winterstudios, ink. https://winterstudiosink.com Adventurers. Creators. Best Friends. Thu, 30 Dec 2021 23:10:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://winterstudiosink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/cropped-My-project-32x32.png winterstudios, ink. https://winterstudiosink.com 32 32 D+L+M Hike Havasu Falls https://winterstudiosink.com/2018/12/dlm-hike-havasu-falls/ Mon, 17 Dec 2018 14:59:21 +0000 https://winterstudiosink.com/?p=4025

It was on our … well, 75% on my bucket list, to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. When we stayed a few nights in Sedona last Fall, we saw it from the southern rim as well as from above in a helicopter, so we wanted to take it even further and experience it from the bottom. We wondered what a good destination would be other than just trek down, touch the bottom, then hike back up. One day, Lori was scrolling through Pinterest and stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall called Havasu Falls. She pointed this to me and said she knew where we were going next!

Havasu Falls is in the reservation of the Havasupai tribe. We had to walk through their village, which is actually in the Havasu Canyon, before we could see their beautiful waterfalls. We were very grateful to them for opening up their stunning realm to visitors. The word “havasu” means blue-green water and the word “pai” means people; therefore, they are “people of the blue-green water.” Their reservation isn’t technically part of the Grand Canyon National Park, but in our defense, it is a branch of the Grand Canyon itself! We weren’t particular on if we were hiking in the actual Grand Canyon National Park. We just wanted a good destination and a reason to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and Havasu Falls was a very suitable reason.

Above is a cool aerial image of the trail (ignore the incorrect mileage and estimated time).

This is a great description of the hike. Check out the elevation graph. Pretty informative!

In our research, we found out that we couldn’t just do this on a day trip. An overnight stay in their campground was required. I assumed they really like having other humans visit and wanted us to stick around to really experience one of the places where heaven and earth mingle. In order to have such an experience, we had to book our permits ahead of time. Online reservations didn’t open until February 1st at 9am CST. It used to be that the only way to claim your spot was to call the village. Understandably, we learned the phone line was always busy at this time since spots were very competitive and limited. BUT online booking was just newly implemented!

So come February 1st, just before 9 o’clock in the morning, Lori sat at the computer, loaded the online reservation page, and sipped her morning beverage while keeping her eyes glued on the screen, repeatedly tapping her trackpad to refresh the browser. As promised, at 9am the online reservation opened. She excitedly waved her hands – possibly threw something at me – to get my attention. Together, we skimmed through the open schedule, decided on dates, and successfully secured 3 permits to visit Havasupai, AZ!

Micah became our loyal hiking buddy who saw the worth in doing this with us, especially on his birthday! He was such a fantastic friend to partner with since this meant hiking 10 miles into the canyon and 10 miles out with full packs. We spent months researching, planning, training, and procuring all the necessary gear. Micah, Lori, and I hike often but backpacking was new to us. We didn’t have all the gear needed at the time, but with the help of friends and family, we collected all we needed.

Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas > take Route 66 to Grand Canyon Caverns Inn

Flight to Las Vegas
Drew and Lori Acroyoga Las Vegas

Soon after we arrived and picked up our rental car, we decided to be tourists and wait in a long line for photos in front of the “Welcome to FABULOUS Las Vegas” sign. We flew high in an acroyoga pose. Nothing else held us there so we hit the road to take U.S. Route 93 to Route 66.

Column of Hoover Dam
I took the dam picture

On the way, we made a ptistop at the Hoover Dam to see what dams the nation’s largest water reservoir, Lake Mead, which supplies water to farms, businesses, and millions of people in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico. It was mind-blowing to see what powers California and what made Las Vegas possible in the middle of the desert. It was, in a word, colossal.

Since the 1930s, traffic used to run right along the top of the dam until it was rerouted just recently in 2010, by America’s second highest bridge, the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. We took the dam pictures from that bridge, as well.

Drew and Lori with fluids from Last Stop for the road
Lori in front of historic Route 66 sign
Little stops along Route 66
Lori's Unshoes Unita Sandals along Route 66

We discovered some beautiful gems along Route 66 and even found Mater at the Cruz-N-66!

Lori walking on top of wall

After reading a bunch of comment threads on the Havasu Facebook group, it seemed like the trailhead parking lot would be noisy at all hours of the night. We really liked the idea of getting there before it was dark and being ready to go really early in the morning, but we didn’t relish the idea of not having good sleep before a 10 mile hike.

So we chose to get a room at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. We were able to get a shower after flying and driving and a good night’s sleep. It was easy to set an alarm to wake up at 4a (6a our time) and make the 1.5 hour drive to the trailhead. That meant no tent or gear to pack up in the morning.

Day 2: Wake up at 4 > Drive 1.5 hours to Hualapai Hilltop > Hike 10 miles!

One thing we were concerned about was making the drive in the dark. People said to expect elk and other big creatures, and obviously there are no street lights. However, all we saw was the rear of an elk disappearing into the dark. It wasn’t until light started creeping back over the horizon that wild horses galloped up the road toward us just a few miles out from the trailhead. We paused and took in the interesting scenery, bonus with a moonset at the same time as a sunrise.

