Today is Monday, June 26, 2023
On this day in history…
1997- J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was first published, in London; the book launched the hugely popular series about a boy wizard.
Spotlight Photo
Oh, summer, we see you trying to sneak into the Pacific Northwest. Here we see a group of Yogis caught practicing at Dune Peninsula on a beautiful weekday morning. What a view.
Quote of the Week
“Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins.”
– Edith Wharton
Mira’s Photo of the Week
https://www.everafterphotographypnw.com/
Rachel’s friend, Mira, shares her art each week to help beautify the My Monday Memo.
A Few Good Facts
Because some socks are more aerodynamic than bare skin, international pro bicyclists are required to wear socks no higher than halfway up the calf.
The town of Snowflake, Arizona, is not particularly snowy—it only gets about 13 inches over the entire year. The town’s name is a combination of the surnames of its founders, Mormon settlers William Flake and Erastus Snow.
In 1942 New York City’s mayor made pinball machines illegal, reasoning that they were games of chance employed by ne’er-do-wells to separate schoolchildren from their lunch money. The ban ended in 1976 when a pinball expert was called to play in front of the city council, proving that it was a game of skill.
This section is an add-on from Britannica.com. Each day there is a new fun fact in their All Good Facts section. These are a few that Rachel found interesting.
Fabulous Furry Friends
Hi, hi, hi… My name is Gracie. I am a hyper, 10-week old husky mix. Aren’t my eyes pretty? I have heterochromia, which means I have a lack of the pigment melanin in all or part of one eye. It makes me even more beautiful. My human was taking me for a walk when I was photographed. I lunged at the human taking my picture when she snapped the shot, which makes my head look huge. Rest assured, I am a tiny little girl. The reason the human noticed me was because I reminded her of a cat. That is how petite I am.
Where’s Blake Been?
Blake, Rachel’s oldest son, has been stationed in San Angelo, Texas since November 2022. He anticipates remaining stationed in Texas for at least another year, as of now. His mother was extremely proud when he recently shared with her that he has received another promotion within the U.S. Air Force. Blake has been promoted to Master Sergeant. Congratulations to Blake!
Jimmy’s Journeys
Jimmy is Rachel’s first cousin, and fellow adventurer, who lives in New York. They have shared adventures of all kinds together over the years. Jimmy will at times grace the pages of the My Monday Memo. Enjoy his journeys!
Aruba
When Jimmy headed to Aruba for a visit with his friend, Flor, he set out to relax, swim in the ocean each day, explore the island, and eat local foods. Flor was introduced in a prior MMM when Jimmy and she visited Paris.
Jimmy spent time exploring the northern part of the island, which is a desert area with off-road driving. He also enjoyed adventuring in Arikok National Park. While there, he took a dip in the famous Natural Pool. During this trip, Flor and Jimmy enjoyed local restaurants and relaxing at the pool.
When Jimmy ventured off on his own, he headed to Saint Nicholas to explore and enjoy local foods. He tried out Curry Goat, which he said was “very good,” and “not spicy at all.” He also enjoyed a bakery/restaurant that was recommended, El Gallo Rojo, which was highly regarded for their breakfasts. Jimmy says, “they did not disappoint.”
Where will Jimmy journey next? We will excitedly await the next Jimmy’s Journeys.
Donate Blood, Save Lives- #3
On Thursday, June 22, 2023, Rachel gave her third blood donation. This month’s blood drive was held in the parking lot of the nearby Western State Psychiatric Hospital in Lakewood, Washington.
The entire event went off without a hitch and she felt as though she’d been doing it for years. No anxiety, and very minimal fear of the big needle. She even watched as her hostess for the event, Ashley, jabbed the very large, very pointy needle into her vein. There may have been a slight moment of panic as she realized she was about to watch this enormous needle break her skin, but she survived. If it wasn’t clear, this needle was sizable.
Sizable needle and all, she is extremely happy to have the opportunity to donate blood. This happiness was reinforced in April when she received a text message from Cascade Regional Blood Services to notify her that her previous donation had helped save a life. What an incredible gift to know that her donation made a difference.
There is a wait period of 56 days in between allowed donations, which means she is required to wait until August to make her next donation. She already has an appointment on the books.
Where in the World?
This week’s main adventure took Rachel 85 miles from home in Tacoma to Salt Creek Recreation Area located 15 miles west of Port Angeles, Washington. The second adventure landed her in Bremerton, Washington (circled in blue), which is only 24 miles from home.
Word of the Day
Will you find it?
As a fun challenge each week, Rachel visits Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day when she sits down to write her weekly story. Whatever the word of that particular day happens to be, she must find a way to fit it into her story. Will you find it?
SASHAY
Merriam-Webster Word of the Day on Saturday, June 24, 2023
Meaning
To sashay is to proudly walk in a slow, confident way that is meant to attract attention. Sashay can also mean simply “to walk, glide, or go,” or “to proceed or move in a diagonal or sideways manner.” In contexts involving dance, sashay means “to make a chassé,” which is a dance step in which a slide on one foot is followed closely by a slide on the other foot.
