Our 500th Post!

I have some good news, and some bad news. First, the good. Today marks our 500th post! Pretty exciting! Hopefully though, that number will go up considerably since we will be posting on a more regular basis. Maybe... Bad news, we don't have a cupcake to share for Cupcake Saturday today. Boo. We got home yesterday after four long days on the road, and didn't quite feel like baking today. Funny how traffic ALWAYS gets backed up so close to the end of a trip. As soon as we hit Connecticut two weeks ago, BAM! As soon as we hit Tacoma yesterday, DOUBLE BAM! Oh well. We made it back safe and sound, with the only two blemishes being really strong thunderstorms camping in Ohio, and Dawn dumbly locking her keys in the car in Montana. Oops.
Anyway, along the way, we realized that we haven't finished our scrapbooks from our cross country trip two summers ago. I think we've only made it to the Midwest on those. So I figured I'd work on one today. While catching up on all those other awesome blogs out there, the BBTB2 challenge was Disney! I suppose I could've scrapped our trip to Disney World, but somehow that didn't come to mind until just now... I wanted to make one using the Bambi cuts on the Disney Classics cartridge.

I love the cut with Bambi looking at his tail and thought that it would be perfect to help show off our pictures from Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. The deer were so used to people being around that they came within a few feet of us. The ones at home get spooked if you're within yards of them. It was pretty neat being that close to them. (You can see the feet of snow behind him in the middle of July!)

The title was cut in the Pooh font, and of course Bambi needed some friends, so I added Thumper and some fun 3-D butterflies flitting around the page.

This project is linked up with the BBTB2 "We Love Disney" challenge here and the Fantabulous Cricut "Cute as a Bug" challenge here.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Day Twenty-Four: I Think I'll Move Here...

We packed up our campsite (it's getting so much easier!) and were off around 8 this morning. We HAD to stop at the Olympic Bagel place one more time before we left, since they were so good the first time. After breakfast, we headed out to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic. I'm telling you, this park is absolutely amazing! After spending a few days in Yellowstone, I didn't think national parks could get any cooler, but they can! I think Olympic NP has been my favorite stop so far. It is spectacular. Yesterday we were in the rain forest, the day before in the old-growth forests and beaches, and today, in the sub-alpine meadows and snow! How cool is that? Hurricane Ridge is about 15 miles from Port Angeles. The road to the visitor's center takes you past some breathtaking views. The first 5 miles or so today were clear and kind of just tree-covered. The next 7 miles were covered in a deep fog. It was kind of scary only being able to see about a car's length in front, but luckily there weren't too many other cars on the road yet (or that I could see!). We stopped on the way up at a few pull-offs to try to look out, but the fog was so thick that you could only really see just the tops of the trees below you. The rest of the way up the road was clearer. You can see where the winter snows are still melting and the awesome waterfalls that it has created. It's pretty cool that you can stand in snow up to your shins in the middle of July, wearing shorts! Once we got up to the top, we stopped at the visitor's center. They have all your normal touristy things there (better than the one at Hoh yesterday, though) and a bunch of Native American art. I love looking at their art and seeing the intricate beadwork and basket weaving that they do. (Definitely not "Basket Weaving 101 for Jocks!) From the top, you can see out to Mount Olympus. It is the 3rd largest glacial area in the continental US. We were going to hike the trails around the center but they were covered in some pretty deep snow. So we decided to forgo the trails and just walk were there wasn't any snow. It's too bad that it was a foggy morning, though. The top wasn't as bad as the middle, but it was still pretty heavy. On clear days, you can see out to Canada!
The animals at the top must know that they rule the area and that people aren't allowed to bother them (even though there were some very amusing signs posted telling you not to feed them). There were at least 10 deer hanging out in the meadows. Some of them were grazing and some of them were laying down. We saw 2 fawns under a tree and one of the deer came about 4 feet from us. Didn't flinch or run or anything, which was pretty cool. They would never get that close at home.
After a few hours at the top, we decided that we should get going to head out to the Seattle/Olympia area. We had to follow 101 back to the other side of the peninsula. At one point, we were stopped for road work. We had a great time making fun of/feeling bad for the guy with the slow/stop sign. He had some great stretching moves and facial expressions! We were going to offer him a snack, but he was kind of far away and he had his lunch box next to him. I think he was all set. The rest of the trip to Olympia wasn't bad, but man, driving on I-5 was a little nerve-wracking. They drive kind of crazy out here. Will definitely have to get used to that! We are staying about half way between Seattle and Olympia in a city called Federal Way. (It is definitely a city in Washington standards- 89,000. Forks is a "city" with 3,000 and Port Angeles with 19,000. So I guess we can call this one a city too.) Apparently Apolo Ohno is from here. Who knew??
We expect to explore Seattle tomorrow. Maybe catch some flying fish at Pike's Place? Or at least some good coffee.
(And we saw our final license plate today. Wouldn't have thought that it would take all this time to see a Delaware one!)

