Bainbridge Island Ferry



leaving Seattle

The quickest way to get from Seattle to Olympic National Park was to take a Ferry boat. When we arrived to the port there was a medical team unloading someone. We waited in line for only about 30 minutes before boarding. Our RV was the largest vehicle on the ferry. It was really cool to go up to the deck and see the bay. There were lots of people lounging on the sofas listening to music during the 30 minute ride. I walked out to the stern to feel the wind. It made me feel like I was in the titanic movie standing out on the point.

When we were close to Bainbridge Island, an announcement was made to return to your vehicles. Once we made landfall, it was like Nascar drivers lining up for the "green, green, green, go, go, go" signal. The middle lane went first, then left side and finally right side. It was a really neat experience to drive the RV onto a boat.

Seattle, Washington

We were eager to see Seattle, especially Jason Jr. who had been waiting a year to go. First, we wanted to make a stop at the REI flagship store downtown for some climbing gear.  We circled the block several times unable to find parking that could accommodate our 45 foot length. There was another store, just outside of town at Redmond Town Center with plenty of parking and a Red Robin. Woo-Hoo! After some ropes, harnesses, D-rings, hiking shoes, pocket knife, climbing book, etc. our pocket book was a little sore. We were exhausted from the long day of driving and eager to get to the campground. King County Tolt MacDonald Park was on the Snoqualmie and Tolt Rivers. It looked like a very nice place to camp, fish, hike, etc. but we didn't intend on spending much time there. We came to see Seattle.













The next morning, we rented a minivan so it would be easier to get around town. Our first stop was the Space Needle. The elevator ride to the top was pretty quick. Then you could go out on the deck and walk around to see the  views of the city and Puget Sound.











Afterwards, we found a skate park around the corner for the boys to release some energy.
 

 

In Seattle Center there were many cool attractions like the glass museum, children's museum and lots of parks to sit and relax.  After skating for about an hour, we rode the monorail to the Pike Place Market downtown. We were hoping to see some fish being thrown around. We couldn't find the right spot but it was still a neat place to buy fresh produce, seafood and unique items from local vendors. We purchased some cod filets and shrimp to cook later and then wrapped up our visit with a view of a police pursuit on foot through the streets. There were many unusual sights downtown- like purple hair, a cat riding on a man's shoulder, street performers, pot smoking and that is just the tip of the iceburg.... 

 

Mount Rainier N.P.

We pulled into Mount Rainier N.P. around 5 pm on Friday. Our campground was on the Ohanapecosh River. There were only 3 loops open for the season so far. It was packed and on a self-serve type of system for reserving. You find an open spot with no tag on it and go to a kiosk to pay for it. Then you hang your paid tag on the post so everyone knows it is taken. A very cool idea except most of the large spots that RVs could fit it were occupied by tents. We squeezed into a place in Loop C by the restrooms and set up camp for a few days. There were several families camping across from us and plenty of kids to hang out with. The river was very powerful and you could hear the swift water running through the campground. A large area of trees on the mountain were missing from a landslide that happened in 2006. They had record rainfall in 2 days
that caused flooding in the park. The roads were under water and there was a lot of damage from the rains/flooding.

All of the families we camped by were from the Tacoma area. We had a great time hiking and hanging out with the Magnusons, Uhlers and Klevjers. Time was spent discussing our faith in God and laughing about silly stuff that we have all experienced.
Isn't it great how God puts people in our path? 








Saturday we joined the other families in a hike called Silver Falls which was about 3 miles. The plants along the path were mostly ferns with very little flowers. Once we reached the falls area, everyone sat for some snacks and a little rest. The men thought it would be fun to jump in the water which registered around 45 degrees. That started a line up of kids who wanted to do the same. No women were crazy enough to follow suit. LOL!

Later that evening, Justin set up some repelling by the bridge. Jason and Jason Jr. loved it and now want to get their own gear. After dinner, we had smores and sat by the campfire till late.

Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes and SamBob got his junior ranger badge before leaving the campground. We drove to Paradise Visitor center further into the park to get our passport stamp and get some souvenirs. Everything was under snow up there. It was very beautiful but freezing. and rainy again!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

A rainbow leaving glacier

Thursday June 20th was a long night with very little sleep. It stormed all night....rain, wind, lightning, thunder, and even HAIL! I was worried about the wind tearing the awnings over the slide outs so we closed them and were all tight inside the RV with no room to move around. It did make things a little quieter though. We left St. Mary's Campground at Glacier around 8 am Friday for a long day of travel- in the rain! Driving West through the rest of Montana, all of Idaho and into Washington State stopping in Spokane for dinner.







At Golden Corral, there was a kid next to our table that consumed over 20 mini corn dogs. Well at least his mom and dad got their money's worth on that meal.

See what a fun day of driving we had...

We continued to drive until reaching a KOA in Ellensburg, WA. I passed the entrance to the campground due to trees covering the sign and ended up back on the interstate with no choice but to drive 3 miles back to another exit and come back to try again. Everyone was exhausted and it was late so we got some much needed rest.