The trail starts from the Hualapai Hilltop parking lot which is usually packed with backpacker’s cars that flow out of the lot onto the side of the road. The trail is packed with dirt and gravel, but they look after it well. We decided to alternate between Merrel Vapor Gloves and Unshoes Unita sandals. Unless you like having dust build up in your shoes, from experience the Unshoes were the obvious winner. They were so comfortable, fit well, and gave our soles just enough protection while allowing the sand to move over and under our feet as well as wade through water.

The trail was in the shade of the canyon wall for most of the trek, making it a pleasant, if arduous, experience. Hiking poles are a personal preference. The hike down is steep for the first couple miles so poles can make it easier on your knees. It helped keep us upright and balanced with the weight of our backpacks without leaning forward. It’s worth paying to get the lightweight, packable poles that you can put in a side pocket of your pack when you don’t need them.

Lori takes in GC
Micah + Lori continue on Havasupai trail

We learned that you want to really watch the weight of your backpack and keep it low as possible. Ideally, all the weight should be distributed in a good fitting backpack according to this list and what we packed:

Bottom = lightweight items:

  1. Sleeping bag
  2. Pillow
  3. Things you’ll only need at night (except for your flashlight or headlamp)

Middle = heavy items:

(these should be close to the spine for good support)

  1. Food – sealed in odorless bags labeled by day and which meal
  2. Water bladders – at least 1 gallon
  3. Stove and cook set (including fuel bottle)

Top = medium items:

  1. Clothes (keep very minimal for 3 nights)
    • 1 hiking outfit: wicking underwear, dry-fit shirt, light shorts, Unshoes / Merrel Vapor Gloves
    • For the days on/around the campground: same as above but with swim shorts, barefoot / Unshoes. There was plenty of time to let our clothes dry and freshen up on our clothes line.
    • For sleeping: go pant-less and shirt-less or wear a comfy shirt since you’ll be in a mummy bag plus the temperature only got down to the 50s-low 60s at night in the end of September.
  2. Tent (without poles) to wrap around the heavy items along with the clothes. We were glad to have a tent, but if you make the trek into Havasu Canyon earlier than late September it will still be quite warm at night. Many people recommend bringing only a hammock for sleeping.
  3. Snacks
  4. First aid / homeopathic kit
  5. Toilet paper / handkerchiefs
  6. Headlamp
  7. Clothes line
  8. Other essentials we had easy access to:
    • Map
    • Sun protection (hat and healthy sunscreen)
    • Extra layers of clothes (jacket & beanie)
    • Lighter
    • Duct tape
    • Utility knife
    • Light bottle for extra water

Some packs have convenient hip belt pockets for a snack, lip balm, or a pocket-size Moleskine journal. Mine didn’t have one but I was fine with putting them in the pockets of my shorts. We were also able to secure our sleeping pads, trekking poles, and tent poles with the bottom straps and side straps.

What to leave at home:

  1. Heels
  2. Cotton clothes
  3. Gallon Jugs (that’s what hydration bladders are for)
  4. Blow dryer / electric razors
  5. Cranky people
  6. Fast food
  7. The Internet

Optional: a float. We decided not to bring floats since we felt we were able to grab one a group left behind. That turned out to be the case! A float raft was left behind on our chosen campsite.

Of course we took so many pics along the way to capture that Arizonian glow. Our cameras? iPhones ranging from SE to 8.

I love infographics so here is a helpful one from REI on how to choose and use a backpack.

We also gleaned a lot of helpful information from this ultimate guide to planning your Havasupai adventure.

With all that we were carrying, the hike was more difficult than we thought it would be. I experienced pain my left shoulder. Lori experienced some heel pain. Yoga stretches were very beneficial to our bodies during the loaded 10 mile trek!

Below is a chart with when to use certain poses. Borrowed from this post on Yoga for Hikers and Backpackers.

After 8 miles we arrived to Supai village to break for lunch at their cafe. They served fry bread (fried dough made from scratch) topped with traditional taco fillings. It was almost taco meets funnel cake. Sharing one between 2 people was enough. They take cash only. Fry bread alone was about $6, fry bread taco was about $12.

The village itself was more extensive than we thought (what with the school, clinic, church, etc). And it’s only 2 miles from the campground.

Navajo Falls
Shadows of Micah, Drew, and Lori over Havasu stream
Drew takes a dip in Havasu stream

We passed by Navajo Falls on the way before arriving to Havasu Falls which came before the campground. There is access to spring water located at the beginning of the campground right after the horse corral where mules drop off packs. There you can drink straight out of the pipe which is sticking out of the canyon wall. It didn’t taste muddy or “earthy” at all, and it was refreshing. That was our first stop after arriving to the campground. It was neat seeing other backpackers coming to and from this same site for water and sharing this thing we all had a common need for.

We weren’t aware at the time of booking that the dates we reserved were during the Feast of Tabernacles / Sukkot. How timely! That also meant we had a full, bright moon each night.

Day 3: Trek to Mooney Falls > Trek Even Further to Beaver Falls

All the practice using the fuel cook stove before this adventure paid off. We had a successful hot breakfast in the morning light next to the beautiful blue-green stream we camped right next to.

Drew + Lori climb to Mooney Falls
Lori behind rock wall
Climb down to Mooney Falls
Drew under waterfall
Micah on top of red rock

Mooney Falls is just .5 miles past the campground. There are tight quarters of cave-like tunnels which we had to descend at our own risk to get to Mooney Falls. It was a thrilling experience climbing down muddy ladders wet from the mist of the falls. Mooney Falls appears to be higher than Havasu Falls and we agreed Mooney stood out even more in grace and power.

