Adventuring!

Once again, I'm not reading - UGH - but I'm going to share a fun adventure I had last weekend. 

Kevin and I explored Ape Caves and a few surrounding area hikes. The caves are in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in WA - near Mount Saint Helens. There are 2, 3000 year old lava tubes - an upper and a lower. We did the 3/4 mile lower tube, as I am SUPER claustrophobic, and the lower is more open, shorter and flatter for walking. The upper tube is over 2 miles long, requires some rock pile climbs, an 8 foot wall with only a rope and much narrower sections. Nope! lol

Like I said - super claustrophobic - but I'm trying to overcome some of my phobias with (in therapist speak) exposer therapy. Kevin had actually taken his sister to the cave the week before so he could scope it out for me. Plus, I wouldn't be ruining his chance to see it if I did panic. BUT I DID NOT. I'm So proud of myself!! Here I am at "The meatball" lol

It is 42 degrees, drippy and pitch black without lights. They recommend at least 2-4 light sources but Kevin had these superpowered head lamps from his work and they worked great. 

Anyhoo...here are a few pics from the cave.

That's Kevin with his head lamp shining on the top left, to the right is when you emerge from the caves and climb the stairs back out. The bottom left is kind of cool. That's looking down going in (opposite angle of the exit). You can't even see the entrance because of the sun, but what caught my eye was that star like pattern on the ground. There's nothing there that should have made it. Aliens??? lol And the bottom right pic was cool because I thought it looked like little trees imprinted on the walls (left side).

Afterwards, we did a hike to June Lake nearby. It's a really cool spot with small waterfalls and dead tree stumps sticking out. It's kind of eerie but I loved it. 

And finally, a nearby trail that has incredible views of a lava canyon, where the lava had flowed through, and waterfalls. It kind of looked magical with how lush green it was and the water thundering through. 

We had a great time but I was EXHAUSTED!

Total change of subject, but with Halloween around the corner, I have two streaming rec's. 

#1 is the new Goosebumps on Hulu. Great modern update on an older favorite. It's still directed at teens but it is darker that previous takes though. Which I love. It's topical with great acting and not cheesy, which can happen with a lot of YA-ish shows. My only complaint is not all the episodes drop before Halloween. 

#2 is The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix Ok, so this one is WEIRD and kind of batshit but I really enjoyed it. It is based on an Edgar Allen Poe and includes many of his poems and references to his works. 

That's it for now!

Have you been on any fun adventures lately? Have any rec's for me to read/watch?