Life is a Highway (Washington Pictures)


States Visited: Connecticut, Idaho,Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming (13/50)
Provinces Visited: Ontario (1/10)
License Plates Seen: All 50 States!
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan (8/10)

Day Twenty-Three: 'Hoh' My Goodness!

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make any noise?! We spent today at Olympic National Park. We walked around the Hoh Rain Forest. It is amazing! Who knew there was (not one, but three) rain forests in the US?! We walked the "Hall of Moses" trail. It's a 3/4 mile long trail with a whole bunch of mosses hanging off of everything! The visitor's center and pay phone outside were covered in it! It's kind of a long drive, about 15 miles, off of Highway 101 (especially when there are no bathrooms around). When you think about it, there isn't much to do, really, except to gawk at your surroundings. They get around 142" of rain a year, which is why it's covered in green. There are also huge trees there. The Sitka spruces there can grow over 270 feet tall, be over 12.5 feet wide, and are up to 500-550 years old. We took a picture of one that fell, that was as wide on it's side as our shoulders. There was also one that was like 192 feet tall when it fell, but they have to cut them up so you can walk on the path. Then, over the years, other seedlings and trees grow out of the ones on the ground. They have a exhibit in the Visitor's Center that compares the spruce trees here to those in Alaska and the difference is amazing. The trees here are at least twice the size as the Alaskan ones. The area gets so much rain because of it's location between the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic Mountains. Of course, we got to the rain forest on the one day that it doesn't rain!After that, we went back to the camp to settle in for the night. It started to rain again. The rain isn't really too bad. It is a little chilly today, but apparently their summer hasn't arrived yet. It's kind of late- not sure where it is! Tomorrow, we are planning on doing the other side of the Park. Hopefully we will see some glaciers and Mount Olympus. And more forests! Then it will be off to Seattle and Olympia for a while!

