Jan 28, 2017

Becca and I got up nice and early and got on the road just after 6am on our way to Connecticut. We watched the sunrise behind the power lines on the Jersey Turnpike. It was a beautiful sky as we passed quickly through the state, not stopping until we got to New Haven and Edge of the Woods Market. We got 3 Reubens to go and ate half in the car on our short drive from there.

Our first real stop was at the New Britain Museum of American Art. It was a great little museum with a lot of great pieces and interesting things like that security guard that I definitely thought was real. It's been a while since I've been to a museum so it was great.

We went to Page Park to play a round of disc golf next. It was a little muddy and a little snowy, but it was a fun round. Lots of ups and downs on the course and Becca got better at throwing sidearm shots. The towel got a workout at this place.

We went to Hooker Brewing where this sign made me laugh repeatedly while we sampled beers. They gave us a bracelet with tabs to pull off for each sample. 10 for $5 which is great, and we ended up getting like 15 each anyway. They had a lot of really good stuff, but the #nofilter IPA was probably my favorite. One of the brewers was walking around and chatting with us a lot as we sampled. He was super nice and a big reason why the place was so enjoyable.

We were running late, but we went over to the Wadsworth Art Museum anyway for the last 30 minutes they were open. It seemed like a really great gallery and I wish we had more time there, but the staff were rushing us out and locking up before it was even 5, so we had to go.

After going to the wrong hotel and then finding the right hotel a good distance out of the way from where we went we dropped off our stuff and left for the main attraction of the night. The Funny Bone Hartford is a comedy club inside a mall. It's not as bad as it sounds, but we had to get there over an hour early to get a seat that was basically in the back of the room. In any case, it was fine because it was a small room. There were two openers: Chris Something was really funny and a good host. The next comic was good, but didn't really do it for us. Mike was hilarious as always and had a lot of good material for his next special. It was cool to see him working on jokes and being a little more loose with everything.

Becca didn't know what to expect, but she ended up liking it a lot so I was glad it was a good Christmas present. We went back to our hotel, which was weirdly adorned with knickknacks and an Elvis statue. We thought about going to the pinball arcade, but we didn't. We also didn't go to the gym. We did eat our Thai takeout food in the bed and then go to bed at some point. It was a good day of well-rounded travel.

Jan 16, 2017

We got up and made our way to Cornell University for sunrise. It's a gorgeous campus with historic buildings and great views of the town. We wandered around for the better part of an hour checking out the architecture and admiring the light as it appeared on the brick facade of the tower. Another nice start to a day and a good walk on the hilly grounds.

We had about two hours of driving down to Ricketts Glen State Park in PA. The trail was immediately icy, but this time there was a lot of snow to go along with it. The gorge trail was marked to stay off unless we had proper gear like crampons and axes, but we felt like we would be fine and could make the decision to turn back if it seemed dangerous.

The waterfalls were insanely beautiful covered in snow and ice. I can't believe I've never come here in winter before. This is another example of a place I didn't think could get any more beautiful, but here I am proved wrong again. We spent a lot of time at each set of falls admiring and photographing them from different angles.

The trail did end up getting a little precarious at times, but we both made it without incident. I am impressed even more with the Yaktrax after this. We decided to do the whole loop, which probably made it about 6 miles total, but it definitely didn't feel that long with so much to see.

Toward the end we were able to get behind this waterfall that was almost totally frozen over. The view from behind the ice looking down on the glen was so amazingly unique. We couldn't have been happier to get to see all of this.

Sadly we had to leave eventually, but some cake batter/chocolate twist from Vegan Treats cheered us up. We sat there eating the ice cream that the guy "poured too high" which we both agreed wasn't possible and no one would ever care. It was delicious and we each picked up another little treat for later. The drive home seemed super long in traffic and we stopped at Trader Joe's in Philly for groceries before heading back home. Just grocery shopping on the weekend like average people.

Jan 15, 2017

We woke up after a few hours of questionable quality sleep in the car at the rest stop and watched the sunrise from the parking lot. It was a nice view over the mountains even if it wasn't the most colorful sky. We ate some tofu scramble that I made last night before leaving which ended up being a great idea. Good start to the morning.

We drove about two more hours until we got to Watkins Glen. We found our way onto the Falls Trail and were immediately blown away by the icicles everywhere along the walls.

The trails were really icy so we strapped on the microspikes and the yaktrax that Becca got which seemed to work incredibly well. It got her up and down these steps.

This view was my favorite place in the warm weather and I didn't know Rainbow Falls could look any more insane. We stood here and wandered around under the frozen falls on the path for a long time just existing in awe. Everything was so beautiful there. Even better was that no one else was around.

We went into the town of Montour Falls to check out the couple of falls that are weirdly right in the middle of town behind some houses. Not a bad view for these people. It was a nice little break for a snack and then we left.

We went to see Taughannock Falls next. We saw them from above and then found our way to the trail along the river to get here. The viewing platform at the end of the trail was so icy, and getting down to the edge of the water where these crazy frozen branches were was really tricky. It was definitely worth it for the shots I got.

