My Dining-Room-Chair Saga

 The spindle chairs from the Portfolio Collection

Tea and Antique Glow finish

86C1-PF

The ones in the image are side chairs; we currently own three arm chairs

Almost a year ago, I fell in love with the wrong kind of dining room chairs - and by "wrong" I mean the discontinued kind. Oh, and the discontinued kind of chair that was broke too: They were made by Shermag, a furniture company in Canada that declared bankruptcy a few years ago. There's no hope that these spindle chairs, from the Portfolio collection, will ever be made by Shermag again. And it's really unfortunate, because I can't seem to find any chairs that I like as much as these.

We saw two of these chairs for sale at Sansaco, a furniture warehouse that used to be a dealer for Shermag. I convinced J that we could buy these two arm chairs and the table from Sansaco's clearance overstock, and that we would somehow find more side chairs or arm chairs to complete the set. After several days of searching, I finally was able to find a dealer in North Carolina who contacted the Shermag warehouse and got one more chair to send to us; it was the last possible chair in the same style, which luckily happened to be was the same finish as ours. So, now we have three arm chairs. (It only took seven months for the seller to finally get the chairs to us, but that's another story.)

For the past year, I have been trolling the internet on an obsessive basis, visiting Craigslist, eBay and Kijiji ads (to name a few sites) to try and find more of these chairs. I feel like I have visited the deepest bowels of the internet. Tonight I even found an auction listing for the multi-spindle boring machinery that Shermag had to sell after declaring bankruptcy. Anyhow, Shermag furniture rarely comes up for sale in the United States, let alone the chairs from the Portfolio collection.

In the process of searching for these chairs, I have unwittingly become an expert in different types of chairs that are done in a Shaker style. We have two-tone, high spindle back chairs that are topped with long finials. Our chairs are different from ladder back chairs, bird cage chairs, Windsor chairs, and arrowback chairs.

I have come close to getting more chairs twice, and both accounts were very recent. About two weeks ago someone in Ontario offered to ship four chairs to me, but she flaked out. And then, miraculously, a complete dining set with eight chairs happened to come up for sale last weekend in a town that is 20 minutes from our house! I was so excited! I couldn't believe it! I kept hugging J and jumping up and down. J says that he literally has never seen me so excited, and he may be right. I couldn't even get over the fact of how the ad was worded, because the seller was using the exact phrases and words that I commonly used to search for the chairs. (Yes, I was geeking out on many different levels.) It was meant to be! We waited with bated breath for a day and a half, hoping to hear from the seller, only to learn that the set was sold to someone who contacted the seller a few hours before us. We were too late.

I was so devastated - probably more devastated than I should be about something as silly as chairs. That night I curled up in the bed, lay under the covers, and moped. It wasn't just about the chairs, though. I was so sure that all my hard work - a year's worth of searching - was going to pay off in a single weekend. And then it didn't. As I lay under the covers, I reminded myself of the dangers of having expectations.

Before this point, I was convinced that we would be able to find either this chair, or a lookalike chair that is made by Klaussner, an American furniture company (shown on the right). Unfortunately, the Blosser collection by Klaussner (#987) is also discontinued. It's especially unfortunate, too, because I quite like the side board that they sell with this set. Why do I like things that are discontinued?!?

Now we are at a point where we are seriously considering getting some custom-made chairs. I want to move on with my life. It's quite difficult to find woodworkers who specialize in chairs - it really is quite an art. Do any of you know of woodworkers who specialize in quality, solid wood chairs? Or do you miraculously have three Portfolio or Blosser chairs that you want to sell to me? I'll pay good money for these chairs. As you can tell from this post, I'm desperate.

