ScenicBoys

Dusty's Central Oregon Road Trip

Geology and fossils have recently sparked and interest in me, so for my birthday weekend I choose a road trip through central Oregon to the John Day Fossil Beds National Park. I knew it would be a long drive so we also invited our buddy KevyKev to keep things exciting.

ScenicBoys: Central Oregon Road Tip from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Friday night after work, the three of us drove 225 miles to an off the highway State Park. Not our kind of camping, but showing up after dark and leaving just after sunrise made the stay easier. Saturday we continued to the Painted Hills unit of the Park where we explored, discovered and took pictures.

The Hills are 33 million year old volcanic and floodplain deposits of ash, dried mud, and silt. Some have been excavated by the Park where they found fossils of saber-toothed kitties, horned turtles, fanged deer mice, among other odd Eocene creatures.

The second half of the journey was to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness were we had an awesome hike picked out that would take us up to a forest lake. We set up camp next to the trail head and enjoyed a night of stories and a salmon dinner. But the next morning brought rain and thick coulds that didn't look like they were going anywhere. So as a group we decided to skip the hike and continue on the road trip. 

The High Desert Museum in Bend Oregon combines a zoo and a historical center, two activities where I could spend hours. We spent our time admiring the animals of the desert and the exhibit of Native American tribes of the area, and met an awesome Lynx named Snowshoe and his buddy Ochoco the Bobcat.

The rain really set in as we found our final camp spot. We found some back country roads on the rim of a large canyon where we eventually decided to ride out the storm. After we got the tent set up we were thoroughly soaked, so we spent the night in our undies, playing Uno and drinking rum out of the bottle. It turned out to be a fun night.

Thanks to KevyKev for joining us on this adventure. It's always nice to have another buddy to travel with. We hope to have him along on more trips this summer.

Gemini Camping Adventure

Hey Adventure People!!!  Sorry we've been missing for a while; we've been taking FULL advantage of the ridiculously nice weather lately.  With non-stop camping trips every weekend and a number of other new projects in the works, there's hardly a spare moment to work on posts!  But here's another installment of our friends and their craziness - the result of letting 6 Geminis plan a camping adventure.

ScenicBoys: Gemini Adventure, White River Falls from scenicboys on Vimeo.

So many of our friends are Geminis (including Dusty) we thought it would only be fair to give them their own birthday camping trip.  One of the few places we've gone back to year-after-year, White River Falls was the perfect destination for this group.  We had a nice large fire pit and two large tents a short distance away.  The river was raging with all the Spring run-off and the weather was beautiful (well... except for the nasty microburst that hit just as we were packing up).

On Saturday we took off on the Mount David trail which starts at the falls.  With such a large group we got separated a few times, but everyone eventually made it to a scenic spot on the trail to rest and recoup.  We probably only made it half-way up the mountain, but it gave everyone a taste for trail blazing and convinced a few to buy backpacking gear of their own.  What a great birthday gift idea!

I'm impressed with how quickly our friends have warmed up to the idea of taking ScenicBoy shots.  We're lucky to have such a good looking group of buddies.  Your encouragement keeps them coming back for more. :)

Getting a bunch of crazy/cool Geminis together always leads to trouble.  The best kind, of course.  We had such a great time on this trip.  

We'll keep posting as often as we can.  Don't worry if we don't post as often as we should.  It just means we're out enjoying every minute of this incredible Summer season.  We're booked solid through the next few months.  I can't wait to show you what adventures come next!!!  

Vantage: Gay Spring Break 2009

For the past 10 years a group of adventurous gay boys have traveled from far and wide to celebrate the arrival of Washington's summer season.  And what are the three things you need for a summer party? Sun, Sand and Skimpy!

This year was by far the biggest this event has ever been. The picture only shows about 50 of us, but there was at least double that during the course of the weekend. Friends came from all over the nation and as for away as London to experience the craziness that Vantage promises.

Wednesday night at midnight, Garet and I picked up our friends Goose and Kyle from the airport.  With the rental already packed up, we headed straight to eastern Washington. We arrived just before dawn and set up camp as the coyotes sang to the rising sun.

Thursday night there was a small group of us sitting around the camp fire. By Friday the head count was 67, with more people expected. Garet spent weeks building a very large tent that was used for shade during the day and at night we turned it into a movie theater. Camping with a movie projector? Oh yes!  That's Vantage for ya!

Saturday we played beach volleyball, cooled off in the river and chatted with new friends we'd made from the night before. When evening arrived the Drag Queens came out and the cloths started coming off. Five Queens performed and handed out Tequila shots while the biggest gaggle of gay campers partied on all night long.

Vantage isn't necessarily the type of camping experience The ScenicBoys like to do. But once a year, a wild party with a bunch of friends is pretty awesome. We met a handful of fun guys who are interested in going on a more traditional camp trip with us. So hopefully this summer you'll see even more additions to the ScenicBoy world.

