Just Hanging Out

We did make it to Rod and Deb’s on Saturday evening and what a great meal and visit we had.

Sunday we just hung out.  Laundry was about the biggest event of the day.  I decided to clean out the refrigerator and make a pot of soup.  You know the kind.  I started with the hamburger meat and added the left over green beans and potatoes, then threw in some carrots and some corn.  There was the handful of mushrooms, some spaghetti sauce and the beef broth.  First thing you know, you have soup.  Deb sent us with some left over sandwich rolls from Saturday night…so I sliced those and made cheese toast, threw together some dessert, and we had dinner.

The guys settled in for the rest of the evening to watch football.  I played around on the computer looking at RV Parks for our upcoming journey down the Washington and Oregon coastline.  I jumped into the RV chat room for a little while and first thing I knew it was past time to go to bed.

This morning, Jim stopped by with a plan.  They needed to go to Squim to the Wal-Mart Store to purchase a new toaster oven.  Great, I need a storage box to pack away a few summer clothes.  So, as soon as everyone finished getting ready, we headed to Squim.  On the way, we called Rod and Deb to see if they wanted to meet us at the Mexican Food Restaurant.  They were in Port Angeles getting the oil changed in the truck, but could meet up with us around 1:30….yeah, we have a plan.

From lunch, we all drove back down the road a little ways to the casino.   We each found a slot machine to take our money.  I sat down at one I had played the last time we were there, deposited my money, and started playing when this lady said…”are you Dortha”, yes, I answered.  Great, she said, you have won our Poppet award for the hour and handed me a $50 ticket.  Plus, I got to pop a balloon and won a $10 ticket to be applied to food.  Wow, what a way to start the afternoon.  Deb, also won some money, she cashed out and went home. LOL  The rest of us stayed and played for awhile before calling it quits.

We have now all settled in for the evening to work on tomorrow’s plan.  See you then.

Off To Shop!

Burr….who turned down the heat? Over the last several days we have noticed that summer may be coming to an end in this part of the country. There are

a few signs…like this tree that is already getting it’s fall colors and the mornings are crisp and cool, with temperatures in the 50’s. So, yesterday, Ellie and I decided it was time to put the sightseeing on hold for a day and head into Silverdale to do a little shopping. And, long sleeve shirts were the target purchase. We found several we thought would work, plus some jeans, and a sweater or two.

Well, now…all that shopping made us all really hungry, so we finished at the mall and decided on Olive Garden for dinner. Yummy, I love the salad and pasta soup. Of course, don’t forget those hot bread sticks. And, at the end of the meal, we all talked ourselves into sharing one piece of lemon cream cake.

Now, with our warm clothes and our full tummies, we headed to Costco’s to pick up a few necessary items. One being AA batteries to keep the Garmin up and running for all those day trips and walks on the beach wearing our new warm clothes.

And then, after a full day, we settled in for a cozy evening at home.

This morning, the sun is out and it is a beautiful cool morning. Mark is out doing a few blue jobs and I am just catching up on blog reading and writing.

It is a pretty lazy Saturday morning, but later today, we are going to make a trip over to Port Angeles to have dinner at Rod and Deb’s. Deb is making pulled beef sandwiches. Ellie is taking fresh corn on the cob, and I am making strawberry shortcake. We are looking forward to a great visit. We will also be talking with Rod and Deb to finalize our plans for the six of us to take a day trip to Victoria, BC. We will keep you all posted as those plans and trip materialize.

I hope you all have a great weekend and see you back here soon.

Olympic Park Water Falls

Yesterday, after a slow start to the morning, we decided to head to Port Angeles and Olympic National Park. Our trip today was to find a couple of the many waterfalls that are in the park.

When we got to Port Angeles, we decided to call Rod and Deb and see if they would like to join us for the afternoon. They quickly said yes, but had not had lunch. Well, neither had we. Deb suggested the

8th Street Bridge Grill. Burgers and fries, salads and sandwiches, and milk shakes in about 54 different flavors. What more could one ask for. So, after a quick stop at the park visitor center for Ellie and I to pick up a National Park Passport Book, we met Deb and Rod for lunch. Great choice and everything we had including the shakes was great.

We decided that we could all pile in the jeep, so Rod dropped their truck off by the house and we stopped

to pick them up. Time to head out to the park, but not before Mark

picked himself an apple off of the tree in the backyard.