We had a ton of time there to explore, enjoy lunch, swim, and relax before we hiked 3.5 more miles away from the campground to Beaver Falls.

Drew + Lori go into the jungle
Drew, Lori, & Micah hike Havasu
Stream through the desert

I once had the odd imagination that there would be sand and a stream and that would be it. But I was happily mistaken! The stream not only found its way through the desert, spring followed.

Drew in front of orange rocks
Lori in rock cleft
Lori and Micah at bluff
Ladder to Beaver Falls
Beaver Falls sign

We saw many terraces along our walk to Beaver Falls. Crossed the river 3 times. Walked through a jungle-like scene, passed a random, lone palm tree, and clambered up and down multiple ladders.

Lori takes in Beaver Falls
Micah + Drew pose for photo
Lori in tree pose in front of Beaver Falls
Unshoes Unita Sandals at Beaver Falls
Drew & Lori in front of Beaver Falls

I had to manually choose to believe I was there instead of saying “I can’t believe it!” Beaver Falls was an unreal place.

Day 4: Spend ALL day at Havasu Falls

Lori inside tent
Micah & Lori on campsite
Drew hangs food away from the fat squirrels

Micah shared his rat sack with us to successfully protect our food from the cheeky, confident, fat, bugger squirrels overnight. For real, they’ll get into your stuff if you don’t hang them up well. We had one ziplock bag of clothes sitting on the ground in soapy water overnight. It looked like a squirrel popped it open to an explosion of water and ran away.

Havasu Falls
Hanging in front of Havasu Falls
Drew & Lori at the hammocks
Havasu Falls - jaw drop

In the morning, we claimed a golden spot on a island-like piece of land in the middle of diverged streams coming right from Havasu Falls. We literally hung out in front of the falls on our Serac hammocks hooked to trees, in the shade, spotted by sunlight and sprayed by mist. I think our spot was the envy of the place.

Wading through stream
Lori in Havasu lunge pool
Swimming up Havasu stream
Drew leaping into Havasu lunge pool

What an amazingly spectacular place it is! When we arrived at 9:30, the amount of people there was sparse. A lot of people left the campsites on Thursday so it was nice to have the whole place almost to ourselves until it became a bit more popular around noon. I nudged Micah hanging next to me to look up and catch a scene of someone proposing to his lady right in front of the falls! Wading through the lunge pools was amazing. The milky blue-green of the waters owes itself to the lime from the rocks it rushes through for miles and miles.

After our chill day at Havasu Falls, we concluded the night with a hot meal and card games.

Day 5: Hike out of Havasu Canyon > Recover for the night at Kingman

During the 3 days of recovery, I experienced pain in my right IT band from a tight hip. I was concerned about the hike back up since it was tougher than I expected on the way down to the campground. We all were a bit concerned. Lori was half-seriously considering a helicopter or mule ride back. But obviously, since I wrote this post, we all made it out well!

Moon on our hike out
Lori hiking out of Grand Canyon
Micah in front of large rock
Havasupai trail
Orange layers of rock
Hiking back out of Havasu Canyon
Sunrise through the GC rocks

We left around 5:30 in the morning with hopes to make it to the last couple miles of switchbacks before the sun laid its hot rays on us. Despite our best efforts, we still felt the heat of the sun on the climb up and out.

It was sweet when we finally made it to the top, but sad when we were leaving the beautiful Grand Canyon behind. We were all intrigued by my vigorous energy as we were traversing the switchbacks. When witnessing my perky nature, Micah and Lori asked me: “Who are you?” while, Lord bless them, they were exhausted by the difficulty of the steep ascension. I was so grateful the trouble spots on my body – left shoulder and right knee – had recovered.

I claim it was because of 4 things:

  1. Continually hydrate
  2. Eat all that is left of your food
  3. Trekking poles
  4. Yoga poses during breaks

It felt much easier on the body to walk up than down, perhaps because the backpack is lighter, we built leg strength, or the trekking poles really helped propel me forward.

Since it was Friday and the beginning of the weekend, large groups walked by us on their way in. We were surprised by the sheer volume of people and the amount of them that set out from the trailhead in the middle of the day. The parking lot was packed and more parked cars were lined up out of the lot for what seemed to last a mile.

How glad we were with burgers and a hotel to recover for the night! We were EXHAUSTED. But also full – we couldn’t have been happier.

Day 6: Return to Las Vegas > Fly Back to Nashville

We went from “We’re going to do it!” to “We’re doing it!” to “We did it!” It may have actually been the most physically taxing adventure of our lives thus far… but it was 100% worth it. We were so proud of ourselves for making it in and out of the Grand Canyon. We walked 30 miles, 20 of it with all our gear in a backpack. We learned so much about what it is really like to go backpacking with everything you need on your back. All the research, time spent practicing, the gear we bought or borrowed, were valuable for us to have a rewarding experience in Havasu Canyon.

Micah, Drew, and Lori at beginning of Havasupai trail

I am so glad we had Micah as our travel companion. It was so good to have 3 heads together to figure out each challenge we faced. We became pros at operating the cooking stove and Lori mastered prepping meals for camping. I loved doing all this with Lori. I kept looking at her beaming face, amazed by how much she adapted to the situation and became a solid backpacker.