Day Twenty-Two: Port Angeles and Sequim

(We are aware that it has been a few days since we last updated, but the campground we are staying at only allows you to be online for 2 hours at a time, and has very few outlets hanging around.)
After our day out on the town yesterday, we decided that today would be a good day to kind of stroll through town leisurely. We started by going out to breakfast at a place called Olympic Bagel Company down the street. Mmmmm.... They had some delicious bagels! They come in every flavor, too! From Apple Crunch to French Toast to Pizza to Lavender Blueberry. Basically anything you want. Then, after breakfast, we decided to head over to Sequim (pronounced SKWIM). It's the next town on 101 going east, but it's 15 miles away! The towns are so far from each other, but not as bad as South Dakota or Wyoming... Anyway, they were having their Lavender Festival there this weekend. They have like 14 or 15 different farms that you can go to and check out their lavender fields. Apparently the town is the Lavender Capital of North America. And it grows everywhere. Not just on the farms, but on the side of the road, too. Our campground bathroom is decorated in purples and has lavender displays all over it. It's a pretty big deal out here. They put it in everything, too. Like the lavender risotto at the restaurant yesterday, lavender ice cream, and wine. I'm not sure lavender should be put into food... I think it should just be set out pretty. We went to one of the farms. Not much to see. Then found the Olympic Discovery Trail. It's like the rail-trail at home. It connects Port Angeles and Sequim. And then we found the Dungenness Wildlife Refuge. We tried to take some pictures off of the bluffs there, but it was so foggy, that you couldn't really see anything. You could see about a foot of water if you looked down, but that's about it.
After driving through there, we decided to head back to Port Angeles. We walked up and down a few of the main streets there. There is a lot of boutique shopping in town. (They call it a city. The population is only 19,000. It's a town.) We stopped at the Farmer's Market in the center. Not very big, but a lot of different things to choose from. After the market, we went to the Dazzled By Twilight store. We picked up some postcards and souvenirs. After that, we went out to a small section of their beach out by the ferry. We saw some big crabs washed up on the beach and some fish in the water. Again, it was really foggy so it was hard to see much. Then it was up to the pier to take a walk around there. It was pretty neat, though, to see the fog trying to lift off of the water.
Now that the sun is coming out, hopefully we can see Mt. Baker or at least some of the Olympic Mountains!

Life is a Highway (Washington Photos)

Day Twenty-One: Crossing the Treaty Line

Today was Twilight Day for the two of us. (For those of you who haven't read the series by Stephenie Meyer, you should.) Anyway, the story takes place out here on the Olympic Peninsula in Forks, La Push, and Port Angeles. So we did a tour of all of the places in the book.
We left around nine heading straight to Forks. Well, that was the plan at least. We were driving down 101 and saw a sign for Cape Flattery. It is the western-most point in the Lower 48. So of course we had to go, being from the east coast! No one told us that it would be an extra hour and a half drive with a 1.5 mile walk. Not that we minded either one. The road was pretty curvy and wet, and all you could see around you was trees and fog. Until you got to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's the body of water that separates the peninsula and British Columbia. It, too, was foggy, but we saw a bald eagle perched up on a rock, looking down into the water. So cool!! It was a little hard to get a really clear picture of it since it was far away, but we managed with a little zooming and cropping. After that, it was another 20 miles to the Makah Indian Reservation, where Cape Flattery is. The Native art that you can see right from the road is pretty cool. They had their totem poles and then the designs on their signs. When we finally got to the end of the road, there was a sign that said, "Cape Flattery Trailhead." Wasn't expecting that. We had driven all that way that we weren't going to turn back without actually going. We put on our raincoats and fit in with the locals! It was about 3/4 of a mile down to the Cape, through old-growth forests and really, really tall trees. Luckily the only sign of wildlife we saw was the sign posted about a previous cougar sighting two weeks ago, and the really, really, REALLY big slug hanging out on the tree. (It truly deserves those three reallys.) We were able to get some great pictures under the cover of the trees. Once we got out to the Cape, it was foggy and a little hard to see where the water and the sky met. The rock outcroppings were pretty cool, though. And the caves that had been carved out from underneath. We saw a seagull with her baby birds in the nest, too.
After Cape Flattery, it was back out to 101 and down to Forks. Our first stop was the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Information. For a small town, it sure was crowded in there. We didn't really need any information from there, since we had a map of all the places anyway, but we just wanted to sign the guestbook and see if they had postcards.(They didn't. Bummer.) Then it was off to the Thriftway/Ace/Outfitters. This was partly because we were hungry and wanted a snack, and because it is where Bella works in the books. Then we went to the other important book tour stops, like the Forks hospital, police station, the Swan house, and the Cullen house, (not really the two, but stand-ins used by the town). We went by where the former high school was. They still have the "Forks High School, Home of the Spartans" sign up, but not the school. They took down the last remaining pieces last month and are rebuilding a bigger one. Oh well.
My previous first impression of the town was changed after driving around a little. It doesn't look like much from the main street, but once you drive out a little, it ends up being a cute little area.
After our Forks stop, we went to La Push. I almost La Threw the GPS out the window. (I really hope we finish the trip with it in one piece. Every so often it gets really annoying. We've almost left it a couple of times already!) It, too, is off the main road, but not nearly as far as Cape Flattery. The first place we saw was Jacob's house. Unlike the other two houses on the tour, this one looks exactly like the one in the movie. Then we went to First Beach, which is at the end of the Quileute Reservation. They were setting up for their Quileute Days Opening Ceremonies that were later on today. We felt like intruders, so we snapped a few pictures and left. On our way out, though, we saw the Quileute Tribal School and their new, big resort.
When we were done with our tour, we came back to Port Angeles for dinner. We finished our Twilight-themed day with dinner at Bella Italia. (The site of Bella and Edward's first date. Again, read it if you haven't.) I'm glad we made reservations ahead of time. They are apparently very casual in an upscale setting. We were dressed up in our "Friday" school clothes, while others came in flannel shirts and jeans. We ordered the mushroom ravioli and salmon fettuccine. Two dishes definitely worth ordering again. It was the best meal of the trip so far. (I guess it's not saying much when you eat crackers and peanut butter for dinner.) The waitress was super friendly, knew a lot about wine pairings (very impressive), and sold us on moving to the area. Even though it's raining, she said that they usually have awesome summers and she loves the weather here. (She used to live in New York.) Their big snowstorms are 3" and everything gets shut down. Love it! After a filled day, it is time for bed, for another fun day tomorrow!

