Our neighbor told us about their great visit to the Elwha Estuary, where the Elwha River feeds into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Having some freetime this afternoon, the kids and I decided to check it out. It was very interesting, but also very windy when we were there, which made it hard to enjoy.
We spent this afternoon hanging out at the campground we are staying at. It is Log Cabin Resort, part of Olympic National Park. It has a small lodge, some boat rentals, lawn games, and a small beach. The weather is supposed to turn cooler again so we thought it would be fun to play in the water.
On our way to the mount Lookout hike in Winthrop, we were asked If we had trail names (nicknames that you are called while hiking.) We thought about what our names should be, and I came up with the idea of having our trail names be after our favorite hike. Below are our trail names and their origin.
Susan: Hidden lake, see “The Great Smoky Mountains/Glacier.”
Rob, Navajo, pronounced nava joe, see “Bryce Canyon Part 1.”
Me, Falling Fairy (Fairy Falls,) see “Yellowstone.”
Mari, Mudpot see “Yellowstone.”
Elliot, Mr. Delicate (Delicate Arch) see “Arches.”
Lucia, Rainbow Falls/Rainbow Falls alot:) See “Great Smoky Mountains.”
Rose, The Oldest, It’s what she said when we asked her what her trail name should be.
Comment what your trail name should be!
Today was a beautiful day to hike up Hurricane Hill for a view of Hurricane Ridge, and the surrounding area.
Today after work we headed into the park for our first visit. We hit the Elwha River area for some short hikes.
This evening we drove to the top of Mt. Erie Overlook for a beautiful sunset over the Olympic Peninsula.
Back home in Des Moines we have been members of a group called the Prairie Grass Guild for the past few years (maybe 5?). We meet once a month on a Friday to go for a hike. Another family from the group, the Anhalts, have parents/grandparents who live in the area that we are in now. They happened to be visiting so we met in a city park in Bellingham for a hike and then we headed to the parents/grandparents for a grill out. It was great to see some familiar faces and enjoy the comforts of a home.
Several of the people we spoke with in Winthrop recommended that we visit Deception Pass State Park when we were in La Conner. We headed that way after work today. They park spans 3 different land masses, the mainland and parts of two islands. It features a neat bridge, hiking trails along the coast and cliffs, and some old trees.
Susan and the kids hit the beach while I was at work today. The tide was low so they were able to explore a lot more than yesterday. They discovered many crabs, big and small that live amongst the rocks.
Today we made the drive from Winthrop to La Conner. It took just a few hours and was a beautiful drive through the northern Cascades. It looks and feels more like fall here than anywhere we have been so far.
