The Pacific Northwest
In and Out
We went to the Space Needle, Kerry Park, the Pike Place Fish Market (including the first Starbucks and the Gum Wall), the stadiums of the Mariners and Seahawks, CHOP, and the University of Washington campus. We were able to cover a lot of ground because of Aunt Sally’s great knowledge of the area.
Faster, Higher, Stronger
We knew we were in for a long day with an aggressive itinerary. Our goal was to visit Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic, get to Seattle to visit Aunt Sally, and make sure Tar is in position to make her flight back to St. Louis tomorrow – 393 miles in total.
The Great Yellow Bellied, Sharp Beaked, Flat-Footed North American Snipe
So I headed out in the crisp June air on my own, my shoes crunching in the snow patches that lay intermittently through the hollow. I began on the path leading towards Gobblers Knob, quickly veering off the path to the left at the sight of a stream coming downhill - I wanted to find the source.
Not-So-Rainy Rainier
As probably the most prominent stratovolcano in the Cascade Mountain Range, Rainier creates its own weather patterns, and visitors are seldom able to see the whole mountain. We were quite fortunate to have been in the park on the right day! Our trek took just a bit over two hours, and served as a great introduction for my sister, Kendall, who was backpacking for the first time.
The Power of Water
Fort Clatsop, the final destination of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is nestled within the dense wooded areas of Astoria. They spent the winter of 1805/1806 at the fort before journeying back to the St. Louis area (a feat hard to comprehend).