An Amazing Drive

We spent a day driving from Carmel to Cambria using Highway 1. It was beautiful.

Aquarium Time!! :)

When we left Cathy, we headed for Carmel and the coast. We spent one day at the Monterey Aquarium which was amazing. We also explored tide pools and parks along the coast as we headed south. This video is a video that Lily took of the Million Gallon Tank. (No zoom was used, we could literally get up close and personal to the glass.) It was incredible!!

Adding this after our return home. Tahoe was wonderful. We kayaked on the lake, ate a picnic lunch on the water, and enjoyed a Shakespeare festival which included all the works of the bard. And we were also introduced to the Gilmore Girls. Fun.

The Hollisters

It was great to see Cathy, George, and Clint. Cathy took us to Tahoe. We arrived at the lake, went to a great restaurant to watch the sun set, and then headed to the grocery store. When we got to the cabin, the key would not turn in the lock. The house belonged to a friend of Cathy's who had very graciously shared it with us. We spent an hour trying to solve the problem there before we headed to a motel. Luckily it had a refrigerator in the room. The next day we were able to get into the cabin. After Laurie left, we learned that the refrigerator there was broken. We all got a good lesson in calm problem solving.

Mountains

We spent a day driving up and down and up and down. The landscape was much more arid, but still in bloom.

Beach Art

We found this work on the beach and wondered if we had stumbled onto a friend of Andy Goldsworthy . We added a rock before we left.

Oregon

The beaches in Oregon were great on bare feet. We did not see anyone in a swimming suit in the water, such a difference from the east coast. We planned to drive down the Oregon coast and then see the Northern California coast. The holiday traffic got the best of us. We headed inland, but first we made a few stops including one at the biggest candy store on the Pacific Coast in Seaside. We crossed the mountains and saw an interior agricultural valley in Oregon. Then we were in the mountains for most of the next day.

The Fourth of July

See this picture? Yes, the one of the gorgeous, flower like object in the dark, black sky. Carrie's camera seemed to click rite at that precise moment. This picture was taken on the Fourth of July, the day that just 4-5 hours before we crossed a huge bridge to Astoria and how Carrie and Lily ate that terrible creamy fatty greasy alfredo sauce that made both of them a little woozy. But even with that the fireworks were great and a camera adventure.

Washington Coast

The coast of Washington had many amazing sights.
There was so much water and the beaches were filled with driftwood. One of these pictures shows a forest that was filled with trees that had no leaves. They were covered with lichens and the effect was very eerie.

We were in the car and my mom pulled up to a spot. And this is what happened. Might I mention I was in a full slumber when I was rudely awakened...

"Lily! Lily! Wake up!! Wake up!!!"

(groggy)"Whatttt..."

"You have to come out and look at this; it's really cool!!!!"

"Ugh..I was taking a really good nap....."

"But you have to get out and see this. It's so cool!"

(groggy still)"Is it a rock... -.-?"

"Yes!"(excitedly)

"UGH!! You freaking wake me up to see a rock?!!?!??! I was taking a nap.."(groggy)

"But you have to. It's so cool...!!!"

"Just take my camera and take a picture of it..." (hands camera out to mother)

Hoh Rainforest

The Hoh Rainforest was lush, wet, and full of giant trees, beautiful ferns, and every color of flower. One of the most impressive things on this trip has been the number of wildflowers we have seen. It has been spring everywhere.

Twilight

The first night on the Olympic Peninsula, we stayed in Forks, one of the settings in the Twilight books. The sign at our hotel says that Edward did not stay at this hotel. We did.

Hurricane Ridge

We got off the ferry and headed to the top of Hurricane Ridge. On the way up, we walked on the packed snow of glaciers that were melting and saw waterfalls.

Our First Goodbye

We got to the ferry early because we thought there would be a long line to get on board. Jane and Kathy led the way with Kathy standing up through the sun roof of Jane's car to point the way. We had planned on parking in the line and then going to Ivars to get a bowl of chowder in honor of Bodgie and Grandma. When we got there, the ferry was loading and there was no line or way of turning around. We had to pull on to the boat. We did not get to say a proper goodbye! We ordered some chowder on the ferry which they said was from Ivars. Lily did not eat any saying she wanted to do it properly at the real Ivars with Jane and Kathy. We had to say our goodbyes by phone with a promise that we would be back. Jane and Kathy were so welcoming and fun. They sent us off with a great start to our adventure. We miss them as we journey down the coast.

There were many hiking and biking trails in Seattle and all the walks took us through beautiful areas of wildflowers and trees. And feral cat areas where people put out bedding and food for the wild kitties. These pictures were taken where big cruise ships come into the harbor. We got there in the evening and saw the lights coming on. It was a very nice park area. Jane, Kathy, and her dog are with Chris on the bench. Lily took the picture to the right and Chris took the one the left.

There are flowers everywhere.

Pike Place Market

Waiting to catch or throw a fish.

We spent the day at the market and took a lot of pictures. We also bought crabs which we ate for dinner. Our friend Jane did the cooking. It was quite an adventure and required video.

Seattle

Our first night in Seattle, we ate dinner at Chinooks. They serve local seafood, caught on boats that are at the docks nearby. Seeing Jane for the first time in eleven years was great, and the girls got to meet her for the first time.

This picture was taken by Lily.

Vacation

Thursday we are off to Seattle and begin our adventure.