Adventure at Olympic National Park

Yesterday was a very untypical Pacific Northwest February day. We had blue skies and sun with temperatures in the fifties. Rosie and I decided to take full advantage of this gorgeous day and packed our cross country skis and snowshoes, along with our winter gear for an adventure in Olympic National Park.

Our destination was Hurricane Ridge, a 17 mile drive that ascends 5,200 above Port Angeles, which is right on the Pacific Ocean. It was a lot of driving -- over three hours each way -- but we were rewarded with an unforgettable day in a spectacular setting.

The panorama from the peak provides a stunning range of sites with the seemingly endless jagged Olympic Range to the west and south, the Pacific Ocean, and Vancouver Island (Canada) to the north and the Cascades to the east. It is a breathtakingly beautiful location.

Rosie snowshoes between trees with the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver Island beyond the ridge.

Rosie's long shadow stands out as she snowshoes into the setting sun. The rugged Olympics are a stunning background.

We planned to cross country ski but realized the conditions were a bit too icy so we were glad we had our snowshoes.

Rosie

Brad and Rosie on a peak above the Visitors Center

Despite the somewhat icy conditions we ended the day with a short ski run into the sun. It was a day to remember.

Fern/Joyce turns 4!

Joyce had a great birthday. It started out at school where I got to be the parent volunteer for the day.

There was some dancing done.

Crown-wearing ("4 Fern 4" is what the crown says) and snack-eating with her friend Ella Rose

Then we had a birthday lunch at Scholars Inn Bakehouse.

Presents were opened:

Excitement was felt.

Books were loved. Hearts were touched.  (Post written mainly in General Conference style)

Inter-species Care

Grace has been really kind to Wilbur lately - giving him lots of hugs and asking me to tie him to her back so that he can accompany her on all of her important business. You can see Wilbur's really relaxed here. My daughters are all about inter-species care.

Fingerpainting

We bought some fingerpaints the other day.

The girls definitely enjoyed them.

Beautiful.

A Day in Paradise

Today was gorgeous so Rebekah and I took her friend, Julia Harris, to Paradise in  Mount Rainier National Park for an unforgettable day of snowshoeing. We ended up climbing almost 2,000 feet as we were surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

Rebekah and Julia work their way up a ridge

Rebekah and I stop for a photo with Rainier in the background.

Rebekah and Julia stop for lunch with Rainier looming in the background

Rebekah and Julia with Mount Adams in the background

Note Rebekah's long shadow as the close of day approaches.  In the background is a steep slope that we climbed then glissaded down.

Rebekah and Julie are silhouetted against the setting sun as they take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

Mount Adams (left) and Mount Saint Helens (right)

As we drove out of the parking lot we were greeted by two foxes. One was black and the other a beautiful white/yellow/red (below).

My only complaint about the entire day is that it was the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year.

Snowshoe Adventure with Rebekah

Yesterday afternoon Rebekah and I went for a memorable snowshoe adventure above Crystal Mountain. It was cloudy and gray in Enumclaw but once we hit the mountains the skies cleared and it was gorgeous. This was almost the shortest day of the year but we made the most of every minute as the low sun provided a golden warmth to everything around us in this winter wonderland. We climbed almost 2,000 feet to some spectacular views.

Rebekah surveys the wonders of this paradise and the very steep climb we made to get out above the basin/meadow below her.

My little tripod allowed us to get a photo with both of us and Mount Rainier in the background.

Rebekah looks back from the steep climb we just made. (The snow conditions had virtually no risk of avalanche or we never would have made that climb).

We had a nice glissade down the steepest portion of the climb. Rebekah is sliding down in the middle of this photo just above the sun line.

It was a great afternoon with this wonderful and adventerous daughter and an excellent way to celebrate her return home for the holidays. I look forward to similar adventures with the other children over the next couple of weeks.