So, with apple in hand, we headed into the park, and around

Crescent Lake. This is a beautiful cold, clear glacially-carved lake. It owes its existence to ice. Its depth is 624 feet and was gouged by huge ice sheets thousands of years ago. As the ice retreated, it left a steep valley that filled with clear blue water. The lake has very little nitrogen which limits the growth of tiny plants like algae. Without them, the waters stay crystal clear. In some places you can see as far down as 60 feet. The clarity and reflecting light give it the beautiful blue-green color.

It’s protected waters are home to fish like the Beardslee and Crescenti trout, two types of fish found nowhere else in the world.

After a few pictures here, we headed on to the

Storm King Ranger Station where we picked up the trail head for

Marymere Falls. We all headed down the trail which took us

through the tunnel. Deb says

come on through.

We wound around and through

the trees. And, I might add, some

big tree they were. We needed seven people to go all the way around this one!

Andrew, Lauren, and Zachary….I wish you guys had been here to see this.

As we continued on down the trial, we saw

bridges made from tree trunks and

beautiful blooming plants. We climbed

steps and

visited with a ranger along the way. But, at last, we

we found the falls. We are so glad that

Rod and Deb decided to join us today.

Well, time to head back down the trail, but first,

Jim and Mark had to compare a camera setting or two. Then, we made our way back across the

one lane bridge and by

this little guy who was enjoying an afternoon snack. It was back through the

tall tall trees and it wasn’t long until we were back to the

Ranger Station where we started.

We still had time for one more stop, so we headed to

Madison Falls. This was just a short walk around the trail past

this very large tree stump and the

ferns that grow wild all along the paths. And, once again, at the end of the trail we found

the falls. Everyone took

advantage of the cool and shady lookout. After a short rest, we started back. Once we were back to the car, Rod remembered that we were not far from some hot springs. We drove and drove, only to find out that when we got to the

end of the road, it was still a hike to get there. It was getting late and we had already been on 2 hikes so we headed back down the mountain. We did stop at a pullout to get

a picture of this lake.

Once we were back to Port Angeles, we dropped Rod and Deb off at their trailer, made plans to return to Port Angeles on Saturday for dinner at their house and then we headed home to Chimacum.

Another great day!

Port Townsend and Fort Worden State Park

This morning the four of us headed into Port Townsend.  First on the list for Ellie and I was the local Weight Watchers meeting.  What a great leader we had today which made for a really fun meeting.  We sat with two other ladies that live at the SKP RV Park  where we are staying.  We had a nice visit with them and learned a little about the park and the town of Port Townsend.  They even gave us a great tip on a little place to have breakfast.

So, when Mark and Jim came back to pick us up from the meeting, it was off to

Harbor Point Cafe for an excellent breakfast.  The

view wasn’t bad either!

Next, we made a stop back by a little shop Mark and Jim had visited while we were at our WW meeting.  Mark had his eye on two new lawn chairs and we had two that needed to be replaced.  Great find.

Now, while we were in Port Townsend, we decided to make a trip just to the edge of town to Fort Worden State Park and home of the

While here, we enjoyed the

beaches, the

big ships, and the

little boats.  You can catch a glimpse of Mt. Baker across the Sound.

We drove through Fort Worden and stopped for a tour of the

visitor center and gift store which is housed in the Fort Guardhouse.

Upon leaving and heading back to town, we saw

this mom and babe crossing the street.

It was then time to get back to the RV Park.  Deb and Rob would be arriving before long for dinner.  We grilled brats and had potato salad, corn on the cob, zucchini, and strawberry pie, and a great visit.

A Breathtaking View…

We left early from the RV Park for a day trip to Cape Flatterly.

Now, as you can tell from the push pin, Cape Flatterly is the farthest northwest point you can go in the lower 48 states.

To get there we traveled for almost 3 hours through Port Angeles and Neah Bay to the Makah Indian Reservation.

We arrived at the trail head, but before heading out on the half mile hike, we decided to have lunch.  So we brought out the sandwiches, chips, and fruit we packed this morning.  In just a little while, we were ready to head down

the trail.  Never did I expect what I saw.  As we started our hike,

the trees and ferns lined the path on both sides and seemed to

reach the sky.

The pathway

was mostly made of wooden planks.  It went

up and down and

around.  We saw some

 

crazy trees.  And, we saw some

really big trees.  But, the real treat was at the end of the trail, where

the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets

the Pacific Ocean.  Breathtaking is all I can say.

Straight across from the tip of Cape Flatterly was

Tatoosh Island.  And beyond there and through the haze is

Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

What an awesome day, and one

we won’t soon forget.