First Few Oz Books and Ozma Thoughts

Sam and I have continued to read through the Oz book series this summer. It's fun to read the books in the order in which they were published; when I was a kid, I had to read whatever book happened to be available at the library. I feel like I'm now understanding the chronology for the first time (even though, really, these stories can stand on their own without successive reading). We just started the fifth book, The Road to Oz, tonight. I'm excited to read this book, because I remember really liking some of the characters who are introduced, like the Shaggy Man (with his Love Magnet) and Polychrome (the Rainbow's daughter). Here is a brief breakdown of the new characters/events/places in the books we just read, just so I can keep them straight in the future:

• The Wizard of Oz (Book #1): Much of plot similar to films (but why doesn't Toto talk?). Silver shoes, field mice (and Queen of the Field Mice) help get Cowardly Lion out of the deadly poppy field, Wicked Witch has a magic cap that forces the Winged Monkeys to do her bidding, Land of Munchkins = blue; Land of Winkies = yellow, Land of Gillikins = purple, Land of Quadlings = red. Emerald City = green, only because of green spectacles. Glinda releases Winged Monkeys when she becomes owner of cap.
• The Marvelous Land of Oz (Book #2): First set in Land of Gillikins = purple. Tip, Mombi, Powder of Life, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, General Jinjur and the female Army of Revolt (with their knitting needles), the Gump, Scarecrow stuffed with money from the jackdaw's nest, field mice hide inside the Scarecrow, Tip --> Ozma,
• Ozma of Oz (Book #3): Dorothy caught in a storm on a boat to Australia, Land of Ev, Wheelers, Tik-Tok, the vain Princess Langwidere with her thirty interchangeable heads, Nomes and Nome King, the Magic Belt, Hungry Tiger, Billina
• Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (Book #4): Earthquake in California, Dorothy and Zeb fall into the middle of the earth, Jim the Cab Horse, Eureka the Cat, the Nine Tiny Piglets, the Mangaboos (vegetable people), invisible people with invisible bears, the Braided Man who sells flutters and rustles, Gargoyles, Dragonettes

I think I will also especially like this fifth book we just started, because I didn't really like the previous book in the series, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, very much this time around. The characters are only in Oz for the last 1/3 of the book and the ending is rather abrupt. There is less cohesion in terms of plot, too. Although the main idea is to make it back home, there is less motivation for characters since the Wizard is content to remain in Oz. Eureka and Jim the Cab Horse are also not very friendly or considerate animal companions, which make them less endearing than Billina or the Hungry Tiger.

Baum doesn't stick with his own mythology either, which is something that Peter Glassman points out in the afterward (p. 262). In the second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, it is explained that the Wizard took part in the abduction of Ozma, in order to ensure his power over the Land of Oz. In turn, Ozma was enchanted and turned into the boy Tip by a witch named Mombi. The Wizard is not villanized at all when he returns as a character in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, and the history is tweaked so that Ozma's father and grandfather were imprisoned by Mombi. There are less illustrations than the previous books too (which is hard when you are reading to a child!), and I also personally don't like the illustrator John Neill's shift to watercolor illustrations from the colored prints in the previous books.

Nonetheless, Sam and I are enjoying the series. It's our special thing to read chapters together and talk about the characters at various points during the day. Sam told me earlier today that he doesn't want to read the final book in our series, because that means that the Oz stories will be over. I told him that we could make up our own Oz stories after that point, or we can start over and read the books again. (Then I also want to introduce him to other books like The Phantom Tollbooth, too).

At the park earlier today, he started to play with some of the other kids on the playset. The girls were pretending something, and Sam tried to participate by pretending to be Oz characters. Within fifteen minutes he shifted from being Gargoyles (the silent wooden creatures in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz who have detachable wooden wings and hate sound), to Jack Pumpkinhead (The Marvelous Land of Oz), to a Nome (Ozma of Oz), to the Nome King, to the Tin Woodman (who he explained to his peers is also called "Nick Chopper"). The girls had no idea what Sam was doing, but they tried to go with the flow. One girl seemed confused, though, when Sam was pretending to be Jack Pumpkinhead and complained that his head had fallen off!

As I've been reading these books, I've had a reoccurring regret: Why didn't I dress up as Ozma for Halloween when I was a kid? When I was younger, I always thought that Ozma looked really beautiful in the film Return to Oz. I wonder why I never wanted to dress up like her. That crown with the O-Z! And the romantic blossoms on the sides of her head! And her flowing gowns! Maybe if I had appreciated Art Nouveau back then, I would have wanted to emulate Ozma's aesthetic a bit more.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

Last month, when the extended B family came to visit, some of us went to the LeMay Car Museum. When I saw this 1906 Cadillac on the right, I was reminded me a little bit of Truly Scrumptious's car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. At the time, I thought to myself that Sam was old enough to appreciate that show, which I liked to watch when I was a kid.

