Smoked out in Washington

Driving from Oregon to our next stop we saw lots of lakes and old bridges. This RV park was huge! No cell service or wifi. We found a private spot nestled in the trees. Nice flat grounds for riding bikes and there was a chilly river to dip in.

After our disappointment at Crater Lake, we were excited to see majestic Mount Rainier. The National Park website states,  "Ascending 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. spawning six major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier's lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park's ecosystems, thriving in the wide diversity of environments."

We roll up to the gate and the sky was somewhat blue. This is encouraging. 

First stop is always the visitors center for trail maps and #allthetrinkets. And then there was the haze and smoke. 

We found a short trail with river access that the boys liked. 

And a waterfall! 😍


Thrilled with all the pictures. 🤣

Before we headed out the next morning, we did schoolwork. They love outdoor learning. 

For today's field trip, we went to Mt. St. Helens. It wasn't as smoky as Mount Rainier but still pretty hazy.
The boys learned about how the eruption occurred, what was done to restore the forest afterwards and the different ecosystems found there. They liked the baby frogs at the lake but complained about the hike up steep stairs to an incredible viewpoint. 

^ that's the baby frog lol

We ended the day with a short hike to a gorgeous waterfall. 

A smoky visit to Oregon

Our next stop was Diamond Lake RV resort near Crater Lake. We got settled in. There was a burn ban in effect which meant no charcoal or wood fires. The boys were annoyed they couldn't have s'mores after dinner. Then they got in trouble for using their little cap guns outside. Because it might cause a spark. 🤔 There was no wifi or cell service. The boys decided this park was "junk".

We were excited to visit Crater Lake. The National Park website states, "In its long and varied history, Crater Lake National Park has attracted the wonder and admiration of people all over the world. No place else on earth combines such a deep, pure, vividly blue lake surrounded by sheer cliffs, almost two thousand feet high, with two picturesque islands and a violent volcanic past. Crater Lake's depth of 1,943 feet (592 meters) makes it the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest in the world, and its fresh water is some of the clearest to be found anywhere on earth. Crater Lake National Park is a place of immeasurable beauty, history, and culture in a stunning and unique landscape." 

This is what we saw. 😩

This is what it really looks like. 😳

Very disappointing. We left the RV park a day early. Our original plan was to head to Boise to visit John's friends. Their schedules were busy so we opted to head north to Mt. Hood. 

The next RV park had wifi, a pool and hot tub. The boys gave this one 👍🏻👍🏻.  We found a nice waterfall hike the next day. 

The following day we drove up to Mt. Hood & took the ski lift to the top. The boys were excited to see snow!! 

Since we were so close, we decided to make Mt. Rainier out next stop. A friend of John's sent him a pic of how gorgeous the mountain was & the sky was clear! And our journey continued...

Coastal Redwoods are amazing!

After leaving Fairfield later than planned, we (really John) drove into the night to our exit stop. Redwood Meadows RV park was quiet and spacious.

The next morning we stopped at the visitor center to buy #allthetrinkets. Did you know that Redwood National Park is most commonly known for being the home to the tallest trees on Earth. The ancient coast redwood ecosystem protected by the park contains some of the world's most spectacular forests (nps.gov)

We took the boys hiking on a river loop trail. They loved exploring and climbing. 

That's a burl in the tree but it looks like a face to me. 

The following day we drove down the coast to the southern park entrance. 

We saw elk in a meadow. Hard to get a good picture of them. 

We hiked a short loop trail to Lady Bird Johnson grove. Spectacular!!

We found a drive through tree! And a gift shop for #allthetrinkets. 

Continuing with our plan to buy furniture we won't find in NC, we bought a slab of Redwood to make into a coffee table. 

It fits perfectly in one of the outside storage compartments. Along with a finished wall carving of a redwood tree. 

Our time in the Redwoods was up and Oregon was next!

Clear Lake, Fairfield and San Francisco

We arrived at the RV park early (I can't even remember the name!) First impression: omg this place is a sh*t hole! Old dilapidated trailers and campers, small cramped spots and some interesting "characters" meandering about. But, we didn't have any place else to stay so we were going to make the best of it. After John hooked up the electric and sewer, we took much needed showers than headed out to find breakfast. We stopped at a coffee shop. The food was decent. The cold coffee not so much. Next stop was Walmart for supplies and food. It was an interesting experience. 😂

After returning to the RV to drop off the groceries, we drove to Clear Lake to meet Denise, the twins plus her sister and son. The twins had gotten SO tall since we had last seen them in 2009! Aiden and Wyatt were so excited to learn how to fish and Nick and Noah were very patient with the boys. John's brother Ray came a little later with their boat. He took all the boys out for a ride.. they loved it! The next day we packed up the RV and headed back to Clear Lake. Ray took the boys and I out fishing. Wyatt caught the first fish with his little Optimus Prime fishing pole! He was SO excited! Aiden caught 2 fish and so did Wyatt. Even Mommy caught one. 😉 We drove caravan style back to their house with Ray in the truck towing the boat; Denise, her sister and boys in the Pilot; John in the RV and me driving the Fiesta with my boys.

It was great to help the boys celebrate their 16th birthday later that night at the bowling alley! Wyatt lost his first tooth and got a whopping $25 from the Tooth Fairy.. this is what happens when both Mom and Dad put money in by mistake. The boys went fishing again on Travis Airforce Base. We spent a week with our Funke family and were very grateful for them letting us crash with them. The boys were very excited to play new video games! We also went to the Jelly Belly Factory and to a theme park with all of the boys.

A quick trip into San Francisco included stops at Coit Tower, the Presidio, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, a wax museum, Ghirardelli and lots of yummy food.

We wanted to leave really early on Sunday to head north to Redwoods National Park. Well, drinks with new friends led to a late bedtime which led to us leaving 4 hours later than planned. Our fathers would be SO disappointed!! 😆 #sh*thappens

RV park by Clear Lake 

Nic, Noah, Wyatt & Aiden

Wyatt caught a bass!

So did Aiden!

Thrilled at Jelly Belly

First tooth lost!

Coit Tower

Wax museum

Noisy, stinky Sea Lions

Golden Gate Bridge

Our Funke family