I would have loved if we stayed 5 nights to explore and enjoy more of the waters. But in the span of 3 nights you will really get a good dose of the place! There were hidden gems we missed and didn’t know of which we want to return to explore: swim behind Havasu Falls to the rock cave. Float down the creek flow between Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls. Hike to the Confluence of the Colorado River and Havasu Creek. And apparently there is a Hidden 6th waterfall!

We loved this trip and have decided we’d like to explore the West at least every other year. Possible next destination: Zion National Park.

]]> 36.2552109 -112.6979446 Portland, Oregon in our 10th Year https://winterstudiosink.com/2017/10/portland-oregon-in-our-10th-year/ Sun, 15 Oct 2017 23:16:17 +0000 http://winterstudiosink.com/wsink/?p=3531

This is the trip we were talking about going on for our 10th anniversary. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but we knew it had to be somewhere west in our own country. Although we had been talking about visiting Oregon for years since we went to New Zealand, Portland happened on a whim. Our Southwest flyer points were yearning to be used, so we decided it was time to treat ourselves and book our flights less than a month before the trip.

We wondered about transportation & housing and the expenses that might incur but we were taken care of! A Nashvillian friend, whose brother and his wife live in Portland, urged us to ask them if we could stay in their guest room. We had only met Hunter & Whitney once before but our welcome into their home was warm. We were provided a place with easy, quick access to the city!

Day 1:  A Welcome Arrival to Portland

Drew + Lori's 1st Day in Portland
Bollywood Theater
Bollywood Theater meal

Our sweet friend, Sarah, who we met and became friends with in Nashville, kindly insisted she pick us up from the Portland airport. Knowing the great places to eat, she led us to Bollywood Theater, a very fun and delicious Indian restaurant. We were later joined by her husband, Nathan (who I’ve known since we were little kids!), for ice cream at Salt & Straw. Nom.

Day 2: Biking and Hiking in the Same Day

Drew + Lori's 2nd Day in Portland
Portland bike shadow
Pine Street chicken biscuit
Bridge in Portland

Everybody and their mom rides their bike in Portland; thus, our hosts encouraged us to use their extra bikes anytime!

We started the morning biking to Pine State Biscuit and shared a delicious chicken biscuit with peach jam, sausage biscuit, and a hash brown as big as Lori’s face while sitting on their patio with a pleasant people-watching view where many came and went on bike or foot. Then we biked across the Williamette River for lattes at Heart. This place had a perfect name since we were right in the heart of downtown on the sidewalk enjoying our cups while contemplating on the reasons the logo was in a heart shape rather than a circle.

On the way back, we took a different route, crossing the Hawthorne Bridge, for a seamless ride on bike paths set aside just for us and many other bikers. We arrived back to our guest room tired but happy.

Nap time was required before our big excursion to Multnomah Falls.

Multnomah Falls at first sight
Wahkeena creek
Wahkeena creek
Lori in cleft of rock
Wahkeena Falls
foxy caterpillar in front of Wahkeena Falls

Hunter generously let us borrow his truck, which he rarely uses to drive to work since this is a bike town, and we drove out about 30 minutes east along the Columbia River to Multnomah Falls. You can pull off the interstate and walk right up for a great view of Multnomah Falls, but we took the 6.7 mile Wahkeena-Multnomah loop hike past 6 other waterfalls first. We crossed Wahkeena Creek, went under a fun overhang in the basalt cliffs, and hiked up to a bridge that took us right in front of the upper tiers of Wahkeena Falls. At this bridge, we were hit with pleasant spray from the falls colliding with a rock landing next to the trail. Next to us on a rock column, we spotted what I later learned is a Fingered Dagger Moth Caterpillar which are found in moist forests. Let’s just say I’m glad we decided not to touch it!

Drew at Fairy Falls creek
Standing before Fairy Falls
Lori yoga at Fairy Falls creek
Unshoes at Fairy Falls

Fairy Falls was 20-ft waterfall where the water flows down what resembles the side of a mossy Aztec Temple. We really enjoyed hiking in our sandals as they were so light, hence the name, Unshoes Wokova Feather sandals. We could feel all the rocks under our feet while giving enough protection on our soles, and wade through cold water during our hike. I also like to feel the dust sweep over my feet.

Sun through forest
Drinking water from Wahkeena Springs
Looking up to Redwoods
Moss, forest, creek
Ecola Falls

After leaving Wahkeena Creek, we walked through the forest full of towering Douglas firs. We decided to hike a little ways off the loop to visit the Wahkeena Spring, the source of the creek, and filled up our bottles with fresh, sweet, cold water. Then we ventured back to the trail where we headed back downhill through a very scenic area of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. To our right, Multnomah Creek showed off its string of cascades and led us to the first waterfall, Ecola Falls, standing 55-ft tall, yet mostly hidden by tree branches.

Further into the canyon, we hiked past Weisendanger Falls, which also drops 55 feet in a single plunge but provided a more open view.

Fallen tree at Wiesendanger Falls
Wiesendanger Falls overlook
Wiesendanger Falls

I originally thought this was Wiesndanger Falls and the photo above of Ecola Falls but I was mistaken. This was a set of three falls known as the Dutchman Falls, which didn’t fail to be photogenic.

