Day 34

We decided to try to get to sleep early in case there was an overnight storm that was planning on keeping us up. It rained much of the night but the biggest part of the storm was over shortly after we got in our sleeping bags. Ryan did jump over to me during one really close thunder clap that woke us all up but that was the last of it.

As we were packing up in the morning we saw the sun start to peek through all the clouds so we sped up just a little bit. I really wanted to try to see the mountain and this morning would give us the best opportunity if the sun was going to stay out.

I knew there were at least a few viewpoints that might work on the way up so we headed that way. By the time we got only about 2 miles into the drive I knew it wasn't going to happen though. The sun was gone and the clouds were very low. I did take the opportunity to stop and appreciate Christine Falls for a minute since we'd only driven by the night before. Even the river we'd spotted the night before snaking down the mountain was covered until it was right under us.



We passed Grammie coming up on our way down so we pulled off at our campground to wait for her. Today was a stop especially for Brayden. He's loved wolves for years so we made reservations to tour Wolf Haven near Olympia to be able to see and learn more about wolves. After picking up our tickets we walked around to the different displays about the preserve and talked with a volunteer about some cool facts about wolves and wolf-dogs.

On the reservation confirmation in capital letters it stated there was a POSSIBILITY of seeing UP TO 10 wolves on the tour. I was hopeful we would at least get to see 1 or 2 but we ended up seeing 8 wolves and 2 coyotes! The wolves they have on display have all been around humans if not owned and relinquished by them. There are also about 50 more wolves that live secluded from the tour but just as well cared for further into the preserve.

We learned all too often people obtain wolf pups and are unable to provide the care they need by the time they are only 3. Lucky for the wolves there is a place like this that can take care of them for the rest of their lives.

As soon as we walked in the first two wolves were curiously pointing their noses in the air to smell all of us. They walked around to survey the crowd, smell and nuzzle each other, then laid back down under a tree. Most of the wolves in this sanctuary are paired and live together. These two wolves had a rough life before making it to the preserve so they became fast mates.

We learned about the near extinction of wolves once they were deemed a threat to humans and livestock by pioneers and settlers. The Northern Gray Wolves we were seeing were only found in Canada until just a few decades ago. This disappearance of course threw off the balance in the food chain and caused an explosion of coyote all across the country. According to our guide there are coyote currently living in every county in every state in the lower 48 states.



We also learned about the Red Wolf native to the areas around North Carolina. This type of wolf was deemed so close to extinction the federal government took over and began a monitored breeding program to bring them back. Several families from this sanctuary are now living in the wild thanks to this program.

The last wolf we were able to see was my favorite of the day, the Mexican Gray Wolf. This guy is only 3 years old and will hopefully be paired with a mate and released back into the wild in Mexico. The sanctuary has already released a 3-generation family and without in training and being fed by the caregivers their whole live, they made their first kill within 10 days of being released!

We really noticed the difference in the size of the wolves and coyotes once we reached our last stop at the resident coyotes. They were more along the lines of the size of the red wolves and seemed to move in the same way. The one we watched was fascinated by the ravens hanging out near his pen. Apparently the sanctuary had never had ravens until they decided to home the two coyotes!

After we purchase a few things in the gift shop we arrived at our last stop in Washington State. I had service at this spot so I was able to check the weather after we set up and saw a giant storm was heading our way. We grabbed the dvd player, dinner fixings, and my computer and hopped into the RV. These are days we are especially thankful to have Grammie along with us!

While we heard raindrops starting on the roof we ate a delicious dinner, played Ryan's new card game, and made plans for the next day. The kids watched a few episodes of Teen Titans and I was able to update the blog with a few days of posts. When the rain stopped it was dark and bedtime so we popped into the tent and went to sleep. There was more rain to come but it was only supposed to be light for a few hours.

Day 33

I had to get a picture of the sunflower Laney bought at the farm the day before. We drove by so many farms with sunflowers peeking out 4, 5, and 6 foot tall. A field full was a beautiful sight!

