TechyDad, Author at TechyDad

Hiking The Indian Ladder Trail

October 23, 2012 TechyDad Outside, Photos

Yesterday, I wrote about breaking free of your comfort zone. Today, I’d like to talk about our experience hiking the Indian Ladder Trail. First, we drove to Thatcher State Park. On our way there, we pointed the looming mountain to the kids and told them we’d be going there.

When we got there, we parked, got out, and marveled at the view.

JSL was a bit scared of going near the edge and, I’ll admit, so was I. My fear of falling was definitely triggered by looking down at the landscape below. There was a wall separating us from the edge, but it still made me nervous.

We walked along the wall and came to the start of a trail. For awhile, we hiked along a wooded area along the top of the mountain.

Then, we came upon some stairs leading down. JSL and B were hesitant due to the steps being very steep. NHL and I scouted ahead and verified that it looked fine for the kids to go across. Down came JSL and B and we were off for an adventure.

Our first stop was an area with a low ceiling. I warned NHL that he would need to stoop over, buy he was just short enough to make it without bending. JSL, being shorter, had plenty of head room. We were able to make it only by carefully bending over.

At many points during the hike, we needed to step to the side to let hikers pass us in the other direction. This also gave me a chance to take a photo of the top of the ridge.

Yes, we had been up there just minutes before . (Well, further back along the trail.) Taking this photo was a big risk for me. Looking up like this made me dizzy. And you do *NOT* want to be dizzy on a four foot wide trail along the mountain side!

Around this time, we also spotted the waterfalls. As we walked, the roar of the falls got louder and soon we were upon them. There was a great area behind the falls to take in the beauty of the scene. Also, it was a great opportunity to take a photo from behind the waterfall.

We walked on and came to the second waterfall. This one was a bit trickier to go behind. We had to cross a small stream (coming out of the mountain, not part of the main waterfall). I helped JSL across and to a safe spot and then went back to aid NHL and B.

We also stopped to see an underground river coming out of the mountain.

Finally, we reached the steps leading back up.

JSL and I noticed the moss covering these rocks so we felt it. It was quite soft.

Finally, we made our way back along the top of the ridge. This was nice since the boys had more room to stretch their legs and run. There were also places where the kids could stop for a second.

We also crossed two bridges which took us past the waterfalls we had passed under.

Finally, we returned to where we parked. Though there were some rough patches to traverse and though we were tired, we had thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We’ll definitely be returning as soon as possible.

Recipe For Creativity – Leave Your Comfort Zone

October 22, 2012 TechyDad Blogging, Writing

The daily grind can be draining when you need to be creative. When it feels like you’ve done the same thing over and over, day after day, it can be hard to come up with new ideas. The same-old-same-old can make it hard for new ideas to bubble to the surface. When this happens, it’s time to break the routine.

On Sunday, we went for a hike on the Indian Ladder Trail in Thatcher State Park. For those who don’t live near here, the trail winds around a mountain’s side. You climb up and down the trail. You pass under two waterfalls. You carefully tred over rocks, mud, running water, and branches. You are, at times, mere feet from a big drop-off.

In other words, *NOT* a normal day for me. Hiking this trail was very freeing. Walking along the ledge, your brain focuses on finding where your next step should be. Should you place your foot on rock on your right or left. Which is slicker or shaped right to give you the proper traction to move on? When I did stop worrying about footing, I was too busy appreciating the wonders around me.

After the hike was over, I felt tired, but energized. My feet ached and my knees kept threatening to give way, but my brain was going a mile a minute. Getting out of the same old routine had lit my mind on fire.

What do you do to leave your comfort zone and spark your creativity?

Aloha Friday: Bugged By Bugs

October 19, 2012 TechyDad Aloha Friday, Bug, Photography, Photos, Wildlife

When I was a kid, I remember being very afraid of bugs. If I was mowing the lawn and a dragonfly passed by me, I’d duck and run away. If a spider crawled down the walls, I’d have to leave the room. Don’t even ask me what I did if a bee flew my way.

At some point, though, I got over my fear of bugs. I think it mainly is due to my love of photography, specifically macro photography. Once I began looking at the world of small things through the lens of my camera, bugs went from scary creatures to avoid to fascinating subjects to photograph.

Years ago, B would roll her eyes and put up with me crouching over to take a very close photo of a weird bug. Today, though, I think I’ve (partially) converted her. When we saw a big, weird looking spider in our front yard, she didn’t even flinch as I asked for her camera. (We were on our way out and mine was locked in the house.) And so I took a photo.

Of course, half the fun is taking a photo. The other half, is zooming in on the photo to see the details. For example, just how hairy this spider is.

My, what hairy mandibles you have!

Now, if I could only identify what kind of spider this is.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you find bugs fascinating or creepy?

P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #161

Cooking With TechyDad: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Milkshakes

October 18, 2012 TechyDad Cooking, Peanut Butter, Photos, Recipe

Last year, I wrote about how I turned frozen bananas and dark chocolate peanut butter into a wonder ice cream. I’ve made it quite a few times since then. Anytime our bananas were looking too ripe, I’d peel them, break them into chunks, and toss them into the freezer. Recently, I realized I had a problem. We had too many bags of bananas in the freezer and not enough space to store a batch of ice cream. What to do?

I thought over the problem and wondered if I could make it into a smoothie instead. Only when I was done, I didn’t have a smoothie. I had a milkshake. What a wonderful surprise!

First, gather your ingredients. You’ll need frozen bananas, milk, and dark chocolate peanut butter. (I prefer Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter.)

Get your blender and toss in your bananas, milk, and dark chocolate peanut butter.

I put in one heaping spoonful of peanut butter for every 2 bananas, but didn’t measure the milk out. Use your judgment.

When the ingredients are in, close the lid and puree them until smooth.

Now just pour into a glass…

… and drink …

… until it is all gone.

This is so quick and easy that I think the kids will be begging for it often. I might mix this up and use regular peanut butter and add some strawberries (also sitting in the freezer) for a non-chocolaty version.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Lego Helicopter Construction

October 17, 2012 TechyDad Lego, NHL, Photos, Wordless Wednesday

NHL has become quite obsessed with Lego building. After I built a Lego Harry Potter set with him, he broke out some other Lego sets. This particular set was given to NHL by Uncle I a few years back. It had gotten put away and now was the perfect time for it. NHL, over the course of a week or so, he followed all of the steps and put together a Lego helicopter on his own. (I only helped with putting the stickers on.) I’m so proud of my Lego builder!

« 1 … 91 92 93 94 95 … 300 »