Multnomah Falls overlook
Multnomah Falls overlook
Multnomah Falls bridge
Drew in cleft of rock
Multnomah Falls
Drew and Lori at Multnomah Falls

After four and a half miles in near solitude through a rich forest full of basalt cliffs, waterfalls, and cascades, we arrived to the top of what we were here for: the second tallest waterfall in the country next to Yosemite Falls. This loop concluded with a paved trail down from the top of Multnomah Falls, with viewpoints at the brink, then crossing Benson Bridge at the middle, and a head-tilting view from the bottom. It was a mile back to the lodge where we started at the brink, descending down 11 switchbacks. We were glad to have saved Multnomah Falls for last instead of starting with a steep ascent of 725 feet!

¿por que no? tacos line outside building
¿por que no? tacos
Drew's impressions of ¿por que no? tacos
¿por que no? tacos line outside building

Half asleep after biking across the river and back in Portland, then hiking 6.7 miles, food couldn’t come soon enough! We enjoyed tacos courtesy of ¿Por Que No Taqueria? (Tacos. Why Not?), then shared a ice cream sandwich from Ruby Jewel Ice Cream.

Day 3: Eating through downtown & the International Rose Garden

Drew + Lori's 3rd Day in Portland
Stumptown Coffee Roasters lattes and scone
Stumptown Coffee window

We slept in, then biked to Stumptown Coffee for lattes and a scone. When in Portland, right? Afterwards, we biked to yoga class at The Grinning Yogi to brush off any stiffness from the hike yesterday. On the same street would be our next foodie destination.

Pok Pok chicken wings

It was Portlandia in real life moment when the people sitting next to us at the world famous street-style Thai restaurant, Pok Pok PDX, asked which local farm the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings came from. But for real, if you are in Portland, those wings were legit. Also get the sticky rice and a drinking vinegar. We had a Strawberry Thai Basil. For dessert, we indulged our passion for frozen yogurt at EB & Bean.

Rose Garden
Pickett statue in Rose Garden
Rose Garden landscape
Rose Garden trellis
Pine tree in Rose Garden
Rose Garden landscape
Rose Garden path
Rose Garden path
Rose Garden
Rose Garden landscape
Rose Garden
Rose Garden auditorium

We biked back home, then took the bus to Washington Park. We met Sarah at the International Rose Test Garden for some beautiful sights and scents. Here, in the rose garden, are over 7,000 rose plants of about 550 varieties. It is the oldest continuously operating rose test garden in the United States, thus the Portland nickname: “City of Roses”.

Escape from NY pizza
Inside Escape from NY

From Washington Park, we proceeded on an easy walk along NW 23rd and decided to eat pizza at Escape from New York. Their cheese is whole milk mozzarella, their sauce prepared each day, their dough handmade every morning, and their toppings fresh and bountiful! This combination created a taste that was fresh and delicious.

DAY 4: Yoga, Donuts, and All the Good Sights

We decided we would need our Hunter’s truck once again since we were planning to visit multiple areas across Portland in a day. We started the morning with another refreshing class at The Grinning Yogi with the exciting prospect of fresh juice waiting for us.

Art fills the Void
Best Friends food truck
Mother Earth mural

Portland is full of murals and great little gems like Best Friends Juice. Most of the places where we ate were along SE Division Street. The connecting neighborhoods are full of character and happy surprises on morning walks.

Pips Original Doughnuts & Chai window seat
Lori drinking chai
Pip's Original Doughnuts and Chai
Pips Original decor
Pips Original Doughnuts and Chaii
Drew and Lori with Pip's Original doughnuts

Every day since this day we first tried Pip’s Original Doughnuts, we’ve wanted to come back to this place. We ordered a mini doughnut assortment and hot house-made Chai. This may have been our favorite place in Portland. My mouth is still blown by all the tastes we experienced. Pip’s Original deserves visits on repeat!

Portland water reserve
Kisses on Mt. Tabor
Mt. Hood

We met another friend & her little one (Aly & Jude) to hike Mt. Tabor Park and saw Portland on a stunning late August day. The water here is a reservoir that used to be the city’s drinking water. Lori said it made her think of a castle moat, so we’ll go with that. On the other side of the park is a great view of Mount Hood.

Start here for Soma Kombucha samples
Soma Kombucha
Kombucha Soma Taprooms
Drew and Lori with Soma Kombucha

We couldn’t visit Portland without drinking lots of kombucha. SOMA Kombucha was 100% self-service. Zero staff inside. We swiped our credit card to get in the door and paid via Square on the iPad Inside. There was a diverse range of flavors on tap, but the regular, pure kombucha was our top choice. It needed nothing extra.

poke mon
poke mon bowls
St John Bridge
Driving on St. John Bridge
Under St. John Bridge
Unshoes by St. John Bridge

Lunch consisted of delicious Hawaiian poke bowls at poke mon, sustainable, locally-caught fish, made to order, with ingredients from local businesses. Remember this is Portland, people, and it fit our problem-free food philosophy. With content bellies, we drove over the tallest bridge in Portland, St. Johns Bridge, and made a stop at the adjacent Cathedral Park where we took a pleasant nap in the shade of the bridge.

Pickett Mansion
Pickett Mansion roses
Pickett Mansion overlook
Pickett Mansion flowers
Pickett Mansion picnic
Pickett Mansion front
Pickett Mansion front yard
Pickett Mansion garden

We were all over this city and saw Mount Hood from many different places. I’d say the best view goes to Pittock Mansion’s overlook. And get this, Henry Pittock, who built a financial empire in Portland, was an avid outdoorsman and bicycle enthusiast. Seems like that matches the description of Portland today which, sticking out in the midst of mountains and forest, looks to be built solely around bike trails and tops the “Most Cycling-Friendly Cities” list.

