Escaping the rains

The rains have come to the northwest and we hear it stays this way until late spring.  That means it's time to head southeast. As we leave Washington and the northwest I feel a need to give some final thoughts. All in all we are glad we were able to spend some time in Washington. The town we lived in, Everett was not the cutest town nor did it have a good downtown or beer scene but there were some cute houses where we lived that did make it nice to walk around. We also were able to see the bay from our house, hear the seals bark and sea gills chatter. On Clear days we could even see the Olympic mountains right off our deck. The drive up and down highway 5 was absolutely gorgeous when the cascade mountains were in view. We didn't like the traffic especially when it would take over an hour to go 36 miles. The locals some how learn to live with this even to the point of forgetting that it's not normal. My job was tough which made things harder too. I worked in a very busy home health office and disliked the amount of paperwork required as well as the amount of time spent in my car driving to patients houses. Our original plan after leaving Washington was to work in southern Oregon but after being so unhappy in Washington I wanted to start heading east sooner. We did stay a night in southern Oregon on our way down to California and I slightly regretted my decision. I realized how much I loved Oregon with the smaller college towns, outdoor adventure, and exceptional beer. As we were walking around Ashland Oregon`s downtown I told myself that yes we would have had fun here but we'd again be strangers in a new town trying to find friends and connections which I know we would. Then I thought maybe we should have started traveling sooner so we could have seen more before getting to the age where having a house and pets and babies became more important. Jonathan says he is fine with how things turned out and I know I am too. If we had come earlier we would have just missed out on all the things we did before this. That night I found a ladybug in the bathroom which I believe is a good luck sign. I let him outside in an attempt to save him, and felt a sense of closure on our northwest chapter.

Reflections on the Islands

We are nearing our end of Washington and I realized I haven't even posted on our last adventures. The weekend after labor day we went to the San Juan Islands to camp and explore. This was the weekend following our epic National Parks trip so camping wasn't exactly the thing I wanted to do but we had reserved our spot months in advance.  The San Juan Islands are to Washington as the Outer banks are to North Carolina except you can't cross a bridge to the San Juans. We had been warned that in the summer the ferries to the islands become backed up and  to prepare for hours of wait time but since we were going after what NC considers the end of summer weekend we thought we'd be ok. When we got to the ferry terminal we were greeted with our ferry tickets for the 7:20 PM departure time...and it was 3:45 PM. So we did the only natural thing to do while waiting for a ferry, that is drink beer in the car. Actually we only split one beer between the two of us, ate some snacks from the cooler, took a walk, talked to other ferry goers, and sat in the car. Once on the ferry we realized it was going to be a beautiful ferry ride as the sun was setting across the islands. A thin fog hung like spider webs just hovering over the water that pictures could never do justice.

Bad thing about going over at night...setting up the tent in the dark. Amazingly enough the campground was the darkest campground we had camped at all summer and the most private.  No threat of bears on the island. It was funny to walk by our neighbor camper's site to see cooler and cooking pots out on picnic tables with no one to be seen. That would have never happened out in bear country unless you liked unwanted large furry visitors. Our orignal plan was to explore all the Islands on Saturday but after our ferry wait the day before we vetoed getting on another ferry. We were actually staying on Orcas Island.

Instead we took the day to eat seafood, look at pottery, go in a for real tree house, and drink beer at the local island brewery. We also picked up a hitch hiker just outside the campground. Jonathan had been talking about wanting to pick up a hitch hiker all summer and we had never gotten the chance. Jonathan reads a lot of books on through hikers who rely on rides from strangers to get into town to gather supplies. The guy we picked up was a recently graduated college student who was there for the summer working at one of the resort houses.

   It was at the local brewery where met up with a group of our age similarly minded campers who just happened to be camping in our campground. We shared our picnic table with them at the brewery and they shared their camp fire later that night. They had 11 people in their group all in one campsite. Since we had gotten a shhing from some other campers and drinking games were beginning we decided to play silent flip cup. When that fun ended we decided to walk to the 'beach' which was a small lake on the other side of the road. Its not far from the campsite, you can even see it in the daytime but it was a dark night. While walking there we came to a ridge where we could see sand. Now since the northwest lakes and rivers have clear water it was difficult to decide in the dark if the sand was from a shore or if it was the water. One camper decided to check it out by jumping down into it and it was indeed water. A good laugh for all involved. We should have know better since there really are no 'sandy' beaches here. Walking a little further we came to a spot were we could wade out into the water. Someone had the idea to go skinny dipping but since it was so cold this really just involved taking off your pants and walking in ankle deep water. Moral of the story never turn down camping with strangers. After all strangers are just friends you haven't met yet right?

The second time we went out to the islands was when Jonathan's parents came up to see us in early October and we went whale watching off the coast of the San Jaun Islands. Whale watching and boat tours are both gambles in Washington especially in October when the weather becomes incessantly cloudy and misty. Luckily though we got a perfect day, sunny and clear. We had views of Mount Baker all day long. We also got views of whales. A pod of orca whales were feeding on a sea lion as they were spotted by the boat captain. They did all the things you see at Sea World. They flipped out of the water, slapped their tails, and came right up to the boat so we could see!

Yellowstone is not for Yogi Bear

I kept thinking Yogi Bear lived in Yellowstone and kept waiting for some sort of Yogi advertisement or merchandise to pop up. I fully intended to buy Yogi Yellowstone shirts for my family as souvenirs, however I later found out Yogi bear lived in a made up park based on Yellowstone called Jellystone.

