A Quiet Day in the Wetlands

I didn't bring my camera, but today Ben and I hiked the Jackson-Frazier Wetland in Corvallis and it was amazing. We've had tons of rain and flooding lately, so we weren't sure we'd be able to get in. However, after the flooded entrance, the boardwalk itself was clear of water. The water level almost reached the top of the boards, and slopped up onto them under the weight of our feet. Red-winged blackbirds staked out the highest trees and called to each other across the wetlands, which were unnaturally quiet due to the floods. A lovely hike!

Off the Bagel

Sometimes looking at restaurant menus is a good source of inspiration for cooking at home. Tonight, I was thinking about Eugene, which made me dig up the menu for Off the Waffle, an amazing waffle restaurant. Somehow, I ended up making a bagel topped with a fried egg, spinach, avocado, paprika, and pepper:

It wasn't bad, but it was no Liège waffle. Luckily, I might soon be writing for a Eugene daily paper, which would enable waffle-related field trips.

In other news, here's a photo of Tiny Weasel eating food:

It kind of makes me think of the Alien movies for some reason. That's all for now.

No Photos, Only Words

It's December, and I'm re-emerging from a month of novel writing. As you may or may not know, November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, a world-wide event in which determined individuals of all ages strive to write 50,000 words in 30 days. This year, I wrote a zombie novel and it was a blast. For the past five years, I've written 50,000 words each November. That's two sci-fi novels, one sci-fi/detective novel, a fantasy novel, and a zombie novel. Outside of NaNoWriMo, I've only written one novel and a bunch of short stories.

People quibble over whether or not it's productive to write such a huge amount in one month, which amazes me. There's no doubt in my mind that it's useful to write vast quantities if you want to become a writer! The most effective way to learn how to do something is to do it, and the whole point of NaNoWriMo is to stop talking about how you're going to write a novel someday, and simply write one. This year I wrote more dialogue than I've ever written before in my life, and I learned a ton. I came out at the end of it realizing how to make characters sound real and unique, which has always for me been one of the hardest parts of writing.

If you want to be a novelist, try NaNoWriMo one year. At the end of it, you'll probably know whether or not you really want to be a novelist. And you'll have gained firm proof that you can produce a rough draft, because you'll have one in your hands. It might not be pure gold, but it's a step in the right direction.

Lobsters Galore

Although yesterday's goal was chanterelles, I think we found a total of three. None of them looked like the yellow chanterelle, so I was a little wary of them until I realized we had the Pacific golden chanterelle. Equally delicious, it's also Oregon's state mushroom! I meant to take a picture, but forgot until after they were sautéed in butter and eaten. They were growing in an area deprived of light, so their color was more pink than golden or yellow.
The true star of the show turned out to be piles upon piles of lobster mushrooms. We hiked barely a mile on a trail a little south of Cape Perpetua and just kept finding them -- one was even growing on the trail.
Here's a photo of us with our haul:

Tonight, I'm going to try making spaghetti alla carbonara con lobster mushroom, maybe with a bit of bacon added and a different type of pasta. If it turns out well, I'll post my modified recipe.

ADDENDUM: Although the taste of the lobster mushrooms was a little buried under the other ingredients, it turned out well. Here the recipe:


Spaghetti alla Carbonara con Lobster Mushroom

1 lb. pasta (we used whole wheat penne)
1/2 lb. lobster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 T butter
bacon, 3 slices
1 cup pecorino romano, grated
black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup green peas, thawed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Sauté the lobster mushrooms in the butter over medium heat for about six minutes. Add garlic and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Cook the bacon separately and keep the grease. Combine the pasta, green peas, bacon, bacon grease, mushrooms, and reserved liquid. Cook one minute, shaking the pan to combine the ingredients. Add the pecorino romano and more black pepper to taste, stirring to coat the pasta. Remove the pan from heat. Add the beaten eggs, whisking vigorously until thickened but not scrambled. Serve immediately.

Creatures of California

On Friday, I drove down to Redwood National Park in northern California for hiking/backpacking adventures with my friend Ken-ichi. It turned out to be a creature extravaganza! We found frogs, salamanders, and -- for some inexplicable reason -- piles upon piles of millipedes. The giant salamander that Ken-ichi found under a log at a botanical area was the highlight:

Other figures of note were tailed frogs, a foothill yellow-legged frog, and a black salamander (or was it a del norte salamander? Either way, it was black). A harbor seal frolicked in the breakers in front of us at Tolowa Dunes State Park, and when I stuck my head outside the tent on our first morning I found a herd of Roosevelt elk staring back at me.
Even after all of that -- plus finding piles of chanterelles and even porcini mushrooms -- finding a foot-long salamander tops the list! Here's a photo of Ken-ichi with his new friend:

Although Ken-ichi carefully removed all the pine needles from salamanders before taking their photos, this salamander neglected to mention that Ken-ichi had a pine needle stuck to his head. I find this somewhat ironic.

I will definitely find my way back to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, especially the Gold Bluffs Beach Campground, which is one of the finest places I've ever pitched my tent:

It's also halfway between Corvallis and San Francisco, which makes it a perfect place for a break when I drive down. I will be back!

Cake!

The McKenzie River Trail

Last week Ben and I did our first backpacking trip in Oregon: The McKenzie River Trail. I strapped a baguette to the outside of my pack and Ben brought a huge summer sausage and we hiked 26 miles from Clear Lake down over lava fields, past hot springs, all following the McKenzie River. The trail took us past two huge waterfalls, Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls, then the river disappeared for awhile, re-emerging at Tamolitch Pool, a stunning and strangely still aquamarine pool. We camped at a place where the river converged with a small stream, then the next day continued our hike, at first following raccoon tracks from a creature who had probably been interested in but unable to reach our bear hang during the night. In the afternoon, we hit Deer Creek Hot Springs, a small, steaming pool walled off by piles of rocks from the adjacent river. I really like the West Coast ability to stop during a hike and soak in natural hot springs! My feet felt much happier afterward. The rest of the hike took us through mossy forests and then ended with a rather anti-climactic late afternoon hike near the road, at which point both Ben and I realized that our bodies were extremely upset with us for hiking 26 miles since 1 p.m. the previous day.
Here's a photo from one of the highlights, Deer Creek Hot Springs. We were lucky we had it all to ourselves!

And here's a photo of me looking goofy with a baguette strapped to my pack (we'd already eaten part of it):

The lovely mossy part of the trail:

All in all, an amazing trip! The trailhead is less than two hours from Corvallis, so we will probably be hiking this again. I love Oregon!