DAY 5: Anniversary at the 4Ts

The beginning of Four T Trail
Underground Portland train
choc pop tarts
On Four T Trail
Mt Helen
Playing with shadows on Four T Trail
Tranquility reminds us that we are a small part of nature.
Riding on Four T Trail trolley

On our 10th anniversary we took the 4T in a loop around Portland – trolley, train, trail, and tram. We began at the riverfront and rode the streetcar trolley to the main library, then took the train to the zoo where we stopped at the second deepest train station in the world. Forest trails took us to the top of Council Crest where we had epic views of Mount Rainer, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood (pictured). The trail wound its way to the hospital where we caught a ride on the aerial tram back to the waterfront where we began.

Kim Jung tiger decor
Kim Jung Korean lunch

We made a stop at Pine Street Market, explored the food scene, and decided on Kim Jong Smokehouse which had a menu of Korean-style street food using Southern-style BBQ smoking techniques and famous for their Bibimbap bowl. Nom. Afterwards, we were itching for kombucha again, from SOMA of course, so we made another stop there!

Farmhouse sign
Farmhouse drinks with Drew
Farmhouse drinks with Lori
Portland neighborhood fountain
Farmhouse lamb rolls
Farmhouse building
Farmhouse meal

After miles of riding and hiking, we ended the last day with a taste-bang by getting off a bus near SE Hawthorne Blvd, and walking the rest of the way to the lively space of Thai Farmhouse where we enjoyed Neua Num Tok Rolls, Larb Tuna, and Pad Thai.

It was fantastic seeing friends among the mountains, the falls, the forest, and the food of Portland. We can say this city deserves another visit!

]]> 45.5230637 -122.6764832 28 Years Young https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/11/28-years-young/ Thu, 28 Nov 2013 18:02:26 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2437 We celebrated Drew’s 28th Birthday at Sky High Sports – The Trampoline Place! And as a surprise birthday gift, Drew learns hands-on how NY Pie of West Nashville makes their delicious pizza!

Sky High Trampoline Place

Drew's NY Pie creation

]]> Lori’s First Day of 28 https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/07/loris-first-day-of-28/ Thu, 04 Jul 2013 10:35:39 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2808 Here is a creative capture of Lori’s first day of being 28 from my perspective. I love you, Lori, cherished treasure of my heart!

]]> We’ve Graduated in the Supernatural! https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/06/weve-graduated-in-the-supernatural/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:55:18 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2749 It was nine months of intensive inner healing and training in supernatural ministry. We learned how to hear God’s voice, how to prophesy, how to pray for people’s healing, how to prepare and deliver a sermon, and how to be a Family who has healthy personal boundaries and communicates bravely.

It was rather bittersweet to see it end.

But I’m a different person now. And that is sweet indeed.

Reflecting back on the past nine months of my life at SOSL, this is what I wrote in my journal:

“I am so grateful for all the ways SOSL has impacted my life. The change that has taken place could not have come on its own. Through life as I knew it. Lasting change like this can only come through commitment. Through saying YES to the long haul. To the sacrifices that inevitably have to be made. And it comes through community. Not the kind of community where you see people once or twice a week and maybe you hang out on the weekends. I’m talking about the kind of community that is closer than Family. The kind of community that will intentionally spend over 20 hours a week together actively pursuing God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. We now have a deep, rich, eternal history with these souls. This must be the kind of community that is essential to LIFE. To abundant life on earth. It must be one of the keys to heaven invading earth.”

And here is an entry in Drew’s journal as a glimpse into what God has been speaking to him & what Drew says regarding his transformation after school:

“Just the sight of you causes darkness to tremble & flee! You are such an antidepressant… Yes, you know whose kid you are. The Light you carry brings order in place of the ungodly orders. Where you tread, Spring will follow. Have confident in your declared expectations. I am revealing to you so much more of My Goodness because of your selfish grip on My Goodness. Brothers host My Presence because you’ve opened doors… My Name is on you, and I will bless you. You’re one of the lovers of Yahweh and your garden will become brimming in fullness. It’s knowing who you are that is your mighty tool. Spiritual roots are ready to be discovered and flee in the Presence at a word: ‘Go.’ You are a son who smells of His Father’s Presence and that is Mighty. Nothing can deny you’ve been around Me. You’ll start seeing it shake around you. You are loved. My Words are true: you are LOVED. That includes by your brothers and sisters, your mothers and fathers: you are LOVED.”

“This school has brought Lori & I such a transformation, individually and as a couple. I am not who I was anymore. This must be exactly what it is to go from glory to glory. Scriptures constantly came to life in this school, in the middle of this wonderful community of people we found ourselves in. Old things literally passed away, while the new took its place! But this hasn’t ended. We’re now living our lives with continually renewed minds.”

SOSL 2013 graduation

If you want another glimpse into our time at SOSL, you can also check out this brand new promo video. As a heads up – nothing was scripted. No one knew what the others were going to say. Watch … and be amazed.

For more information, go to http://schoolofsupernaturallife.org. Please consider going!

