Day 17 Lassen Volcanic Park

Next was Mt. Lassen. We took a long hike that was beautiful too. The mountain was also a volcano. We tried to take two more hikes but they were both snow covered. So instead I played in the snow both places. Now that was fun. If you go to the mountain go to the Visitor’s Center near the north side. The staff is nice there.

Day 16 Redwood National Forest

The next day we went to Redwood National Park and saw the tallest trees in the world. In my opinion, the biggest pinecones too. They are huge! We went on a short hike, now that was neat. We also saw some huge whales…a mom and a baby. The weird thing was that they were in the river not the ocean.

The only bad thing about the trip so far has been the curvy, hilly roads. Pa seems to love driving on them, but they are a lot less fun from the backseat.

Day 15 Crater Lake

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. It is also the clearest. It sits in a volcano. The island you see is called Wizards Island. It is a separate mountain or volcano right in the middle of the Crater Lake volcano!

Day 14...Portland

We got to Portland a bit later than we had hoped...we had been playing in the wilderness so long, we forgot to account for traffic!  We were still able to connect with my cousin Caleb and his two beautiful kids for some fun in the pool and a nice dinner.  It was our first time meeting the kids and Andrew loved spending time with his cousins.  A highlight of the Portland portion of the trip was seeing Caleb's art studio...he is creating some amazing pieces!

Fun Oregon Fact...it is illegal for you to pump your own gas in Oregon! Marilyn..

Days 13 & 14 Olympic

The next day we went to Olympic National Park in WA. We really just went on a hike called Lovers Lane to a waterfall. It was 6 miles round trip, but it was worth every second. It was very pretty… lots of woods and streams and mini side waterfalls. We all did it in just a few of our many hours there.

After the hike, our only souvenirs were wet pant legs and sore bodies. So we were all happy to soak in the hot springs for the rest of the day.

Instead of a hotel to sleep in you have your own little awesome cabin with neighbors with furniture outside. Once we spotted a doe and two baby deer right out the cabin window.

If you ever go to Olympic, make reservations with Sol Duc Hot Springs.

Days 11 & 12 Mount Rainier

The next day, we drove to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. It was really snowy there. On the way in, we went to the Grove of the Patriarchs. Those are really old trees. On the hike, we had to cross a stream on a swinging bridge that was high above the water. It was fun, but a little scary. Only one person could be on the bridge at a time.

We stayed at another old lodge called Paradise Inn. I can see why it got that name. The lobby had huge log beams everywhere and giant crackling fireplaces at both ends. When we walked out the front door, we could see Mount Rainier smack dab in front of us. We were lucky because hardly anyone gets to see the top of the mountain because it is covered in fog most of the time…but while we were there, it was in plain view. Mount Rainier is one of Pa’s favorite places, and he was happy to be back there.

The next morning Pa and I went on a long hike to Carter and Mad Cap falls, while the girls sat by the fire. When we got to the trail head of the falls we started to go faster. When we got to the falls we accidentally went too far and had to hike back. The trail was awesome! We had to climb over and under trees in the path and over some giant rocks in our way. Then we went on a different trail called the trail to the shadows. It was so short. Then we headed back.

When we got back my Mom and I climbed a snowy hill and had a snowball fight. Then we climbed into bed and onto Olympic and Sol Duc Hot Springs.