know your limits

Travel day as we had a a slower morning before driving to Rainier.  The travel was easy until we got to the park proper. It was Saturday and there were traffic delays.  We started to hike to Comet tail falls  with a little sprinkle coming down.  We did see some great waterfalls but it was also a lesson in flexibility and respecting the Mtn.  The delays meant we were not going to comfortably make comet falls, grocery shop and get to it new pad in any time that felt like fun.  After about 45 min on the trail we headed for food and made plans for the next day. I did slip on the way down and then instituted a new rule that anyone that slips can issue an F-bomb.  Merrick promptly feigned a slip and tested my commitment to the edict.  Our new pad is great and the large deck is  a wonderful way to listen to the Cowlitz river, look at the mountains and enjoy a glass of wine after a big taco meal. Full family meals are in short supply these days at home, so this too was nice occurrence on the trip.

We hit the Hoh

Another early start, on the road by 6 trying to get ahead of hours long wait at the entrance for a parking spot at the rain forest. It was an early start after last night's tennis matches and Bball P.I.G. challenges.  Our day packs were packed with snacks and I tossed in some left over little Caesars to round off a parking lot breakfast of "dirt bags."  The PNW has had historic drought and heat waves this year that had clearly had an impact on the rain forest. The Hoh river was low, and swampy areas were clearly dried. Even in the draught conditions the hanging mosses were still out of this world. We found a record chicken of the woods, saw elk on a river sand bar and watched a black tail doe and fawn have flora breakfast.  We didn't put on many miles but put plenty into the miles.  We were back at the pad for a quick nap before heading into town for a meal, long wait but great food at the only place that was open. We did do a a little shopping as we waited and the stores slowly closed around us for the evening.  Then we were back to our newest pad chilling in front of some Ink Master tv drama and planning our route for Rainer tomorrow.

As West as We can

It was an early morning departure from Seattle and typical traffic for a multi-metro area.  After a really slow McD's stop for questionable food we made it to Rialto beach. The early departure was necessary to hit the beach at low tide. Reading tide charts was a new skill to learn.  The fog was rolling across the sea stacks as we arrived.  Our goal was the "hole in the wall" a large sea arch but our pace was slowed by myriad rocks that needed inspection. So polished, so traveled, so potentially old. The tide started to come in but we had ample time  to explore the tidal pools.  Mussels, barnacles and limpets were plentiful.  We took turns touching the sea anemone with their sticky little arms, found some sea stars larger than my hand and to top it off Amy and the girls saw some sea otters. Merrick found a fist sized gelatinous blob, maybe part a bull kelp or a phytoplankton colony, tossing it to Ella created giggles for everyone.  She said every time somebody touched it, the blob suctioned more to her hand. Merrick spent  some time climbing the sea stacks before we headed back to our new pad, complete with tennis court and two friendly dogs.

The Emerald City

That was a full day of urban hiking. We didn't get the earliest of starts but we did start with coffee at a nearby shop before heading over to the Space Needle. Nearly 600 feet up and a glass floor to look down is worth the price of admission.  Ella suggested we then check out the nearby MoPo.. Museum of Pop Culture... We are now members.  Just by luck they had three new exhibitions that fit our wheelhouse: Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Stonewall.... All really cool stuff!  The plan was to catch the monorail downtown to hit the other tourist sites but it was down for repairs... So hike the miles we did.  Arriving with hungry bellies at Pike Place Market meant we ate at the first place we found... It was good but we found so many options later on.  We did visit and add to the gum wall and chuckled at the line outside the first Starbucks that reached all the way to new Starbucks with no line.  We watched a guy throw a 31# halibut through the market air. With a walking sausage in my mouth with headed towards the great Wheel, an 80 ft Ferris wheel.  Just the girls rode that one as it spun over the Puget sound.  Then it was off for a boat tour of Elliott Bay, Seattle's part of Puget Sound.  An army marches on its stomach and we had pounded out the miles with only some caffeine and pizza slices.  We hit an over priced fish shack for dinner  before walking the shore line trail back to our pad under a setting sun.

