Harbor 1/2 Marathon and 5k Run

I may need to preface this by, I am not a runner, but I play one on tv. 

Actually, I know quite a few runners who are geared up for this weekends 5k in Hoquiam.  13.1 miles designed for both beginning runners and for those avid marathoners. 

Bands will be playing at 8th street landing from 12:00-5:00p.m. and all runners will receive coupons from local businesses.  This is a great chance to get out and support the community and become a bit healthier at the same time.

The race is open to participants 19 years and older and will begin at 11:00 with registration between 9:00-10:30 at 8th street landing in Hoquiam. 

You can find all race info here including race route and registration form for your participation t-shirt.

If you are unable to participate this weekend, Hoquiam has so many fun runs lined up in the coming months including the Haunted Hoquiam, Turkey Trot and Ho Ho Hoquiam.. all of which are a good time frame away to start training.  Remember our interview with Sheena Paniagua?  Check it out again for some great tips on how to get started in the world of running!  Or check out another online resourse coolrunning.  Whatever you do this weekend, get outside and do something!

Hey There Harborite: Kyle Pauley

Name/Age: Kyle Pauley/30

Where do you live: Cosmopolis

Profession/Day Job: Journalist at KXRO/Owner at AXB

Loyal to: Wishkah Loggers

Best Harbor Moment: Growing up I heard about Metal Church from harborites, but never had a chance to see them until a few years ago.  I've been to a thousand concerts but seeing Metal Church return and play at the NW passage before they broke up is the highlight of my concert life.

Favorite Coffee Stand: Anywhere with White Coffee.  I usually only drink my 16oz quad shot white chocolate mocha with white coffee when garage sailing on Saturdays.  Black coffee and energy drinks fill my days.

Favorite Local Business: Can I count AXB as my favorite?  This is a hard question because how do you choose?  Growing up I loved the mystery of Judy's Collectibles, but as an adult I love Pure Clothing.  I have a fondness toward Tom Cat Tatoo, Roseveers and astickymess.com.  I love any business that knows that not every person is exactly the same and you can be yourself.

Grunge, Metal or Country: Yes. Grunge will always hold a place in my heart.  My Zune is filled with everything from Hall Aflame to Kanye, Dave Matthews Band to Slipknot.  If I am working on something new I prefer Rage Against the Machine, but usually it is something acoustic.

Beach, Forest, or River: I grew up in Wishkah and was surrounded by the forest.  I would get lost for hours on a deer trail and I will always feel most at home there above the others.

Favorite outdoor adventure or day trip: I have always loved the Jetty for the same reason I love junkyards and abandoned buildings.  I love to go out as far as possible before dropping down and crawling as far as I can through the tunnels and finding random rope and sticks.  Inside I'm still a 5 year old boy.

Define the Harbor in one word: Home.

If you could change one things about the area, what would it be: When I was in college at GHC, I was thinking of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see, but I realized then that this is where I need to be.  I want to do everything I can to show people that this area is filled with things to do and there is so much good happening.  The fact that people still see The Harbor as a "depressed logging community" or the buzz phrase of the day is what I would like to change.

Grays Harbor's best kept secret: Mallards.  Whatever you are doing right now, make a reservation.

X Marks The Spot...

Or is it N 46° 59.156, W 123° 44.609? For geocachers, it’s the latter.

Yes, fellow muggles (non-geocachers), there is a modern day treasure hunt taking place all around us and the treasure is surprisingly…ordinary. There’s no commandeering ships or scouring secluded tropical islands for chests full of booty. No, definitely not. But if you watched a geocacher on the hunt successfully locate the cache they were seeking, you’d think it was full of gold doubloons instead of the typical log book and possible trinket. It’s the thrill of the hunt, the game of hide and seek, the sense of adventure that is making geocaching the hippest new pastime. And it’s free! You can’t beat that.

the "treasure" geocachers seek

For those of you who are bemused by the idea of a modern day treasure hunt with no actual treasure, you aren’t alone. Geocaching is a relatively new past time just celebrating its 12^th birthday last month. The game is simple and mirrors the childhood game of hide and seek: someone hides a container (of varying size) with a log book and optional trinkets inside. They post the GPS coordinates, such as on geocaching.com, for others to find, and voila – you have a new treasure to seek! Did you know this was happening in Grays Harbor? In fact, according to geocaching.com there are 2,293 different Geo Caches within a 25 mile radius of Aberdeen. That’s a lot of adventure!

My first geocache at Lake Aberdeen

If you were wondering how to make your summer economical yet fun this might be your solution. It’s a largely family-friendly activity, remotely inexpensive and very outdoors, plus it gives a taste of adventure even in familiar territory. In fact, it might even get you to explore parts of Grays Harbor you’ve never bothered to visit before. Or you don’t have to go far from home. Just look at the map below and you’ll see a plethora of caches right here in the Aberdeen city limits. Did you have any idea our neighbors were playing scavenger hunt all around the community? How much fun is that!

To get started, you need GPS technology. These days, most SMART phones have some sort of navigation program you can punch coordinates into, and apps that you can download (I recommend the free C:Geo app that links to your geocaching.com account). If you don’t have a SMART phone, there are handheld GPS units for sale at places like Cabela’s and Wholesale Sports in Lacey. Next, you’ll need to sign up for an account on geocaching.com- a basic account is free- as this is the only way to get coordinates for the difference caches. Now, go caching! Make sure you wear appropriate gear for whatever type of cache you're seeking - hiking clothes, water bottles, snacks, etc. And don’t forget to Log your Visit on geocaching.com after you’ve found a cache.

c:geo app screenshot

There’s quite a culture in the world of Geocache. I recommend you explore these additional resources to get the most out of your Geocaching adventure:

Geocaching 101

Glossary of Geocaching Terms

Here's a quick video for anyone new to Geocaching:

Lastly, keep an eye out because Go Go Grays Harbor will soon be setting out 5 brand new geocaches in the Grays Harbor area to help you get in the spirit!

