Lake Tahoe Day 2- Last Day!

Today we slept in and then had a nice big breakfast.  Tim and Noah went and did some errands while us girls rode our bikes.  Then we took off to Lake Tahoe for the afternoon.  It was a cold and cloudy day with a few sprinkles but the girls were determined to get in the water and have one last beach day.  We decided to walk even though it is a couple of miles so we could warm up and get some exercise.  Our favorite beach is Pope beach as it has beautiful sand and not too crowded.  Right when we got there it started to rain so we stood under the cover of the pine trees.  It quickly let up and soon the sun peeked through and the kids enjoyed the lake and swam a bit.

They had a chilly walk back to our campground and we just hung out before dinner. We then had our last dinner which is always grilled steak and fish.  Finally we took a walk to the lake at our campground...Fallen Leaf Lake and enjoyed the last sunset.  It has been a great 3 weeks on the road and we have seem some amazing places in this beautiful country of ours.  We are so blessed to have these experiences as a family but we do miss the comforts of home...our friends, family, and our sweet dog Lily.

Lake Tahoe Driving Day

We had a nice and easy drive to Lake Tahoe from Oregon.  This is the last stop on our trek south to home.  We were at Lake Tahoe 2 summers ago and are staying at the same campground...even the same spot, so I don't have the typical anxiety as we drive there about what our campground will be like.  I was a little worried on our drive today as Tim was exhausted after a rough night with his itchy legs and little sleep.  But we made it here.  We set up and then quickly got on our bikes to take the bike path to the lake.  South Tahoe is perfect to ride bikes as there are bike paths everywhere.  We had a nice ride and then stopped for ice cream at our favorite ice cream shop...had to wait in line for 20 minutes as the line is always out the door.  We then walked to the beach area of the lake and took in the beauty of Lake Tahoe.  It was so busy today as it is Saturday and the weather is a perfect 72 degrees.  But all of that is changing as tomorrow should be cloudy and in the 60s and Tuesday thunderstorms and high of 55.  So we decided to leave a day early and come home Monday.  It would be no fun to be here and be stuck on our last day with thunderstorms and Tim is anxious to have a day to be fit for duty and heal from this poison oak.  So, we enjoyed our short time here today and got back on our bikes for camp and then dinner and bed.

Crater Lake Day 2

We spent the first official day of summer in the snow!

We made the 40 mile drive up to Crater lake today.  It is a gorgeous drive through the thick forest and a steady climb in elevation.  When we left our campground, it was 71 and when we got there, it was 51.  We headed straight to the rim as this park is Grand Canyonish...one major thing to see and you are looking over the rim to see it.  And the reaction is the same as when you see the Grand Canyon for the first time...you take in the gush of air and just say "wow".

The lake in the crater is the most clear blue you have ever seen.  The lake is very pristine as there are no rivers or streams that feed into or out of it and it is 1900 feet deep.  Basically it is thought it was a volcano that erupted and then the mountain collapsed.  This area gets so much snow each year (500 inches annually) so eventually, the lake filled up with the snow melt over the years.  It has maintained a perfect level with the snow melt and evaporation.  It is one of the oldest National parks as it was established in 1902 and  is Oregon's only National Park.  We took in the view for awhile and then went into the adorable lodge on the rim.  We then had a picnic and did a hike on the Discovery point trail around the rim.  There was a lot of snow on the ground so a lot of the trails were closed and the wildflowers were not quite in bloom which made me sad.  We took one last look at the lake and then went to the main visitors center and the kids got their ranger badges and watched the park film.

Then we headed back to camp because it is so much fun there and teeming with kids and families.  The rest of the night was dinner, packing up, a ranger program about fish, and Noah having s'mores with another family with a teenage girl he met (the second time this trip- teenagers!)  This has been a great little stop on our way back home and we will be back in this area for sure.   We think it is official, Tim has poison oak and is pretty miserable...has welts on his legs below the knees so we are trying to be extra kind to him...he's being a trooper!