We decided to stop at Ithaca Brewing for a couple of flights before turning in for the night. They had some great beers including a chardonnay barrel-aged, a great double IPA, and a raspberry berliner. It was a good choice stopping here. We stopped to get Ethiopian food at a place called Hawi. We got takeout because they charge a stupid fee to share a plate. We grabbed coffee at Gimme! and headed to the hotel.

What should have been simple was annoying as we checked into our room and then ended up having to change to another building because the wifi didn't work at all and Becca needed it for her online class. The woman at the front desk didn't make things easier since she was an asshole and she didn't know what she was talking about. We eventually got situated and I ate the takeout and played with my new MacBook a little before getting into bed before 8pm.

Jan 1, 2017

As much as we didn't want to we got out of bed in the morning and went to Union Lake dock for sunrise. By the time we were there we were already happy we came. The sky looked beautiful and the clouds were moving fast. We took some shots on the dock and another photographer showed up so I started talking with him and we used each other in our shots.

This sunrise was much nicer weather-wise than the last one we saw. We stayed until the sun came over the horizon and then stayed a little more just watching the light play on some of the trees along the shore. It was a really great way to start a new year.

We went back to Becca's and did day one of (YouTube) Adriene's 31 Days of Revolution yoga. It was a very easy day indeed; hangover friendly, as she called it. After the light stretching we talked and decided we didn't at all feel like going to the Mummer's in Philly and the weather was too nice to stay in so we headed north to Tyler and stopped at Guru's Indian Buffet on the way. How did I not know this place was here? It was amazing. Such good and plentiful vegan food, really nice staff, and a great price for a weekend buffet. I will definitely be coming back.

We got into it at Tyler and were having a good round for the most part. I threw my disc into the water once, missed the putt at this basket about 5 times, and we had to wait to tee off a few times, but otherwise it was a perfect day for a round. We played the first 18 then took a short rest before heading back for the second 18 holes. Some were more fun than others and halfway through the back we were both feeling like we'd had about enough of trees and throwing into the rough. We pushed on and were happy to have played everything in the end.

We drove home with the beautiful sky behind Philly on 95. I fixed the lag issues on the Wii emulator so I played Aladdin for a short bit then we played Donkey Kong Country for a while until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Dec 28, 2016

We reluctantly got out of the bed with the cloud pillows and headed toward the water to try to catch a nice sunrise. Not too much happened in the sky and I couldn't get near the water, so I attempted to catch some shots of this church. Can't win them all, but it was nice to be up early anyway.

One thing I was looking forward to was Edge of the Woods in New Haven. We got there as they opened and went back to the cafe to order a reuben, a Monte Cristo, and the falafel sandwich. The reuben was amazing as always, but the others left something to be desired. Not bad, but nowhere near as good in my opinion.

After breakfast we headed to Park City DGC where I pulled out some new discs to replace my lost one from the other day. I found a few that I liked and tried to break them in and learn how they worked as we played. It was another really nice day to be outside, if a little chilly at times. We stayed warm even when a few snowflakes started to fall. We mostly had the course to ourselves so it went by quickly.

We found a coffee shop called Source to kill some time while we waited for the brewery to open and we sat inside the packed cafe sipping on a cold brew and a hot tea, listening to people chat and planning our day out. The coffee was okay and the tea was okay.

Two Roads is always a great stop when I can make it, and this time was no exception. Most all of the beers were noteworthy, but the best were the session IPA, the Espressway coffee stout, and the cranberry gose. We did three flights of 5 beers and ended up spending a couple of hours at the bar.

We were having a really good time so we didn't rush out. There's always time for selfies. And we left with some bottles and cans of our favorites.

Our next stop was Cranbury Park DGC, where we awkwardly drove by the toll house because it looked like the guy inside was an electrician or something and didn't even give us a second look. So we came in for free. The course is nice, but very wooded and a little repetitive. Definitely one I'd play again, but I prefer the one we played earlier. I'm glad we were able to get through two courses anyway. After that course we hit the road and promptly started hitting rush hour traffic.

After a seemingly long drive home through New York and North Jersey during rush hour we got back home and I dropped Becca off. I had a little time to change, eat, and relax just briefly before jumping back in the car to go to Philly for Valencia at the Fillmore. I stood in the back/middle for the whole show because no one was moving around or into it too much. The band sounded a little off for a while, but they picked up steam with the second half of the set. They played "Linoleum" by NOFX, which was a great surprise addition. Not a bad set, but definitely not my favorite. Finally headed home to sleep after!

Dec 26, 2016

We got up before the sun and quickly headed out of the hotel to find a spot along the water for sunrise. When the first place was unaccessible I headed a short distance away and found a great spot with a view of an offshore lighthouse that was just in front of the glowing sky. The sun rose perfectly behind the lighthouse and I got some great shots. It was incredibly cold out there and I couldn't feel my fingers for a good while after shooting. But it was worth it.

As the feeling slowly returned to my hands we drove into Maine and headed to Woodland Valley DGC. We went into the office and paid to play, where several other groups had already started out. Disc golf is amazingly popular on the day after Christmas at a snowy course in Maine. The course itself was pretty nice, with the snow packed down it didn't feel too different than regular play. I did, however, lose a disc after shooting a second shot and somehow it disappeared in the snow. After a long search we accepted defeat and moved on.