Luckily, the opportunity to for me to introduce Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Sam came up sooner than I thought. Today, a nearby theater (an old theater that is still maintains its original Art Deco flair) hosted a free summer matinee screening of the show. I built up a little bit of hype for this movie beforehand, explaining to Sam that Chitty was kinda like a Transformer. Sam thought the show was great, and I loved listening to his cute little voice sing the theme song over and over this evening.

When building up hype for this movie, I came across a documentary that explains a little bit more behind-the-scenes information about the film and the actors. The documentary explains how the filmmakers had to work with Heather Ripley, the actress who played Jemima, so as to mask her Dundee accent. It's interesting that the accent was an issue for this young girl, whereas no one seems to mind (or mention) that Dick Van Dyke has an American accent as Caratacus Potts!

Our Camping List

Now that we have been camping a few times as a family, I'm starting to develop a good list for things that we always bring. I always seem to forget one or two vital things when we go (and they differ each time!), so I am going to put the list of our staple camping items (or items that we want to bring in the future) on here as a resource.

What are the things that you like to take on your camping trips? What meals do you like to have when you go?

• Tent, tarp, camp bed mats, sleeping bags, pillows
• Camping chairs
• Broom to sweep out tent and tarp
• Flashlights and lantern
• Paper towels
• Garbage bags
• Wet wipes
• Metal roasters for s'mores and hot dogs
• Mosquito repellant, citronella candles
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats
• Dinner: chili hot dogs, canned green beans, s'mores
• Breakfast: muffins, juice, fresh fruit, hot chocolate
• Plates, cups, utensils, camping pot set
• Heat-resistant cups for serving hot chocolate
• Can opener
• Food cooler and water cooler
• Water bottles
• Sleeping mask and ear plugs (for me!)
• Things to entertain Sam in the car

Sol Duc and Hurricane Ridge

Last weekend we went camping in the Olympic National Forest. We went to Sol Duc, so that we could both camp, hike, and visit the hot springs.

On out little road trip out to the part, we ended up spontaneously pulling off to the side of the road and visiting the Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm for a few minutes, since there was a lavender festival taking place outside. I didn't realize that lavender thrives so well in that area.

Later that afternoon, after securing our campsite at the Loop B campground at Sol Duc, we went and visited the Sol Duc hot springs. The natural hot springs are pumped into man-made pools, but it was still fun to go in the different pools and try out the temperatures. There also was a regular outdoor pool too, which Sammy liked.

Trying out the first hot spring pool!

After setting up the tent

That night it took me a while to fall asleep, which partially may have been due to the caffeinated Dr. Pepper that I drank that afternoon. The other thing that struck me, though, was that the forest was silent. Over the past few years I've become used to hearing noise when I'm falling asleep: a fan whirring, a sound whoosher, traffic. It was really nice to lie outside amid silence, even though I'm not used to it.

The next day we hiked to Sol Duc Falls, which is a short hike that is a little less than two miles round trip. The trail is wide and there is hardly any elevation gain at all. So, in sum, it was a great hike to do with Sam. The waterfall is gorgeous too, so there is a big payoff for minimal effort.

The trees were really tall in the forest leading to the falls. J told Sam that the tall tree trunks (creating a high canopy) looked a little bit like the trees on Endor, which Sam appreciated. 

Before leaving the Sol Duc area, we ate lunch near that Ancient Groves trail off the side of the main road. Then we followed this trail through the old growth forest (which is just a half-mile loop) around before getting back into our car.

Sam and I both thought that this tree looks like it has a face, similar to the nomes in "Return to Oz." I specifically had the messenger to the Nome King (spelled without a "g" in the Oz books) in mind, who appears in this clip.

J's co-worker recommended that we visit Hurricane Ridge while we were in the area, and his recommendation did not disappoint! We drove over here on our way out of the park, before going home altogether. This area reminded us a bit of our visit to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park a few years ago, since you can drive your car to a relatively high elevation to be near the tops of mountain peaks.

If you look closely, you'll notice a buck deer in the foreground. We saw four deer while we were in this area, including a fawn with its mother.

After arriving, we completed a short hike around the Cirque Rim Trail and the High Ridge Trail to Sunrise Point (only about a mile altogether), in order to get a great 360-degree view. We took four photos at the peak, to try and capture each of the angles.