Oregon, Again- Crater Lake- Driving Day

We had a nice drive to Oregon again.  This time we came inland and went down the I-5 to almost the California border.  It took us about 10 hours but was uneventful.  We are not staying in Crater Lake National Park because it is very cold there and I was not certain their campground would be open.  So we are at Joseph Stewart Recreation area which is about 40 miles south of the park.  It is a great park and we have a site with a lake view.  The kids were at the park, running around right as we pulled up.  We had dinner and then took a hike along the lake.  It was really pretty and heavily wooded.

The lake by our campsite

Hiking along the lake

Lost Creek Reservoir 

Tim and the girls bowed out early as Tim is fearing he has poison oak and was already feeling very itchy.  So, Noah and I continued on for awhile but it started to get dark so we headed back.  The rest of the night was showers and bed time.  Can't wait to see the deepest lake in the US tomorrow!

Washington Day 5

Today is our last full day in Washington. Today was "rain forest" day so we hit the area of the park called the Hoh rain forest. We stopped by the visitors center and got Jr. ranger badges and for the first time...I got one too!  Noah refused to do it because he's too cool and I am obsessed with him having a badge from each park for his shadow box. So I happily did the booklet but was pretty mortified when she made all 3 of us stand on a podium and do the pledge in front of everyone. Noah owes me for that one.

We did a couple of different hikes through the rain forest. This area gets 142 inches of rain per year compared to Phoenix's 7. The Sitka spruces and hemlocks looked like furry animals because they had so much moss on them.

We then had a picnic and headed back to camp for some beach time. We ended our time here on the beach and then watching the sun set from our site. We will miss it here!  We have a long drive to crater lake national park tomorrow.

Washington Day 4

Today we had some of the strangest experiences that we will never forget...it was a day of the beautiful and bizarre.  So, today is our "springs" day as this park has an area where there are some natural hot springs you can visit in the Sol Duc valley.  The beautiful part was a hike to the huge Sol Duc falls...it was a gorgeous hike through the forest of pines, cedar and hemlock trees dripping with moss. Ferns were everywhere and the moisture was filling the air.  The end was the falls which cascaded down 4 different huge canyons.

Sol Duc Falls

We then headed to the Sol Duc hot springs resort.  There are some hot springs there that you can swim in and they were literally turned into swimming pools like you would see at a resort.  So we dared to go...the first thing you notice is the smell of sulfur that almost knocks you off your feet and then you wonder, I have to swim in that? Well, everyone else was as the joint was packed so in we went.  They had 3 different pools that varied in temp from 99 to105 degrees.  They also had a normal chlorine pool.  Since it was only 55 degrees out, I was strangely happy to get in that stinky, hot spring.  It did feel nice and the people watching was top notch...everyone from Europeans speaking other languages to the old, young, small and large- all in swimsuits, in stinky hot tubs...it was bizarre.

Stinky hot springs

 But it got even more bizarre as we finished up, I was thrilled there were free hot showers as I have not had a real shower in 14 days now...I was thrilled until I entered the locker room to find communal showers with no curtains...it was just all open with women of all shapes and sizes, soaping up completely nude...my girls were so traumatized and Leah's eyes were bulging out of her head.  Tim and Noah had a similar experience in their locker-room.   We  ran out of there fast and headed to Forks for laundry while Tim and the kids got some ice cream.  Then it was back to camp for dinner and that beautiful sunset from our campfire.  Interesting day!

Ocean view from our campsite

Washingon Day 3

Finally...we had the National Park experience today...and it was glorious!  A good day in a National Park always starts with getting on those hiking shoes, packing a picnic in preparation for being gone all day and filling the packs with water.  Then we took the long drive to Port Angeles where  just North over the Strait of Juan de Fuca you can see Canada.  Another hallmark of a National Park day involves going to the visitors center, getting the passport book stamped and getting the Jr. ranger books...check, check, check.  The main visitors center for this park is in Port Angeles so we stopped there, did the above, walked a nature trail and had a picnic. Then from there we took the 17 mile windy drive uphill to Hurricane Ridge which is a main site at this park and about 5200 feet elevation.   Right as we pulled up, there was snow everywhere, low and ominous fog and deers grazing in the meadow by the visitors center.