The PNW

We were up at 1 am to make our flight out of MKE to Seattle on what had become a bait and switch flight itinerary.  With the exception of Ella the other three had decided to just stay up "since we had to leave that early...". They were exhausted by the time the travel day was over.  Our luggage was edited and reedited as we tried to fit trail and town gear for all six of us into the explorer and not knowing how it would fit into "Too Juicy", our rental mini van that we had already named. The connecting flight had some rough air but we made SeaTac by 11 and were given an Expedition with Iowa plates.  This thing was a "Tank"... Amy could have packed so many more shoes.  The Iowa plates gave me more driving space on the tight roads as well. We drove past Kurt Cobain's house and Viretta park after a long lunch but there was literally no place to park within a mile of the land mark.  We couldn't check into our rental place until four but when a parking place opened up in the area we took it and then walked to the grocery store.  The rental place is great.  A four story town house with amazing views of the Seattle sky line and Mt. Rainier. Amy and Ella took a walk to the sound and then the three of us walked for ice cream a no exaggeration 45 degree .5 mile climb.  We did bring some back for the other three, all of which were still sleeping, even though they had not "earned" the homemade confection. Our return walk took us through Kerry park on 3rd street with a great view before we returned to our own rooftop patio to watch the sunset and the city lights come out in the shadow of Rainier, under the space needle with passing cruise ships in the sound... And that was just day one.

Party a"whey"

 Time to play tour guide and all we really know is shopping, hiking and dairy related entertainment.  The whole gang from New Hampshire made the long flight to visit us for a week.  Missy had scored a couple of Airbnb rentals, one on the bay and another next to Lambeau.  It was great way to split time in the region.  The first day was pretty chill with some recuperation for the travelers, some swimming for the kids and even a little kayaking on the bay. We also took an ice cream break and headed to Renard's.  The regional guests had their first of many tastes of cheese curds. The curds were met with mixed reviews but all agreed that the squeak was not what had been expected. Rested and ready we headed to Fish Creek for some boutique shopping and were able to check out the new Eagle Point Observation tower for the first time. The whole gang came over to our place the next day for some brats (Shelly had a craving for WI brats and a burger too) and we introduced them to Kubb and sauerkraut....Kubb was preferred to the fermented cabbage.  Knife tossing was a a hit as well and even the oldest among us got in several tosses before heading to the new pad near Lambeau.  We took in the night market with tappers and kiosk shopping as well as deep fried curds before returning to the 'party house' for myriad games and whole group game of five card draw.  The last day in town was spent in part wandering around Lambeau on the official tour. We covered the building from the top sky boxes to the bowels of the operation and watched some workers unload 480 pounds of chicken...or one week's amount of chicken for the team.  Ella drove the kids around down town for awhile on the last night but we eventually all ended up back at the game house for a little more chatting and some plans for the next trip to the midwest.

Cherries, Berries and Marries!

The week started off the same as the previous one had ended, plenty of rain.  The strawberry season was on it last legs but we hadn't had a chance to get out until now.  The fields were soaked and our harvest was basically dismal but we had enough for an ice cream sauce.  We figured heading to the Door and trying our hands at cherries would be a better plan.  We picked about 10 quarts and then had to find ways to use them.  Amy smoked a bunch of the cherries and made a few quarts of smoked cherry barbeque sauce.  Grace made some hand pies and a few were frozen.  The BBQ sauce would make the drive with us to see Mark/Stef in Cinncy ... Amy would follow later in the day and come by plane. Grace, Ella and Merrick and I battled the traffic and stomached White Castle on the way down.  All the klans were already at Mark's and it turned out a plan was afoot to officially add a new O-Hi Klan as well. Mark had ribs on the grill, luckily the sauce made it on time, and the kids played whiffle ball in the back yard. We headed downtown to Findlay Market at hit OTR for some Cincinnati Chili dogs on the way home. A brief nap and then it was time for Matrimony as Mark and Stef said their vows in front of everyone that mattered on their patio.  It was perfect and there were few dry eyes in the group.  Sunday was a slower day with some rain and few rounds of Kubb before pizza and a campfire.  Our early morning drive home was pleasant and the miles clicked on by with a promise of a return.