Santa Clara Women's Water Polo WWPA Tournament

Last weekend Gracie (see blog below...) and I went to Santa Clara for Laura's water polo tournament.  We also went to the Golden Gate Bridge (at night) in the limited free time she had.

Here are two of Laura's water polo team mates.  Don't they look like nice, sweet girls?

Sure....but get them into the water and they morph.  If you're a guy, and you have great memories of the "glory days" of high school football, don't even consider getting into the water with these girls. 

Really.  Don't even consider it.

But if you do, don't say I didn't warn you.  Laura is #13.  Most of the video has Santa Clara on offense. 

Enjoy!

Where in the world is Gracie? Contest!

Announcing the first ever "Where in the world is Gracie?  Contest!"  Gracie and I went last weekend to Santa Clara University for Laura's D1 Conference Championship Tournament.  Take a guess where she is.  The winner of this contest gets to sing a solo at Zion Lutheran; your choice of service and selection!  Answers to where the pics are from are listed below the pictures.  Check back for pics and video of Laura's games.
1.


2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

And the answers are:
1.  At Santa Clara University (a gimme...).  Gracie is right above the "R".
2.  You've heard of a "dash-cam."  Here's Gracie attempting to be a "dash-dog."  When I was a kid people used to have brown dogs with wagging heads at the back of their cars.  Here, stopped in California traffic, I asked Gracie to wag her head.  She declined...
3.  The "high point" of our trip at the Hebron Summit at 5,202 feet in Northern California.
4.  Unknown pet area...
5.  Getting loved on by the Santa Clara water polo girls.
6.  Golden Gate Bridge at twilight.  Laura and I took Gracie there after Saturday's game and team picnic.
7.  Mount Shasta Vista View.

Let me know how many you guessed correctly, and we'll plan you in for singing that solo!

Paulina Creek Waterfall Trail

On Easter Tuesday I found my way to Paulina Creek Waterfall Trail, just an hour south of my house.  I'm taking this week as vacation, and going to see Laura on Thursday, so stay tuned...

It wasn't so easy getting there, with ruts and snow, but my Mighty, Manly PT Cruiser can get me anywhere I want to go.  And I figure if it can't get me there, I shouldn't be there!

It was here I dropped my gloves into the frigid water.  So the choice became cold hands, or cold wet hands.  I probably should have chosen the former, as they're still not thawed out.

A fire swept through this area in 1988 so there's still evidence of that fire as the forest regrows.

There are, however, hazards along the way.  The trail goes further, but I only went on a 4 mile out-and-back hike.  The trail was absolutely deserted, and the last thing I wanted was to straddle a log like this and slip and get impaled on one of the spikes.  I carry a cell phone, walkie-talkie, and a whistle, but still...

And as I sat on a rock, just watching the relentless water flow, I just couldn't help but think of the amazing and relentless love of God that we celebrated just a couple days ago on Easter Sunday.  Relentless.  Amazing.  Nothing-can-stop-it kinda thing.  Indescribable.  Uncontrollable.  Relentlessly washing over us like the relentless water over the rocks, bidding us to just relax into the flow of God's love.

On the way back to my car I loudly sang the words of the song below, not only because it was the song in my heart, but also because I had seen cougar tracks across the trail, and if the cougar didn't stay away because of the sound, it would certainly stay away because of my off-key singing.

Stay tuned later this week for adventures from Santa Clara!

Holy Week Adventure!

Greetings Adventure Friends!

The weather is cold and wet today, so my adventure is being postponed until the weather is better.  But for some fun, click on this video.  I call it YouTube Evangelism!

Enjoy!  And stay tuned....

Eric B.

Dry Canyon Trail, Redmond, Oregon

Today's "adventure" was not so much of an adventure, but more of a walk in the park.

Or a walk in the dry canyon, to be more correct.

The Dry Canyon Trail is a 5 mile out-and-back trail that begins just two blocks from church (Zion Lutheran).  It starts right across the street from the Redmond Skatepark where all the cool kids hang out.  It looks like a long dried channel of the ancient Deschutes River, with rimrock lining the canyon, and houses perched on the rim.

The Maple Street bridge, with its very cool large arches, is about half-way into the trail, reminding trekers that we are still in the city.

It's so close to church that it'll provide many hours of serenity and a good work-out when I start training for that marathon!

So that's my "adventure" this week; a stroll in the dry canyon.

I'll make up for it next week....which will be an adventure!

Tam-a-Lau Trail, Culver, Central Oregon

"Fun" is an operative word for me.


It doesn't mean that you don't take things seriously.  It means that when you know what to take seriously, there are a whole lotta things you can have fun with.  I take many things very seriously, including having fun.  That's why I take these weekly adventures, most often alone, just to spend some time having fun.  More about that later...

