Fall Bucket List

I'll admit I look forward to the change of every season, but this year I'm especially excited for fall. After this long, hot summer with no rain (unheard of here in the Pacific Northwest!) I am so, so ready for rainy days and pumpkin everything. I can't wait to get my boots out and my scarf on, for festive decorating and homemade Halloween costumes.

I made a list (surprise!) of my favorite things to do during this time of year and I can't wait to start checking them off!  What would you add to your Fall Bucket List?

Nut-Free Cacao Granola

I am allergic to nuts. 

It sucks.

Being vegan was really hard because it seems a lot of people (especially restaurants) associate nuts as the protein alternative to soy. So unless something was soy based, it was often nut based (veggie burgers held together with almonds, cashew cheeses, etc.) Once, I ate a gluten free vegan cookie just to find out, as I was chewing, that the gluten free flour was made up of ground almonds and walnuts. Oops. 

Something I have always had trouble finding was a nut-free granola. When we lived in Olympia, I did find a delicious local granola by Blue Heron Bakery that was not only nut-free and vegan, but didn't have any added sugar. 

A few months ago, I started experimenting with making my own granola. It's taken a few tries to get it right (chia seeds go a long way, that's all I'm saying), but what follows is pretty darn good. The secret? Coarsely ground cacao nibs, which gives it that slightly raw chocolate taste. I seriously can't even justify buying granola anymore. 

Nut-Free Cacao Granola

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

2 tbsp cacao nibs, coarsely ground

2-3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 275. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir. Stir in your honey or choice of syrup, making sure everything is coated. Sprinkle on brown sugar for added sweetness, if you prefer. 

Spread in an even layer on the cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Every oven is different, so taking a peak after 30 minutes probably wouldn't hurt. 

Once the granola is baked and slightly crunchy, let it completely cool on the counter before scooping it off the parchment paper. You can play around with the ingredients, adding dried fruit or coconut flakes, or, if you insist, nuts, but I think the sunflower seeds give this granola a crunchy, deliciously nut-free consistency. 

Summer 2015

This summer has been a strange one.
We quit our jobs, packed up our belongings in June and moved to a new state. Without jobs, not knowing anyone, we've decided to make a fresh start. There were so many things I wanted to do (lots more hiking! Camping!) that we haven't done, but I shouldn't be so hard on myself. We moved out of our comfort zone and started all over. That's something huge in itself.

As always, I'm a list maker. This is how we spent our summer:

1. Two campfires with friends
2. Took my mom and sister to Bordeaux and the Mima Mounds one last time
3. MOVED TO OREGON/unpacked/set up our new place
4. Held a successful yard sale
5. Went to the Oregon Coast
6. Went swimming at a swimming hole
7. Broke in our bbq grill
8. Celebrated our one-year anniversary!
9. Celebrated Kevin's 30th birthday
10. Walked everywhere
11. Read under a tree
12. Played on the swings at the park
13. Got chased by geese
14. Discovered an awesome $2 theater
15. Hiked Skinner's Butte
16. Experienced the Oregon Country Fair
17. Went to the Eugene Saturday market
18. Saw Kimya Dawson in concert for the 3rd time
19. Hiked Spencer's Butte
20. Dyed my hair with henna (using Mountain Rose Herbs Henna)
21. Lit fireworks in the street
22. Went to a concert in Portland
23. Went to an outdoor concert in Salem
24. Watched the live streaming of the Grateful Dead "Fare thee Well" tour
25. Flew a kite
26. Dipped my feet in the river
27. Started new jobs
28. Hiked to all ten waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park
29. Played bocce ball in the park
30. Picked blackberries

My sister visiting Olympia

Goodbye Washington, hello Oregon!

Backyard campfire

Red henna

Wildwood Falls swimming hole

The Oregon Country Fair

Spencer's Butte

Silver Falls State Park

Silver Falls State Park

This past weekend, I met up with my friends, Julia and Britney from Portland, just east of Salem at Silver Falls State Park. 

We had been planning this for weeks, and when we learned the night before it was due to rain for the first time all summer -- not just a drizzle, but a 90% chance of downpour -- we didn’t hesitate. Hiking in the pouring rain would be a very welcome experience, as we’d been pretty much sun-dried from our atypically hot and dry Pacific Northwest summer. We packed our jackets and went for it. 

I met up with them around noon, having taken the scenic route along the back roads past Albany, through tiny little towns like Jefferson and Sublimity, and enjoying the winding country roads. At one point, I almost hit a wild turkey, and I even saw a coyote.

We ate our picnic lunch and caught up, as it had been a while since we'd seen each other, before hitting the trail. Almost immediately we saw a doe with her fawn, just off into the trees. It was going to be a good day.  

During most of the 7.2 mile hike around the ten waterfalls of Silver Falls there was only a light, sprinkling rain, so the trails weren't at all muddy, but based on the flow of the waterfalls, it was obvious that Oregon had, in fact, seen a drought this year. It was still a beautiful site, though. 

 The trail led behind some of the falls, allowing for a unique perspective.

We had started at the South Falls and made our way along the canyon trail (see link for official state park map) and over to the Upper North Falls. As we soaked our feet in the pool of Upper North Falls and snacked on homemade trail mix, the rain began. It was finally time to put on our jackets and begin the journey back to the other side of the park -- at least two miles, if not more. Based on the map, I can't quite tell how far we hiked in the pouring rain. The trail was finally muddy, we were soaked, and we couldn't be more excited about it. I'm sure the doe and fawn were nowhere near us at this point, since we were screaming and squealing with enthusiasm the entire trip back to South Falls. There's nothing like a long-awaited rain during a good hike. 

Silver Falls State Park

Trail length: 7.2 miles

Number of waterfalls: 10

Tallest waterfall: 178 feet

Overall elevation change:  800 feet

Day use parking fee: $5

References: 

Oregon State Parks

Oregon Geology