ONE CRAZY SUMMER!

If the theme of last year’s Summer was, “Shelter in Place,” this year it was definitively, “All Over the Place.” Finally in a position of ultimate flexibility, my primary goal for Summer was to get out and about and hit it hard. One thing I’ve come to both realize and cherish about living in an environment with a full 4 seasons, is that it’s extremely motivating in that I feel compelled to experience all that is unique to that 90-day period.

As such, I blazed a glorious trail of amazing adventure that began in Spring and accelerated exponentially during June and continues as of this writing. Pausing a moment to reflect back, it was, unequivocally, one crazy Summer. In fact, it’s likely one of, if not the most, fun and memorable Summer of my life, despite the staggering heat wave. I say this not just because of the sheer number of things I did and experienced, but also because of the diversity of my adventures. But seriously, I ripped and teared this Summer apart.

THE WILD SIDE

Clearly Summer is the ideal time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors and I certainly did so. In fact, I’ve never spent more time outdoors than I did this year. Things got off to an awesome start with 4 days of camping in the remote Washington back-country on a blissful creek near the Canadian border with good friends in July. We probably could have done without the bear coming through camp in the darkness of night, but it was certainly a memorable moment.

Then in August, it was another 4 days paddling the transcendent Pend Oreille river via kayak camping and fishing. I had wanted to do this trip even before I moved here and so grateful I had the opportunity. It was so gorgeous and the fishing was simply ridiculous. This will absolutely be an annual adventure for years to come.

Aside from these camping trips, I was a frequent visitor to many of the trails and lakes near me. I had a number of arduous, albeit rewarding, hikes on Mt. Spokane, Mt. Kit Carson, Hoodoo Canyon, Pend Oreille reserve as well as Aliso Creek in Orange County and Catalina Island in LA. Aside from those, I was out in my local ‘hood walking nearly every day I could (damn that heat wave and smoke). I also had the kayak out a good deal trying out new bodies of water near and far, both solo and with new friends.

I even had a number of urban-oriented outdoor excursions. Whether it was the Art on the Green or Taste of Coeur d’Alene festivals in Idaho or urban hiking Spokane or simply chilling while (finally) listening to some great live music, it was an absolute thrill to be outside!

PENTHOUSE & PAVEMENT

Aside from the hundreds of hours of being outside, I also spent a good deal of time soaking up and experiencing the local urban culture. While too many to mention all, standouts for me are Saturday’s spent board gaming with my new crew of fellow nerds at the game store, staying a weekend in Spokane to eat and drink my way around town, attending the (sadly small) Latino community’s “Tacos & Tequila” festival, playing vintage video games & pinball (and still sucking at them) at the non-profit retro arcade, sipping stellar small-batch mead outside of town, chillin’ with fuzzy kitties and eating delicious pastries at the cat cafe, sleuthing killer reads at the local hipster booksellers, and even seeing 3 movies in an actual theater.

The Summer was also remarkable in that it was the first time in a very, very long time that I intentionally sought out and visited restaurants. While not necessarily as ubiquitous as they are in LA, the Inland Northwest is home to all manner of wonderful places to eat. I found it takes insider knowledge and insight to finger the best of them as they seem to hide in plain sight, but thanks to my many new friends I got a pretty comprehensive primer. I even found a ‘secret’ hole-in-the wall sushi joint that legitimately rivals those in So. Cal. In any event, I spent more on eating out in the past 5 months then I have in the past 5 years. Easily. And guess what? It’s been worth every single penny.

FATES ON TOUR

In early September, I began a series of journeys that consisted, primarily, of adventures out of state, which I affectionately dubbed, “Fates on Tour.” It began with my trip to Portland to attend the Rose City Comic-Con which was a blast! With only a 2-day reprieve to unpack and relax, it was back out to California where I spent time with friends in Los Angeles and Orange County. However, the crowning aspect of the trip was a week on Catalina Island.

The trip was bifurcated betwixt a few days of relaxing time in an Avalon beach house with 10 of my buddies as part of an annual island sojourn we’ve been doing for 28 years now. The second part of the trip entailed another friend coming out where we kayaked a good portion of Catalina’s front side while we fished and camped. It was sublime. The fishing was absolutely insane, having caught and released countless numbers of calico bass, barracuda, bonito and halibut. In addition the campsites were absolutely perfect with no one else in sight. It really felt like we were the last men on Earth despite officially being in Los Angeles county.

The end of our trip happened to coincide with the official last day of Summer and it was, unquestionably, the best day I had among so many wonderful others this season. Perfect California sunshine over crystal blue, clear waters with 40′ visibility. It just does not get better than this. The magnificent, bursting Harvest moon over Southern California as we came back into port was a fitting close to Summer.

It also made me realize just how much I miss the ocean. While I’m certainly grateful to have so many bodies of water near me in Washington, the Pacific will always have me in it’s thrall and it’s so magical and rejuvenating to be in and on it. Fortunately, it’s only a 2.5 hour flight away.

SUMMER’S GREATEST GIFT?

Certainly all the marvelous adventures above are pretty stunning in their own right, but really don’t amount to much if not shared with others. Undoubtedly, the greatest gift of the Summer was the staggering host of new, wonderful people I met and befriended. I made a concerted effort to meet as many people as I possibly could and definitely benefited from the effort. Like most of us, I chased my passions and found like-minded compatriots. Even more so, I chose to just “put myself out there” as much as I could, saying “yes” far more than no, not turning down opportunities when they came as well as creating ones of my own. I’m eternally blessed to have so many awesome new people in my life. Just like the restaurants, I’ve become friends with more people in the past 5 months, then in the past 5 years. Easily.

Equally, if not more important? This time, this freedom, this flexibility has allowed me to reconnect, reinvest, and further strengthen the relationships with my lifelong friends. More time spent together, more time communicating, more time honoring our past while we hatch plans for the future.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Fall is already off to a hectic, but astonishing start. I arrived home late last week to rest and recuperate for a few days before the next leg of “Fates on Tour” kicks-off with additional adventures in Seattle, Idaho and Phoenix in October. Afterwards, the plan is to slow down a tad with the travel for a couple of months before it starts again in January with planned adventures in California and then it’s off to the UK in February for some much anticipated international shenanigans!

Hope you also had a great Summer and here’s to a fantastic Fall!

Enjoy!