]]> Outreach Re-Cap https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/05/outreach-re-cap/ Wed, 22 May 2013 21:40:29 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2747 We wanted to share a great video our friend Tink made to re-cap our entire outreach trip back in April. Watch and enjoy!

]]> The Return of the King https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/05/the-return-of-the-king/ Wed, 08 May 2013 16:28:43 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2393 Yes, yet another Lord of the Rings parallel! But I’d suggest sticking around.

Since School of Supernatural Life started for us, we’ve been working through Finding Father. I will include quotes from a day in the book on the most descriptive thing I’ve ever read & heard about the Father Heart of God: the story of the Prodigal Son.

“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced, kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

The Return of the King

He got up and came to his father… The son took the first step and headed in the direction of his heart’s desire: to come back to the father. He knew that coming back even if it was only as a servant to his Father would be far better than the pig pen he had been living in! “He put action behind his heart, trusting that what had been stirring there concerning the goodness of his father was true.”

His Father saw him and felt compassion for him…I imagine He was looking at the horizon, diligently scanning for the small figure of his son. At a moment in time, he looks and sees his son. “What rises up in His heart is not disgust or disappointment, but compassion, mercy, love and excitement as he begins to sprint toward the son!”

…and ran and embraced…“In those days dignified landowners did not run, they walked with dignity. It’s possible that the lack of running was due to the fact that they were essentially wearing dresses and flip flops, which made it challenging to maintain dignity while running in such a getup…the picture to take away is one of a father so overwhelmed with love and compassion that he picks up his skirts and runs full barrel toward the son with his sandals flailing behind him.” Then He stretched out his arms, surpassing his smell, and landed upon his neck.

…kissed him. “Jesus is giving us an illustration of a love that stops for nothing. Not stinking sin, not smelly shame, and not previous insults or woundings. The final segment of this verse says that the father kisses the son. Kissing was a sign of covenant, commitment, and belonging. The Father is saying clearly with His actions:

“Welcome home, son, you are mine and I receive you unconditionally.”

King Aragorn Elessar

The Father didn’t stop there. He showed even more actions of love & kindness:

But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

All were saying each time: “You are my son. You are my son. You are my son.” Love is best felt, not just told. It is something the son experiences that makes his welcome such a huge impact. A life of living in His love is not just knowing He loves you, it involves experiencing His love for you. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Ps. 34:8)

The next thing in this devotional, which is a part of each day in the book, is Reflection and Activation. I have experienced how impacting and so helpful hearing God’s Voice for myself is. One of the things it had me do was ask Him: “Daddy, what do you want me to know about how You see me even when I make mistakes.” All you have to do is listen. For those who are more analytical (aka left-brained), you can listen using the 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice:

  1. Quiet yourself down
  2. Fix your eyes on Jesus
  3. Tune to spontaneous thoughts
  4. Then write it down.

You’ll be amazed at what He tells you. Usually the thoughts that seem kinder than any of your own thoughts is God. He’s ALWAYS so kind!

]]> Team USA in Grapevine, TX – Part 2 https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/05/team-usa-in-grapevine-tx-part-2/ https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/05/team-usa-in-grapevine-tx-part-2/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 11:14:19 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2730

Here is part two of our ministry trip in Texas! We finished out our time at Open Door City Church leading a mini ‘school of the supernatural.’ We were able to teach on how to hear God’s voice (Hetty taught this – notice the awesome hand signals to help people remember the 4 keys!), how to prophesy (I was able to present on this), and how to pray for the sick (Ryan shared some amazing testimonies of healing from his time as a student at Auburn University and then later as a missionary in Nepal). Ryan’s wife Katie spoke on Sunday morning about different Father types and how our Dads or other authority figures in our lives might have influenced our view of Father God.

Mini SOSL

My team and I led worship for the Sunday service and really felt the Presence of God!

worship

Here’s a video of just one song. To see more, check out our YouTube channel.

At the Most American Past Time!

On our last night in Texas we took some time off as a group to eat some authentic Tex-Mex and watch a Rangers baseball game! We knew we were deep in the heart of Texas when we saw this at dinner:

Texas Rangers

At the Texas Rangers Ball game

An 11 hour van ride home rounded out our outreach trip and we arrived back in Nashville around 2a (!) More re-cap of our experience coming in another post!

 

See more on our Outreach Trip:

Team USA in Auburn, Alabama
Team USA in Grapevine, Texas – Part 1

]]> https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/05/team-usa-in-grapevine-tx-part-2/feed/ 1 32.9342918 -97.0780640 Team USA in Grapevine, Texas – Part 1 https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/04/team-usa-in-grapevine-texas/ https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/04/team-usa-in-grapevine-texas/#comments Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:58:46 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2694 After spending a fantastic 10 days in Auburn, AL, our team hopped in the vans and made a 14 hour trek across 4 states to our final destination of Grapevine, TX in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We stretched our legs at each rest stop and even did a little exercise!

Knee Lifts Rest Stop

The very next day we led an Encounter Weekend for a small group of participants at Open Door City Church. The basis for the weekend is equipping people with tools for inner healing and getting rid of ‘junk’ in our lives, which then enables us to encounter God in a deeper, more intimate way. Several of our teammates spoke during the course of the two days on topics like Forgiveness, Ungodly Beliefs, and Generational Sins & Curses.

