Mount Rainier, WA (USA)

Woke up early again - a little more difficult this time (kids getting a little cranky). Made it out of the city before 0800. Headed over Lake Washington to I-405 and then down to WA-169. Found the rural areas quickly - got some breakfast and sandwiches (for later) in Maple Valley). Later, on WA-410, saw some awesome views of Mount Rainier. It was clear immediately that this was a great idea - weather beautiful and visibility great. Made it into White River area by 0945 - just in time for a Junior Ranger campfire program. Kids enjoyed meeting other kids - from around the country - who were also interested in learning about the National Parks and animals. Spent more time in the Sunrise area - hiking along a beautiful trail with wildflowers and views of the glaciers on the mountain. Mollie especially enjoyed using the wildflower guide provided by the rangers. Kids "sworn-in" as Junior Rangers in a big presentation at the Visitor Center (along with some other kids - from New Hampshire - who were on their eighth Junior Ranger of their three week vacation). Drove down towards the South Entrance - we were fortunate that they opened the WA-706 road TODAY! I guess we would have been out of luck otherwise... Highlight of the day was the visit to the Grove of the Patriarchs - a stand of 1000 year old cedars. Also got to cross river on a rickety suspension bridge... Checked out Paradise area - VERY busy but saw even prettier views of the mountain from that side. Exited the park around 1600 and headed back towards Tacoma. Our plan was to meet up with Courtenay (Pat and Mike's daughter) and her kids for dinner at their swim club on Lake Washington - made it by 1830. Our kids were fast friends with Holly and Finn - they all enjoyed the entire evening swimming and diving. Courtenay set up a great spread with burgers, dogs and lots of great Northwest fruit. Back at Courtenay's home, kids spent a few more hours playing - didn't want the visit (or the trip) to end... I had to end it, finally, because I found out we had to leave by 1000 tomorrow (with a two hour drive back to Whidbey...). Back at the hotel, easy to get everyone to sleep...

I Like to Roam (By Brenna)

I like to roam.
It feels like the
Earth is a dome.

Everyone is nice.
Everywhere I go I
get a slice

of that part of the world.

Seattle, WA (USA)

Kids don't seem to be tiring yet... Woke up early again and headed over to Seattle Center on the monorail (0910) - this was another hit. Weather yesterday was hot (40+ C) but better this morning. Arrived in time (0930) to get up to the top of the Space Needle with small crowds. Kids enjoyed the cameras that could be manipulated to explore the skyline. Mollie a little afraid of the glass balconies/heights, so she and I stayed inside while Nicky and the twins explored the entire place. Extra bonus was a "flyby" by the Navy's Blue Angels (part of the Sea Fair Festival) - they went right by the Needle while we were up there! After our fill of Seattle skyline scenery, enjoyed a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant. Walked around the entire park, watching kids playing in a huge fountain, visiting a northwest art gallery and eating cracker-jacks and cotton candy. The park was very nice - we didn't do the museums because we were having such a nice time in such a green, safe place. Got some great souvenirs. Walked over to the Library so everyone could see the building and the kids' section (spent about an hour there). Later headed back to the Pike Place Market and bought some flowers and some other nick-nacks. Had arranged to meet up with Joanie's mother, Lenora (we met her in Fort Worth last fall) around1630 and drove the car there with no problem. She lives in an apartment overlooking Lake Union - very pretty. Spent several hours with her, talking about her lifetime in Seattle and the other relatives that lived here since the early Twentieth Century after they moved from Iowa. The kids and I walked down a hillside stair to the waterfront and picked up some dinner - which we enjoyed on Lenora's balcony. When we left her home, everyone was in good spirits. Decided to visit Discovery Park to watch the sun set. On the way, stumbled across two more sites from the "Larry Gets Lost in Seattle Book": the troll under the WA-99 bridge and the statue of the people waiting for the bus (more photo opportunities). Checked out University of Washington campus before heading back to the waterfront. Found Discovery Park - but because the visitor center was closed, didn't have a map of the trails or where the best place to see the sunset was. We walked around for about an hour - pleasant for most of it, but only saw the sun setting over the Olympic Mountains after we made several failed attempts to get to the beach (LOTS of walking!!!). I still think it was worth the effort... Later drove along the nearby locks connecting Elliot Bay with Lake Union. Back at the hotel before 2200. Nicky and I went to the restaurant downstairs (Elephant and Castle - see JAN 2008) for a nightcap. Bed around 2330.

