Oliver Hansen » Recreation

Alta Crystal Resort and Mt. Rainier 2011

Oliver — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:37:11 +0000

Juliah and I managed to get away for a couple days this fall. We seem to always wait until the weather is not so great but even though it was cold it was still bright and sunny. We stayed at the Alta Crystal Resort in the Honeymoon cabin. It was really a nice place and what sealed the deal for us was the hot tub and pool which are open year-round. We used the hot tub both nights and it is a wonderful feeling to sit outside in a warm hot tub when it is 30 or 40 degrees outside. Back at the cabin was a nice and warm gas fireplace and a cozy bed. Our main hike was on the Naches Peak Loop which partly runs on the Pacific Crest Trail. It does have a spectacular view although we found the signs lacking and were unsure we were in the right place for a while until we came around the corner and saw the mountain. Another spot we visited was the Grove of The Patriarchs which has some very old trees. It’s a very calm and interesting place.

Well, continue reading for photos…

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Snoqualmie Falls and Lake Sammamish 2011

Oliver — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:34:02 +0000

My buddy Patric has always mentioned Snoqualmie Falls as a good place to visit so Juliah and I went out there to check it out. It’s not too far away and it was a nice drive. After that we took the long way home and ended up at Lake Sammamish. We threw around the Frisbee for a while and enjoyed some snacks before finally heading home. Photos next…

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Rattlesnake Lake 2011

Oliver — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:09:23 +0000

Been here a couple times but Juliah and I went out this 4th of July. It was a nice day and a good hike. It always feels like it will be impossible to make it to the top but you finally do. It’s still interesting to look out on the view although Juliah was making me nervous by how close to the edge she liked to be. I don’t think I could take my kids up here without a leash! The drop offs are sudden. One time when I was up there with the snow, a man was asking everyone on the trail if they had seen his dog. It was almost dark and he was heading up again to see if he could find him. Unfortunately the dog probably ran off and fell somewhere as the snow covered the edges by sitting on tree branches.

On to the photos….

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Alta Lake Camping 2011

Oliver — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:48:46 +0000

Finally our camping weekend of 2011 arrived. The weather was much nicer than last year when we waited until September. That was collld. This year we went to Alta Lake in Eastern Washington and my mom came along. I had been there when I was about 14 or 15 years old and I met some friends there which made it fun. Some of them ran off with my entire CD collection though so that was very disappointing. Anyhow the disappointing thing this year is that their online reservation and map system was very misleading. There were about 5 sites right on the lake that I had to choose from when I made the reservation about 4 months prior. I chose the one that had the most space between either other site to the right and left of it (when looking at the lake). On arrival we found that all the other sites to the right and left had direct access to the lake but the one we had was back up the hill from them so they were between us and the lake. We were not on the lake as the map had shown. Of course they were already taken so we had no choice after the 5 hour drive but to just set up camp.

We did end up having a good time. Even went down to Lake Chelan on one day and Juliah and I took out a jet ski for a couple hours. It was both our first time on a jet ski and we loved it! Didn’t get any photos unfortunately but we will remember it. These photos are just of us around the campsite and a few of Diablo Lake on our way back across the pass.

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Vacation In Jamaica 2009

Oliver — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:44:40 +0000

My trip this time was basically separated into a few sections. I’ll describe each briefly and then let the photos do most of the work. If you have any questions, ask in the comments or when you see me!

Clarendon At Racene’s Grandma’s House
The drive was really not far from Kingston in distance as it only took us a little over an hour to reach Racene’s grandmother’s house but it is a very different lifestyle in the country. The experience was interesting to me because there donkeys being used to haul water and equipment around and up hills and no indoor plumbing. I never had to use it but there was an outhouse around the back and for bathing one would just use a bucket of water and soap up in a private area outside. I was supposed to help feed the pigs but in reality I just watched Uncle Bill clean the pens and feed them. I also didn’t assist grandma with butchering and cleaning the chickens but just watched. I think it’s a much better method to hang the chicken on a string before beheading it rather than just chopping the neck on a block of wood as I am accustomed to. Racene’s younger cousins were also very cute hanging around the place. Another interesting thing is the water catchment tank that Grandma and Uncle Bill (grandpa) maintain for the community. I’d never seen a large one like this up close. It seems rather simple but is massive in size.

Negril Reunion
I expected more people to show up but there were only 4 of us. This was 5 years since Peace Corps Jamaica Group 75 came to the island to start our service. Amazing to think it has been that long but it has. We enjoyed ourselves by mostly sticking to the beach and Red Stripes. This is where I started the work on my tan for the trip.

Portland Trip
I went on a trip to Negril with my friend Nadia the last time I was in Jamaica. This time we opted for a little quieter place that was away from the main tourist attractions. We ended up staying at the Jamaica Palace Hotel which is on a very nice property. The only downside was the need to eat at the hotel every evening because there was really nothing else within walking distance. The food was okay but nothing really special and the prices were quite high. All staff were very pleasant it was cozy with a pool in the shape of Jamaica as well as artwork adorning almost every wall. In the lobby there were some very nice sculptures and paintings. There are more photos on Nadia’s camera which I hope to get access to soon. On this trip we also went rafting down the Rio Grande river and climbed Reach Falls which is a nice alternative to Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios.

