Roadtrip 2011, part 3 (Updated with Mileage)

Sunday, August 21. All too soon it was time to be on the road again. This time we headed west for our friends who live outside of Seattle. The scenery changed into tall, snow capped mountains and dense pine trees, and I knew we were close. A 5 hours drive grew to 7 when we sat parked on the highway while an accident was cleared, but hugging our dear friends and meeting all 3 of their beautiful children was worth the wait. 

Miles Logged: 326
Total: 1,892

Monday, August 22. Jeremy headed off to work and Meg took us to see Snoqualmie Falls. It's a short drive from their house, then an easy walk up a path, and the view is stunning!

Sweet Katie, 2, looks in on her baby sister Kara. I have never met a  2 year old (well, maybe one of my nieces) who can talk at 2 like this girl can. One time she was upset about something, and I asked her if she wanted some grapes. She told me, "First I am going to cry, and then I am going to answer. WAAAA!" It took all of my strength to not laugh out loud!

Kara, is a miracle baby in many ways. Diagnosed with serious problems in utero, one of which would have been terminal without the great intervention she got, Kara (and her Momma Meg) was the object of our prayers for months.  And here she is! 5 months old with the sweetest disposition and most eager smile. We LOVED holding her, learning how to feed her, and marveling over the great things God has already done in her life.

Connor, 3.5 and delightful, loved playing with the Russell kids, who introduced him to rolling down a hill. Right after we left he asked his mom if he could come to the Russell's house to visit. We wish you could Connor!

Of course Gabe does things MMA style.

On to a railroad museum we went. The kids were more interested in the walk and the dandelions, and Meg and I cherished the time to talk, while Daniel read the signs that detailed the various cars and their usage,

We headed into Seattle, hoping to go the Aquarium, but instead walked the pier and treated the Seagulls (and ourselves) to fries at Ivars.

Miles Logged: 88
Total:  1,980

Tuesday, August 23. Technically this was the first day of school. We brought along our history CDs and notebooks, plus took educational field trips almost every day, in order to get school in on our trip. This day's adventure was blueberry picking at the base of a gorgeous mountain.

It says 7 and a quarter pounds in case you can't read it, and $14.32, which is less than half  what I would pay in CA.

Miles Logged: 5
Total: 1,985

Wednesday, August 24. Back into Seattle we trekked, without Meg and her precious family this time, and we started at the Flagship REI. Definitely a very cool store.

It fits, right?

We also got to visit with my uncle at his office in Seattle, and my cousins at one of their homes. It was delightfully wonderful that after not seeing each other in years, we can pick right back up where we left off. I truly wish we lived closer--they are my only cousins and I love them dearly! For their privacy I am not posting any face pictures of them or my beautiful First-Cousin-Once-Removed, who was only 3 weeks old when I met her, but here are a couple silly ones we took while messing around.

 When we reluctantly left my cousins we headed for a very quick stop at Pike Place Market. Meg was making her famous (to us) homemade pizza, and we were not going to miss that! OF COURSE we stopped at the first Starbucks, and I let Mckenna order her first coffee drink.

And in our travels we found the famous fish market where the guys throw the fish to one another when it's ordered--as seen in Sleepless in Seattle and other movies.

Our view as we left--a ferry I rode on many times in my youth when I would visit my cousins, with a beautiful sky full of clouds we rarely see as desert dwellers.

Miles Logged: 78

Total: 2,063