Various Ramblings
Michael Nowak
Cha-cha-changes!
Cha-cha-changes!
Various Ramblings
Michael Nowak
Seeing can mean believing.
Seeing can mean believing.

friends

#MondayMotivation - Be the light

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - if you’re in Olympia, I have plenty to give away

If you have the capacity, be the light for someone who may not be feeling so bright. Not every day/week/month is going to be great, but there are good moments in there somewhere. Share the good, be a light, listen to a friend, whatever you can when you’re feeling that good sort of way.

I read somewhere once that the people who are supportive and reach out sometimes are the ones who really need the help themselves. It’s a good idea to check on those who you may least expect need it - you never know what silent battle someone is going through. A kind thought, a smile, or even small act of kindness can go a LONG way.

A friend recently shared a post on social media that being kind costs ZERO fucking dollars, so give it a shot.

I truly hope you have a great week ahead and as always, I hope this little blurb made you smile.

Enjoy this blurry attempt at a selfie with Seattle in the background on Lake Union in a hot tub boat a little buzzed up (I though tit was perfectly fitting for a post like this - laugh, it’s okay!)

#WBW - Waterfall Wednesday

Here’s a look back at a quick little hike to a nice waterfall with one of my favorite people. We did the short hike, over some small hills, and found ourselves at this gorgeous waterfall. There was no one around, so the nature was all ours! We took our shoes off, rolled up our pants, and felt the cold rush of spring mountain water on our feet and legs. The comfort and relief I get from rushing, cold water over my feet is hard to describe. The whole hike was magic, and I’m often looking back to this day and how a simple spring hike with a dear friend made me so happy.

Murhut Falls - Olympic National Forest

Murhut Falls - a closer look

two peple standing in front of a waterfall

Myself and my dear friend posing for the memory - wet and happy

Annual BFF Trip - Washington State

I recently flew to Seattle to meet my BFF Squad for a long weekend of adventure. Every year, we get together to take an adventure - a camping trip, a full on road trip, or destination adventure - to hang out and catch up. Seattle is one of my favorite places to go, mostly for the area around it, but also now for what the metro area has to offer. We explored, got the views, found the beers, and had a great time. Our Chrysler Pacifica minivan took us from the airport to a Mariners game and then onward to the Olympic Peninsula. Enjoy some photos from our trip. I already can’t wait to get back to my happy place in the northwest. This is my general take on the trip, with my views. My friends may have other opinions, which is okay.

Day 1: Seattle

  • I arrived a night earlier, because the flight was better so I settled in and got the rental minivan

    • Had a total Dad/Minivan vibe and I was okay with it

  • Our hotel for Night 1 was the Embassy Suites near T-Mobile Park

    • The hotel was perfectly located for easy food and access to the Mariners game

    • The prices were not bad, but parking is not included (pretty typical, really)

  • Tourist sites visited

    • Pike Place Market - the gum wall, various eats and drinks

    • Ghost Alley Espresso is pretty delicious for coffee

    • Discovery Park (lighthouse, beach views, and a view of Rainier)

    • Gas Works Park - very neat art and views of the city

    • Fremont Troll - classic little creeper under an overpass

    • Kerry Park - excellent views of the city and Rainier (cute neighborhood too)

  • Breweries Visited

    • Fremont Brewing - easily one of the group favorites for the trip with a wide variety and an amazing patio

    • Optimism Brewing - another instant favorite with a delicious variety and big, open space and the coolest gender neutral bathrooms I’ve ever seen

  • Had an excellent dinner at Two Doors Down (scrumptious burgers and great beers/ciders on draft) near the hotel/stadiums

  • Attended a Mariners game - was a bit sunny, but lovely

  • Ran in to my friend Fredi from Texas who was in town and spent a while catching up - such a nice surprise

  • The day was long - lots of driving, walking, drinking local beers, and sunshine so we hit the hay pretty early

Day 2: Our Venture to the Peninsula

  • We decided to find some lighthouses as part of our adventures which included beach visits to the kind of beaches that required sweatshirts (the best kind)

  • We hit up a few breweries and cider places as well

    • I shared my favorite cider place Finnriver Cidery & Farm with them and they loved it for the food and drink

    • Port Townsend Brewing for a brief sampler (excellent porter and stout)

    • Propolis Brewing was a different breed of beer and I was here for it - sours, fruity, spruce tips, SO GOOD (easily one of my new must-visists)

    • Discovery Bay Brewing - such a fun patio and tasty beers

  • We stayed in Port Angeles at the Olympic Lodge - fun story, Molly and I stayed there in 2009 with our friend Kevin on one of our road trips