ScenicBoys: Vantage, Gay Spring Break 2009 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Palouse Falls / Umatilla National Forest

ScenicBoys: Umatilla National Forest / Palouse Falls from scenicboys on Vimeo.

This time of year is perfect for hiking in the desert. The song birds are back, the sun doesn’t get so hot and everything is green. This time of year can also be challenging in the fact that there are still patches of snow. Sometimes enough to present an unexpected choice.

Last year at this time we were driving up a forest road and came face-to-face with a snow patch that looked easy to overcome - but it wasn’t, and we got our vehicle stuck in the middle of the road. This year when the same situation presented itself, we knew better and just parked the car and hiked.

The mountain top we were on was 40% snow and 60% dry with beautiful wild flowers. Which made for some fun gallivanting through the meadows.

This season we have been learning about the Ice Age floods in Washington, and exploring the sites where all that water cut through the earth. We’ve already seen some pretty spectacular formations, and this weekend we got to see another: Palouse Falls.  This majestic falls is a 377ft drop in the Palouse River which then winds through the layered basalt canyons it cut over 10,000 years ago.

Next weekend is the 10th annual Big Gay Memorial Day Camp Trip to Vantage, in central Washington. It’s always a crazy gathering and this year we’re expecting well over 50 people.

Another Bonus Video

Our buddy Matt is an amazing film maker. His videos are so visually enticing and musically captivating that you can't help but get lost in them.

He joined us last year at Federation Forest and at Bumping Lake - then produced videos that told more of a fantasy/surreal story of our trips. We were lucky enough to have Matt join us on the Beltane trip last week, and again he made a wonderfully moving video. But this time it's deeper, bigger, and more in tune to the world we live in.

I recommend watching the video, and when you recover, watch it again. It is a very inspiring piece of art and I hope it's shared the world over.

GAY = SIN from Matthew Brown on Vimeo.

Michael's Video: Boys and Their Fire

Michael also made a video of the Beltane Camping Trip.  Same story, but this time from his perspective.  What impresses me most is that he filmed the whole thing with his little point-and-shoot camera.  Great work, Michael!

Beltane Video Works Now!!!

Hi All,

I'm SO SORRY for setting the last Video to PRIVATE.  I typed up that post, added all the pictures AND uploaded the video in record time on Friday.  I only had ~20 minutes to get everything up before jumping in the car and taking off on our next Adventure, and I forgot to change the privacy setting on the video.  So don't worry!  We haven't been restricted by the Cyber Moderators, nor have you lost to ability to view all of our content.  :) 

On the bright side, we received a dozen or more emails from fine folks we've never heard from before.  Thanks to one-and-all for your incredibly sweet and heartfelt emails.  Dusty and I do this for fun - it's our hobby.  But we've gotten to know so many of you who connect with our pictures, stories and videos (either vicariously or nostalgically).  To any other regular visitor of our site: please feel free to shoot us a quick email and tell us a little about yourself!

Love
Garet & Dusty

Beltane!

Welcome back!  I hope you're sitting down - we've got QUITE a post in store for you. :)

ScenicBoys: Beltane from scenicboys on Vimeo.

This past weekend was my (Garet's) birthday!  The weekend also happens to coincide with the ancient holiday of Beltane.  What better or more fitting way to celebrate both events than out in the foothills of the North Cascades?

There were 9 of us in total plus Tonka (our kitty).  Tonka shares my birthday and it just didn't seem right to leave him home alone on his special day.  He was well-behaved and made for great entertainment.  Kitty likes camping. :)

We got a little bit of a late start Friday afternoon, which put us up near Wenatchee after dark.  The area I had intended to stay that first night wasn’t quite what we were expecting.  We ended up driving around for a couple extra hours until we finally found a clearing (under some lovely power lines) to set up camp for the night.

The following morning we slowly awoke and tried to figure out where we were.  Breakfast was sounding really good, and we could see East Wenatchee from our hill side.  To Shari’s we go!  Haha. 

Everyone was still a bit tired from the previous night’s debauchery so we made our way to our next camp site.  The weather report told us the Lake Chelan area would be sunny and 70 degrees, but in reality we found a thick cloud bank and light showers sweeping over the mountains.  It wouldn’t be Beltane without a good mountain rainstorm!

With the Beltane Fire lit, everyone gathered around for the fajita feast.  Afterward we tossed bundles of the sacred woods into the fire.  It’s tradition to jump over the fire as a way of curing ailments and ensuring fertility in the coming year.  We did it just for fun.

