TOUR DE WASHINGTON II

Part II of TOUR DE WASHINGTON

NEAH BAY CONTINUED...

When Mike came to visit, one of the places he wanted to see in Washington State was Neah Bay.  I had never heard of it.  This was my absolute favorite place on our trip!  Located in Washington State, at the very northwest tip of the continental United States, it is the home of the Makah Indian Tribe.  We visited the Makah Museum, took TWO hikes in one day, and saw many bald eagles in this town of about 1500.    

We rented a cabin right on the beach so our goal earlier that afternoon was to arrive to Neah Bay in time to see the sun setting on the beach.  We made it and it was stunning!  

YYYYAAAAAWWWWNNNNN!

Day 4 

Neah Bay sightseeing

Did  you know bald eagles are not bald?  Their heads are white and according to baldeagleinfo.com, at one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless.       

The Cape Flattery trail, about 1.5 miles round trip, was our first hike of the day.  The views were beautiful!  

We finished our (1st) hike, and then after eating at a local pizza place and visiting the Makah Museum, we were ready for hike #2.  Through the rain forest we half hiked, half sludged, destination Shi Shi Beach (pronounced shy shy). A gentleman at the museum told us, or should I say warned us, that Shi Shi was extremely muddy that day.  We thought, hmm, how bad can the mud be?  We were in mud up our shins by the time we made it back to our cars.  Of course that made it all the more fun.  

The internet says it's two miles each way, & I am pretty sure this hike was more than just .6 miles, one way...

Our friend Mike saves the day!  

There were dozens of starfish scattered all over the rocks, 
the colors so vibrant!  

We had such a blast hiking through the rain forest, seeing the beautiful wildlife, and enjoying God's amazing creation!  


Day 5 
The home stretch

Our last day on our journey we drove from Neah Bay, to 
Bremerton, WA.  We then took a ferry to Seattle.  The Bremerton Ferry is an automobile and passenger service that is operated and owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. This service is known for being the third largest automobile and passenger ferry fleet in the world. 
It is also the largest fleet in the United States.

                (http://www.bremertonwa.com/ferry.html)

View of the city as we arrive into the Port of Seattle.  





This is actually Seattle's well known Space Needle, 
not a protrusion out of Mike's head.

There is lots to see and do in this very large city of 640,000.  We spent several hours at the Pike Place Market, then ate some delicious seafood at one of the restaurants on the water.  After living in a small town of 40,000 this past year, I was ready to head out and see more of creation and breathe a bit....     

AHHHH!  Cool, crisp, mountain air.  
We drove through Snoqualmie Pass on the way home.  Snoqualmie Pass as it climbs into the Cascades passes through a micro-climate characterized by considerable precipitation, and at times hazardous conditions for travelers.  The average annual precipitation is over 100 inches; 
snowfall averages over 400 inches.

We enjoyed our five day adventure with our friend Mike and have many memories to last a lifetime.  
Our journey didn't end here....


A visit to the Tri-Cities would not be complete without a trek 

to the top of Badger Mountain!  

Welcome to the um...   Evergreen State... ??

  

Not here in the Tri-cities.  The Tri-Cities are in a semi-arid climate receiving an average of 5 to 7 inches of precipitation every year. Winds periodically exceed 30 mph (48 km/h) 
when Chinook wind conditions exist. 

Temperatures range from as low as −10 °F 

in the winter to as high as 110 °F in the summer, 

and even reached 113 °F (45 °C) in July 2006.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-Cities,_Washington

Depending on which trail you take and which side of the mountain you hike up, getting to the top can take anywhere from 30 minutes (if you are jogging - which many do - daily), to 45 minutes, to an hour and a half or more.  The top of Badger Mountain is a great way to see an aerial view of the Tri-Cities, WA.  

Wave to the little people.

Although it may get hot in the summer, 
we have little to no humidity 
which makes the mornings and evenings cool and comfortable.  

We made it to the top!  

Of course we made it back down the mountain and worked up an appetite with all that hiking.  
Here we are eating authentic Mongolian Food, so yummy!  
Even the guys had to-go boxes.  

More outdoor fun!!!