Seattle, WA (USA)

Kids awake rather early - ready to leave for the first adventure of the trip. Decided to take the light rail from Westlake to Pioneer Square. That was pretty fun to travel on the clean train (and we were lucky to have the opportunity - it only opened at the beginning of the summer). When we arrived in the Pioneer Square area, it was pretty quiet (nice!). We stumbled across a small fountain nestled in the old brick homes - very pretty. Turns out it was the location where UPS started... We then walked over to the Klondike National Park site so the kids could learn about the Gold Rush of the late Nineteenth Century. Movies and displays were brand new and very interesting - kids even got to pan for gold! The Junior Ranger experience was a little more difficult than usual but they finished it. Unfortunately, the park rangers didn't have any pins available (but promised to get some by the end of the day). It was approaching lunch time, so we walked a short distance over to Chinatown and found a little place to eat there. The nice hostess (who had a kid sitting nearby waiting while Mom worked) set us up with some great (authentic) Asian dishes. The kids always enjoy the culture of the visits to this type of place... Walked around a little after lunch, enjoying some music in a nearby park and exploring the many souvenir shops. We had a chance to walk through a Japanese supermarket - just like the ones I've seen when I travel to Japan (see APR 2008). Great fresh food and lots of other trinkets ("Hello Kitty", etc.)! Even looked in an Asian furniture store - very exotic art, dressers and wall-hangings... Later walked back towards Pioneer Square and stumbled across the crowd for the afternoon Seattle Mariners game. We were actually able to walk right up to see the place where the Seahawks play and then followed people down towards the baseball stadium - enjoying glimpses of the scalpers, vendors and "bike-rickshaw" drivers. Stopped for a rest at Caffe Umbria and had gelato while we sat under shady trees. Got the kids their Junior Ranger pins then we headed back towards the train station. Found some totem poles in a pretty square (took funny photos) and then went back to Westlake Mall. Getting tired... Dropped Nicky and Erin off for some shopping across from the Red Lion and took Brenna and Mollie to the Library (with the cool glass ceilings and gradual stack descent - see JAN 2008). Found out that the kids' section was as big as our library in Fort Worth... Moved the car to a new parking garage and then we all met at Pike Place Market. Probably should have arrived a little earlier, since the vendors were beginning to close up shop. Still got to see some fish flying in the air, though (great hit!). Bought some Rainier Cherries (first time for that - mmmm...). Explored the several floors of the market to see what we might want to buy later. Went back to the hotel around 1800 and decided to check out the Happy Hour on the terrace. Kids enjoying the ambiance and views. Back to the room around 2000 - very tired... No problem getting everyone to sleep!

Whidbey Island, WA (USA)

Didn't have to be at the airport too early - just by 1200 to catch a lucky flight to the Pacific Northwest (one of the benefits of my job). After we got on the plane, it only took about four hours to get to Whidbey Island. The kids were excited and didn't even play with their Nintendo DS on the way - they just looked outside the aircraft. I've been up here before - but never with the family. Our car was waiting and we headed off immediately towards Seattle. Weather was unpleasantly hot (nearly 40 degrees C - thought we could leave that behind in Texas!). Stopped off at Deception Pass on the way - kids enjoyed a "nature hike" through the cedar forest and along the beach. Spent a little time there and enjoyed the "minty fresh" smell (as Mollie called it) of the of the evergreens... We arrived in Seattle after a drive on WA-20 and I-5 - our hotel was the Red Lion on Fifth Avenue (see JAN 2008). Kids excited to be in the city - lots to see and people to watch. Had enough time to walk down to the Waterfront - near the aquarium. Kids rode the carousel there and we had a little to eat as the sun set in the distance. Great views of Olympic Mountains and Elliot Bay. As we walked back up the hill towards our hotel, Mollie spotted the "Hammer Man" near the Art Museum and mentioned a book I had bought her on a previous visit (called "Larry Gets Lost in Seattle" - about a dog who visits all the sights in the city, including the tall black statue that rings in each hour with a hammer ring). I didn't think that she would remember something like that, but it was funny... Kids didn't want to go to bed, but reminded them about the two hour time difference and they went to bed, looking forward to tomorrow.

