Life after bear encounters or Crater lake is really blue

So, having survived the whole bear thing unscathed, we set off for the west coast. First stop was Spokane, WA where Corey's cousin-in-law? lives. This stop brought us back to civilized life: non-sandwich food, dry sleeping arrangements with padding, and heat provided by things other than poorly lit campfires. It was a welcome change after 5 days of camping and smoke inhalation (apparently wet wood doesn't light well).

self-explanatory 

Our next stop was Portland. On our way there we stopped off at a winery called Spring Valley Vineyard in Walla walla, Wa. Corey's dad knew the owner and hooked us up with a sweet tour. Walla walla is an interesting wine region (from what I saw anyway) - lots of wheat everywhere with small vineyards scattered here or there. Apparently water is very expensive and difficult to come by so starting a vineyard is pretty tricky. However, I feel it's a pretty incredible spot for vines if you can pull it off. The winery indeed made some pretty damn good Bordeaux varietal stuff. The bottles are pretty cool also - featuring old pictures from people in the history of the vineyard and ranch (been in the family since the 1800's).

The sweet bottle I picked up.

Quite the view in Walla Walla. All wheat with the vineyard in the background.

Once we reached Portland, we decided to turn this stop into a small brewery tour, as several quality beers are made in Portland. We ended up going to Bridgeport brewpub, Rogue brewery,  and Deschutes. Apparently we had a good time because at the end of the night Corey got money out from an ATM but decided to donate his card to the machine. This of course was not realized till the next morning; Corey's never lost anything before, btw, and I've never been sarcastic. Card canceled, no harm no foul, moving on; well no harm no foul, other than the fact that Corey belongs to the most popular bank in all of south western lower eastern Maryland: Nasa Federal Credit Union. They basically have to launch the space shuttle to get his new card from the international space station. So Corey will get his card the next time its a clear day at Cape Canaveral. Well done, little buddy.

Corey Harris, ladies and gentlemen.

After leaving Portland, we set off for Californee. On the way we checked out Crater Lake (fun fact: deepest lake in North America. Other fun fact: it is an unreal blue when the sun is out. see below, click to enlarge).

"I see blue - he's looks glorious!"

Crater lake was really amazing. Also, this year they apparently got the most snow in over 50 years. Snowpacks still were along the edge of the road (people were even getting some skiing in on some of the slopes). Got some really nice photos of the lake and might have to posterize one for the apartment.

(Here's a fun video from the drive in Oregon...we ran across a reindeer.)

After Crater, we stopped in at Corey's relatives and got to eat some delicious free food before reaching San Francisco. Once there, Corey surprised his girlfriend Kristin (we told her we'd get there in the morning...tricksy little Corey), and we grabbed a couple brews at a bar in the mission area (where Kristin lives).

"Please Mark, Don't go"...Kristin's dog is a good friend

The next morning we finished off our journey by making it to Santa Rosa and signing our lease for the new spot. Then we enjoyed the fun task of moving shit into it. Ughhhhhh, joy. Here are a couple pics of the place (it's already getting messy....sweet).

My room (still moving and putting stuff away)

Living room

End side 1, please turn tape over