But, just so you know, a couple people asked in church this morning whether these were all my pictures, which they are.  I took the picture above by creeping as far as I could to the canyon rim, and then holding the camera over the edge at arm's length, hoping that I wouldn't fumble it, and tumble down, and down, and down.  I have vertigo, so getting the above pic was well beyond my comfort zone.  But it was fun...


The Tam-a-Lau Trail in Culver is about 30 minutes from my house, and takes you through many ranches and fields.  You kinda wonder if the huge canyon is ever going to appear.

But then when you come to the sign that says a 7% down grade, you know something's going to be coming up.

Tam-a-Lau Trail is a 7 mile trek, which includes a 3.5 mile loop on the top of the canyon.  It's a trail that allows incredible views of the Dechutes and Crooked River canyons.  Here I'm about half way up the canyon, taking a break for some Gatorade and to hydrate the vegetation...

The view is spectacular from the top of the canyon.  In the distance you can see The Island, which is a 200 acre plateau that is one of the few Western remnants of the pre-settlement ecological systems.

You know, these hikes are very much fun, but they're also "centering", focused time for me.  I take a lot about my work as a pastor very seriously, and I put in a whole lotta hours every week to do that during the days, evenings, and weekends.  But no matter what, you have to have fun.  And having a weekly time of solitude and serenity keeps me on task.  Reflecting on the going-ons of the week while I'm climbing, hiking, taking in God's beautiful creation, and sweating and breathing hard helps me remember what to take seriously.  That's why "fun" is an operative word for me.  It keeps things in perspective.

Speaking of perspective, a storm started to blow in, and it was time to get down off the canyon rim and into my waiting car.

But the storm on the Tam-a-Lau trail was nothing compared to the snow going over the pass yesterday (Friday), when I went over to spend some time with Laura, as she was in Portland very briefly for Spring Break weekend.  That afternoon, on the way home, it had cleared up.

Princess One and Princess Two.  Laura makes her daddy so proud.  And with a smile like that, she know how to take fun very seriously!

Enjoy your week.  Make sure to make time to have some fun, and if it includes a little serenity for yourself, take that very seriously!

Misery Ridge at Smith Rock State Park

Remember.  Clip your toe nails.  Don't let them come back to haunt you.

Oh, that's right.  That advice comes at the end of this week's adventure blog...

Misery Ridge Loop goes up and around Smith Rock and then back down around the other side of Monkey Face.  It has about a 1,000 foot vertical climb, and is about a 5 mile trail.  Early morning hiking is best.

That's why Advil is a hiker's best friend, both before and after the trek...

Gotta love a trail that says "MOST DIFFICULT."  Kinda like those black diamond runs....

But it's so worth it when you get to the top.  You can barely see the Crooked River in the lower middle of the picture.  Worked up a bit of a sweat, but it wasn't too bad.  And the view in the early morning is just fab.  Central Oregon, baby!

Snow on the top part of Misery Ridge.  I went on the whole hike and only saw three people until I got close to the parking lot.  Hmmmmm.....was thinking I was adventerous, but probably it's more true that many people have more sense than to hike in the snow on treacherous trails.  That's why I brought my hiking sticks.  Didn't need them, but just for insurance.

Nice Monkey Face.  Kiss the Monkey Face, Eric.  He won't hurt you.

It's always nice that they have these, just in case I would have slipped and fallen and not found for 3 days when I didn't show up for church.  At least they'd be able to bring my cold, lifeless body out with ease!

Ya know what I was thinking on the way down?  My toenails.  I had clipped them this morning, as they had gotten a little long.  Last summer I went on an early Spring hike with a lot of vertical drop on the way down, and all my weight and my energy went right to my unclipped toenails, which ended up painfully cutting into my other toes and getting my socks all bloody.  Unfortunately I didn't carry a nail clipper (I do now...) and couldn't take care of them, and am not limber enough to bite the intruding edges off.  Probably a good thing.

Kinda like life, these downward switchbacks on the picture.  When we don't pay attention to those little things that irritate us, then when our lives start to switch back and forth down hill (which it sometimes does...) then all our weight and energy goes to that which irritates us, and which we didn't take care of, and which we sometimes can't fix when we're in a downward spiral, and we end up unnecessarily bloodied.  It happened to me on that hike last year.  It has sometimes happened in the past in other areas of my life, too.  Probably in yours, too.

Remember.  Clip your toenails.  Don't let them come back to haunt you.

Works in hiking.  And it works in life. 

Check back with me next weekend for another adventure.  And I promise I won't be so gross!