01/25 - Special Surprise Waterfall is Gone

Last week there was a Special Surprise Waterfall on the Spruce Railroad Trail along the north shore of Lake Crescent. Well, things have been drying out at the lake, and the little waterfall is gone. You can see where it ran on the left.

The lake had risen at least a foot above its usual level, and most likely higher, but on our last hike, the water was down a fair bit. We didn't have to leap onto the bridge at the Devil's Punchbowl, and there was a lot less mud. Still, having found a wonderful waterfall of our very own, we are now looking forward to the next wet stretch.

01/21 - Raw Milk at Dungeness Valley Farm and Creamery

The Dungenesss Valley Farm & Creamery in Sequim is the first dairy in Washington State licensed to sell raw cow's milk to the public. We have been following their attempt to get the necessary license. The picture on the left is from the October 2005 open house Farm Tour, and the picture on the right is of a jar of fresh, raw milk.

We drank some of the raw milk, and we were impressed. It was almost like drinking ice cream, but without the sugar rush. This stuff is extremely rich since it has all the butter, heavy cream, light cream, milk and buttermilk all mixed in. (That's the recipe you'll have to use if you want to try making some raw milk for yourself using supermarket ingredients). The milk is not homogenized, and they keep it in a tank with a little rotor to keep the fractions from settling out. Needless to say, everything is amazingly clean.

If you want to buy some of this wonderful stuff for yourself, head over to 1915 Towne Road in Sequim, but come early. They are usually closed up by 10:00. Call them at (360) 683-0716 for more information.

01/17 - Special Surprise Waterfall at Lake Crescent

It has been raining a fair bit lately, and Lake Crescent is as high as we've ever seen it. Long time residents tell us that the water hasn't been this high since 1953. Despite a bit of mud, the Spruce Railroad Trail is still passable, though you have to take a long step to get onto the little bridge at the Devil's Punchbowl.

About three miles out on the trail we had a pleasant surprise. A bit before the stretch of trail we call "The Point" there was a little waterfall coming down the rocky cliff. (Click on the image to the left for a better picture). The water actually flows across the trail in a thin sheet before making its way down to the lake proper. If you'd like to see this waterfall, head out on the Spruce Railroad Trail and keep your eyes on the cliffs. Also, hurry. When the rains stop, so will this seasonal waterfall.

01/13 - Live the Cliche! by Domaine Cliche

We've long been fans of Domaine Cliché, home of the overworked and over familiar. Sometimes it seems as if Peter Mayle never wrote Escape From Provence. Despite our ennui, we still want to live the cliché, and we found just the place to buy the merchandise we need to do it. Surely, you can do better than Live the Cliché by Domaine Cliché.

01/12 - Tarzan of the Hoh Rainforest

A few years back, we greatly enjoyed Disney's animated version of Tarzan. We particularly enjoyed their rendition of the jungle, with all the great trees, laden with vines. They seemed just like the trees at the Hoh rainforest, one of our favorite hikes. We would often walk up the river to Five Mile Island remarking that the trees looked like something out of the Tarzan movie.

Well, we were recently speaking with a friend of ours who does guide work in the area, and he explained the similarity. Some years back, Disney sent an artistic team up to the Hoh rainforest, and our friend gave them a guided tour, starting at the visitor center, and heading upriver to Five Mile Island. Surprise, surprise.

01/08 - The View From Storm King

Every so often we steel ourselves and drive out to the Barnes Creek area of Lake Crescent and climb Storm King. Storm King is one of the taller mountains on the south side of the lake, and it often creates its own rainshadow. Actually, we don't climb all the way to the top of Storm King. You need technical equipment, and a lot more oomph than we have, to do that. We climb about 1500 feet to the lookout to get a view of Lake Crescent and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. That's Pyramid Peak across the lake in the picture to the left.

On a damp day like this, the trail has good traction. Usually, it is rather dusty, so it is easy to go skidding down in a wave of dust and gravel. Barnes Creek was full of water, and if we had had the strength we would have gone over and checked out Marymere Falls. We did take a short video of Barnes Creek, which might be fun to watch if you like to watch running water.

01/07 - Reviews of Lampreia and Joy's Wine Bistro

Here are two new Kaleberg reviews. Lampreia is an elegant restaurant in Seattle's Belltown, and quite a dining experience. Joy's Wine Bistro is a less formal newcomer in Port Angeles, and shows a lot of promise these early days.

Lampreia is an elegant restaurant in Belltown. It is a foodies paradise. We dined on truffles, white and black, foie gras and langouste. We also checked out the wonders of cooking sous vide, a recently popular slow cooking method for concentrating flavors and optimizing textures. Our Review

Joy's Wine Bistro is an informal newcomer on glamorous Front Street. It is a beautiful place with an excellent wine list, and a number of great dishes. Not everything was perfect, but the spirit is right. We'll be back to try more of the menu, and to see how they develop. Our Review

01/07 - Even Higher Water At Morse Creek

Just for comparison, compare the photo to the right with the one below it. The water at Morse Creek is getting even higher. It is now washing over our benchmark branch. This is about as high as we've seen Morse Creek, and it looks great for fans of brown water rafting.

01/06 - Lots Of Water In Morse Creek

Winter is the season that we hope to build up our snowpack for the drier times of the year. There has been a fair bit of snow up in the Olympic Mountains, but the recent warmer weather has meant a fair bit of melting, and a fair bit of water coming down Morse Creek.

We always use the crooked branch as our benchmark. Usually, the whole branch is high and dry, a foot or two above the water. As you can see in the picture to the right, the water is up to the branch. That's a good flow, and a good preview of spring.

We just want our winter snowpack to build up first.