Archive for the ‘Outdoors’ Category

August 13th, 2013 by sara

More Rainier!

Here are some of my photos from the trip.  We saw so many huge trees, and trees growing out of trees!
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This is one of my favorites.

 

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Up at Paradise, all the wildflowers were in bloom.  The kids really REALLY wanted to hike up to where there was snow, but this year in August, that would have been a bit too tough for the little ones.  The meadows of flowers sure were beautiful, though!

 

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Later that day we hiked a few (steep) miles to two lakes.  This is Bench Lake – a beautiful reflection of the mountain and a nice spot to snack.

 

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Nora loved the log bridges.  She said they were her favorite part of the hike.

 

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I liked the root steps.

 

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Nora liked this picture because it made her have snow on her head.

 

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This was a very cool bridge over to the Grove of the Patriarchs – lots of 1000+ year old trees!  Jonah loved this bridge, and loved that you’re supposed to cross one at a time.  ;)

 

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By the end of the third day’s hike, Nora was wearing out.  We had traveled a lot of miles for three-year-old legs.  She told us, “My legs are rotten…”  So she got a lift.  Lucky girl.  :)

 

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August 13th, 2013 by seans

Mt. Rainier!

This past weekend we went up to Mt. Rainier to hike around and see a volcano. We ended up hiking about 10 miles total, with both kids doing most of the walking. Nora enjoyed a ride on my shoulders occasionally. Fortunately the bugs weren’t too bad and the views were excellent. Here are a few photos of our trip (more to come, too!).

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July 22nd, 2013 by sara

Blueberries and Bikes

Last Friday the kids and I drove up north of town to pick blueberries.  It was a beautiful morning and the bushes were so full of tasty blueberries.  So tasty, in fact, that the kids had a hard time actually getting many in their buckets.  Luckily they were happy enough picking that I had time to fill a bucket of my own.

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I made a bunch of freezer jam, we had blueberry pancakes, blueberries on ice cream, blueberries by the handful for snack, and somehow by Sunday afternoon, they were already gone.  So, next Saturday, it’s back to the blueberry patch for us!  :)

 

Then on Sunday, our town closed down a three mile loop of roadway through downtown for people to bike around.  We did this last year, and had a great time.  The kids especially loved it so we had been looking forward to it quite a bit.  It is funny to think that just last year, Jonah was on the little green balance bike and Nora rode her tricycle.  This year was very different.  With both kids zooming off on two-wheelers, there was no keeping up on foot.  Luckily, a friend of mine lent me her bike for the first half of the event.
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Last year…

 

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And now!  (And it’s kind of funny that Nora has the same shirt, but not all that amazing, given how much she insists on wearing it.)

 

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The whole family made the first loop around – 3 miles!  Then Nora was understandably tired.  Those legs have to go around pretty fast to make those small wheels cover 3 miles.  :)  She and Sean took a rest at a park along the way and shared a treat.  Jonah and I continued around for another 3 mile loop.  Then Nora wanted to do a little more road riding, so we tacked on another mile together before heading home.
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(Jonah loved riding in the ‘real bike lanes!’)
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And as soon as we got home, Nora ran to show me how tired she really was.  Tired enough to pretend to sleep.  Haha.
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July 21st, 2013 by sara

Parks

This week we went to two parks.  The first one is more of a gentle hike that goes through a large area of rhododendrons and has many many splits in the path.  The kids love to take turns choosing which way to go and noticing when we cross parts we’ve seen before.

 

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The best is when we come across the bench swing that is really hard to remember how to find on purpose.  Always a surprise!
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Then Jonah got out his ‘iPad’ to help us figure out how to get back to the big meadow near the car.
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And the kids found a tree that they could stand in.  Fun!
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Later in the week, we brought some riding toys to another park, and Jonah marked lanes so they could drive like on a real road.  Sometimes the police had to come for Nora when she was out of her lane.  Haha.

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Then Jonah stopped at my restaurant for grilled cheese.  He didn’t like the crusts.

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And we found another tree to climb in!
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Happy boy!
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July 20th, 2013 by sara

Sweet Creek Falls, Part 2

Sean did one quick post from our Sweet Creek Falls hike, but I had some good pictures that I wanted to add, too.

Feeling the cold, cold creek

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We found a great little spot on a big flat rock to eat our lunches.  Since there was a little waterfall right there, the kids named it ‘Waterfall Cafe.’  By the time the hike was over, Jonah had mentally designed a logo and menu plan for the restaurant.
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The boys
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Silly siblings
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So tall on a log!
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Yes, Nora tries to get her fingers stepped on.  Sneaky Nora.
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And some fun with the self photos.  Jonah especially enjoys making lots of faces for these.  :)
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About three minutes after we finished our two mile hike, Nora totally crashed.  Time for a power nap.
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Then we headed to the freezing windy beach.
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Nora’s about ready to go by this point.
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So the kids chased Sean back to the car, pretending to be waves crashing on his back.
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