Skip to main content

Ello Washington!

Ello Washington! We made it back to the US of A! and it felt good!

We only spent a few days in Canada, but uff-da to the continuous math (converting hotel room prices, speed limits, figuring out gas prices or the change if an establishment accepted the US dollar, etc.). Blegh. Regarding the gas prices: not only did we have to convert Canadian to USD, but also liters to gallons, because, you know, we wanted to know how much we were paying. Highest prices so far on the trip! The drive along Trans-Canada Hwy 1 was gorgeous. We traveled through three B.C. national parks and they were all stunning. Beautiful trees with so many bodies of water. If Sicamous, BC, Canada and Shuswap Lake were closer to Texas, a move would have been on the horizon. Unfortunately, 2,409 miles is too far from the nephews!

First stop in Washington: North Cascades National Park. We drove to the only open Visitor Center and asked the rangers what we should see, where to hike, and which campgrounds were open. Initially, we wanted to tent camp, but as the ranger was telling us about the only two open campgrounds, I felt weird vibes from a group of men who were paying too much attention. When we hopped back into the car, the first words out of mom’s mouth were that she didn’t feel comfortable with the men knowing we were staying at one of two areas. You have to follow your instincts, right? And for both of us to feel that way…So, after traveling across Route 20/North Cascades Scenic Highway, hiking a few short trails to waterfalls and seeing the salmon swimming upstream, we found a cheap hotel to crash in for the night.
Family is amazing. A cousin in Seattle told us we could stay at her place Friday and Saturday night, even though she was leaving town Friday afternoon. Love. Love. Love. It felt great to stay in one place for two nights, wash our clothes, walk to restaurants, watch the Aggies play, go to a movie (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), and just relax (ish) for the weekend.
Of course we ventured downtown to Pike Place Market and walked around for a few hours. Then on Saturday, we took the ferry from Edmonton to Kingston and drove to Olympic National Park. Our timing was off for this park. The weather was cloudy and Hurricane Ridge had low visibility so the ranger told us not to attempt that hike. So, we drove around the surrounding area for a few hours, then steered the truck back towards Seattle.

Everyone we’ve encountered since has told us to go back, that this park is phenomenal and we should give it another chance. I think I was feeling crabby and felt so negative towards the park because (1) the weather was crappy (2) I was mentally and physically exhausted after weeks of go-go-go and (3) the ferry took so long. We should have been relaxing that day and instead we drove 8+ hours. It would have been quicker for us to drive south and around to return to Seattle then wait for the ferry (we arrived at the terminal at 3:50pm and boarded the 5:30pm ferry). Not sure how locals utilize the ferry on a regular basis. #stressful
My favorite Washington park was Mount Rainier. Fav. Fav. Fav. We drove into this park and my brain ignited with creativity. It was the perfect setting for the book I’m writing and my fingers itched to pull out my laptop and start typing. Unfortunately, I was driving (those darn windy roads!). Mom and I each took a ton of photos so I’ll be able to refer back and hopefully recreate the thoughts/feelings.
At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the tallest peak in the North Cascades. But don’t worry, we didn’t climb to the top! We drove into Sunrise, located at 6,400 feet, which was the highest point for cars. Then we took a few trails and hiked up and down and around in the snow for a few hours. So. Much. Fun. Loved it here! The first trail we took to the falls was crowded, but once we veered off on an extended trail, we rarely passed anyone. Green tress. Snow. No people. Heaven. We saw a few animal tracks (most likely bunnies or similar hopping animals), but alas, no bears!


After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we drove towards West Richland to stay with more cousins. Wahoo. So nice to be spoiled for a few days with home cooking, delicious tea, and beautiful company. My great aunt is 94 years old and so full of spirit and life. She moves around better than I do! It was fabulous to see her after so many years and re-meet her children (we’re thinking it had been ’97 since I last saw her children).
Heading south towards Bend, Oregon to meet up with an old friend!
Hopefully, I have access to Wi-Fi and can post in a few days.
Bye for now.
SFK

Comments

  1. I am pleased that I discovered this post, precisely the right info that I was looking for! Visit also Ecuador tours

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big Bend National Park: A Stargazer’s Paradise

Living in Houston, I don’t often look up at the sky. Maybe if I realize it’s a full moon, I’ll find time to sit outside and enjoy the beauty. But the other days of the month? Stars don’t exist inside the 610 Loop of Houston. Which made our venture out to Big Bend even more spectacular. A perk to working for myself is that I’m able to schedule my days off whenever I want. So, when a nurse friend tells us she has 10 days off and wants to travel somewhere, we decided to go big. We narrowed down our destination to either northern Arkansas or Big Bend National Park. Then when vacations days were settled for the other 2 friends to take 6 days, we decided on Big Bend. You don’t happen to drive nearby or randomly decide to detour to Big Bend. The only reason you’ll  travel anywhere near the park is because you purposely decide to make the trek to west Texas.  It’s 9+ hours from Houston (not including stops for gas, food, or detours to Del Rio for scenic routes), or 200+ miles if you decide t

The Unknown Future Awaits!

Look out, World, I'm visiting soon! After years of talking and writing about it (view here and especially here ), I'm finally doing it! I turned in my notice at work and am hitting the road after D’s wedding and the boys’ baptism. I’ll explore all the wonders the USA has to show me: national parks, lively cities, new friends just waiting for me to say "hello". Ahh, I’m so excited! My heart is soaring. There are no regrets in my mind or soul. This is what I am meant to do and I'm finally following that little voice within. Finally. So, tell me your favorite places, the ones that changed your life or left a lasting impression. Share your joys with me (and maybe the name and contact info of your cousin's nephew by marriage who has an extra room and happens to live in ____!). I'm heading to San Francisco today! Bliss for an immediate grand adventure, even if it was a preplanned trip (D's bachelorette party). We're exploring Muir Woods,

Dancing the Night Away in New Orleans!

Bonjour Mes Amis! Picture this: I’m sitting on the floor, playing with my nephews when I receive a text, asking if I have plans over the upcoming weekend. Other than having a margarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and tentative plans to attend the Dynamo vs LA Galaxy game, nada (and by tentative, I mean, the game was sold out, and my long reach of soccer connections was not proving fruitful). So, I was available for adventure! D received two VIP tickets to the Jazz Fest for May 5 th and 6 th and wanted a drama free companion (I guess I passed that test over the trek to Havasu! *pats self on the back*). Many shout outs and thanks to K2 for enjoying their Honeymoon so much, they decided to share it with us (and by share, I mean give us the tickets while they leisurely drove towards home, with a detour through Dallas)! Jazz. Fest. New. Orleans.  Could the weekend be set up for any more fun? Fortunately, for us, yes! D was told by J (again, thank you, Havasu tri