My other hobby

[alaskaflyer]

Hey, you Seattle Metro-ites, I was looking down at you from 14,410 feet at 10:15am Monday morning, and I wasn't in a plane.

Well, at least I would have been, if it wasn't for the white out conditions and 40 mph winds on the summit.

Back down at Emmons Flats the view of the Seattle lights at night was gorgeous. My apologies for not having time to visit anyone (esp. Tom) but it was a fly in, fly-out time window kind of thing.

Not exactly a flattering photo, but I was kinda tired and sucking some thin air, ducking the wind.

 

[Darrell111]

uh yea that looks like TONS of fun hahahahaha j/k

 

[alaskaflyer]

uh yea that looks like TONS of fun hahahahaha j/k

Lol, don't base anything on the photo, that grimace is actually an expression of pleasure

I've been climbing for years, and have decided that the physical pain involved is more than balanced out by the endorphin and emotional high experienced afterwards. Which is probably the only reason why I still do it. That, and the chicks

 

[Darrell111]

Lol, don't base anything on the photo, that grimace is actually an expression of pleasure

I've been climbing for years, and have decided that the physical pain involved is more than balanced out by the endorphin and emotional high experienced afterwards. Which is probably the only reason why I still do it. That, and the chicks

Well more power to you!! I love to back pack and i dont mind cold weather while doing it.. but i Personally just couldnt enjoy having that kind of wind whipping ice and snow at my face for days hah. Which is why i have much respect for your ability to do so

 

[Ghery]

Nice. The only way I see the top of that mountain is from an airliner passing by. Nothing I fly has gotten that high, and then we don't carry Oxygen, so it doesn't matter.

Too bad you didn't have more time to stop and say hi.

 

[ScottM]

Wow Richard having a little cold turkey are you? I mean really... it is July and you live in Alaska, you can't get enough snow so you have to climb up to the top of Mt. Ranier just to have cold weather and the white stuff!!??

Cool pics

 

[alaskaflyer]

Wow Richard having a little cold turkey are you? I mean really... it is July and you live in Alaska, you can't get enough snow so you have to climb up to the top of Mt. Ranier just to have cold weather and the white stuff!!??

Cool pics

Exactly. It was getting a little warm up here lol!

No, a buddy of mine (next to me in the photo) was looking for a partner for the climb; I had been unsuccessful in a previous summit attempt a few years ago due to even worse weather; I love that park; round trip tickets from ANC to SEA are relativley cheap; and I needed a few days away from work after a stressful couple of months, and so...

What do they call it when coincidences converge?

But really, I don't need any excuse at all to climb a peak

 

[woodstock]

looks... fun.... apart from the cold and snow. and the lack of mojitos and sun and sand and beach umbrellas in the photo. looks great!

 

[alaskaflyer]

Ha! I do that too, my Mexico time is in the early spring though.

<Subthinks: What's with mojitos anyway? Aren't they just mint julips with no class?>

 

[woodstock]

mint juleps are gross. I had one down in Savannah this past wkd, as I'd never had one before and LOVE Mojitos. ick ick ick. it was as if they added mint syrup to it. I took one sip and handed it back.

Mojitos on the other hand I can drink in about 5 minutes flat, ask for another, and 15 minutes later fall off the bar stool.

 

[ScottM]

mint juleps are gross. I had one down in Savannah this past wkd, as I'd never had one before and LOVE Mojitos. ick ick ick. it was as if they added mint syrup to it. I took one sip and handed it back.

Pretty much it, Whiskey, ice, mint leaf, and some sugar.

Mojitos on the other hand I can drink in about 5 minutes flat, ask for another, and 15 minutes later fall off the bar stool.

Make sure you wear a helmet when you drink then

 

[alaskaflyer]

mint juleps are gross. I had one down in Savannah this past wkd, as I'd never had one before and LOVE Mojitos. ick ick ick. it was as if they added mint syrup to it. I took one sip and handed it back.

Mojitos on the other hand I can drink in about 5 minutes flat, ask for another, and 15 minutes later fall off the bar stool.

Lightweight! Lol!

Did they serve it in a silver goblet? You must drink it in a silver goblet, otherwise...

 

[woodstock]

Pretty much it, Whiskey, ice, mint leaf, and some sugar.

Make sure you wear a helmet when you drink then

mmmmmmm, whatever they did - that wasn't it. I do think they used mint syrup which is FOUL I say. foul.

I love caipirinhas - ever had them? same concept only different fruits. mmmmmmmmmmmm

no helmet - I've just had to limit myself to two of them, no matter what. I might have to ask the bartender how many shots he uses - I suspect it's not a one-shot per drink deal b/c one shot shouldn't affect me like that.

 

[ScottM]

I can take a julep if I have to. It is the Chinese Mao-tai that is the worst drink ever!! One sip of that foul liquor and you can taste it for days after words. I hated all the dinners I would have to attend with Chinese dignitaries in China, all they wanted to do was drink that crap and then sing karaoke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maotai

 

[alaskaflyer]

mmmmmmm, whatever they did - that wasn't it. I do think they used mint syrup which is FOUL I say. foul.