The following morning was sunny and much warmer.  Our friends Jesse, Michael, Brandon and John shed their clothes and let me take some pictures.  I got 3 birthday wishes – this was one of them! :)

 

 After a wonderful weekend of celebrations and new friendships, we parted ways and headed back to the city.  I'm so thankful to have such great friends and I look forward to many more Adventures with them. Thanks Guys!!! :)

This weekend we're heading to Palouse Falls, in the opposite corner of the state.  We should have another post up next week.  Stay tuned!

Steamboat Rock State Park

Last weekend the Northwest had a preview of summer with some unusually warm temperatures. So we invited some friends, packed our gear and headed through the farmlands of central Washington, to Steamboat Rock State Park. Michael and Micah (Park Ranger & Marine Biologist) joined us on this 4 hour drive to the fringe of the desert.

We arrived right at dusk, hiked a short distance and found a fantastic spot right next to the waters of Banks Lake. We sat around the camp fire with our beers and vegetable dinners, playing games and telling stories. The desert is always so amazing at night. There were SO MANY stars out and we easily found Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Orion and Capella (the part of the night sky I know best). The best part about watching the stars is that we heard the coyotes enjoying them too.

The next morning Micheal made a yummy pancake breakfast then the four of us started the hike to the top of Steamboat Rock. The initial hike up was a hand over foot scramble, but once we got up there it was pretty much level. The views were so spectacular that we couldn't resist capturing a ScenicBoy moment, and Michael was more than willing model. Good job Buddy!

While hiking, my eyes are usually on the lookout for natures treasures.  I have a small collection of rocks and feathers at home.  While we were hiking around, Micah found me a beautiful peach crystallized Agate.  Thanks Micah!

After a few hours on top of the basalt monolith, we drove back to Soap Lake for lunch (greasy food, mmmm) then explored the Lake Lenore Cave Dwellings. It wasn't hard to imagine cavemen living in these scattered rock dents along the side of the canyon walls. After that was yet another fascinating geologic point of interest, Dry Falls.

A remnant of the Ice Age Floods, this was once the world's largest waterfall. 500 million cubic miles of water (10 times the combined flows of all the world's rivers) gushed over these cliffs in just a couple weeks, sending cataclysmic floods through eastern Washington. This is how this entire area was so roughly shaped. Looking out at the 400 foot high wall - where torrents of water and ice carved the canyon - was a breathtaking sight.


ScenicBoys: Steamboat Rock State Park 09 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Next weekend is our Beltane camping adventure and also Garet's 28th birthday. We're so glad that the camping season is finally here!

La Push

First things first, a Big THANKS to all our friends and fans for casting your votes in Lonely Planet's Best Travel Blog Awards.  We didn't win (aww shucks) but we were truly honored just to be in running. Congrats to Two Guys Around The World, great site and stories, guys! 

At last the temperatures are starting to heat up around our neck of the woods!  

ScenicBoys Season 3 is under way!!

ScenicBoys: La Push 2009 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Friday after work we packed up the rental car and headed North for the Edmonds - Kingston Ferry.  We got a little later start than we had planned, and the spot we intended to camp at in Heart of the Hills was barricaded off.  We've run into this problem before, heading out so early in the season, but I thought for sure the foothills of the Olympics would be snow-free by early April.  Wrong!

It was well past dark by this point and we were both exhausted.  Heading back towards Port Angeles, I was half tempted to duck into a hotel for the night.  On second thought that just seemed like a terrible way to start our adventure.  So we continued West for another 20 minutes in search of an open campground.  Nothing was open and sleep was sounding better by the second.  I saw an unmarked dirt road and took a chance.  Luckily it worked and we soon found a nice clearing to park and set up the tent.

 

The night turned pretty cold, but having a warm body to snuggle against makes all the difference!  We awoke to a thick frost covering the tent.  When we stopped at Forks to pick up our back country permit, the Ranger told us last night almost broke the record low!  What is with our luck lately!? :)

We drove out to La Push and then backtracked to our trailhead.  The first 1.4 miles was an easy descent down to the Ocean.  We tried to hike along the beach as much as possible, but even at low tide there are a couple places you have to take the overland trail. They were steep and muddy!

About 3 miles into our hike we arrived at Scott's Bluff - the general area we intended to camp that night.  There were only a few places level enough for the tent on the beach, and the only inland campground was already occupied.  We hiked on another mile to Giant's Graveyard and found a great spot to set up camp.  

The tide was all the way out by this point and the adjacent pools were fun to explore.  I learned a very valuable lesson though: Kelp Crabs can indeed reach behind themselves and they have VERY strong pinchers!!!   

Our hike out the next morning was bit more of a challenge since the tide was high.  At one point we had to make our own trail around an impassable spot.  In a few other places we had to time the waves and make a mad dash before the next wave crashed to shore.  So Fun! :)

And that concludes our first Washington trip of the season.  Next weekend is looking very promising for another camping adventure.  Can't Wait!