Trip to the ONP June 21

Ah, today is the day we leave.  We almost didn't want to leave our cabin.  But, we all had a little to eat and then packed everything up.  We decided to run into Forks to check and see what other items I could purchase for my Eclipse Movie Party as prizes.  Tim got some fudge!  It was great!  We headed to the Hungry Bear Cafe...and had a breakfast that was quite filling and delish!  Eric had pancakes as big (well bigger) than his head, Liz and I had breakfast sandwiches...I had a cinnamon roll, Lynn and I had hot chocolate and Tim had an omelet...all yummy, all logger sized portions!

We managed to hit the ferry about 2:30pm and were back to Lynn's about 3:30pm.  We unloaded and then reloaded everything so Tim, Liz, Eric and I could head to our hotel (close to the airport) for the night.

After we dropped off the car, and got to the hotel...we met up to walk to dinner...we walked the wrong direction and a very nice Travelodge hotel driver picked us up and took us to the restaurant we wanted to go to.  The food was AWESOME!

We turned in knowing that we had a lot of travel ahead of us (Liz and Eric) and an early start.  What a great weekend!  Hope we can do it again soon!

Trip to the ONP June 20

It was a slow start Sunday...but we had a hearty breakfast...we either had bull's eye eggs, a breakfast sandwich or just eggs with toast and ham!  All very yummy.  We packed the cooler for a picnic later and decided to head to Ruby Beach first thing!  A quick stop at the Forks Thriftway to pick up some supplies and we were on our way!  The tide was low...and the sun was out (when we left the cabin it was raining).  So...we all went down to do some exploring.  We were fortunate to see lots of wildlife...take lots of great pics and see the ocean in the SUN and slightly blue skies!

We left to head to Hoh Rainforest...we stopped at the Hard Rain Cafe to eat our lunch at a picnic table...and then we headed on into the park to hike.  We did the Spruce Trail and the Hall of Mosses Trail...lots to see, still no rain in the forest.  I have hiked there three times now...and no actual rain!  Anyway it was brilliant with many shades of green!  Tons of pictures.  We walked to the river to see if we could see some elk...no luck.  But, as we left the park, one was grazing just to the right of the road.  We stopped at the Hard Rain Cafe for ice cream and then the Traders store just up the way for some outdoor clothing and so forth.  I ended up with a t-shirt, a map, and stories of the area...I found it fascinating!

We got back to the cabin and packed up the food for the evening.  We had hotdogs and Liz's cheesy potatoes on the menu for the evening.  We got to the beach just as it started to sprinkle...but it stopped about as soon as it started.  Lynn and Eric made the fire...and Tim and Liz headed off to see if they could find more river otters!  I laid out the apples, cheese and crackers for snacking while the food cooked.  Dinner was YUMMY...of course there was much silliness by the fire.  The other thing we noticed was that someone had set a fire too close to the bigger logs and caused quite the fire...it looked like it had gotten out of control!  EEK, I think it could have been much worse.

We returned to the cabin, tired and ready to bed but not quite willing to call it an evening...we sat and talked awhile.  It was a great day with friends!

Trip to the ONP June 19

We got up bright and early Saturday morning...wanting to get started.  Tim and I walked for coffee at the Lighthouse while everyone else got ready.  We all ate a little something, packed everything, Tim and Eric packed the car and we headed to Edmonds to catch the ferry.  The day was overcast, not too warm, not too cool and not raining at all.  We had a snack on the ferry and then headed off.  We wanted to eat at Fat Smitty's but it was 10am and it wasn't open...and we weren't really hungry.  Last trip we had decided to go there and it was closed as well.  We were a little disappointed, but decided a picnic on Hurricane Ridge may be more fun.  So...we headed up the mountain.  LOVELY VIEWS!  As we were going up we were jamming to some old school rap...and a deer ran out.  Liz was quick to brake...but everyone was a little more aware of what was on the road.  We saw a lot of bikers making their way to the top.  Just as we got to the top there were three bikers that had made it...they were triumphant!  We parked and unpacked the car to eat.  Took pictures of the mountain, the snow still up there.  The weather was getting cloudy, but we could still see the mountains.  We headed to the picnic tables.  There were plenty of deer and ravens around.  As we began to eat our meal, a raven snuck up to an adjacent table and while no one was looking (someone left a package of turkey on the wall next to the table) the raven snatched the turkey and flew off with its treasure.  The family was horrified.  But, it wasn't with the rest of the food.  The raven took the opportunity when it had the chance.  We walked around the area a little, looking over the other side.  Tim and I marveled that the trail we took in Sept 2006 was mostly covered with snow.  Then the clouds rolled in and we couldn't see much, we decided to head down!

