Salt Lake Cty

July 30, 2011

This is our week of family birthdays. July 24 was grandson Jeffrey's birthday, July 26 was son Jeremy's birthday, today, July 30 is son Anthony's
birthday, and August 2 is son Brad's birthday. First time we have ever been away on their birthdays!

We took two days to travel from Lassen Volcanic NP in California to Salt Lake City. It's a long drive across Nevada....and pretty boring too! I tried real hard to find beauty in the high desert of Nevada....and some of the mountain formations were very pretty. Can't say I would want to live there.

As we crossed the state line into Utah, we entered the Great Salt Lake Desert....white as far as you could see for the next half hour or so. Salt Lake City is a beautiful city. My friend, Libby Hunter, who I grew up with in Lancaster lives in SLC. We had dinner with her last night and had such a good time...we haven't seen each other in probably 30 years. It was a nice reunion.

Today we went to the Family History Library and spent five hours tracing our family history. Ethan had a lot of success tracing his family back to France and England. It was so exciting for him to find all this information. My search did not go that well, but made a start on it anyway.

Well, it is now Sunday, July 31. This morning we saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform. We've heard them before and even seen them on television, but a live performance is very impressive, indeed. From there, we visited the Cathedral of St. Mark's where my friend Libby is one of the clergy. We are now relaxing in the International Peace Garden...very beautiful place, and will meet Libby in a few hours for dinner. Have had a wonderful time reconnecting with her.

We are going to relax here for a few more days before we make our next plan. We have enjoyed Salt Lake City.


The high desert of Nevada.


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Another pictures taken in Nevada






I can't seem to get through a single blog without getting a picture in that doesn't belong!!!!


Libby and me. We had just finished dinner at a small place called Sage...totally all fresh veggie organic vegetarian restaurant......so delicious!





Libby took us all over the city...it has been great having a tour guide. We are up on a mountain looking down into the valley in the evening. You can see a part of the Great Salt Lake to the left of the picture. She said the lake is at least 150 miles long.

Location:Utah

Lassen Volcanic National Park

July 27, 2011

There is always a first time for everything, and today was the first time we have ever been in shorts and sandals with snow over our heads on July 27th....elevation over 8,500 feet.

We didn't know just what to expect at Lassen NP, but saw some beautiful scenery. Lassen Peak was very barren, and was still covered with a lot of snow in many places. People were walking through snow on nearby trails....that wouldn't be us in our sandals!

As we were coming down the winding mountain road with NO guardrails, we came to a geo thermal area beside the road. It was so interesting to see smoldering hot liquid and a cold mountain stream just feet away.

Our tour of the Northwest National Parks has been a wonderful experience for us. Each park has it's own uniqueness and beauty. We have so much to be thankful for, and thank God every day for all He has given to us.
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Lassen Peak is over 10,000 feet.





Oops.....another mountain, another place...sorry!!





If you look closely, you will see Ethan trying to get out of the snowbank to use the potty....nothing like a COLD seat!!!!

Location:California

Crater Lake National Park

July 26, 2011

It is hard to find the words to describe the beauty and grandeur we saw today. I had seen pictures of Crater Lake, but pictures just don't tell the story. I have never seen such deep dark blue water before. The lake is over 1900 feet deep and is only water from rain and snow....it was awesome. We drove the 31 miles around the lake, with 10 foot snow banks along parts of the road. Most of the majestic mountains were still snow covered.

Each park we've visited has had it's own unique beauty. It has been such a blessing for us to see all these places....an experience we will never forget.



Pictures taken at Crater Lake.


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Location:Oregon

Redwoods National Park

July 25, 2011

After spending two days traveling down Oregon's beautiful coast, we made it to Redwood National Park in California.

Yesterday we spent the day walking through the redwoods. What a wonderful experience walking among these quiet giants of the forest. It was so peaceful...like a special sanctuary.

Many of the trees had been scarred by wildfires years ago, and were still alive. These trees towered over us at least 300 feet and many of them were at least 800 years old....some much older. We will never forget this part of our journey...if these trees could talk, what stories they would have for us.


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Oregon coast...it was beautiful, but the wind was so strong and cold.








This group of redwoods is called the Cathedral and many weddings each year take place in this peaceful setting.





I could not look up enough to get the top of this tree. Guess I should have laid flat on my back....it was huge!




Can you believe the trunk of this tree...and it's not all in the picture!





Ethan has been looking in the woods for elk to no avail. So we have stopped for a picnic lunch yesterday and he is looking all through the meadows and high grass for elk, but there are none. Where do you suppose he saw them....on someone's lawn!





A mother whale and her baby came up the river near where we were staying in Crescent City, CA. The baby swam back to the ocean, but mama was still swimming around in the river. Ethan said it looks like she was about 40 feet long....a gray whale.

Location:California

Pacific Coast Scenic Highway

July 22, 2011

Today was a day of traveling for us. We drove down the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon, and it was beautiful. The wind off the ocean was cool, but the sun was shining! We stopped and took a few pictures along the way before stopping for the night.


This is Yaquina Head on 101 Pacific Coast Highway. A beautiful stop along the way south on the highway.


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Location:Oregon

Mount Ranier National Park and Mount St. Helen

July 21, 2011

Ever had something hanging over your head that you really would like to have disappear?

Well, we have had just that! They are called big gray clouds!

Yesterday, July 20, we arrived at Ranier NP. The entrance to the park was beautiful. We felt like we were driving down a corridor with stately Douglas Firs and Western Hemlocks in perfectly straight rows welcoming us. It was a very peaceful feeling.