Fort Davis, TX (USA)

Wanted to sleep a little later today, but it was kind of hard with the sun creeping through the windows and the many wild birds chirping outside. Still, the kids were content after a night in a bunk bed and the opportunity to eat breakfast with the other kids in the camp cafeteria. I spent a lot of the morning speaking with the proprietors to learn about the possibility of the kids attending horse camp. Around 1000 we drove into town again - this time to visit the Fort Davis National Park. It was a startlingly beautiful place - site of a Buffalo Soldiers' outpost in the late Nineteenth Century. Camp homes were restored and rangers/volunteers were dressed in period clothing. The kids completed another Junior Ranger patch/pin - and learned a lot about life in the 1800s (including the "boring" time the kids had going to school and doing chores all day in this remote location). Still, no one wanted to leave the mountains - it is so pleasant and remote! We had lunch at the old Fort Davis Drug Store (cafe) - kids enjoyed the experience of eating at an old road-side stop. Drove out on TX-17 through some green canyons - took I-10 for a short time and then drove up to Pecos. Back on I-20, quickly made it back to Abilene. Amazingly, over the 14 hours of driving on this trip, the kids never watched a movie - we just chatted and enjoyed each others' company... Dinner in Weatherford and then home - just after 2030. Despite the many hours of driving, still feel pretty jazzed about what we saw. The Davis Mountains have lots of opportunities for the future!

Fort Davis, TX (USA)

We've been suffering under 40C weather for about a week (with no end in sight), so we decided yesterday to get away from it - to the mountains! Started around 0800 and headed out on I-20 to the West (later changed to I-10 and TX-118). Not a bad drive (seven hours) with zero traffic and speed limit west of Odessa as high as 80 mph! Haven't been to this area of Texas since SEP 1993... Amazingly, everyone was still in good spirits when we arrived at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains (around 1500). We had just missed the last telescope tour, but we found some other things of interest - interactive exhibits and beautiful views of the incredibly green surroundings. Elevation was nearly 7000' above sea level - and temps were just over 30C (nice!!). Bought our tickets for the later shows and then headed towards Fort Davis (about 15 miles south). Just before the "city" limits, found the Prude Ranch - a ranch guest house. Had made reservations and found it was truly worth it! The kids had fun learning about the summer camp they run there - maybe we can do it for them in the future. Later, we drove into Fort Davis and had dinner at the Hotel Limpia restaurant. Everyone tried a delicious Texas-style meal (including catfish, BBQ, chicken fried steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, etc.). Headed back up to the Observatory at 2000 - for the "Twilight Show." The kids learned all about the job of the astronomers on the mountain and got to act out the path of planets and stars in an open-air ampitheatre. As the sun set over distant mountains, the next phase of the show ("Star Party") began. With a nifty green LASER pointer, another Observer employee pointed out the major constellations of the summer sky. We got to see planets, satellites, "milky weigh," nebulae (etc.). There were so many stars! Even when we've been to remote locations to look in the sky before (see AUG 2007), we've never seen so many! Later in the evening, we got to look through telescopes - at Saturn (looked like an olive with a toothpick through it), a globular cluster, the swan nebula and a dead star (looked like a blue cheerio, according to the kids). We left around 2300 - tired but excited by the things we had seen. Back at the Prude Ranch, we went straight to bed (with no TV, no telephone in the room and non-existant cell service it was very easy to fall asleep!).

Euless, TX (USA)

[trip with the kids to Incredible Pizza, an indoor entertainment venue (kind of like Dave and Buster's) - lots of games and good food - made us forget about the heat outside...]

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[went to the matinee movie ("Up" 3D) with the kids at Ridgmar 13]