We started today with thick french toast and cheese grits to warm us up. It rained overnight and was super chilly this morning so breakfast was perfect. Our first stop this morning was the Longmire Museum. It was a small building from the early 1900s that was jam-packed with people as well as great exhibits. The kids enjoyed seeing the animals the most. Did you know there is a mountain beaver that doesn't live in water?

This mountain lion took us all a little by surprise around a corner! 

We think we are experts when it comes to animal tracks but we all didn't do very well on this quiz. Some of the alpine animals tripped Laney up but we won't be seeing them back home! 

Out side there was another tree slice we could read historical events on. This tree was at least 8 feet in diameter. You can see Grammie pointing to the date the Declaration of Independence was signed.

 

We visited the gift shop next for post cards and stickers where Brayden spotted Gatorade in a can. I'm not sure what the novelty was about it but he had to spend his money on it! Ryan followed right a long and they both commented it tasted the same as in a plastic bottle. I'm thinking they assumed it would be carbonated? I know I told at least one of them it would be the same thing they've had before. I'm thinking they stopped listening to me long ago.

We stopped in at the Wilderness Info building for trail maps and info on the things we needed to see while we were there. We'd already planned one hike with two waterfalls and fortunately we could get to the trail from our campground. Ryan left a sign for our friends on the car that we'd gone hiking while the other two kids worried someone was going to see it and steal all our stuff. If someone wants a 2-year-old tent that looks like it's 15-years-old then I say they can have it!

When we first arrived at the park yesterday the kids noticed the color of the water - very light gray. I'm assuming it is because of the glacier flour and silt from the mountain? At this spot we crossed the river and could hear constant low booming that sounded like thunder. It was the boulders being spun and tossed in this fast-moving river!






This was the point in the hike where I almost sent Brayden back to the campground. These kids arguing back and forth and assuming intentional harm is so very frustrating.  I know there are crazy hormones and they have been together A LOT lately.  I just wish they would take a 2 second breath before responding  to each other.  I would definitely help curb the angry tones and responses that hurt. Maybe one of these days they will listen.

When the kids see a field of rocks they only see a climbing opportunity. What surprised me today was Laney asking first to climb all the way up! I think this area was an old rock slide or glacier field so I wasn't to keen on them starting another rock slide. They settled on climbing up to a large rock for a picture instead.


We started hearing the water about a half-mile into the hike. It kept getting louder toward the top of each climb and then would seem like we past it one the hike leveled off. We kept wondering it we'd missed the first waterfall until finally we reached Carter Falls at the top of the last steep climb. 

The kids pulled out their snacks while Grammie made her way up to meet us and I took pictures of the leaves around us.  You would think these leaves might be wet from the spray of the waterfall but actually most of the leaves still had water on them from the rain and morning dew.

There was a rockstar mom at this waterfall that was at least 8 months pregnant with a 2 and 4 year old in tow. Start them young!

The next waterfall was just another 50 yards up the trail so we made it to Madcap Falls in no time. This one was a little more difficult to see with it's twists and turns. We thought about climbing down for a better view but decided to head back to our site instead.

On the way up after the river crossing the girls asked me if I saw the cat. I was thinking there was a stray cat hanging out by the river and began to come up with all the reasons why there was no way we would be able to bring a cat home with us. They told me instead there was a cat rock sculpture similar to our family rock stacks so we made sure to slow down and check those out on our way back. By the time we made it there were two new ones!

You'll noticed Grammie no longer has her hiking stick. There was an older gentleman we'd seen slowly making his way back down the trail when we were going up. By the time we came back down he was still having lots of trouble on the trail with his balance around the rocks. She gave him her stick to help and with the help of his companion he seemed to move a little better. There were still many tricky areas for them to cross, including the river!  I love when my kids get to see examples of kindness like this. I hope they grow up to be this way toward perfect strangers and those in need.







We heated up some leftover soup for lunch when we got back and just as we were finishing up the Cook family showed up! They have been in the road for the better part of 2 years and we were so excited to be able to hang out with them! The kids shared animals and sites they'd seen then headed off into the woods to hang out and play. I love they are able to reconnect so easily!

