July 13 - Gilbert Cellars in Yakima WA

Our last night with Linda is at a winery that also has beautiful canola, apple trees and lavender growing. It’s a beautiful sunny day to be outside, and the wine is very tasty, too. 

July 12 - East side of Ranier

The road west to east through Ranier is closed halfway due to construction so to get to the eastern side, we had to go around the southern route through Packwood. 

Took us about 1 hour 30 minutes, but the view was worth the drive. 

Ranier loomed high above us and we were closer to it without the long hike up the Skyline Trail. 

The Visitor’s Center had a nice e hit explaining the evolution of the mountains from the Native Americans. 

John Muir’s quote seemed to be apropos even today. 

Time for a lunch break at a picnic area on the way down the mountain. 

When we came into Packwood, we picked up a few groceries. Also, Linda saw this sign so had to check it out … quilts and liquors… what a combo

Unfortunately the fabrics were wool and quite pricey. 

Packwood also had a Brewery so of course we had to check it out. The birthday celebration continues. 

On to Yakima tomorrow. 

July 11 - Mount Ranier

UPDATE: see end of post. 

Another Arlo pic to begin my day, but couldn’t see it till we got to the Mt Ranier Visitor’s Center. Erin captioned it: A cute little froggy. Perfect.  

On to Mount Ranier and all her glory. As we were driving there, the clouds were hanging low but by the time we got ti the visitor’s center, they had lifted a lot. We stopped at Narada Falls. Lots of water rushing, more than when we saw them last fall. 

Linda and I hiked the Skyline Trail. The trail took us up quite high. Only had to stop to breathe a few times   

The trip down was a lot faster than going up. 

Saw a marmot on the way down. 

Time for Bill and Linda to hike. More on that later. Wanted to get this much published now. 

They just got back from their hike to the Nisqually Glacier. 

After dinner, we decided to take a hike on the horse trails through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. What started out as a short hike ended up about 2.5 miles because we got a little lost. We didn’t realize how large an area the trails covered. It was getting later and we were still in the forest and not sure how much farther we had to get back to where we started. We were able to hear Road noise so we found a trail that would lead us to the road. When we came out of the forest, we were in the yard of someone’s house. Walked out their driveway to the road and had to decide which way to turn. Luckily we turned the correct way. A mile later we came to the road that would take us back to Ida. Phew, Linda and I were worried. Bill wouldn’t own up to being worried. 

July 11 - Mount Ranier

Another Arlo pic to begin my day, but couldn’t see it till we got to the Mt Ranier Visitor’s Center. Erin captioned it: A cute little froggy. Perfect.  

On to Mount Ranier and all her glory. As we were driving there, the clouds were hanging low but by the time we got ti the visitor’s center, they had lifted a lot. We stopped at Narada Falls. Lots of water rushing, more than when we saw them last fall. 

Linda and I hiked the Skyline Trail. The trail took us up quite high. Only had to stop to breathe a few times   

The trip down was a lot faster than going up. 

Saw a marmot on the way down. 

Time for Bill and Linda to hike. More on that later. Wanted to get this much published now. 

They just got back from their hike to the Nisqually Glacier. 

July 10 - Sahara Creek Camp

A great way to start my birthday with a pic of this handsome dude. 

Then wishes from Drew and Erin from New Zealand and Kristen from back home and Andrea and Jillian from Brookville. Lark sent me a video with wishes. She and I have the same birthday. I am truly blessed. 

We decided to stay at Sahara Creek Horse Camp where we had stayed when Jillian because it’s only 10 miles from the entrance to Mount Ranier. However we had forgotten that when you boondock in Washington state, you need a Discover Pass. There is no service where we are so went to a local bar where they had WiFi. Their password was BestBurgers so that’s where we decided to have my birthday dinner. They were very good burgers and had good beers, too. 

Tomorrow we will drive to Mt Rainier. 

July 9 - San Juan Islands

We decided to explore the San Juan Islands since we were this far north. Who knows if we will ever get back here. 

Up early to drive to the ferry to catch the 9:05. We were on the water for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Arrived at Friday Harbor. 

Decided that we would take the Hop On, Hop Off Trolley around the island to explore. 

First stop was the English Camp National Park. The history is interesting. 

When Great Britain and the United States in 1859 agreed to jointly occupy San Juan Island until their water boundary was settled, they decided their camps should be on opposite ends of the island.  The island is only 15 miles long so they weren’t too far apart. 

The crisis came on June 15, 1859, when Lyman Cutlar, an American, shot and killed a company pig rooting in his garden.  A joint military occupation was agreed upon. San Juan Island remained under joint military occupation for the next 12 years.  On November 25, 1872, the Royal Marines withdrew from English Camp. By July 1874, the last of the U.S. troops had left American Camp. Peace had finally come to the 49th parallel, and San Juan Island would be long remembered for the "war" in which the only casualty was a pig.

The lighthouse stop - 






The Lavender Farm Stop - 

Then back to Friday Harbor for Smoked Salmon chowder. Very yummy. 

Banjo is tuckered out. 

Lenny stayed awake just to make sure we were going the right way. 

And last picture before we land of Mount Ranier where we will go next. 

Back to the campground around 6 pm. Long day but you can see we had beautiful blue skies and smooth sailing. 

July 8 - Sedro Woolley River Park

We left Concrete and drove to Sedro-Woolley. We are staying at Riverfront Park for 2 nights. The county park is on the Skagit River where salmon run in the fall. 

It was a perfect camping spot for us to explore Whidbey Island (Puget Sound). 

Stopped at a winery overlooking Puget Sound. 

Shan and Carl sent these pics of Arlo. 

Tummy time. 

He’s really studying about tigers. 

Now he’s ready for a wedding party. Probably going to cut the rug pretty hard. 

Tomorrow we are going to explore the San Juan Islands via a ferry ride to Friday Harbor.