Kayaking on the Columbia River

After conquering Badger Mountain, of course Mike wanted to hike up the 45 degree sand covered Flat Top Mountain.  So we did!    

And in closing.....  

THE. Best. Photo Bomb picture. ever...  if I do say so myself.  Mike was trying to get a picture of the sun hitting Flat Top Mountain and I decided to jump in front of the camera 
at just the right moment. 


The End 
(shew!  I told you there would be a lot of pictures)



Thank you Mike for being such a wonderful friend and going on this adventure with us!

Blessings to each of you, Paula & William

TOUR DE WASHINGTON I

Two months ago our super awesome friend Mike came to visit my hubby and I.  These two guys drove a rental truck with all our stuff that had been in storage for the past year from Ohio to Washington State.  Then the three of us took a five-day road trip and had a blast driving all over beautiful Washington State!

Between the three of us, we took about 1000 pictures on this trip so I will attempt to narrow down how many I post...  

There are so many good pictures - I have split this post 

up into two different sections.  Please see TOUR DE WASHINGTON II for the 2nd half.

Day 1

Super Cool Mike

(He could melt all dis' stuff)

William and I, yes, with snow in the background, 

in the middle of May.  Welcome to WA State!  

Shout out to Cincinnati family and friends!  We miss you all!

Beautiful scenery along the way

Can you see the mountain (covered with snow) 

in the background?  That's Mt. Rainier! 

(It's hard to spot, but if you look right in the middle of the picture, just above our heads and to the left, you will see it)

Ready for our Washington Adventure!  

Day 2 

Mt. Rainier

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. Sub-alpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. 

A lifetime of discovery awaits.

Here we are at the base of Mt. Rainier.  We spent several hours climbing around on the rocks and were amazed at the views, waterfalls, and magnitude of God's creation.  

The further west & higher up in altitude we drove, the colder it became.  Yes, I am wearing my winter coat and scarf in the middle of May.  

Breathtaking!!!

We are so glad we were able to see the top of Mt. Rainier the day before from a couple hours away.  The day we were here, the weather was overcast and drizzly so the top of 

Rainier was not visible.

Driving further up Rainier, 

we had fun playing in the rain and loved 

the cool mist on our faces from the waterfalls.    

My husband thinks he's funny

and most of the time, 

he is

These orange markers show where the road is.  They are so tall because the snow is that deep in the heart of winter!

This is a wall of plowed snow.  The day we were there, we could go as far as Paradise.  Many of the roads into the park were closed due to the snow with only one way in and one way out of the park.  The rain kept many visitors away 

so we had the place mostly to ourselves.    

Me & my hubby

Hiking at the base of Mt. Rainier.  

There must be some big beavers in this here park.  

Ready for some good grub after some good all day trekking.

The hamburger is not happy as it's about to get eaten.... (no smiley face - get it?)

Day 3 

Ocean Shores

There is a rainbow in the middle of this picture.  Can you see it?  Our friend Mike saw three rainbows that day.  Rainbows are a sign of God's promises (Genesis 9:13) and they are also used to describe the radiance of God in Ezekiel 1:28.  I love this description in God's Word, especially since it was misty and overcast that day.  "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him (the Lord). This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I (Ezekiel) saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking."  The Lord can be seen throughout all of creation, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.  

After visiting Ocean Shores, we headed 

North along the coast on HWY 101, stopping at 
several beaches along the Pacific Northwest Coast.  

We found many whole sand dollars on our adventure.  I grew up going to Florida visiting my grandparents and always kept my eyes out for a real sand dollar but never found one.  

I found about 10 on this trip!

Two cool dudes

A cool dude and his cool dudette wife, with her very cool boots

Driving to Neah Bay

We stopped along the way to stretch our legs in the Olympic National Forest and to see THE...

Can you see us? (hint - blue umbrella at base of tree)

This tree is monstrous!  

No wonder with 12 feet of rainfall per year.    

Another place we stopped while driving on HWY 101 was 

Ruby Beach.  We were told this is a must see beach, and it was!!  We spent a couple hours walking along the beach, climbing on the huge cliffs, and just enjoying the cool salty beach air.  AHHH!!

To be continued....

Please see TOUR DE WASHINGTON II 
for the second half of this post.