We drove up the long winding road to the Paradis Visitor Center, hoping the big gray clouds would disappear by the time we arrived. On the way, we saw some awesome snow-covered peaks that were probably 5,000-6,000 feet.....but compared to the master of the park, they were dwarfs.

At the visitor's center, there was a lot of snow.....it was at least 6 feet deep along the road, and people were snowshoeing and kids were playing in the snow. We never saw the top two-thirds of Mt. Ranier.

This morning, the fog was so thick and heavy, we didn't even try to go back up the mountain for another look. We left and headed to Mount St. Helen.

When we got to the Mount St. Helen Visitor Center, we were told that the mountain was in thick clouds. We decided to take the 47 mile trip up to the Observatory anyway, and sure enough......Mount St. Helen was in the clouds. We went into the observatory and watched the film on what happened back in 1980. It was an amazing film, and you can still see much of the devastation 31 years later. The film ended, the screen and curtain was raised and we looked out the expansive window showing the mountain......and the clouds were gone! What a gift! For about 10 minutes the mountain was clear, so we took some pictures we never thought we would be able to take....and we thanked God for the gift He gave us.

After seeing the devastation this volcano caused over many many miles, I was feeling very small and insignificant in this world. I am so thankful that I am not insignificant in God's eyes. After 31 years, the new trees cover the mountains and beautiful wild flowers are scattered over the land. The dead trees and stumps are still all around to remind you of what happened. I am still feeling very overwhelmed by what we saw today.




Pictures taken on the way up to see Mt. Ranier


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Another slip of the finger....this is the Waterton NP, Canada!




This fox came right up to Ethan.....sure he was looking for food.




Another slip up!!




I wish I could figure out how to delete pictures that are mistakes! Sorry!




Ethan has been wanting to see an elk up close.....FINALLY, he got up close and personal with this beauty. On the way down the mountain, a mama elk and her baby crossed the road right in front of us!




Another mistake....Yellowstone.




Mount St. Helen.










This is a beautiful waterfall on the road to Paradis visitor center in Ranier NP.

Location:Washington

Olympic National Park

July 19, 2011

We arrived in Port Angeles, WA Sunday afternoon ready to check out Olympic National Park. On Monday, we drove up Hurricane Ridge...another narrow, winding road!! No guardrails in many places! Unfortunately, the clouds were hanging around the top of the mountain, so we did not see the spectacular view we were hoping to see. The clouds have not cooperated with us at all, so we have not seen many of the tall snow covered peaks.

Today we drove to the Hoh Rain Forest and had a wonderful time. This rain forest is a temperate rain forest that gets about 12 feet of rain a year. The Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock dominate the forest, with some Douglas Fir as well. They average 200-300 feet tall, and are just magnificent. They live at least 300 years, and have many different kinds of moss growing on them and hanging from their branches. What a peaceful place. We were hoping to see elk while we were there, but they didn't show up for us.

We have seen many other beautiful places here on the Olympic Peninsula, and will never forget these experiences. Tomorrow we will leave here for Mount Ranier.



View from our back yard while camping at the KOA in Port Angeles, WA.





Ranger Sharah talking with us about the habitat living on Hurricane Ridge. As you can see, we were in the clouds....so not awesome views for us.





From one tunnel to another on Hurricane Ridge Rd.






Taken from a beach at Lake Crescent just outside the park.





We could not believe how tall and straight these trees were in the rain forest.




A few of the moss covered trees in the rain forest







Sorry.....hit the wrong picture by mistake...this is a photo from Yellowstone





Ethan found another hugging tree!





Another slip of the finger....these are some of the cedars in Glacier!




This Sitka Spruce is 270 feet tall and estimated to be 500-550 years old! It's diameter is 12 and a half feet.....wonder what the circumference would be?

Location:Washington

Pike Place Fish Market

July 17, 2011

We spent this morning at Pike Place Market. Our first stop was to Pike's Fish Market. We had read several of the Pike's Fish Market books at work..."Catch" and "Fish" and I wanted to meet the crew. I was talking with one of the guys--I think his name was Ernie...at least I will call him Ernie.
We told him we were from Maine, and that I had read their books and was excited about seeing them in action.

Ernie said, "You should catch a fish."

So, he took off his apron and gave it to me. I went up behind the counter and the guys showed me how to catch a fish.....then they did their shouting and threw the fish up over the display counters! I actually caught it!! How much fun that was! They made my day for sure!







I gave Ernie back his apron and thanked him for making my day.

Location:Seattle, Washington

North Cascades National Park

Friday, July 15, 2011

As we travel to the different national parks in our country, we find each one to be such a blessing.

Today we spent our day in North Cascades NP in Washington. They had so much snow this year, there was still deep snow close to the road in some places. Many of the hiking trails are still snow covered in higher elevations.

The snow covered peaks were just awesome. The roads were lined with tall, lush, green trees, and in many places they provided a canopy over us as we drove along the road. With the snow covered mountains in the distance, it was truly a beautiful sight.

We saw some great waterfalls today, and took some short walks. After a long day of traveling yesterday, it was nice to take it easy today and enjoy our surroundings.

It's hard for us to believe that we have been away from home for a month now. As we look at the map, Maine seems so far away.....wait--it is far away!! We have enjoyed every day of our trip, and look forward each day.
May God bless each of you as He has blessed us.

Including a few of the pictures taken today in North Cascades NP.

Location:Washington