View #1 from Sunrise Point (Canada is across the water in the distance)

View #2 from Sunrise Point 

View #3 from Sunrise Point 

View #4 from Sunrise Point 

We had a great visit to Olympic National Park. While there, I decided to buy an annual pass ($30 per car) instead of the private car pass ($15 per car, which is valid for seven consecutive days). We just need to return back to this park at least two more times within the year in order to make the pass financially advantageous to us, which I think will be easy to do.

Paul McCartney at Safeco Field

A few days ago J and I went with our friends JB and M to see Paul McCartney play at Safeco Field. J's parents also went to the concert, but they had seats closer to the stage. We were in the very back of the stadium, on the second to last row!

This was a pretty historic show for a few reasons. For one thing, before this night Safeco Field (where the Mariners play) had never been used for a rock concert. It is obvious that the large venue was a good choice, since the show was sold out.

Also, Paul McCartney played for three hours! He played seven encore numbers! For his encore numbers, he invited members of Nirvana to join him on stage (including Dave Grohl who started the Foo Fighters after Nirvana). Maybe they had such a good time on stage that they just kept playing and playing. J especially loved that Dave Grohl played with McCartney on "Helter Skelter," since Grohl is an heir of the musical tradition that "Helter Skelter" helped to lay.

Paul mentioned a few times that some songs had never been played before in Seattle, which was neat. He said that "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" had never been performed since the song was released as a recording, so it was really neat to hear that song. He also mentioned that "Blackbird" was written for people in the South during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. I think he mentioned that same thing when we saw him play in Salt Lake, but I forgot that detail. He also played "Here Today," a tribute to John Lennon that Paul wrote after Lennon was killed.

The complete set list from the show and some fan footage is found HERE.

I feel really lucky that now I have gotten to see Paul McCartney perform three times in the past decade (see my thoughts on the previous shows HERE). My in-laws had never seen Paul perform live before this concert, so I'm glad that they got a chance to see him too. Even though Paul is seventy-one years old right now, he still is a great performer. (It was an infinitely better concert than the Jerry Lewis performance that we saw earlier this year, that's for sure!) If I never see Paul perform live again, I will feel like I've had more than my fair share of special opportunities to see him on stage.

The Film "Cleopatra" and Some History

Over the past few days J and I watched the movie film classic "Cleopatra." We've had to watch the film in spurts, since it is about four hours long! This year is the 50th anniversary since this film first came out in 1963, and I have been wanting to watch it for some time since it is one of the most expensive films ever to be created. The sets and costumes are quite elaborate, for one thing. You can get a sense of the lavish expense and spectacle-of-a-film by looking at this very interesting list: "15 Things You Might Not Know about the Movie 'Cleopatra.'"

The film, which involves the ill-fated love affair of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, was ill-fated in its production as well. For one thing, Elizabeth Taylor became sick and contracted pneumonia, and she needed an emergency tracheotomy in the process. This tracheotomy is said to have saved her life. J and I noticed a scar on her neck during her coronation scene, and it wasn't until after noticing the scar that I learned about the tracheotomy.

Some other thoughts I had when watching this film:

• At times Rex Harrison's role as Julius Caesar seemed oddly reminiscent of how he played the character of Dr. Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady." Maybe it's because he seemed a little bit too bossy and condescending with Cleopatra at times, which reminded me of Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Cleopatra definitely was more manipulative and commanding than Eliza Doolittle though. (And honestly, I liked seeing Elizabeth Taylor playing such a commanding and assertive role. She may be a sex symbol with sixty-five costume changes in this film, but at least she comes across as a very smart and savvy sex symbol.)
• I feel like I have a better understanding of how Julius Caesar and Cleopatra met now, having watched the film. The Romans became involved when a civil war broke out in Egypt, due to power struggles between Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII (who were supposed to jointly rule Egypt). Caesar came down to Egypt to help mediate through the conflict, and it seems like he favored Cleopatra's claims because Ptolemy XIII had a Roman general named Pompey killed. Ptolemy XIII thought that Pompey's death would have pleased Caesar, since Pompey was a rival of Caesar, but Ptolemy was mistaken.

