Tag Archives: Wanderjunkie

Camp Muir Birthday Hike, July 2022

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It’s becoming a tradition on my birthday to hike up Camp Muir on Mount Rainier if I am not flying somewhere to celebrate.

Camp Muir, 10,100 Feet Elevation
Ione and Jim Darmiento
Chloe Wei Memorized By The Scenery
Freeman On The Slide
Tao Song & Chloe Wei At Camp Muir
Local Marmot
Resting At Camp Muir
Rick Freeman & Chloe Wei At Camp Muir

Mexico Trip, April 2022

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Did a boys only trip to Puerto Vallarta and the small fishing village of Yelapa.

Jimmy Loving Life On Our Personal Beach In Yelapa.
Jimmy Enjoying A Nap
Yelapa Sunset…Coming Back From Fishing
Puerto Vallarta Sunset On Our First Night
Yelapa Evening
We Had The Famous Mango Margarita
Fresh Ceviche On The Boat
Our Perfect Weather
The Boys On Our Deck Over Looking The Bay

Canada Fishing Trip, August 2021

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I was lucky to be asked to come along on a 5 day fishing trip up in Ontario, Canada at Press Lake.

Press Lake Camp www.presslake.on.ca is the only resort on this pristine lake of 73 miles round. It’s filled with tasty Walleye, aggressive Northern Pikes and good size Smallmouths. You will have the lake to yourself most of the time, you hardly see other fishing boats. The resort is owned by a super nice guy (Ryan Nicholas) that will make sure you know where the fish are and how to fish for them.

Most of the days we caught our limit of Walleye and threw back a bunch of Northern Pike.

Noticed the death grip on my Northern Pike! This fishing trip was the first time I have fished for Northerns.
Old Men And The Sea
Rick Freeman and Eric Robinson with a day limit of Walleye
Beautiful Press Lake
Longtime friends John Kaestle and Eric Robinson taking a break
Rick Freeman and John Kaestle with a day limit of Walleye
Our first day catch of Walleye. Eric Robinson was the executive chef for our cabin and he cooked up a hearty breakfast and a delicious dinner each day.
Sunrise at Press Lake looking from our cozy cabin.

Eagle looking for a floating fish

Enchantment Thru-Hike, Washington, August 2019

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After our fourth time, Linna and I agreed that this will be the last time we hike this grueling twenty mile thru hike in the beautiful Enchantments in one day. Like most one day thru-hikers we started at Colchuck trailhead and descended down to Snows Lake trailhead. This is truly a brutal trek with 4,500 feet gain and 6,500 feet descent on not so easy terrain. Our group of 9 friends started around 7:00 a.m. and made it back to the vehicles around 10:00 p.m.. I packed a cooler in the morning, so we had cold beers waiting for us.

Just one of many crossings on top of the core of the enchantments.
On top of Asgard Pass look back at the beautiful Colchuck Lake.
Linna Freeman resting after hiking up the brutal Asgard Pass. Dragontail Peak is keeping her company.
The Enchantments are filled with Goats. Some of the goats were still shedding their coats.
Matt Kerby, our designated professional photographer. The photos are Matt’s handy work.
Happy and Tired Freeman. I was taking a break as I was heading up the very steep Asgard Pass. From the Colchuck Lake you ascend 2,000 feet in only 3/4 of a mile to reach the pass….or the gateway to the beautiful Enchantments.
The girls at Colchuck Lake
Leprechaun Lake
Linna Freeman leading the way through the core of the Enchantments.

Georgia & Armenia Trip, July 2019

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For my 59th birthday, my wife Linna worked with local Georgian guide Davit Berishvili to provide a well-balanced 10 day journey that included hiking, site-seeing, food/wine tasting and culture gathering. We invited our good friend Michael Curry to join us on this truly once in a life-time vacation packed excursion.

This will be our first vacation/journey that we hired a professional guide for the duration of a trip and looking back at it now, I am so pleased that Linna organized it that way.  There would have been a language barrier at many of the locations and restaurants we visited. Also, there is a unique way of driving in Georgia, similar to China….there are no set of road lines or rules.  People will pass with on-coming traffic and at the same time deal with local cattle wandering on the road. But, we were so fortunate to have the best tour guide in Georgia…Gaga Chechelashvili.  Not only was he a safe aggressive driver, but also a fun tour guide and a true gentleman. Gaga picked us up at the Tbilisi airport in his 4×4 right hand drive Mitsubishi Pajero. Not sure, but maybe 1 in 10 cars were right hand drive purchased from Japan because of their excellent condition and reliability.

Beautiful village of Mestia, Georgia. The Svan tower homes were family living quarters and offered protection to their owners and to their livestock. Usually 4 to 5 floors with the first floor lacking of doors or windows.
Rick Freeman & Mike Curry hiking from Mestia to a tiny village of Tsvirmi.
Having beers with Gaga Chechelashvili and Mike Curry at the farm house in Tsvirmi.
Village
We toured Baia’s Winery. Once the grapes are harvested, everything (seeds, stems, skins & juice) is tossed into a Qvevri which a very large clay pot buried in the ground. This method of wine making in Georgia has been recorded by archaeologists back to 6000 BC.
Clay pots are buried at Baia’s Winery.
I purchased a bottle of Tsitska Tsolikouri at Baia’s Winery…this is a dry white wine. I am with the wine maker Gvanca Abuladze.
Mike Curry, Rick Freeman and Linna Freeman in front of Shkhara Glacier. We hiked from the village of Ushguli.
The Bridge of Peach that is 490 feet long that connects the old Tbilisi with the new district.
Villige
Many of the farm/guest houses that we stayed in had wood fired stoves for cooking and keeping warm.

Japan Trip, March 2019

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I think March is a wonderful month to visit Japan….perfect temperature for a big boy like myself. I flew to Narita and then onto Osaka where my good friend Moto Tanaka was waiting for me.

My good friend Moto Tanaka found a great Japanese restaurant in Osaka, Japan.
Delicious Kobe beef, it melted like butter in your mouth.
It only takes a minute of cooking over 100% natural charcoal.
My good friends Tetsuya Tokumaru and Miya Moto in Osaka, Japan. I have known Tetsuya for over ten years now.
“Somehow” I lost my Canali suit jacket at the Narita airport after I walked off the plane. But Moto Tanaka and Hilton worked together and located it. I was able to pick it up on my way out from Narita Airport in Japan. This is not the first time I have left a suit jacket at the Narita airport.
My good friend Tom has his own whiskey bottle at his favorite restaurant.

Nashville Trip, February 2019

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Nashville is a great city for music, restaurants and bar hopping, it has that feel of Biehl Street but a bit cleaner and safer. Not only is Nashville the Capital of Tennessee, but home to Country Music Hall of Fame, Johnny Cash Museum, Grand Ole Opry House and the historic Ryman Auditorium. We also celebrated Linna’s 47th birthday in Nashville and attending a Fleetwood Mac concert.

Linna and I did a bourbon tour at Belle Meade in Nashville…we had a great experience.
A large Still at the Belle Meade distillery in Nashville.

We bought 6 bottles of select Belle Meade Bourbon to bring back to our highly whiskey taxed state of Washington. State of Washington has the highest state taxes on whiskey in United States. For each proof gallon is subject to a whopping $35.22 tax. Which means 50% of my whiskey cost in Washington is going to state and federal taxes. Tennessee state taxes is $4.46 for each proof gallon…thus the case of whiskey!
Visited the Space Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. Linna standing below Saturn V space rocket.
Space condom! This could be handy on long road trips. Or when you are overnight camping in a tent on a cold night.
Space Shuttle and Linna Freeman looking on.