Music Monday: Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West- Flyin' High

Saturday Shopper: Gray's General Store in Hoquiam

Gray's General Store

Owned by Britta and Judy Folden, Established 2012

520 Simpson Ave.

Hoquiam WA

360.532.0366

www.graysgeneralstore.com

www.facebook.com/graysgeneralstore

M-F 11am-6pm; Sat 11am-5pm; Sun 12pm-5pm

All About the Business:      Gray's General Store is a source for high quality, handmade, local goods. Come in and find the perfect gift or make something yourself using the variety of sewing and craft supplies in the store. You can even stay a while and use the sewing studio for the day to work on your project away from the house or, better yet, bring some friends in to make something together!

What Makes Your Business Unique?      We are expert makers. We will use our creativity and resources to help you make something yourself and we guarantee you will have a good time. And for the coffee and tea snobs out there, we've got some really good stuff for you to try! Our coffee comes from a Seattle roaster who buys direct, meaning everyone involved is fairly paid, and our tea is from an artisan tea-maker out of Portland. Customers have claimed it's the best tea they've ever had! Not only do we believe in quality, but we love having unique products in our store. Most things we carry are not available anywhere else in Grays Harbor and we are adding new things every day.

Advice for New Customers: Come in and say hello! Tell us what you're working on. Bring us your questions and out-of-the-box ideas, we love the challenge of answering them.

Friday Five: Grill All Week Long

I pulled our smoker barbecue out of the garage the other day and my husband cleaned it off (which took a long time let me tell you). Prompting a week of grilling out and eating delicious food.

Let me start by saying that this happened a few weeks ago and the weather was much sunnier and less wet for sure.  The cleaning of the grill began with soaking the grill pan in a Rubbermaid tub overnight with a mixture of vinegar and water in our backyard.  A tub the our nutzo puppy thought was going to move so he barked at it madly for an hour before going to bed.  After an over night soaking, the grill was then scoured with a brand new cleaning cloth that is now of absolutely no use in the kitchen any more.  However, even though it took forever, the grill looks beautiful and the food was tasty!

1.Lime marinated Sea Bass with cilantro. 

The marinade is simple and only needs to be in the fridge for an hour before cooking. 

1/4 dry white wine

2 Tbsp of lime juice

2 Tbsp of olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

This weekend Safeway has fresh Mahi Mahi fillets on sale,

which would be a great substitute for sea bass. 

Once you have the fish marinated, place on the grill ON ALUMINUM FOIL for 15 min and enjoy!

2.Pineapple soy marinated chicken kabobs with grilled bacon wrapped corn

1 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup soy sauce

pinch of chili flakes

squeeze of lime juice

Corn is always fresh at Jay's Farm Stand, and you can pick up the bacon next door at Michael's meats.  While you are at it get a few sweet peppers and a red onion for the kabobs!

A quick tip for the corn, before you wrap in a piece of raw bacon, cut cobs in half and sprinkle with paprika and salt then place in a foil packet with a pat of butter.

3.Gorgonzola stuffed burgers with sweet potato fries.

I believe that this is the PNW's answer to the Juicy Lucy.  Something about how the cheese melts with the burger is so tasty!

Whether you make your own hamburger patties or buy pre made, make sure you seal the edges around the Gorgonzola cheese so that when you grill them the cheesy goodness stays sealed inside.  If you are not a fan of Gorgonzola pick another type of cheese and experiment.  Top Foods has a great selection of cheeses to suit any palate.

4.Coriander marinated skirt steak tacos with potato and onions

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

tsp coriander seeds

one clove garlic chopped

1/2 tsp chili flakes

(A little bit of this marinade goes a long way)

Halfway though grilling the steak on the bbq, place your soft taco shells on top of the meat to steam them to a smoky perfection. (no microwave and wet paper towel involved)

5. Pork Chops/ or Pork tenderloin

You will want to do the pork chops with high heat til they reach 140 internal temp.  Just a simple rub of salt, pepper and garlic will do.  However the pork tenderloin should be low and slow with indirect heat for about two hours.  This works best if you have a smoker grill with a top rack.

We had a fun week of grilling outdoors, and so can you, harborites.  Dennis Co. is running a Father's Day special that includes a Weber grill for $80.00.  So buy some charcoal and make a fire and get outside.

Get to know your local band: Nicholson Keaton!

Catch Westport locals Nicholson Keaton at the Mermaid Deli and Pub every 2nd and 4th Friday and acoustic sets on Sundays

 Who's in the band and what do they play? (Left to Right)Steve Jay bass/vocals Lonzo Tackett drums David Anderson guitar/vocals. (EARMUFFS)

Where did the name come from? The name came from the 1989 Batman movie (Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton).

How long has everyone been playing? We all started in the 4th grade. (Interviewer note: I can't prove this is Nicholson Keaton but I also can't prove it isn't Nicholson Keaton.)

Who are your top five influences?

What's your favorite song to play?

Where can we keep up to date with you? We are the Mermaid Deli and Pub's house band, Mac's Tavern and on our Facebook Fan Page.