  • We had dinner at the local pub Joshua’s (again, a revisit for Molly and I and pure nostalgia)

    • Definitely not as I remember it - less daylight next time

  • It was another long day of driving, beaches, beers, and sunshine

Day 3: Olympic Peninsula Exploration

  • We started the day with drive through coffee from a coffee hut - so good

    • This is an essential for coffee lovers when in the PNW

    • Iced coffee is better, always, fight me

  • Ventured around the peninsula through Forks

  • Stopped at the Tree of Life and soaked up the fog on the beach

  • Made our way to the Maple Glade Rain Forest to take in the greenery of the Quinault area

  • Had lunch at the Pacific Inn Pizza (another revisit after years)

    • I’ve not taken most of my besties here for mediocre food (at best)

  • Stopped out at Rialto Beach - nice and cold/windy!

  • Came back to town to have a beer at Barhop Brewing

    • Cheesy bread looks GOOD

  • Made the decision to go up to Hurricane Ridge

    • the views and sunset were phenomenal

    • Met some fun people who painted rocks and left them in public places

  • Dinner at McDonalds because everything was either over an hour wait or closed

    • My only gripe w/ Port Angeles

The Holidays (Happy Summer!)

I know today is not the first day of summer, but we’re into it and that’s exciting for a lot of people. This is now the time to roam for some kids and teachers, the months when vacations happen, and the weekends at the lake that just go by too fast.

For me, the holidays were always about scheduling a day to be with the family and friends and it wasn’t always on the official date. My dad worked shifts, my mom worked retail, other family members had similar situations, etc. so we always found a random day that everyone could gather for whatever holiday it was nearest. When I moved away to college, I’d have to work through the holidays, so we’d have Christmas at New Years and that was fine, too. For me, now more than ever, it’s about getting together with people you care about - family or not - and enjoying that moment.

Having a date for Christmas or a birthday is cool, but why not do those things without an occasion? Why do we have to wait for a calendar to tell us to reach out and have a day to celebrate togetherness? My goal in 2021, as it has informally been for years, is to celebrate life more intentionally on the days we can make work.

It’s fair to say I think most calendar holidays are bogus. With such a wide array of religions and lifestyles here in the USA, I’m pretty sure calendar holidays are simply placeholders for days off for certain industries. Yeah, I like Christmas, but I’m not a Christian so I kind of use it to celebrate Winter in general. So, even if the calendar holidays aren’t your jam, make them your own if you don’t want to completely ignore them. I think the first day of Fall is a good reason to have a feast instead of the idea of Thanksgiving the way it is portrayed. I think we need to practice gratitude all year, and vocalize it more, rather than waiting until that one weekend in November. Instead of being total asshats with fireworks and idiocy, why not focus more on ways to help improve your country and help others while still gathering and having fun too.

It’s nearly Independence Day here in the US and I’m using my free day off to head to the Great Lakes area to visit my friends (who are family) and my family. I’m going off the grid on the 4th to a cabin with people who mean the world to me, and probably not seeing any major fireworks. I’m spending the following week catching up with friends and family at the lake - hopefully enjoying every damn minute we have together because I just live too far away right now. I don’t know where I’ll be on Labor Day, Fall/Winter Equinox, Thanksgiving weekend, my birthday, or Christmas, but I’m sure as hell going to try to spend those days thankful to be alive with people I enjoy being around. Celebrate life every day, any way you can. You don’t need a holiday to have an excuse to get together and enjoy life. If you need someone to celebrate life with, hit me up. We’ll have a celebration just because.

#MondayMotivation - Happy Birthday Nikki!

Happy Birthday, friend!

It’s my friend Nikki’s birthday today, so we’re going to celebrate her with some good memories! Nikki came into my life in 2012 and I’ve been better for knowing her ever since. Speaking from my view of our friendship, I’d say we connect on a pretty deep level. Beyond the daily happenings and surface shit, we can really get into some real topics. We can talk about the weather, but that’s boring. I like that we dive deep, to the core of everything and explore topics freely without judgment and criticism. Nikki is one of my favorite hiking buddies, road trip buddies, and overall hang out buddies. She is a lot of things - wife, mom, friend, daughter, etc - but she’s human and sees the value in other humans and treating one another with respect and dignity. I wish her a very happy birthday and cheers to many, many more.

Some of my FAVORITE memories (of all time)

This was my first trip to Big Bend. Eric and I drove out earlier in the day and Nikki got off work and hauled ass out there. We camped, we hiked, we drove every main road in that damn park - in one day. It was quite a day!