Teaching Encounter Weekend

Charlene spoke on Sexual Sins/Soul ties & Bitter Root Expectations/Judgments, Liz on Forgiveness, Sonja on Generational Sins & Deliverance

Erica teaching on Inner Vows

Erica teaching on Inner Vows

Micah on Ungodly Beliefs

Micah on Ungodly Beliefs

Quinn on the father Heart

Quinn wrapped up the Encounter Weekend with the Father Heart of God

After offering prophetic ministry at church on Sunday morning we ate lunch with another visiting ministry group from Ft. Worth. Then commenced our time off to recharge and refresh. Most of the group is stayed together at one host home where we were able to soak in some sun and play in the pool!

breakfast-at-pool

Pool volleyball

Yesterday one of the leaders from our host church took us to the site of a 1912 revival in downtown Dallas where Mariah Woodworth Etter led tent meetings for five consecutive months and saw many people immediately healed of cancer, deafness, and other diseases or ailments.

Part of Team USA praying for a local at the site of the 1912 Healing Revival

There is now an auto body shop on the site and we were able to talk with one of the owners and love on his two dogs.

Guard Dogs

Lori with Guard Dogs

Wednesday we started an intensive 3 night series at Open Door City Church teaching a mini ‘school of the supernatural.’ We basically got to teach everyone a condensed version of what we’ve learned at SOSL on how to hear God’s voice, how to prophesy, and how to heal people. Just doing what Jesus did!

More updates on those meetings as well as the rest of the trip once we get home!

See more on our Outreach Trip:

Team USA in Auburn, Alabama
Team USA in Grapevine, TX – Part 2

]]> https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/04/team-usa-in-grapevine-texas/feed/ 3 32.9342918 -97.0780640 Team USA in Auburn, Alabama https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/04/team-usa-in-auburn-alabama/ https://winterstudiosink.com/2013/04/team-usa-in-auburn-alabama/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:16:43 +0000 http://thereandbackagain.me/?p=2664 Here we are in Auburn, Alabama on our outreach mission! If you’re late to the game, this is our ministry school year-end trip where we get to pour out everything that’s been poured into us over the last 8 months. We’ve also changed one of our destinations since we last updated here. The host church at St. Simons Island had to pull out at the last minute, and while we were bummed to be missing the beach, we are excited to make our way to Grapevine, Texas (in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area) on April 11 to work with Open Door City Church.

Our time so far in Auburn has been full of listening to the Holy Spirit to lead us. We are partnering with Campus Church to lead several evening services and different outreach events on the university campus. We start each day praying together as a group and have done several things so far. Tuesday night our good friend Tink taught on Prophetic Ministry – which is basically just hearing God’s voice for other people. God’s thoughts for us are as numerous as the sands of the sea, so when we give someone a prophetic word we are asking God to share just a few of those good thoughts (the prophetic always strengthens, encourages, & comforts – 1 Corinthians 14:3).

prophetic-team

Drew spoke about physical healing on Wednesday night. It was an especially powerful message since Drew is not fully healed and able to hear yet. But we know God’s will is for healing (Mark 1:40-42), that Jesus healed every person who came to him, He taught His disciples to heal as well, and He told His disciples to teach everyone what He had taught them. Jesus did His healing ministry completely as Man. Although He was fully God, He willingly limited Himself and lived His entire life on earth as a man who demonstrated what it is like to be in right relationship with the Father. We as believers don’t have to wait for some mighty work of God in our lives to start walking in the power of God–God has already given us the authority over sickness, disease, & disablities through His Son, Jesus.

Drew on Physical Healing

When we’re not leading services at the church or planning meals for our group of 15 (Lori is in charge of meals), we are on campus connecting with students.

campus-tour

On Thursday and Friday we promoted Campus Church’s Open Mic Night.

promote-open-mic

And several days we have set up a booth on the concourse where thousands of students travel throughout the day on their way to and from classes or the Student Center. We were offering some encouraging words of life and prayers for healing.

Campus-Ministry

So many people were encouraged by the things God had to say to them through us. It blew us away every time God would reveal something to us about the person that we never could have known on our own.

We also had a booth at the Earth Fest event near campus where Drew broke out his pencils and made prophetic sketches for people who came by. He would ask God to highlight something special about the person and he illustrated it on paper.

Drew explains portrait drawing

We’ve also had plenty of time for fun things around town. Our friend Ben took us all out for the famous lemonade at Toomer’s Corner.

lori-girls-lemonade

And Drew joined a crew from Campus Church in the Auburn Mud Run 5K! He came in 16th out of well over 500 participants. And he got good and dirty!

mud-run-5k

Mud Run 5k

A group got together to play sand volleyball one afternoon (a tradition for our teammates Ryan & Katie when they were students at Auburn).

Drew playing Volleyball

And we were able to spend one evening relaxing outside at our host home. Our hosts have 3 dogs and 4 horses and we have so enjoyed staying with them!

gazebo-view

On Sunday our team led a packed house in worship at the church.

Lori's Worship Team

lori-worship

Team USA

This is most of our team (minus three of us). Our trip has been a blast so far and we’re looking forward to one more day here in Auburn before we pack up the vans for a 12 hour drive to Grapevine, TX on Thursday.

If you want to see more pictures from our trip (as well as other outreach trips to England and South Africa) you can visit www.sosloutreach.tumblr.com!

See more on our Outreach Trip:

Team USA in Grapevine, Texas – Part 1
Team USA in Grapevine, TX – Part 2

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