Day 7 - Olympic National Park

 Olympic National Park, WA

It was a long day in the car.

We started out earlyish to head to Olympia:

There's literally a road here named Sleater-Kinny. Amazing. 

And then began the Hwy 101 experience. And I even let this kid drive some of it, rediscovering where the "oh shit" handle is on some of the turns.

About 10 minutes into the drive, the road was closed - one lane only. So we sat in traffic for awhile. Perfect time for Hayden to drive haha.

We took the wrong road and ended up checking out Hurricane Ridge:

Then backtracked and headed to Lake Crescent to do the Marymere Falls hike:

Totally worth the 1.5ish miles to get to it!

Then we booked it over to the Hon Rainforest for the Hall of Mosses hike:

We also saw some elk hanging out on the side of the road. I wasn't able to get a pic, because I was driving.

After that short hike, we finished out Olympic NP at Ruby Beach.

Well worth it.

And after sunset we had 3.5 hrs to drive to get to our campsite, where we would just sleep in the car. We didn't make it. We got as far as Aberdeen, got some food, and found a hotel. I think we were pushing 12-13 hrs in the car, plus some hiking, and I was ready to call it a night. 

Today's Totals

$280

395 miles

1 National Park

1 Capital Building

Today's Lessons:

1. Still trying to find that balance between planning ahead and winging it.

2. Pacific sunsets. No words.

3. Washington has made Hayden's top 10 states. Probably mine as well.

4. There are little drive-thru coffee stands everywhere here in the parking lots. Wish Wisconsin had this!

5. Paradise Inn in Forks, WA has a Twilight room...

Today/tomorrow we had planned on camping and exploring the dunes. And as I was trying to determine where to camp tonight, I discovered it is Dunefest. Not sure what Dunefest is, but everything is booked. So... hotel in Eugene it is (I had a freebie(ish)). Should be starting off the day with coffee, donuts, and a Goonies tour! Then lots of time to explore the Oregon coast!

🎈

Day 6 - Seattle

 Seattle, WA

After a lazy morning, a much needed lazy morning, we headed out to explore the city. First stop: the Space Needle.

Miles was not a huge fan of the heights, or the rotating glass floor, but loved the view. I struggled to sit on the glass bench that slides you onto the glass pane...

Next stop: Pike's Place Farmer's Market.

We ate a FANTASTIC seafood lunch at Lowell's, and had a chance to wander around the market before heading to the ferris wheel.

She loves her flowers 🌸

We were so lucky that it cleared up - this morning was cloudy and we weren't sure how the views would be. Turned out to be a wonderful day, and Charlie was feeling much better, which made the day so much easier!

Today's Totals:

0 miles

$721. Wow. I'm not sure what happened there, but there's no way that's in the budget...

Today's Lessons:

1. These kids can eat.

2. Time to do a budget check. I knew we would be spending a lot on this trip, but I'm hoping we can be a little stingy over the next few days before the heavy expenses in San Francisco and San Diego!

3. No matter how old the kids get, I'm still not ok with just wandering around the city with them - especially a city I don't know well. Maybe this will change?

Tomorrow we are heading out earlyish for Olympic National Park - I'm really looking forward to seeing the diverse ecology at this park!

🎈

Day 4/5 Rafting, Camping, City Life

 Day 4: Boise, ID

Got an early start on the day to head to Cascade Raft and Kayak for our whitewater rafting adventure!

This was all Miles idea, and we loved it! All except for the part where Charlie went cliff jumping, slipped on the rocks as she was taking off, and landed on her side in the water from a 25 ft. drop. She toughed out the rest of the river, but we were worried about a concussion. After a call to the doc, it was decided that we would NOT be doing a strenuous hike at Mount Rainier the next day, and that she needs to rest to recover.
So we moved on to plan B, which involves less hiking.

We drove to the base of Mount Rainer and camped in Cougar Rock. It has been awhile since we have set up the tent, but the kids are pros now, and we had camp set up in no time. The boys and I played a heated game of cribbage in the tent, and then we settled in for a quiet night's sleep. No cell service at the campground made for a very peaceful night.

Today's Totals:
511 miles

$495 ouch.

Today's Lessons:

1. Ramen, it's what's for dinner. Just some college prep going on.

2. The White Pass Scenic Byway was worth the drive!

Day 5: Mount Rainier National Park

This morning started out with a very short hike (Charlie waited in the car) so we could get some amazing views. She was at least able to get out for some pics on the drive up:

We stopped at Paradise Inn and hit the gift shop/snack place. Even though we weren't able to do the 5.5 mile Skyline Trail, we got to see some amazing things on our short hike. Since we had time to kill, we decided to go to lunch in Tacoma.

After driving into Tacoma, we found: traffic, casinos, fires, and a dead body being put into an ambulance. So... we left, without lunch, and went back into the forest to Snoqualmie Falls for lunch and some sightseeing. On the way there, I received a call from the bank saying that my bank card, the card that all of the trip money is tied to, had a fraudulent charge on it so they are cancelling it. Fun side note: I'm in the middle of purchasing a house, so I can't use my credit cards. Thankfully, I still share an account with Hayden and he actually remembered to bring his card, so the rest of the trip is on him. Well, sort of lol. At least I can transfer money, I'm not sure what we could have done as my bank doesn't have branches anywhere on this trip. 

Anyway, we saw some nice falls!

We then headed into Seattle for the next 2 nights. We, for whatever reason, were upgraded to a deluxe city view:

And that's where I've been since. Lots of driving over the last few days, I'm good with slacking in the hotel room for the night! The restaurant downstairs had carry-out, so we really did not need to leave.

Today's Totals:

$570

158 miles

Today's Lessons:

1. Paradise Inn reminded us all of "The Shining".

2. The kids can take down the campsite in less than an hour.

3. After 5 days I have finally figured out the best way to pack the car.

4. Charlie could use a couple of nights in a real bed, so this worked out well. 

5. There is kale in everything here. And NOT as a garnish, you're expected to eat it. 

Tomorrow we have the whole day to explore the city - but we will be going by foot or by Uber - my car could use a little break! The only thing scheduled is the Space Needle, so we will see where the day will take us.

🎈