Hansford Herald - 2022 Highlights

Looking back on 2022, it was a year of trying new things and going new places! For Christmas 2021, Elizabeth gave Brian a list of new things to try, so that set us off on our grand adventures.

In January, we took a long weekend trip to Langley, WA on Whidbey Island - a great little town about a 45-minute drive and 20-minute ferry ride away. It's become our go-to for weekend getaways as it's easy to get to and the pace is slow. Off season is, of course, our favorite time and we made the trek back in October.

We also tried our hand at axe throwing! It was fun and we both did surprisingly well for first timers. 

As part of our, "do new things" approach to the new year, we took fly fishing lessons in March. We first had a class session which include among other things, learning the lingo and how to tell what bugs are around at any given time. This was followed up with a hands-on session on the Snoqualmie River. 

This was great preparation for our trip to the Yakima River in May. We stayed at the Canyon River Ranch which offers fishing just steps from the door and it's own shop on site. Conner was able to join us on his way back from school for the summer. We practiced our skills both from the bank then then via a float down the river where everyone at least hooked something.

In June, Elizabeth did the drive to historic Maryhill Loops Road with her car club again. Being the second time around, she was able to make a few more runs on the road and of course, the drive down with 20+ other mini's was fun as always!

On the way back, she was able to stop at the nearby Stonehenge Memorial - a full size replica of the one in England.

Conner spent the summer with us while interning at Boeing. He had a great time, except for the commute, and learned A LOT. For us it was great to have him around again and we even got to see Benjamin once and a while - including a rare opportunity to get a shot of both boys before Conner headed back to WSU for his penultimate year of college.

In addition to his biking, Benjamin honed his photography skills. To see his shots of the Bellingham area (and lots of biking) check out his Instagram at @sandwich_shoots.

In August after Conner took off, Brian and Elizabeth made another long-weekend getaway, this time to a new B&B in Port Ludlow, WA - Paradise Heights. Overlooking Hood Canal, we saw a bit of wildlife, but the most exciting thing was a heavily escorted sub heading out to sea from the Bremerton Naval Base.

In September, Brian and Benjamin took advantage of one of our gorgeous fall days to take a father/son hike.

In early October, Brian and Elizabeth both participated in the Mini club's Cascade Loop 350, a two-day drive that crossed the Cascades going east and then again on the the northern edge on the way back. We saw Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, Coulee Dam, Dry Falls, and Ross Lake to name a few of the biggies. Alas, it was fire season, so some of the vistas, especially Ross Lake, where shrouded in smoke.

Alas, shortly after getting home we both tested positive for Covid. It was a bit of a bummer, but we were fortunate to have it feel like a really bad cold.

This December, it was time to return to Colorado for the holidays, so we packed up the family and made the trek via airplane this year (yes, we are still a bit scarred from the Christmas Drive of 2017 - Wyoming + winter, not a good match). But we had ample time to spend with both the McMullen and Hansford sides of the family!