Another not-to-miss spot we were told we should go is up to the top of the mountain at the Paradise visitors center area. The wildflowers were supposed to be in crazy bloom for the summer. We all decided to pile into cars and make the slow drive up. Unfortunately for us the clouds rolled in as we were driving up so not only could we not see the wildflowers but we also couldn't even see the visitors center from the parking lot! And it was COLD! Instead of taking a walk through the flowers we went into the visitors center to check out the museum before they closed. I'd forgotten my camera and phone in my haste to drive up so I didn't get to capture that time.

Once we made it back down we cooked dinner together and shared stories around the campfire. We'd had similar experiences on the road but The Cooks were able to take time to see so much more than us!  We'd already been to some of the area they were heading so I was able to make a few recommendations.

The kids shared s'mores and more laughs before the rain decided we should be done for the night. We quickly got everything out of the rain, gave everyone hugs, and wished safe travels to each other. We'd be seeing them back in Florida in a few months to hear more about their amazing travels.

The girls and I walked Lola in the rain and made it back before the heavier stuff started. The pitter patter of rain drops was going to be our lullaby tonight!

Day 32

I didn't have to wake the kids up this morning as Ryan was excited to be moving today. She was hoping to see our Washington friends later and she'd been counting down the days since we left. She let the air out of Brayden and Laney's sleep mats and rolled on top of them to wake them up. I'm thinking they appreciate my sing song "good morning" much better!

We filled up with warm grits and toast then I placed the box containing the last two cupcakes on the table. I offered a full cupcake to the most helpful person and the other to be shared between the other two kids. Brayden was finished with his breakfast at this point and jumped right in to help. I will have to remember his motivation is food for sure!

We were all packed up and on the Sol Duc Falls trail within about 30 minutes. The parking lot was already filling up so I knew it was going to be a great hike.




We talked about the days ahead and what we were going to be able to do once Dave joins us. It's hard to believe he's finally almost here with us! We are close to making our turn back south toward home.

The falls were beautiful but we didn't stay too long as everyone wanted to get on the road. It was a lovely hike and definitely reset us all to have a fabulous day. The kids' tones and attitudes changed from being short with eachother as we were getting out of the car to laughing siblings again just a half mile down the trail. We need to make morning hikes a thing!

We said goodbye to our ghost host whom we never saw, the smelly springs, the beautiful mountains and glaciers, Lake Crescent, and Port Angeles as we made the turn toward Tacoma and our next spot. When I started seeing signs for lavender fields I remembered I had a possible farm stop on my list. And I'm so glad we stopped! We picked boysenberries, londonberries, bluebberries, and a big bucket of the sweetest raspberries we've ever had.

Three deer were watching us as we picked the boysenberries so I'm sure our row was the perfect one. We'd never picked or tasted boysenberries or londonberries before. I had to taste a few very unripe ones first to find the best color which the kids thought was quite hilarious.

What started as a quick stop to check out the farm ended up being over an hour of picking all kinds of berries. Laney and my favorite were the raspberries - the sweetest I've ever tasted. They were also the size of blackberries!! Anyone who has picked with me before knows I get in picking mode and it's hard to break out of it. I want all the good fruit!  Ryan loved the blueberries the best - she had to run to catch up with us while shoving handfuls into her mouth!

I ended up buying an extra carton of blueberries and we went to enjoy the lavender for a few minutes. About 20 feet away from the field you could already smell it. If only the kids were dressed for a photo shoot!

We made a quick resupply stop at Trader Joe's and started the climb toward Mt. Rainier. This would be our last Washington stop but also a much anticipated one with a visit from friends. We were all set up and eating dinner when they pulled into our site behind us. The kids quickly finished their dinners and picked back up as if we'd seen them yesterday.

They even let me take an actual picture of all of them standing still for 30 seconds! We shared stories, beer, and dump cake around the fire until it was time for them to make the long drive back home. Our visit was short but it definitely made for an excellent day!




Another set of friends were hoping to join us in their RV but they weren't supposed to arrive until later. We reserved a site for them but never heard since I don't have service in the park. The kids wanted to check to see if they arrived so we quietly walked in the misty rain to their spot. They weren't there so we headed back and slipped into our tent. It was drippy and cold so we knew we'd better bundle up close together tonight!