Hiking: Tarbell Trail IV

Had a chance to chase the low snow again yesterday and it was great! This time, I drove to a trail head nearby Rock Creek Campground. This trail head is just south of the campground on the map. It begins at the intersection of L-1000 and a yellow-gated logging road. The roads leading up to it coming from Washougal (L-1000 straight up) is about 1/3rd paved road and 2/3rds gravel road -- all of which is void of warning signs and the speed limit is a measly 25 -- so keep that in mind.

Near the top of Larch Mountain (maybe?)

For more pictures and the rest of the story, click below:
http://waarwa.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-tarbell-trail-iv.html

Rockfish Burrito

Today, I made a delicious Rockfish Burrito and I thought I'd share it with the world! It began with a sale on these Rockfish Fillets at the local grocery store. They were absolutely stunning and I decided I had to try it. So, I bought two because I'm a gambling man. My wife doesn't eat fish, so if I didn't find anything to do with them, they'd just become a waste. The great thing about Rockfish is that they don't smell (or taste) really fishy. This makes it an excellent substitute for oilier fish, like Salmon, which can really smell up the whole house and make my wife really pissed off at me.

Anyway, to accompany a light fish, you need light ingredients. I decided on a simple combination of chili peppers, onion, garlic, guacamole and lime -- simple, fresh, and classic (not to mention cheap and healthy). The preparation of the fish itself was just a light pan fry with a super thin dredging in seasoned flour.

If you think this sounds interesting... continue to the recipe!

A little dose of cats!

Some cats for your enjoyment... 

Squeaker Lookin'.

Peanut sittin'.

Daisy hangin'.

Koko yawnin'.

Newton warmin'.

Thai Noodle Soup

Thai Soup. This is an excellent replacement for Ramen! I usually put some Sriracha in my Ramen to make it spicy, and it really tastes great. However, who knows what is in that $0.25 bag of noodles and powder. Mostly, it just has a whole lot of salt. Full disclosure: I just used a bunch of vegetables I'd picked up for general use, so this isn't really true Thai cooking

In this preparation, I used the following ingredients:

2 oz - Linguini Noodles
3 cups - Water
(or substitute 2 cups unsweetened, lite coconut milk with 1 cup water)
1/4" - Fresh Ginger
1/2 cup - chopped onion, sauteed
1 clove - Garlic
1 handful - snow peas
9 squirts - Fish Sauce (can substitute Soy Sauce or a couple pinches of salt)
2 heaping tsp's - Roasted Red Curry Paste
1 heaping tsp - Chili Garlic Sauce
2 to 3 - Crimini Mushrooms, chopped however you like
6 small - Brussels Sprouts

Prep + Cook Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

 ...and here's how you do it!

Hiking: Tarbell Trail III

Today, I went up to Tarbell Trail again, at Tarbell Trail Head. It was quite snowy as you'll see from the pictures, and there was absolutely no way I'd make it any closer to Silverstar in my little Civic. Even getting to this trail head was kind of pushing it. Once again, I got a late start and ended up only making it to Kloochman Butte, after 2 hours. The snow was really deep (6" to 18" of fresh powder), and without snowshoes, it was slow going. It was kind of crappy conditions at first for picture-taking because it was so snowy and the clouds were right on me. It cleared up a for a short while on my way back, and I got a couple of good shots.

More at: http://waarwa.blogspot.com/2013/01/hiking-tarbell-trail-iii.html

Hiking: Tarbell Trail II

I got a chance to revisit Tarbell Trail again today. This time I decided to go to the official Tarbell Trail Head, where I would likely start to go up to Silver Star Mountain eventually, since I don't know if my car can make it to Grouse Vista Trail Head with the low snow, and I have tried unsuccessfully twice already.

More information and pictures at:
http://waarwa.blogspot.com/2013/01/hiking-tarbell-trail-ii.html

Hiking: Tarbell Trail I

Today, I got a chance to start off the new year around Bells Mountain, on Tarbell Trail. It was such a hassle to get to, though! Road closures and snow made my one hour drive closer to three hours. Eventually I made it to Rock Creek Campground and got a chance to hike for a couple hours on the Tarbell Trail.

Pictures and more information at:
http://waarwa.blogspot.com/2013/01/hiking-tarbell-trail-i.html