• The film plot stays somewhat true to historical accounts, even following Plutarch's description of how Cleopatra first came to Caesar (sneaking past Ptolemy's men) by being rolled up into a carpet. The 19th century Orientalist painter Gerome tried to imagine what such a scene might have looked like in his painting 'Caesar and Cleopatra" (1886, see image above).
• I have always thought of Cleopatra's affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony to be terribly romantic, but this film has made me think otherwise. Instead, I'm starting to view Cleopatra more as a power-hungry individual. The conflicts with her brother formed because she didn't want to share power with him. Additionally, she seemed to form romantic attachments to whatever man could bring her the most power. And she controls her situation to make sure that her power can continue, such as seems to be the case with her son Caesarion (whom Cleopatra claimed was fathered by Julius Caesar). It seems like her children with Marc Antony were other attempts to solidify her power.
• Before watching this film, I didn't realize that Octavian also claimed the title of Caesar, in order to link himself with his great-uncle (and prove that he was the legitimate heir of Roman power). I wonder if he always felt compelled to stress the "Caesar" title after he became emperor and was given the new title of "Augustus." Or, I wonder if did he felt differently about the "Caesar" title after he had Caesarion killed? After Caesarion's death, Octavian didn't need to worry that his inherited throne would be questioned or compromised.
• I also have a better understanding of the Battle of Actium and the tensions between Marc Antony and Octavian. I also learned more details about the aftermath of the Final War of the Roman Republic: Marc Antony stabbed himself after feeling cornered by Octavian (although in the movie he stabs himself because he thinks that Cleopatra is dead). Before dying, Antony was taken to Cleopatra's mausoleum, where she was in hiding. Antony died in Cleopatra's arms. A few days later, Cleopatra committed suicide, allegedly from the bite of an asp.
• Although Cleopatra committed suicide a few days after Marc Antony (and thus ended the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt), I get the sense that her suicide was more a political one than an emotional/romantic one. The end of the movie shows Cleopatra calling out to Marc Antony as she is about to die, but it seems to me that he really committed suicide because she was cornered by Octavian.

Has anyone else seen this 1963 movie? What are your thoughts? Does anyone know how this movie compares with the 1934 "Cleopatra" film that was made by Cecil B. DeMille (starring Claudette Colbert)? I'm pretty sure that I will like both of these films better than Cleopatra: A Life, which is a forthcoming film starring Angelina Jolie.

Do you know any other interesting facts about any of these Cleopatra films or the history surrounding Cleopatra VII?

Cooper River Hike

Sammy at the beginning of our hike, with his new Batman water bottle

Last Saturday we drove over Snoqualmie Pass to try out some hiking on the East Side. We have been wanting to hike to Hyas Lake for several weeks, since we read an entry for the hike in Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington and the Cascades. However, I wish that we had read this post before we left, since we found the last dirt road to be nearly impassable in our little car! Boo! After driving on the road for 1/2 mile, we gave up, turned around and went to the nearby Salmon la Sac trailhead instead.

This trailhead (which requires you to purchase a $5 Northwest Forest Pass at the parking lot) leads to the Cooper River Trail and Cooper Lake. We walked about 3/4 of this trail, but turned back before making it to Cooper Lake. Instead, since the trail starts along the river, we decided to walk until the trail met up with the river again. Most of the trail goes alongside the river path, but just high enough and far enough back in the trees that you can only hear the river from the trail. The trail has some gentle up and down slopes, and it is really dusty. The dusty trail and occasional sections of brush growth reminded me more of Utah than the trails I'm used to seeing on the west side of the pass.

This is the swimming area near the Salmon la Sac trailhead. A lot of people were swimming and hanging out here; I assume many were staying at the Salmon la Sac campground.

We saw lots of these trees that were covered with coarse, dry moss. We joked with Sam that it looked like the trees had long beads.

Sam was so happy when we saw the river again and got to stop hiking! He liked dipping his feet in the clear water.

The boys waded in the river, wearing their matching Star Wars shirts

 

This was our view on the way back. The river is down at the bottom of this gorge. It was really interesting to look across the abyss and see a relatively flat surface, at our relative height, on top of the opposite cliff.

This was a fun hike, despite that Sam was quite grumpy and we didn't have enough water to drink. I think next time we do this hike, I'd like to wait until Sam is older so we can go all the way down the trail to Cooper Lake. The trail is about eight miles round trip (to the lake and back), and we probably hiked about six miles round trip on our excursion.