Leah was in deer heaven at Hurricane ridge visitors center

Deers grazing in a meadow with view of Mt olympus

We did a little walk along the meadow loop.  We then went in the visitors center there to find out conditions for our hike as there was a lot of snow!  It turns out the road to our hike was closed but we could walk that and then catch the trail.  So that is what we did.  It was a beautiful  hike along Hurricane ridge with views of Mt. Olympus on one side, and Canada on the other (when the clouds departed).

We hiked in the snow!

Mt Olympus behind us

View of Canada from Hurricane Hill trail

Leah saw tons of deer including a tiny baby fawn.

We had to hike over patches of snow as well.  It was just so beautiful!  I was sad to leave but we had a long drive back to camp.  We stopped by Crescent Lake for photos on the way.  We finally saw the true nature of this area as it poured rain on our drive home...the first rain we had really seen here. Rain is on the forecast for the rest of our stay but that is OK because we are visiting hot springs tomorrow and the rain forest the next which will be perfect in the rain. The rest of the evening was spent switching campsites...we got an even better site with a perfect ocean view.

Washington Day 2

Happy Fathers Day Tim!  You are a wonderful father to our 3 great kids!  We started off the day with a hike that led from our campground.  It went through the forest and we got a good view of the lush vegetation...the moss is everywhere and you can feel the moisture in the air.

 After that we drove to Ruby beach which is another impressive coastal beach...we had to take a hike down to the beach.   There were a few starfish and other creatures but the true prize was the baby seal we saw on the rocks.  We really hoped mother was coming back soon and was just out fishing.

 

Next we headed into Forks.  Now, yes, I am a big Twilight fan but I did not come to Olympic National Park just because of that!  BUT...since we are here, we did have a ton of fun visiting all of the sites inspired by the books and movies.  We learned Twilight was not actually filmed here, it was mostly in British Columbia but Stephanie Meyer did base it off of this area and she visited here as well.  So, the town has totally embraced this and has set up homes and other places that could have been the real thing.  The visitors center said it has really  boosted their economy as it is obvious, this is an old, timber town.  Anyhow, we visited Forks High school, the Police Department, the Cullen's home, Forks outfitters (where Bella worked), Jacobs home and La Push.  Here are the photos you have been waiting for Tina1

 Finally we wrapped up our day with dinner at the Kalaloch lodge.  It is next door so we took a nice walk and enjoyed dinner overlooking the ocean.  Finally a nice walk along the beach and back to my spot to watch the sunset.  We spotted what we think were Orca whales in the ocean this time...they are very elusive so we will keep trying.  I'm still not getting that National Park feel yet...I think tomorrow we will head up to the main visitors center, put on the packs and hiking shoes and get our Jr. ranger books going and really get a feel for this park.  

Washington day 1

Wow!  I can't believe I am sitting here in my beach chair at my camp site looking at a sea otter in the ocean!  We arrived here to kalaloch campground near Forks Washington after a 4 hour drive made a little longer to stop and clean up Leah's throw up in the car. This campsite is amazing as the sites are right on the ocean on a small bluff. It was a little nerve racking as we did not have reservations here as it is first come first serve but we eventually found a a site...but the campground is pretty full. Oregon felt very much like a resort town compared to this rugged, secluded and forest laden coast.

After setting up camp Noah and I rode our bikes to kalaloch lodge and to the visitors center. We then headed to the beach for a couple of hours and found lots of sand dollars, crabs and jellyfish on the shore.

We then had dinner and went for a long walk around the campground. Now I'm sitting here watching the sun set over the ocean.

So glad to be in our final destination of Olympic National Park!