One of my favorite fall purchases this year is a super soft wool and mohair poncho from Olivine Atelier. It's a luscious chocolate brown and the fringe hangs jauntily off the sides, not in the front or back. I get compliments whenever I wear it — except from my husband, who suffers from a serious lack of fashion sensibilities and thinks ponchos are a trendy debacle.
By Kathy Schultz | November 4, 2004
Take a Walk
Location: From Tukwila south to Pacific.
Length: 14 miles.
Level of difficulty: Level-to-gentle paved trail.
By Cathy McDonald | November 4, 2004
Short Trips
VICTORIA, B.C. -- When a Madagascar hissing cockroach gets angry, it's not a pretty sight. It rears up and makes a nasty, high-pitched squeal that only another roach could appreciate.
Skunklike when threatened, a giant Brazilian roach lets fly with a powerful odor strong enough to be smelled by humans if you get close enough.
And who would have guessed that some scorpions glow in the dark and that large, furry red-legged tarantulas make good pets?
By Jeff Larsen | November 4, 2004
Hike of the Week
Hikers are seeking lower-elevation trails now that snow is falling in the mountains. One on which you won't need to lower your enjoyment expectations is the path at Lake Sylvia State Park.
Originally a logging camp dating back to the 1800s, the 223-acre park is near Montesano between Olympia and Aberdeen.
By Karen Sykes | November 4, 2004
NORTH BEND -- The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River rumbles and tumbles green and white through a classic valley of the Cascade Range. It is ringed by rugged ridges and high lakes, laced by wilderness forest trails and waterfalls and stitched with premier rock-climbing routes. A few places are dotted with crystal mines and hot springs, and the river froths with paddle runs ranging from gentle to extreme.
It's a pretty magical valley, only 45 minutes from the largest metropolitan area between San Francisco and Vancouver.
By Greg Johnston | November 4, 2004
ISSAQUAH I've hiked and run Squak Mountain at various times of the year but there have always been two constants it's rained, and I've gotten lost. That's why, on my most recent visit to this 2,000-foot pinched hillock at Issaquah's back door, I decided to tag along on an Issaquah Alps Trails Club outing. Not that its members have the power to control weather, but I knew that they could keep me from becoming lost.
By Mike McQuaide | November 4, 2004
