Our Daily Walks

Everyday after lunch the kids and I all like to take a walk around the neighborhood. Ben gets on his tricycle, or his bicycle, and Megan loves to ride in her "Pink Cadillac" (as we call it.) We always stop in front of the fence and throw the ball to Glacier, and then we're off. Sometimes we go to the park to play, and sometimes we just cruise around the sidewalks. It's a daily routine, and sometimes we walk after dinner as well. The colder temperatures will be here soon enough, so we try to get the kids outside as often as we can during the summer months. They always enjoy going for walks.

What is Megan Up To?

Megan is really climbing up on things now. She is constantly crawling around looking for furniture to climb up on. She always smiles when she accomplishes the feat. I'm sure she'll try to start walking pretty soon.

Back To School

Today was Ben's first day back at school. Believe it or not he was actually looking forward to it. He's back in the same class, with the same teacher, and a lot of the same friends. So I think he was looking forward to seeing his old teachers and friends from school. So this week we're all trying to get back into the "school routine."

Whiting Forest

I flew back home from Seattle on the Sunday night red-eye flight. I landed in Detroit at 5:30 am, and arrived at home around 9 am. After breakfast we all drove over to the Whiting Forest for a short hike. One of the featured attractions at the forest are the new "forts" that were built by volunteer groups. Each fort is unique, and nestled into the woods (so the kids have to hunt for them). Some are obviously easier to find than others, and Ben had fun checking out each and every one of them. After spending a whole weekend hiking it was nice to come home and take a hike with the kids. Jenny and I know all too well that winter is always just around the corner, so it's always nice to take advantage of the nice weather up here when you can.

Mount Rainier NP - Final Thoughts

Mount Rainier was a beautiful park to visit, even despite all the cloudiness and rain. (Hey, it's the Pacific Northwest. Of course you're going to get some rain right?) The campsite we had was great, one of the best I've seen in a park. The first night we camped it got down to the mid-40's at night, but I felt warm enough and actually slept pretty good. The second night dropped down to around 37 and I admit it was very uncomfortable. I remember waking up around 1:30 in the morning shivering, so I had to add some more layers to my clothes and sleeping bag. Because of the weather we spent a lot of time at the Paradise Visitor Center which sits up high near the base of Rainier. It was nice. We had several meals at the grill, and spent a lot of time drying out and warming up.
Overall, we had a great time. The parks of Washington are great to visit because of their proximity to a major airport. We have now visited Olympic NP and Mount Rainier, and we have really enjoyed both. It will be interesting to visit Mount Rainier again in the future. After having only seen the mountain for about 10 minutes on our first day, the park will look entirely different to me with Rainier in full view (hopefully). Yes indeed...I will definately be back someday.

Mount Rainier NP - Day 3: Stevens Creek

Before we left the park to head back to Seattle we decided to sneak in one more hike. We hiked the 1 mile trail to Stevens Creek, which is a set of rapids and waterfalls. Again, we hiked through a thick, lush forest that went almost straight down into a gulley. The hike was nice, but the climb back up was very steep (despite the short distance.) Still a nice hike though.

Mount Rainier NP - Day 3: Drive To Sunrise

To begin our third day we decided to drive to the east side of the park to check out the Sunrise Visitor Center, which is near one of the highest points in the park. When we arrived we encountered falling snow showers, so instead of a hike we decided to do a driving tour of the nearby sights.

Mount Rainier NP - Day 2: Comet Falls

Because of the consistent clouds and rain we decided to hike the Comet Falls trail. This 4 mile hike took us to an incredible waterfall nestled at the end of a canyon. Along the way to the waterfall we saw several smaller waterfalls along the way. At the end, not only was Comet Falls amazing and picturesque, but the trail allowed you to walk right up to it. We could have taken a shower in it if we wanted to. Anyway, the falls were stunning and definately worth the hike.
Our day ended back at camp where we made a fire and tried to dry out our shoes and socks (and even some of the firewood). Staying dry was a constant challenge over the entire weekend.

Mount Rainier NP - Day 2: Reflection Lakes

Saturday was our first full day in the park, and the weather just wasn't cooperating. We had planned an alpine hike that would have taken us high and up close-and-personal with Rainier. But it was cloudy, foggy, cold, and raining and we couldn't even see Mount Rainier. So instead we decided to do a 3 mile hike to Reflection Lakes. The lakes are popular for offering splendid reflections of Rainier. But on a day like this day there would be no reflections. Instead we hiked among the forests in a shroud of clouds, rain, and fog. The result was an almost supernatural setting. We reached a rocky overlook near the end of the trail and we would have normally seen views of snow capped peaks. Instead we were greeted by a wall of clouds and white. Nevertheless, the hike was very cool.

Mount Rainier National Park - Day 1

Last weekend my friend Mike and I met each other in Seattle and then went to Mount Rainier NP to go camping and hiking for a few days. Our first day in the park was the best one weather wise. We did some driving around and took lots of pictures of the scenery. We saw Christine Falls, Narada Falls, and did a 2 mile hike to Carter Falls. We also found our campsite and set up camp. The highlight of the day of course was seeing the mountain. You know...THE mountain. Mount Rainier is at a whopping 14,000 feet...in a land that averages 3000 to 5000 feet. Looking at it was like seeing Mount Everest. But Mount Rainier is also amazingly elusive...as we would later find out. Clouds often hide the mountain, sometimes for days or weeks. The park itself is roughly about the size of Rocky Mountain NP. In fact, I would say Mount Rainier is a lot like Rocky in both scenery, look, and feel. The main difference however is of course the lushness of the park. Everything in Mount Rainier is incredibly green and vivid. The forests are thick and engulfing and almost jungle-like...thanks mostly to the consistent rains. Overall, we had a great first day at a great park.