That is a foul, and they deserve to be kicked out of the deep South for that transgression!

To clarify, Mint julip: Bourbon (NOT the same as whiskey), simple syrup, ice, mint. Serve in silver goblet. Garnish with mint sprig. Drink. Repeat.

Some of the recipes I've seen out there make me apoplectic enough to renew the Civil War. I didn't attend the Derby every year for a decade and a half beginning as an infant just to see a fine tradition trampled into dirt by, well...carpetbaggers! Ginger Ale? Good God! Lemon juice? Oh for the love of Mike

 

[woodstock]

That is a foul, and they deserve to be kicked out of the deep South for that transgression!

To clarify, Mint julip: Bourbon (NOT the same as whiskey), simple syrup, ice, mint. Serve in silver goblet. Garnish with mint sprig. Drink. Repeat.

Some of the recipes I've seen out there make me apoplectic enough to renew the Civil War. I didn't attend the Derby every year for a decade and a half beginning as an infant just to see a fine tradition trampled into dirt by, well...carpetbaggers! Ginger Ale? Good God! Lemon juice? Oh for the love of Mike

it still makes me gag thinking of it. who puts mint syrup in anything??

 

[woodstock]

except for McDonald's shakes around St. Paddy's day.

 

[ScottM]

To clarify, Mint julip: Bourbon (NOT the same as whiskey), simple syrup, ice, mint. Serve in silver goblet. Garnish with mint sprig. Drink. Repeat.

Bourbon is whiskey. It is a blended whiskey, that means malted whiskey and grain whiskeys, made in America with a certain blended ratio of alcohols.

 

[ScottM]

it still makes me gag thinking of it. who puts mint syrup in anything??

It works in cough syrup

Mint jelly makes me gag.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Bourbon is whiskey. It is a blended whiskey, that means malted whiskey and grain whiskeys, made in America with a certain blended ratio of alcohols.

Though you are (mostly) right, as a native Kentuckian I stand by my original statement. Bourbon is not made in America, it is made in Kentucky

Despite what those idiots at Rebel Yell and Seagram think.

 

[astanley]

Bourbon is whiskey. It is a blended whiskey, that means malted whiskey and grain whiskeys, made in America with a certain blended ratio of alcohols.

Bourbon is a whisky, blended from a mix of at least:

51% Maize
Balance of Wheat, Rye, or Malted barley.

All bourbon's made today impart Crow's "sour mash" process, which adds the distict lactic twang that bourbon has.

Bourbon is the king of all whiskys... need I say any more?

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[ScottM]

Bourbon is the king of all whiskys... need I say any more?

In your opinoin, which is wrong BTW

Single Malt, Speyside, Scotch Whiskeys are the King of all whiskeys

Bourbon is more like the Duke of Whiskeys

 

[alaskaflyer]

Jeez, now it looks like drinking is my other hobby

 

[astanley]

mmmmmmm, whatever they did - that wasn't it. I do think they used mint syrup which is FOUL I say. foul.

I love caipirinhas - ever had them? same concept only different fruits. mmmmmmmmmmmm

no helmet - I've just had to limit myself to two of them, no matter what. I might have to ask the bartender how many shots he uses - I suspect it's not a one-shot per drink deal b/c one shot shouldn't affect me like that.

A Caipirinha is actually quite similar to a mojito - substitue the rum for the cachaça, take out the mint. Cachaça is a strong sugar cane spirit that is pretty tasty, if a bit tart.

Elizabeth... dinner will be at Providence's 10 Prime Steak and Sushi, where the "Million Dollar Mojito's" are on me. Amazing, yet dangerous.

Summer time calls for greyhounds (grapefruit juice and vodka), Cape Codders (cranberry juice, lime, vodka), caipirinhas, and best of all, Hendrick's and tonic (Hendricks is the best inexpensive premium gin out there). I dig a margarita now and then, but out of all of these I tend to enjoy a gin and tonic the most - two limes please.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[woodstock]

A Caipirinha is actually quite similar to a mojito - substitue the rum for the cachaça, take out the mint. Cachaça is a strong sugar cane spirit that is pretty tasty, if a bit tart.

Elizabeth... dinner will be at Providence's 10 Prime Steak and Sushi, where the "Million Dollar Mojito's" are on me. Amazing, yet dangerous.

Summer time calls for greyhounds (grapefruit juice and vodka), Cape Codders (cranberry juice, lime, vodka), caipirinhas, and best of all, Hendrick's and tonic (Hendricks is the best inexpensive premium gin out there). I dig a margarita now and then, but out of all of these I tend to enjoy a gin and tonic the most - two limes please.

Cheers,

-Andrew

oh my gosh, how can I pass this up?

I like G&Ts too - but it has to be Bombay Sapphire gin. bitter lemon is good for the tonic.