After spending two nights camping in Glacier I was a little more over my bear fear and was geared up to see one from the road or a safe distance. Yellowstone boosts wildlife viewing so this time I had my camera ready. Not 5 minutes into the park we caught a glimpse of our first wildlife along with the other 20ish cars in front of us. Bear Jams are real and they are not just for bears. I think people feel some sort of invincibility when they can view wildlife from their car. Like the 1000 pound buffalo can't really ram the car...anyways all the cars slowed down to see some mule elk laying off the side of the road.

I was able to snap a quick shot before moving on.  What we really came to see were the buffalo or bison as we were corrected and see them we did..

We were a bit over the buffalo by the end of the day. Once we drove by a field of them and they were dangerously close. One was snorting and growling at the cars but Jonathan still wanted to stop and take pictures. This is the invincible thing I mentioned above.

The first day we did the things everyone does in Yellowstone...Old Faithful. Now they don't post times of the eruptions but it usually goes off every hour or so.  When we got there we had about 40 minutes before the eruption. There are other hot springs in the area so you can walk around and look at those before it goes off.  On the parking lot side there are benches where you can view the blast but in the summer they are pretty packed. There is also a walk way all around the geyser where you can have more of a private viewing. In the winter the park is open to snowmobiles so you could potentially have an even more private view.  I'd say our spot was pretty good.

Compared to all the waterfalls and Iceberg lake we have been hiking to I did feel somewhat unimpressed by Old Faithful. Maybe it was because there wasn't a long enduring hike to get to it. Most of Yellowstone can actually be seen by the car. Even at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone you can stop and view all the major overlooks. It became somewhat non-thrilling to drive stop, get out, take picture, wait for Asians to move to take more pictures...but there are trails and you can get out of your car and hike.

Some of the sites have mini hikes like at the mud volcanoes and the grand canyon.

The park is so big you almost have to drive it to be able to see the whole thing in a trip.  The park was two major loops and most of the highlights can be seen right off the road or a short walkway.
 
At the canyon there is a north and south rim trail where you can get away from the crowds and really view the park. We did the North Rim trail and once we got to the overlook where all the cars were parked we felt that the puny viewing area did not do justice to what we got to see on the hike.

Granted the view points of the waterfalls in the canyon were spectacular. And those where accessed by short trails from the parking lot.

After a day of driving, wild life viewing, and hiking we were ready for camp. We stayed at the Canyon Village campground which did not have views of the canyon but did come with two free shower coupons.  I almost stole Jonathan's. It also takes reservations online which is a must in the summer months.  The campground was full the night we stayed. The fee for tent camping was $28.  That seems steep to me especially since we once stayed in a Denver motel for $35 a night.  It came with an all you can eat breakfast buffet AND we slept in a bed!  Our camp dinner that night was chicken, pasta, and Caesar salad. 

I forgot to take a picture of the salad before we ate it. 

We got to talk to a few of our campground neighbors. One retired couple said they were on the road for 3 months camping out of a 15 passenger van turned RV. They had a queen mattress behind the front seat and shelves in the back to hold all their stuff. Not sure how you pack for a 3 month camping trip across the country. They were from Tennessee which means they told long drawn out stories full of details. We could have talked to them all night if we didn't have to use our shower coupons. The showers were only open 8-8 and we had been hitting the road around 8am each morning. The elevation at Canyon Village is close to 8,000 and it was a chilly night, much colder than Glacier NP. We got a nice fire going and invited some other camp neighbors to join. We learned that they were from Kentucky and were on a 3 week road trip touring various national parks. It was fun to talk to other people about their adventures and especially fun to hear a Southern accent so far West!

The next day we chose to do more hiking and less driving. We did a hike on the northeast side of the park. It was supposed to be a loop but the return part of the loop was closed due to recent bear activity so we had to hike back the same way. All in all it was about a 10 mile hike. 

All along the way we saw scat of various origins: buffalo, deer, horse, and once we saw bear scat; however no actually sittings. We even saw elk bones and one with some flesh still attached. On the way back a thunderstorm came out of nowhere and lasted about 5 minutes. Long enough for me to pull out my raincoat and then the sun came back out. About a half mile from the car another storm came out and I decided to wait this one out instead of putting my coat on...except this one lasted more than 5 minutes. At that point on the trail we were hiking through flat trail of sage brush.  The thunder and lighting was so loud and close it made me jump. The rain came down so hard it began to fill the trail with water mixing with animal scat. As I ran to the car I was acutely aware that the water I was splashing through my sandaled feet was full of poo!    

The sagebrush field before it rained.

After the hike we headed to our campsite at the Mammoth hot springs. The campsite is about a mile from the Boiling River hot springs which is the best kept secret of Yellowstone. There the cold river mixes with the hot springs creating a natural hot tub effect. Its tricky walking in and out of the springs though since the temperature dramatically changes with each step and the river current is pretty strong. It is key to find the right spot.

hot water from the springs

stay to the right of the rock jetti

cold water from the river

Our last sight of wild life was that night in camp. A herd of elk came right through the campsite.

They made the most peculiar sounds and I tried to capture it on video but couldn't get it to load onto the blog.  Our last camp dinner was classic hot dogs and chips.

The next morning we snapped a quick picture of Mammoth hot springs.

We last hit up the gift shops.  I had huckleberry ice cream for breakfast and it was awesome.  I highly recommend it!