We had to cut the course just a little early to make the 40 minute drive to Portland in time for our Allagash tour. When we arrived we got our badges that all had punny phrases using the word "tour." Mine was TOURture. They gave us our first sample of House Beer and we milled around for a short time until the tour began. Disclaimer: The rest of this post will be very beer heavy, so if you're under 21, please look away.

Our tour guide was hilarious and good at describing the processes of brewing without being overly verbose. It was a big crowd and he handled it well. It was fun little tour starting in the brewhouse with a sample of Allagash White, moving on through the old facility, and ending in the barrel room where they age everything. This is also where we got our last three samples of the day and got to wander around. We took some photos for people, people took some photos of us, and we just had a good time. All the beers were good, with the Little Brett and Sixteen Counties being my favorites.

Maine is nice enough to have great breweries right across the street from each other so we walked over to Foundation where we did some flights of really good beer. Everything was great. The Zuurzing sour was the standout. The Ember IPA was incredible as well. Overall just a great little brewery with a nice vibe.

Around the corner was Austin Street so we walked over there and sampled the three beers they had on. Both pale ales were very good and the stout was also tasty. This is a pretty great place to spend a whole day drinking.

We were heading for the coffee shop and I forgot that rising tide is directly across the street so we stopped there on the way. We got one flight that was decent and then moved on. It wasn't as good as I remember and it was a little crowded.

We walked over to the Portland Coffee Roasters and I got a delicious cold brew and saw this coffee bean on the trash sign. Things I did.

We headed up the street to the HoneyMaker Meadery and when we walked in everyone turned around like we were in a movie and the bartender asked us if we were in the right place. It was an awkward start. There may as well have been a record scratch as the music went off. Anyway, misunderstanding diffused, we did our tasting. The lavender mead was quite good, but the lavender mead lemonade was even better. He saved the best for last as there was a Chai mead that Becca and I both immediately agreed we need to get a couple bottles of. The bartender told us about a barrel aged sour at Oxbow right behind their bar so we went back there and did a quick sampling of two beers. Not bad.

We got to Pleasant Hills DGC maybe 45 minutes before sunset and it was already cloudy so it made it even more dark. We played 8 holes on the icy snow before it was too dark to find our way, but this is a course I'd definitely like to come back to sometime. It was mostly open, yet they made most of the holes pretty interesting in some way. 

After stopping at a brewery called Earth Eagle and finding the beer list and the atmosphere to be not at all appealing, we headed to Stoneface Brewing for another quick flight. There it is. The beer was pretty good, but I'm starting to think the amount of things we tried over the day possibly skewed my reactions.

We got to our hotel outside of Boston and got an Uber to Night Shift Brewing. The guy drove us in silence the whole way and I used my "first ride" credit to pay for it. Nice. The place was packed because they were doing Geeks Who Drink trivia night. We jumped right into the game and eventually went up to get some flights.

It was a very strange night, and Becca went and made the executive decision to take chair that people were using just for the jackets and purses so we could also sit down. Pretty awesome. The game was hectic and hard to hear the host over the crappy speakers or microphone. It was a bit stressful, and we only got to taste our beers once in a while during a break. The beer was good though.

After the game we breathed a heavy sigh of relief, finished our last beers, and then got an Uber back to the hotel.

Dec 21, 2016

I woke up after getting a good amount of sleep, but I was still running late. On my drive to work the sky was really nice and I shot some quick pictures out my window that was still covered in ice. I always want to get out and shoot sunrise, but it's so cold and the timing doesn't often work out when I start work so early.

The light was still nice when I got to Memorial so I wanted to take a shot of it. I was in for a health class and there was testing going on so the classes were longer than usual. I wrote a girl up 5 minutes into class, but then she was gone so that was good. The day wasn't so bad after all. I ended up not having to do my coverage last block which was nice since I didn't get my lunch break until 12:45 anyway.

I briefly considered a nap after work, but it wasn't in the cards. I went to Parvin since it had been nicer out during the day. Once I got there it had gotten a bit colder, but I hit the trail running anyway. After freezing my fingers off for a mile or so I had warmed up enough to be comfortable. I had a pretty decent run even though I felt slow. The lake looked really pretty frozen over. I feel like it's been a while since I've seen that.

I ran home and grabbed my change of clothes and met Becca for a second run in her parents' neighborhood. It was colder, we ran slower, and my iPod died along the way because of the cold. I'm over this shit. This never happened last year in Oregon.

It's Lance's birthday so we went bowling at Westbrook Lanes. It was much farther away than we thought, so it ended up being an all night thing. It was fun though. We bowled 3 games. I didn't do that well. Not sure if it was the ball or the shoes or the fact that I haven't played in a long time.

Lance (not pictured) seemed a little moody so it was a bit awkward sometimes and I felt like it was a challenge to make conversation at times. We had a good time anyway and fulfilled the bowling quote for this half of the year. We'll do it again in summer.