 

[ScottM]

bitter lemon is good for the tonic.

Love bitter lemon. Can't find it around here and when I am in the lounge at Heathrow I try to stock up. Elizabeth do you have a US source for it?

 

[astanley]

In your opinoin, which is wrong BTW

Single Malt, Speyside, Scotch Whiskeys are the King of all whiskeys

Speyside? SPEYSIDE?

What an afront to Islay - the greatest of all the Scotches! GIVE ME PEAT, OR GIVE ME DEATH!

I have a bottle of this I'm working through, has been about 6 months since I picked it up. It's a "special night" bottle:

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[ScottM]

That one is a good one. I can go peat from time to time if it is a good one.

Lagavulin is one of my favorites. When the US dollar was stronger I used to buy that and a few others when I was up in Canada. Not so cheap anymore with the weak dollar, but still a tasty beverage.

 

[woodstock]

Love bitter lemon. Can't find it around here and when I am in the lounge at Heathrow I try to stock up. Elizabeth do you have a US source for it?

we may not be thinking of the same thing? Bitter Lemon - I think Canada Dry makes it. I can get it at Wegmans. It's just the tonic water...

 

[astanley]

oh my gosh, how can I pass this up?

I like G&Ts too - but it has to be Bombay Sapphire gin. bitter lemon is good for the tonic.

Sapphire is some good stuff... but the Hendrick's... oh my...

There is a bar in Northampton, MA called Tunnel Bar. It is in an old tunnel, once used as a passageway between the train station and the two main streets. If you sit in back, in the dimly lit rear corner, in the big, comfortable leather chairs, and order a Hendrick's and tonic, two limes, over big cubes of ice... your BlackBerry doesn't work there, the chair is perfectly comfortable, the people are always interesting to watch... and the drink tastes perfect.

I've never tried the bitter lemon thing - I'll give that a shot. I did have a vodka tonic made with a squeeze of Meyer lemon once, that was interesting.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[ScottM]

we may not be thinking of the same thing? Bitter Lemon - I think Canada Dry makes it. I can get it at Wegmans. It's just the tonic water...

That is stuff. I like the Schweps better than the Canada Dry but I cannot find it around here at all. Nor in otehr places in the US where I have looked.

What is Wegmans?

 

[astanley]

That is stuff. I like the Schweps better than the Canada Dry but I cannot find it around here at all. Nor in otehr places in the US where I have looked.

What is Wegmans?

No clue what Wegmans is, but a local Brit food shop (The Queen's Pantry) has Bitter Lemon in stock... I've just never bought it.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[woodstock]

That is stuff. I like the Schweps better than the Canada Dry but I cannot find it around here at all. Nor in otehr places in the US where I have looked.

What is Wegmans?

maybe it is Schweppes? dunno. wegmans is a massive grocery store. it's based in Rochester NY I believe...

have you ever had Wink? I hate soft drinks, but, I could drink that once in a while. grapefruit soda - but not sweet.

 

[ScottM]

maybe it is Schweppes? dunno. wegmans is a massive grocery store. it's based in Rochester NY I believe...

have you ever had Wink? I hate soft drinks, but, I could drink that once in a while. grapefruit soda - but not sweet.

Nope never had that for a soda. But then I am not much of a soda drinker at all. If I have to have something fizzy it usually is tonic water and an occasional rootbeer, or just plain beer.

Schweppes and Canada Dry both make bitter lemon, it is just rare out here in the hinter lands of the middle west. I found a mail order place that has it for $2.99 a six pack, I may have to order me some today.

 

[woodstock]

Schweppes and Canada Dry both make bitter lemon, it is just rare out here in the hinter lands of the middle west. I found a mail order place that has it for $2.99 a six pack, I may have to order me some today.

that's just wrong.

 

[Ghery]

Though you are (mostly) right, as a native Kentuckian I stand by my original statement. Bourbon is not made in America, it is made in Kentucky

Despite what those idiots at Rebel Yell and Seagram think.

Hey, what's wrong with Rebel Yell? That, and Crown Royal, is what I drink on the rocks. How's that for a pair?

 

[woodstock]

while we are on the subject of drinks, I nipped out at 230 to run an errand and Starbucks sucked me in. (I took a colleague with me and it was his fault we stopped, no really). I got an iced mocha which has given me a floaty feeling all afternoon. who said caffeine isn't a drug?

 

[wsuffa]

Speaking of nasty drinks, there is always Jagermeister....

 

[gprellwitz]

That is stuff. I like the Schweps better than the Canada Dry but I cannot find it around here at all. Nor in otehr places in the US where I have looked.

What is Wegmans?

We just saw Schweppes Bitter Lemon yesterday at a small liquor store a couple of blocks from our hotel in Washington, D.C. It was at (I think) P and 22nd NW.

 

[Anthony]

What is this the lib's drinking thread? Figures, all panzy drinks. I'll stick to my Aeroshell 15w50 and annisette, thank you very much.