Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #3
I haven’t had any ADHD meds since Thursday and I am in full-blown inattentive mode, so let’s get to this while I can still (sorta) focus! Last Week Write 3x this week Edit and post podcast episode Read a book Queries How’d I Do? Write 3x this week No, but I did write twice. Which is nice. Edit and post podcast episode Yes! The new episode is out now, have you listened in yet? Read a book Yes. Actually I read three books this week… Queries Yep! I had submitted to some agents with quick turnaround times, so I had some housekeeping to keep up on this week. Weekly Word Count: 2,034 Looking at these bullet points, I’d say this was a productive week. I did a LOT of reading, finishing Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell, and then starting (and finishing) both The…
Outings! – Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls
Welcome! For the first time, Outings! will cover an actual hike! Usually this series has reviewed a city or county park, but with Monday being a holiday I used it as an excuse to get out into the woods. I also managed to drag my spouse, our best friend Bolt, and her dog Yuki along for the ride! Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls About an hour southwest of our house is an entire recreational site I’d never even heard of before. The Alsea Falls Recreational Area is located in the eastern side of the Coast Range, and follows the South Fork of the Alsea River. There’s a network of biking and running trails, hiking trails near the falls (which this post is about), as well as campgrounds. Swimming and fishing holes abound in the warmer months, but cold, wet weather doesn’t keep Oregonians from spending time in the park. …
Outings! – Secor Park
Welcome! That’s right folks! Outings! is back. If this is your first time reading this series, don’t fret. You can read all about it here, but the gist is this: rain or shine, I visit a local park every week and review it. It’s a way to sort of game-ify my mental health and love of the outdoors in an effort to get outside more in the “Off” season. So far, it’s working! So, where did we go this week? Secor Park This park is tucked into a neighborhood, and adjoins the neighboring school’s athletic fields, which helps it seem bigger than it actually is. There are some paved paths leading to the north and south edges of the park and out into the neighborhoods, but most of the trails are narrow bark dust tracks that wander beteween blackberry brambles. There’s a sizable playground with well-maintained, newer equipment. No lie,…
Outings! – Wes Bennett Park
Welcome! We kept this week’s walk short and close to home for two reasons: It was freezing and sleeting. It was my birthday, and I didn’t particularly love the idea of spending it freezing in the sleet. Now let’s see if I can keep this blog post just as short… Wes Bennett Park If I asked you to picture a suburban, neighborhood park, odds are you’d imagine something very similar to Wes Bennet Park. It’s set on the corner of a neighborhood block, with tall pine trees creating a sort of barrier between it, the elementary school next door, and the busier street on its west side. It has a sloped, healthy green field outlined in cement walking paths, as well as playground equipment, a splash pad, and half of a basketball court. It is a gathering place for families and children during the warmer months, and a popular walking…
Outings! – Bush’s Pasture Park
Welcome! By the time you read this, I’ll be back in Oregon after a whirlwind trip to Arizona. Fun fact about whirlwind trips: there’s not much time for things like walks and blogs. Luckily for you, your girl planned ahead for this very reason! So, hop on in the Way Back Machine™ with me to a sunny fall day in mid-November when my writing friend, Madhu, and I went for one of our traditional Walk ‘n’ Talks. Bush’s Pasture Park It’s hard to talk about this park without talking about a bit of local history. As the name suggests, this park was once the home of Asahel Bush (who may or may not be a character in my next book) and his family. The house was built in 1882, and includes a gorgeous rose garden and the oldest conservatory west of the Mississippi. It’s a museum and art gallery now,…
Outings! – Hilfiker Park
Welcome Another weekend, another urban outdoors adventure! Let’s just get to it, shall we? Hilfiker Park If you’ll recall, I originally planned to visit this park last week. But an adorable old corgi made the attempt less than ideal, so Simon and I went elsewhere. This week we got up bright and early, put on our winter weather gear, and got to the park before anyone else so we could have it all to ourselves! This park claims to be a field with an out and back trail of just over a mile. On the map it shows a straight line leading from one neighborhood to another, so naturally this was what I expected. What I got was a pasture, some trees, and a poorly marked loop trail that, was probably closer to half a mile. The park entrance is at the dead end of a neighborhood road. You can…
Outings! – Morningside Park
Welcome! Welcome back to Outings!, a blog series chronically my urban outdoors adventures. Basically, each week I try out a different park/trail in my town, and write up a review for you! This week was a bit of an audible for a couple of reasons: Trevor got hurt setting up an event on Friday. He’s okay! But he did sprain his ankle pretty bad, so he’s out of commission for this walk, and probably next week’s too. I originally wanted to walk a different trail, but we struggled to find the trailhead and once we did, there was an old man with an ADORABLE old corgi starting their walk. Sadly, Simon is very dog reactive and I didn’t want to ruin all of our mornings by starting on the trail at the same time as this old man and his old corgi. So, I flipped a bitch and headed to…
Outings! – Steam Donkey Trail
Welcome Welcome to the… fourth(?) installment of Outings! I wasn’t able to walk at home this week due to some serious time commitments, but I managed to sneak in a short walk on the drive out to the coast. For better or worse. Steam Donkey Trail The Steam Donkey Trail was an unexpected delight on my journey Northwest to Seaside, Oregon this weekend. Equally unexpected was the snow in the mountains, which was the whole reason I stopped at the Sunset Rest Stop in the first place. Everywhere I looked was a dirt road or trailhead that had me absolutely salivating to explore, but I was on the clock, didn’t have any gear with me, and I was alone. So when the sign for the rest stop came up, I decided to pull in and take a couple pictures of the winter wonderland, and then be on my way. But, in…
Outings! – Orchard Heights Park
Welcome! Welcome to the third installment of Outings! If you’re new here, please check out the early installments to get a sense of what this whole series is all about. Orchard Heights Park This is a lovely neighborhood park in a pretty affluent part of town. It’s tucked back behind a retirement home and some winding housing blocks. You would never expect the park to be so big or have so much to offer, which makes it quite the gem! The main area of the park has brand new tennis courts (4 full courts!), a basketball court, two baseball pitches, a children’s playground and a small, fenced off-leash area for dogs. There’s also a paved path circling all of this. And across the drive are butterfly and community gardens. All of this would be enough to rate this park pretty dang high. It just offers so much in a very…
Introducing: Outings!
Outings! is an all-new blog series where I explore the (mostly urban) outdoors and report back to you! I know I’ve talked a lot about hiking on the blog before, and particularly about how I didn’t do enough of it this summer, so this is my way to make up for it. I’ve also talked a little bit about needing to up my activity levels, especially on the weekends, so I thought this might be a good way to do that. So, what is Outings! exactly? Outings! Is… A weekly blog post where I share my thoughts and experiences with the outdoors here in my town. Salem has a lot of parks and some trails and wilderness areas nearby, and despite living here for over 10 years, I haven’t been to most of them. In an effort to be more active, give myself some weekend structure, and reconnect with my…