Friends
I got to see many other friends for much shorter periods of time. A few of those photos are in there. I wish I had more time for everyone but alas that was not the case. I still didn’t make it to see some people I wanted to see even with the three week time period.

Gaynstead
I worked at Gaynstead High School helping out in computer class and with the computer club. They were able to get new computers and a second computer lab installed at the school since I was there. It’s a nice setup and the students will hopefully be grateful. In some places that were not wired for computers like the staff room, the school is using the network cables that the students from the computer club made while I was there. It’s nice to see some things still getting use. Clifton is the one who showed me around the school this time. I also saw Racene there again as she was one of the students in the computer club. Unfortunately I did not get to see any of the others from the club that day.

Dunns River Falls
Mark is an IT teacher I worked with at Drews Avenue and he took me Cody and Jordan up to Dunns River Falls. I have been there a few times but it is still nice and challenging to climb the falls. Oh yea, this was also the first time I’ve opened my eyes in salt water. It was down at the ocean where the river empties.

Around The Howell’s House
I stayed with the principal of the first school I worked with in Jamaica (Drews Avenue Primary & Infant School) although he is at a different school now. Mr. Howell and his wife are always very hospitable when I come down and as more evidence of that I always meet new family members staying at the house. This time it was Steve, Cody, Cody’s son mother and brother, and Ace who were there for most of my stay. Others popped in and out. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and hope to see them again when I am back. I’m sure the young ones will be much bigger the next time I see them.

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Move Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance Menu To Left Side

Oliver — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:20:18 +0000

Finally!!!!! I found the method to move the in-game menu to the left and back to the bottom of the screen in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance. I had done this accidentally and had no idea how it happened. I searched and searched online and didn’t find anything so I just had to make due for a few months til I finally decided to search again today. I found an obscure reference to it on this page talking about the game in general. I couldn’t even find how to do this in the manual.

How to do it: While in the game, press Alt + Up Arrow to switch the menu between the bottom of the screen (default) and left of the screen.

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Freestyle Walking – Check it out!

Oliver — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:14:52 +0000

Ok, so some of you may have seen this stuff before but it’s pretty cool! I’m used to seeing stunts on a bike or skateboard but only with the human body? Impressive.

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2008 Family Camping Trip At Deception Pass

Oliver — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:43:54 +0000

Family Camping Trip ’08!!!! Well, I was pretty excited about this one because I haven’t been able to go regularly since my last job required me to work a lot through the summer especially. Now that I have a regular 9-to-5 job I have my weekends free. So I was stoked about going and seeing a lot of relatives that I hadn’t seen in a while. Unfortunately a couple of the regulars didn’t show up this year but we still had a good time. Having only 3 males there including myself meant I brought way too much beer so I took that back home. I did get to see my cousin Tessa’s “new” baby again who is toddling around now almost walking on her own. The baby’s cousin was there as well and it really is nice to have some children around again; even if they wake up crying in the middle of the night from time to time. haha.

Got a couple walks in, a float around the lake in a kayak, and one of the things I enjoy the most which is sleeping outside in the nice fresh air. I have to thank my mom for letting me use her nice kayak since my aunt’s has a weight limit that I am just a wee bit over. And thanks to Lael for setting it up this year.

There were a few complaints about the state of the group camp site at Deception Pass State Park which could have been better but I won’t elaborate on those here. Seeing the people was the best part for me so without further adieu I will share some of the photos:

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Sundance Tickets Are Worthless

Oliver — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:05:03 +0000

If you are not in your seat 30 minutes prior to the start of the movie. Nevermind the fact that the tickets are paid for in advance. Hmmm, maybe they’re not up on the definition of a ticket:

a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something[...]

Well…

We had tickets
We were there before the movie began

We were told our seats had been sold to persons at the door 15 minutes prior to the movie showtime

When asking if we could exchange the tickets for another film that was beginning shortly (but not within 15minutes) we were told we could only stand in line and purchase a ticket with everyone else. Basically, the ticket which should entitle us to something entitled us to nothing but a belittling attendant at the front door. Hey, I guess they do get it — that is something.

Ticket Front:
(where I would expect all pertinent information)

Ticket Back:
(where I would expect advertising and legal small print)

If you look closely at the back you can see it mentions that the ticket in-fact entitles you to nothing. Basically they want to sell more tickets than they have seats so they make more money. What was the theme of Sundance again?

the goal of the festival was to showcase what the potential of independent film could be.

Ahhh, now I see it. The independent films are always made by money-grubbing bastards, aren’t they?

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Vacation In Jamaica

Oliver — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:53:13 +0000

I spent almost two weeks in Jamaica the end of August and beginning of September. Originally I had planned to spend three weeks there but as anyone who has used frequent flier miles knows, the flight dates are very limited. I spent most of my time in Kingston visiting a few friends and helping out in the computer lab at Kingston High School which I will write about separately as it was an involved project. I did get to spend a couple days in Negril at the beach but because of the elections I didn’t have as much time there as I had planned. I did get a couple nice photos though.

As you can see, not all of Jamaica was ravaged by Hurricane Dean.