 
 





The next morning, the rain was gone and we had lots of laundry to get done. Jason worked on that chore while I got caught up on the blog and checked emails using the free Wi-Fi.



 





 We managed to break something else on the RV and started looking for a dealer in town. A piece of metal on the inside door latch sheared off and now we were locked in. Of course, Jason rigged that too, temporarily! He spoke to Jayco on the phone trying to get us a part ready and waiting at a shop when we got to Seattle area but it was Friday afternoon and most places were thinking of nothing but "quittin' time". Guess we will have to wait and see when Monday morning rolls around. In the meantime, on to our next stop....

Glacier National Park- Logan's Pass & Sunrift Gorge

Jason's favorite flower on the hike

On Wednesday June 19th, we got to use an SUV that belonged to the Naess family from Ohio. We had met the previous day during hiking. Thank You so Much!!!
We drove to Logan Pass which was as far as the road had been cleared and also marked the Continental Divide. The visitor's center was not open yet for the season but there was a ranger posted there. The boys built a snowman, which was a first. They also got sworn in for their junior ranger badges; although, I think Jason and I were more excited about adding another one to the collection than they were.

Then we drove back down to Sun Rift Gorge for a 5 mile hike. There were many waterfalls along the way and the path was lined with beautiful wildflowers.

 It rained off and on which made the hike a little tough. We turned around before making it to the 3rd waterfall and started our trek back to the SUV. We came to a fork in the trail where no one could agree which to take. Nathan made a $100 bet that his way was right. We took Big Jason's path anyway. About 1/2 mile back, Big Jason knew this path was not correct. There were wild roses and numbered plaques marking the way. We had not seen these before. We emerged onto the road and began walking in the direction we thought was correct.


Since everyone was tired and wet, there was not much talking going on which made it too quiet to warn animals of our presence. Big Jason came face to face with a black bear trying to cross the road. They were probably equally afraid of each other because the bear turned and ran back into the woods.  As Jason caught his breath, he tried to get a photo but was unsuccessful. No proof that bears really do exist! He turned and called out "UNRA...EARBA" which means "RUN...BEAR" in pig Latin. This has been a joke in our family for the last year because we had not seen a bear yet in all of the National Parks we had visited. We waited around to see if he would re-emerge at another place down the road. Sure enough, about 100 yards away, he quickly crossed the road. I snapped a quick picture but my camera was on the wrong setting so it is not so great. At least we have the proof! By the way, never run from a bear....black, grizzly or otherwise.
We were exhausted after the long day of rain and hiking and had managed to miss lunch in the process. Our RV was  a welcome sight and we felt safe and secure there.

Glacier National Park- St. Mary Campground and Many Glaciers

After racing, we drove as far as Butte, Montana to sleep at a Wal-Mart. The next morning which was Monday June 17th, we stopped in Great Falls to eat breakfast at McD's, work on business stuff (yea Wi-Fi) and UPS paychecks back home. The rest of the way up to the East Glacier entrance was Blackfoot territory and it was very depressing to see how impoverished the towns were. Small casinos lined the area and wild-looking dogs ran around the streets.

Finally, we approached St. Mary's Campground on the Mideastern side of Glacier National Park around 3 pm. It was a primitive camp with no hook-ups and very limited generator hours. We were so glad to be out of the driver's seat with two feet on the ground. Eager to start exploring, we rode our bikes to the visitor center to get information on hiking, etc. The rangers informed us that the shuttles were not running yet and most of the park wouldn't be accessible until July due to snow. Our RV was too long to drive the main road into the park so we would need to rent a car back in town in order to drive further into the park.

There was a river nearby the camping loop so we walked over to check it out. The boys collected rocks and I found some driftwood to take home. It was very beautiful there.

 Here is a pic of our campsite with a view of the mountains.

 On Tuesday morning, it was around 60 degrees in the camper when we woke. We drove up to Many Glacier Lodge and hiked around Swiftcurrent Lake which was 2.6 miles around. Then we took a boat tour across and hiked another 1/4 mile to Lake Josephine for another boat ride. Our hike was with a large group of people and we met lots of nice families from Iowa (The Bodes), Ohio (The Naess) and even Tampa(Steinfelds). Yes, one of the families played for Citrus Park Bills last season with us! Their son played on varsity football and their daughter did cheer for the super-midgets.
                                                                                     How crazy is that?!

 On the hike, we crossed suspension bridges, small creeks, played in the snow and saw lots of beautiful scenery. That hike was another 2.8 miles. The boat was full and couldn't hold all of the people going back at 5:15 so a few of us stayed behind at  Lake Josephine with a guide.  The temperature was dropping and mom was the only one with a jacket. We chatted with a family who was just back from a missions trip nearby.  As we discussed our dilemma with the road restrictions and our RV, they offered us their SUV for use the next day. I don't know too many families that would offer a stranger their vehicle. After our boat finally arrived and the tour was complete, we headed to the RV for our ride back to St. Mary Campground. In the parking lot, we saw some bighorn sheep looking for some handouts.

There were too many photos taken to show them all so here are few of my favorites from the day...

What a memorable day this will be!