom wall.




Sign at the airport. I had to look up "halberd".

Enjoying bubble tea in touristy area of downtown Shanghai. That might be a lion.




More Shanghai...

From Shanghai we flew to the south of the country and the adventure really began. We too a series of flights to get as close to Tibet as possible (it was closed to foriegner during the Olymipc Games which is exactly when I arrived). Upon arrival in Shangri-la we took an 8 hour + bus ride over a 4,000 meter pass, once we actually found the bus that is. As for the bus ride, my oh my, that was an experience to be sure. Just try to imagine Tibetan kareoke, eating running food or peanuts out of a plastic bag with chopsticks, what seemed to be public spitting (accompanied but guteral hocking) contests with the horn blaring as we swung around perilous corners on a one-way dirt road to avoid head-on collision with the mining trucks. It was great. Oh, and the windows were all wide open dousing a poor little, ill prepared tourist that had just left a scorching Shanghai at 34 C. We did not whimper. It was summer in the mountains after all and one must think of the people who live there; they have the right to enjoy summer temperatures to the fullest (even if the high is only ever 9 C). It was a great ride! We did, however, find a taxi that was over joyed to take us back for only 40 euros and in half the time. We climbed a mountain and came down a hill (or so it seemed).

We met a guide in the small village of Fe lei si (sp), last frontier town, who took us too a traditional Tibetan home (three floors: basement for animals, ground floor for people, roof for storage; walls all hand-painted) where we partook in yak butter tea, dry whole wheat flour, small green apples and rice wine that wasn't too smooth going down.