That time her, Eric, and I went on a Road trip through Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Vegas, and then Zion. Something I can’t wait to do again someday!

Nikki’s bachelorette party took us to Austin and was also a birthday celebration for her. What a fun time. We hiked, we partied, and we went home. HA!

One of my favorite hiking buddies - we ford rivers together! (physically and metaphorically)

Thanks for doing fun 5K walks, hikes, and everything else. Keep on keepin’ on! Happy birthday! <3 Me

#WayBackWednesday - Arizona or bust!

I’m not sure if I have discussed this adventure in another post or not, but here we go (I have, it was the very first #WayBackWednesday)… It was seven (7) years ago, my best friend Kevin moved to Houston for a job. I had moved to Texas the year before, near Fort Worth. It was a pretty cool feeling to have someone who is chosen family in the same state. On January 15, 2012 I was in Houston, hanging out with Kevin before he had to work off-shore for a while. This is the guy you may remember from the four big trips that really got me into road trips. We decided we needed some spontaneity in our lives and that we were going to do something wild and crazy because growing up was really taking a toll on us with schedules, bills, and other responsibilities. Neither of us had been to Saguaro National Park, and it was really only a 15 hour drive; ONLY!? we used to do that all the time back in college. We set off without a real plan, just driving west on I-10 with “fuck it” attitudes and the only caveat being I had to work in a couple of days. It was on.

We left at night, which was another thing we liked to do, because to hell with Houston traffic and any other people in our way. I don’t remember much from the drive to Arizona, but I do remember these things:

  • Seeing the sign for Kerrville, TX and thinking Kern River or thinking that Tim Allen said this on some episode of Home Improvement. Don’t ask, because that is all I remember.

  • West Texas was just as wide open at night, we were speeding for sure.

  • The border check point lights were the brightest lights ever (we didn’t cross into Mexico, but there are many checkpoints as you get closer)

  • This was the closest to Mexico I had ever been and that was weird, despite going to Canada while living in Michigan my whole life

  • We may have stopped at a hotel near San Antonio, but it could have also been on the way home or not at all. Who knows!?

We arrived to Saguaro National Park at some point in the late morning. It was a rainy, gray day but the park was still cool. We didn’t get to hike through anything because of the rain, but we did drive through the park and enjoy the views and moments when the rain let up. We decided to stay in Tucson that night, and got a room at the Hampton Inn. We promptly filled the sink with ice, got a case of beer, and proceeded to enjoy ourselves. I don’t have notes on this trip in the travel journal, but I do remember the ride home being long. We saw immigration bust a u-turn in the middle of I-10 to assist in a pull-over and I think got Taco Bell and/or Starbucks in El Paso. Again, it’s a very fuzzy trip to me.

A conversation with Jen, check out her page, really inspired me to write about this. I saw the “on this day” post in Google Photos, talked with her, and really wanted to keep it real and feed the nostalgic side of adventure. I haven’t been as spontaneous or adventurous as I was in the past, and it has to change. I have shied away from things I’m “afraid” of such as challenging trails or access points, various trips, or local opportunities. It’s time to take back REAL LIFE and make some real adventurous choices. As I work on that, enjoy some more photos from that hazy trip Saguaro seven Januaries ago.

#WayBackWednesday - Cool at the Canyon

WBW 9-12.jpg

This is going to have to be a quick post, but it’s my website so I can do whatever I want. This week has been busy, but let’s throw it back to March of 2015 at the Grand Canyon. My other half and our best friend Nikki set out on a road trip (which will be featured eventually - it’s a work in progress) to see the Grand Canyon, Vegas, and Zion. Here are a few photos from the South Rim on that cool March morning.

#WayBackWednesday - Big Bend

I've been thinking of Big Bend often and I can't wait to schedule a trip back out there.  The park entrance is about 7.5 hours from my house, with another hour or so of driving within the park to get to the Chisos Basin Campground.  Big Bend is HUGE and it can easily take all day to drive through if you're stopping for little hikes and viewpoints - as we did.  I'd really enjoy going back to spend time exploring one area or backpacking a specific trail. Being honest with myself, I'll go back in any way I can and with anyone willing to enjoy the experience.  Here are some photos from a trip in January of 2014 with my other half and one of our best friends. 

Classic entrance sign photo

A view while driving down into Big Bend

Morning views from the campsite in Chisos Basin Campground

More driving views

Rio Grande!

Sotol Vista Overlook views

Santa Elena Canyon views

Santa Elena Canyon Trail friendship selfie. <3

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