Story of the Week
Striped Peak Trail & More
The view of Crescent Bay and Strait of Juan de Fuca from the peak of Striped Peak Trail.
On Sunday, June 18, 2023, Rachel and a friend headed out early for the Salt Creek Recreation Area near Port Angeles, Washington. This is a 196-acre park that was previously Camp Hayden, a World War II military camp. Today it offers hiking, camping to include 92 campsites, and plenty of play options, including an impressive children’s playground, sand volleyball, and day-use picnicking. The weather forecast would be fantastic with sunny skies and high temperatures in low 60s.
The plan for the day would be to hike the Striped Peak Trail, which according to AllTrails would be a total length of 5.0 miles with an elevation gain of 1,489 feet. If Rachel has learned anything, she has learned that AllTrails can be a bit inaccurate and to always expect the unexpected. Sunday’s hike would be proof of this statement. At the end of the day, according to her Garmin watch, they had hiked 8.99 miles with a total ascent of 3,197 feet and a total hike time of 4 hours 56 minutes.
The Striped Peak Trail was billed as an out-and-back trail, which was disproven on Sunday. Rachel supposes you could make it an out-and-back trail, but with multiple twists and turns and several different trailhead signs, it would be nearly impossible to just make it an out-and-back adventure. Luckily, Rachel’s hiking companion for the day was also up for anything. They would hit the Striped Peak Trail, Bunker Ridge Trail, Peak Spur Trail, Strait Slope Trail, Peak Trail, and even visit a remote, isolated cove that passed by the small Salish Maiden Falls.
Sunday’s adventure began with a visit to the tide pools, as they had arrived at low tide. They enjoyed a walk along the beach while they explored the tide pools and observed the many sea amenities made visible by the low tide levels. Rachel came across an unknown sea creature, deceased, and took a photo of both sides in hopes of identifying it but had no luck. The smell was horrific.
Once they had finished up at the tide pools, they hit the trail. There were beautiful views all along the trail. The lush forest, brilliant wildflowers, wildlife, and old military bunker were all fun to explore and view. When they reached the military bunker, they entered the pitch-black doorway with their phone lights guiding the way. This provided Rachel with fond memories of her visits to Fort Warden, Fort Flager, and Fort Casey, and exploring similar scary, dark tunnels with her friend Mira.
As they sashayed along the trail, they heard what sounded like door creaking, loudly. This was a sound Rachel had never heard in the forest. Once they took the time to stop and really try to ascertain where this sound was coming from, they identified a narrow, but very tall tree that was being blown in the breeze. It appeared that it was nearing the end of life and would soon fall. This was what was causing the creaking sound. Rachel wanted to push it over for a good video segment, but her hiking companion reminded her that was a bad idea for several reasons.
They eventually reached the peak of the trail system and were provided incredible views of the Crescent Bay and Strait of Juan de Fuca. They were overlooking the tide pools in which they had just explored. After a short break on a bench at the top, they began their journey down, which took them through more trails, looping them around to the previously mentioned cove and waterfall, and back to their car. This was a beautiful hike and great place to explore. But it wasn’t the end of their hiking adventures for the week.
On Friday, June 23, 2023, the two again headed out for another hike. This time they headed to Bremerton, Washington, to hike to the Green Mountain Lookout via the Gold Creek Trail. Per AllTrails, this was anticipated to be a 4.4 mile out-and-back with an elevation gain of 1,040 feet. According to the Garmin watch, it would be a total distance of 5.15 miles with a total ascent of 1,105 feet. Fairly close, as they had taken an offshoot to check out the creek and small waterfalls along the trail.
This wouldn’t be Rachel’s first time on this trail. She had hiked it once before on a day in which the air was filled with smoke from wildfires and knew she would need to hike it again on a clear day due to the incredible views that would be available. Her first time on the trail was October 8, 2022, when she was just 17-weeks out from her revision spine surgery (Issue #124). After hiking it a second time, she is amazed that she was able to navigate this hike that soon after her surgery. She recalls it being extremely difficult the first time but must have been driven by pure determination. That or insanity.
Friday’s hike would be fairly clear skies and the views did not disappoint. The trail provided two different viewpoints, one of the Hood Canal and the other of downtown Seattle in the distance. Both views were outstanding. On the hike down the mountain, a large storm cloud became prevalent, and they were treated to the sounds of rumbling thunder as they navigated through the darkening forest. Rachel found this thrilling, as one thing she does miss living in the Pacific Northwest is the lack of thunderstorms. The thunder ended almost as quickly as it had begun and there was no visible lightening, and no rain. They finished up their hike and made their way home.
Pictured above: The first viewpoint with views of the Hood Canal and views of Olympic National Park mountains.
Pictured above: The second viewpoint with views of downtown Seattle in the distance. If you zoom in to the left of the tallest center tree, you will see downtown.
Two great hikes in one week were a treat for Rachel. She is excited to see what the next week brings. Until next time, be well.
