We got lucky with a really cool (and practically empty) campground in Castle Rock, WA which is in the southwest corner of the state. With giant croquet, frisbee golf, and lots of space to play, we made sure to schedule a bit of downtime here. (Unfortunately the bellowing train horns throughout the night would have us rethink a second visit here)
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| We played croquet with soccer balls and huge wooden mallets! |
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| Frisbee golf |
With all of the open space, Alayna set up a "target" in a nearby tree and the girls practiced shooting their bow.
The main reason for our stop in this area was to visit Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. We drove 52 miles along Spirit Lake Memorial Highway to the Johnston Ridge Observatory which allowed the best crater views, offered amazing films, ranger talks and interactive displays. The nice thing about this national park is that the eruption was fairly recent, so lots of film footage, witness accounts, and photos exist of the event.
On May 18, 1980 at 8:32am, Mount St. Helens erupted shooting ash plumes as high as 15 miles. Instantly over 1,300 feet of the volcano's summit were removed, changing its elevation from 9,677 feet to 8,363 feet. The forceful winds (reaching over 300mph), largest landslide in recorded history (reaching speeds of 155mph), and extreme heat (up to 660 degrees) caused trees up to 150 feet tall to topple like straw as far away as 17 miles! The Toutle & Columbia Rivers were clogged and two new lakes & spectacular waterfalls were created. A museum display showed before & after photos, capturing the changes of the mountain.
Tree stumps still dot the area, while the surrounding hills are covered with tree trunks, all lying in the same direction, blown over by the blast. In the following four years nearly 18 1/2 million trees were planted by hand in an effort to rebuild some of the forest.
What an amazing site it is today!
Next was a 3-ish hour drive north to our new home in Everett, just north of Seattle, for our anticipated visit with Jeanne's uncle, Reid. We felt completely spoiled as he arranged a visit to Boeing, showed us around town, gave us the "world's best tour" of his cabinetry business, taught us about several types of fishing vessels, treated us to a yummy breakfast at his home, and led us to amazing restaurants for fresh seafood.
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| Anthony's restaurant had amazing views of the harbor and Puget Sound, and served fabulous seafood mac-n-cheese & salmon tacos... |
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| Sunset view at Lombardi's Italian restaurant |
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| Tried (and loved) a bowl of Cioppino at Chinook's: Fresh Northwest mussels, Manila clams, lingcod and salmon in tomato-basil stew with garlic and fennel. |
Sadly cameras were not aloud on the Boeing tour, but during our walk through the world's largest building (by volume), we watched 747's & 787's being pieced together and got our first look at a Dreamlifter- a modified 747 passenger plane that can carry more cargo by volume than any other plane in the world. It's what transports other plane's parts... and is HUGE!
In Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal we watched boats pass through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The locks -first used in 1916- allow vessels (nearly 75,000 a year) to move from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound and vise versa. Nearby is a fish ladder allowing salmon to pass, but these were unfortunately closed for repair during our visit.
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| Reid & Jim |
Having spent a fair share of time on fishing/crabbing boats, Reid was able to point out different features on the vessels along the docks and we stopped to pose by the small, 78-foot Lisa Marie from Deadliest Catch.
We loved the first class treatment in and around the beautiful Seattle area and will no doubt visit Reid here again!
Our time in Washington included celebrating Jim's birthday, and since we're already living out a year of the best birthday present ever... the girls got creative with cute cards:)
Before leaving the area we spent time at Pike's Place Market, established in 1907 and considered "The Soul of Seattle". We loved, loved, LOVED this place!
Outside, the rainy streets were lined with unique shops & produce stands...
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| Yummy cheese shop with views of fresh cheese being made |
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| Super cute umbrella shop... so appropriate here! |
And Pike Street is home to Natalie's newest obsession... the very first Starbucks store!
No doubt always this packed, it was totally worth the wait:)
And inside, a myriad of luscious produce stands, local artisan's handicrafts, beautiful fresh cut flowers, restaurants, delectable baked goods, fresh seafood stands...
One of our favorite finds (along with some fresh Copper River Sockeye Salmon) was this $10 huge, gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers. TEN dollars!
We totally fell in love with this city of Seattle. Most of our days here were gorgeous and sunny, leaving us to believe the talk of "constant rain" was just a ploy to keep us tourists away:) But before our visit was over, we did in fact experience an all day dreary drizzle... and still loved it. Natalie has claimed it as her new favorite city!
We were much too close to the border to not stop for a visit, so we planned a last minute, fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants diversion to British Columbia, leaving our home at the campground in Everett, WA. The drive should have only been 2 1/2 hours, but was lengthened due to the long lines waiting to pass through the Canadian border inspection. Knowing better than to bring guns into the country, we felt safe when the border patrol asked us if we had any weapons... that is, until among her list was pepper spray! We'd been in and would have more visits within bear country, so had- right in the console- our very own can of bear spray. Ugh. Jim mistakenly held it up and the officer quickly got defensive telling him NOT to point it at her! We were given a "ticket" and asked to proceed inside where our spray was confiscated.
With a lovely 65 degree day, we went straight to Stanley Park and rode our bikes around the sea wall. Gorgeous views of cliffy/rocky shore, a few beaches, and most amazing views of city skyline. Rhododendron gardens, a totem pole park, and a lighthouse were also along our path.
In Vancouver we visited the 2010 Olympic Cauldron which was lit following the longest national torch relay in olympic history.
We also enjoyed the stunning waterfront backdrop, watching float planes take-off and land.
Gastown, advertised as a charming, historic town, ended up a big disappointment. The town was instead run down and many of the storefronts deserted. The only "charm" was this steam clock built in 1977 based on an 1875 design. It is powered by steam from underground pipes, blowing steam and a whistle every 15 minutes.
We fell in love with Tim Hortons on our last visit to Canada a couple years ago... a popular Canadian fast-food chain with tasty pastries, yummy soups & the best muffins.
A thrilling day awaited us at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Full of bridges & walkways within lush forest, many of which were frighteningly high, the park has been welcoming guests since the late 1800's.
Only one route led from the entrance to the fun at the other side of the canyon floor: the 450 foot long, 230 foot high, slightly swaying suspension bridge. Gulp.
The parks most exhilarating feature- the Cliffwalk- peered out from the granite cliff face 300 feet above the canyon floor with only the bolts & cables pictured below keeping us connected to the rock.
The girls especially loved the plexiglass platforms allowing them to see straight down through the clear floor. No fear!
Last stop, Granville Island. Shops, kids activities, food vendors, huge public market (though nothing like Pike Place)... a nice way to spend our last (and sadly rainy) day in BC.
The hardest part about leaving Washington was knowing it was our last state with ocean views, but we still have mountains, national parks, and 1/5 of the country yet to explore!
On to Idaho...
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A) Castle Rock
B) Mount St. Helens
C) Seattle
D) Everett
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