Day Twenty: Wet Western Washington

We headed out early today knowing that we had a long way to go. After trying really hard to pack up our tent quietly so we wouldn't wake up our neighbors (success) we left at 7. It was starting to rain lightly as we left, but luckily we were able to pack up without getting wet. The road out was a little different. It was definitely raining all day. I guess that's what you get in western Washington. It is pretty neat, though, how different the different parts of the state can be. We drove through the mountains and over the Snoqualmie Pass. We had to drive through the low fog through the mountains, so that was a little nerve-wracking. The drivers here definitely don't go the speed limit. Even through all the rain and fog. That's one thing that we'll have to get used to.
We decided to stop off in Tacoma to go to the visitors' center there. Man, those are some crazy roads. Definitely thought I was going to start sliding backwards at the red light. After Tacoma, we went to Olympia's visitors' center and did some house hunting to get a feel for the area. Once you get away from the main street, it is adorable! They have some nice looking communities around the city, like Lacey and Tumwater. I think this is the area that we will be looking in. It is gorgeous! And on clear days, you can look out over the city and see Mt. Rainier in the distance. How cool! We are going to spend some more time out there when we stay in Seattle next week.
After those quick detours, we continued on to the Olympic Peninsula. This is a really neat place. They have rainforests, beaches, old-growth forests, mountains, basically everything close together. Since we are staying in Port Angeles (at the top of the peninsula) we decided to take the slightly longer way around since we wouldn't see it otherwise. There were some small beach towns along the way, like Aberdeen. We passed through the rainforest areas (going to spend some more time there in a few days) and through the miles and miles of forest. This used to be a big logging and timber area, but it has kind of slowed down in recent decades. But you can still see the logging areas. They have signs that tell you when the trees were harvested and replanted and when the next harvest will be. It seems to be every 30-40 years. They are very proud of their sustainability practices. We followed 101 north towards Forks and La Push. We drove through Forks (home of Twilight) and will be going back tomorrow to do a more in-depth visit. After Forks, it's La Push, home of the Quileute Indian Tribe and some pretty cool beaches. (Again, tomorrow) Then after about another hour of nothing, we got to Port Angeles. It's a little tourist town with hotels, motels, and fast food restaurants. We found our campground and put up our tent. I hope it doesn't blow away tonight since the ground was kind of hard to put the stakes into. I think we'll make it though... Till tomorrow!