Flyaway Katie

Joyce was painting with watercolors but found the medium of paper pretty boring. She moved on to more interesting textures. Namely her arms, then her face and then to her belly and finally onto Grace as a canvas. She informed me that she was being "Fly Away Katie" a character from a book we read a few months ago who paints herself and flies into a painting of colorful birds. .

Banff National Park

Banff National Park has some of the most beautiful places in the world. We made a quick trip to some of its highlights on our way home. In the above photo we are along the Bow River Parkway between Banff and Lake Louise.

The Bow River makes its way through the valley with stunning mountains all around.

Rosie captured me on a rock near Moraine Lake.

I think Moraine Lake is the most picturesque spot in North America. It's arresting blue/green color and the surrounding peaks that shoot straight out of its shore along with the evergreen woods make for a scene that is unparalleled.

Lake Louise is absolutely beautiful as well

Glacier National Park

We drove to Glacier National Park on Thursday night for a long anticipated trip to one of the crown jewels in the National Park System.  Rosie spent many summer vacations early in her life in Montana and visited Glacier a few times. I had never been there and was very excited to see its mountains, waterfalls, rivers and glaciers.

When we got there Thursday night we rode our bikes along the shore of Lake McDonald.

This was a warm up for my big ride the next day.

For years I have dreamed of riding the Going to the Sun highway which runs east to west through the heart of this beautiful park. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful road in the entire country.  It is 50 miles with almost 4,000 feet of elevation gain and every inch provides a gorgeous view. The road is only open a few months of the year -- because of snow -- and bicycles can ride only on limited hours until after Labor Day. So our timing was perfect for this adventure.  It was a bright sunny day with temperatures in the seventies and eighties after the morning cold wore off.

It took 12 years to construct the Going to the Sun road and it opened to the public in 1933. It is a narrow two lane road with serious exposure to the side in most places.   

Designing and engineering this road was a major challenge.  Above are arches that were built on the side of the mountain to give enough surface to make it wide enough for a two lane road. Remarkable!

Rosie joined me for much of the first part of the ride that included the glorious views of Lake McDonald, the surrounding mountains and crystal clear rivers and waterfalls. 

Every mile was stunning. It was hard to concentrate on the road.

The "Red Rocket" poses for a portrait on the ascent.

The road was cut in the side of the mountain and is very visible in the middle of this photo.

I only saw one other bike at the summit -- Logan Pass. Compare it to the "Red Rocket".  I have no idea how he even got on that thing, let alone pedaled it to the summit. There is a sign on the bike by his helmet that read, "Tips appreciated".  I wonder what would happen if I did that with the "Rocket".

While it was a bit hazy and the sun was not perfect for a photo, one can appreciate the beauty of St. Mary's Lake from this spot along the way.

We stopped for a picnic lunch and photo at Logan Pass.  Rosie also rode the last few miles of this adventure with me.  She was a perfect support person -- as she is in every aspect of my life.

After our Going to the Sun adventure we drove to Waterton National Park across the Canadian Border. They have built a wonderful bike trail from the park entrance into Waterton (five miles) that is almost like an amusement park ride.  It has the perfect amount of curves, ups and downs to make for a very fun experience and the views along the lakes with the rugged and beautiful mountains are incredible.

Here we are right before sunset outside the Prince of Wales hotel where we spent the evening after a truly unforgettable and wonderful day. We went to sleep that night with an even greater appreciation for God's creative genius.

I never would have guessed that we would go to Glacier and not hike one bit. But our bikes made up for the hiking shortfall.

I wanted to add my take.  This trip for me was the celebration of our 33rd anniversary.  We had a busy month of August with girl's camp and family reunions.  So when Brad talked about wanting to go to Canada on a trip I told him I would love to celebrate our anniversary.  Now one question I asked was if you had to choose between the red rocket and me which one would you take?  I am not sure he answered the question but obviously He got both! The difference between Brad and I here is that I like going on a "bike ride".  He likes living on his bike!   I got to do some things I wanted to do while he was fulfilling his dream and it was a win win!  I recommend every married couple finds a way to have a get away and make each other a priority!  Rosie