Wildflower Bed is Currently an "Annual Bed"

Well, I think that I have fulfilled my little goal for the wildflower garden bed as much as possible for now. I decided to fill in the garden with some annuals to last for the rest of the summer. I may plant bulbs in the fall, or I may just plan on scattering more seeds next year that will bloom later in the summer.

Although I would like to completely clear out the California poppy plants that have stopped blooming, I still need to wait for several of the seed pods to dry out and burst, particularly for the plants closest to the front of the house. I think I the pods will finish bursting in another week or so. I shouldn't have to wait much longer: As I worked in the hot garden this afternoon, I heard several dry pods burst and scatter seeds. It was actually really cool to hear that happen several times. The snapping of the pod and the sprinkling of the seeds made my feel like my garden was alive, in a very audible way.

I was able to work in the part of the garden that is closer to the back of the house, though. This morning I discovered Minter's Earlington Greenhouse, which currently is holding a 50% off sale on their annual flowers and vegetables. I'm really excited about this greenhouse and hope to be a regular customer. They have a great selection. Anyhow, in my excitement I think that I might have bought some flowers which are not ideal for this bed. They may need a little more watering and care than I originally hoped. But, we will see. This is what I bought and planted:

• Nicotiana: "Perfume Deep Purple" and white
• Zinnias: "Profusion White"
• Salvia: Coral Nymph, Blue Bedder, Forest Fire
• Ageratum: "Blue Horizon" (I love the color for these flowers, but I think they will need more watering than I had originally planned for this bed.)
• Gaillardia (These flowers in the sunflower family are drought-tolerant, so I hope they will do well without constant watering)
• Reseda Odorata (also known as Garden Mignonette) (These are described as having a "spicy fragrance. I also think these plants will need more watering and I worry they might not do well. The gardener at the greenhouse said that these sometimes reseed, so it would be nice if they thrive.)
• Asters

Also, about two weeks ago we got a Lucifer Crocosmia to go in the area where the allium failed to thrive. (Boo!) This plant has been doing well and even attracted a hummingbird while I was gardening this afternoon. You can see the bird if you look closely in this picture. The dahlia to the left is the largest dahlia we have in the garden. Many of the dark purple dahlias have bloomed, but the yellow ones haven't opened yet.

I feel like it was a really successful gardening day. I usually only have time to really work in the garden on the weekends, so today's work felt special and rewarding. Plus, I had a few unique discoveries. I found a bright-turquoise-blue bee (!) which had died by getting entangled in a sticky flower. I also found an abandoned bird's nest that was nestled on the ground between some of the tall, dead flowers in the back garden. I'm glad to know that the garden has been hosting and inviting all kinds of life this season.

Whistler Hikes: Harmony Lake and Alpine Loop

We spent last weekend in Whistler, with our friends JB and M. Sam was excited to go out of the United States for the first time in his life. The weather was beautiful and we got to enjoy some hiking and outdoor activities. On Saturday, we rode the lift up Whistler Mountain and hiked to Harmony Lake. The trail was covered with patches of snow and mud in a few areas, but otherwise it was clear.

Sam on the gondola ride up the mountain

Sam was a pretty cheerful hiker, for the most part. He was a real trooper over the weekend, for the most part.

 Harmony Lake with waterfall in the background. I loved the reflection of the snow and gray rocks on the clear water.

This is the beautiful view just outside Harmony Lake. I took this shot as we were heading back to the lift area.

We then took the Peak 2 Peak gondola ride between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. The Alpine Loop was an quite different from the Harmony Lake hike. Harmony Lake was nestled further back in the mountain, on a relatively wide trail. In contrast, the Alpine Loop went along the slope of the mountain, on a trail that was covered with large rocks and boulders. We didn't get to follow the full loop on this trail though; the trail was closed about halfway through due to snow and mud. It seems like it would be optimal to do both of these hikes in later July or August, to ensure that the trail is totally clear.

Sam did fine on both of the hikes. He needed a little help going up a few steep areas and in crossing the boulders and patches of snow, but he did a great job.

 

After hiking and resting for a minute in the lodge, we rode the open chair lift back down Blackcomb Mountain. We saw a black bear with her little cub almost directly underneath our lift at one point, which was fun.