Just as we got down the mountain another car decided to take us out...it was a near miss, Liz managed to stop us in time.  We were all a little shaken by that near miss.

On to our next stop!  We decided to try and hike the Sol Duc Falls trail before checking into our cabin.  So we headed back through Port Angeles...and then out past Lake Crescent and on to Sol Duc.  Tim and I stayed there with Tim's parents in 2006...it was just as we remembered the area only a lot more water!  Tim stood close to where he had stood a few years ago and water plowed past.  We parked at the trailhead and hiked back to the falls.  They were magnificent!  It was a great walk too!  We headed back to the car and on to our cabin.

The cabin sat along the Sol Duc River further down...it was a cute place with sleeping for at least 7 people if needed.  We all got a separate room...and we unpacked the car and got things ready for our dinner at Rialto Beach.  We decided on salmon and asparagus wrapped in proscuito.  We brought drinks and marshmallows to roast as well.  After we were packed we headed out to the beach.  The beach was as beautiful as we remembered it.  Lynn and Eric started to make a fire, Liz went off to collect rocks, and Tim headed over to the river to see if he could catch any fish.  I sat down to watch the waves roll in and help with anything near the fire.  Before long we were smelling the incredible food and eating it!  Tim missed out on the main meal...but when he came back he announced that he had seen river otters playing in the river.  After we ate, Tim took me over to see them.  Instead of two there were five and I didn't have my binoculars or my camera!  We also started to see more banana slugs!

We hung out at the beach long past dark.  We giggled and talked and took pictures and then decided to call it a night...packed the stuff and headed back to the cabin.  Lynn and I decided to light the wood stove at the cabin and watch Better Off Dead...we didn't last but about 40 minutes before we were ready to call it a night.

Trip to the ONP June 18

So, Friday night Tim and I headed to the airport about 6pm so we could fly to Seattle to start our trip to the Olympic National Park.  We managed to have two backpacks and a duffle between us...that included several different layers of clothing, because the weather can vary from 70 to 40 depending on the day, the sun and if it is raining or not.  Which, it usually rains a lot!  We were so excited.  We stopped for a meal at Tres Fiestas in Airway Heights.  Awesome restaurant, food is good, but the service can be sketchy sometimes.  We got our meal late, which wasn't good for this particular trip...and had to scarf it down quickly and run out the door.  The manager gave us a $20 gc to use next visit!  We made it to the airport in time and made the flight okay.  We love flying Horizon...your choices of beverages are juice, water, and either beer or wine usually made locally (Pacific Northwest).  Liz, Eric and Lynn picked us up at the airport and we headed to Lynn's.  It was a slumber party as we all ended up sleeping in Lynn's room...but everyone got a space and we went to bed dreaming of the fun we were about to have.

My Last Day in Florida June 7

So, for my last day in FL I wanted to do so many things...see my brother, go out to eat...maybe hit Universal.  I would have definitely gone if I could have seen the Harry Potter rides...but it didn't open for another few weeks.  So, we all got up to have breakfast before everyone parted ways.  Jeff, Mike, Dave and Jarel were headed out of Orlando, Doug was flying home...so we met at Denny's for breakfast.  It really was so great to see everyone.

Dennis, Mike and I took Doug to the airport and then we headed to some outlet stores and a mall...then we decided to eat a late lunch at Planet Hollywood...YUMMY and walk around Downtown Disney a little more the West Side.  We then left to hit a grocery store and back to the resort to chill.  We were all exhausted.  I did laundry and rested...but felt wiped for the rest of the evening!  I had to leave BRIGHT and early the next morning...so I called it a day!

Fun trip, great times with friends and I would definitely return but maybe not in June!

Animal Kingdom and Epcot June 6

So, I had waffled back and forth about getting a park hopper option...but when I am at a park, I want to get the most out of my experience.  Sunday morning I decided that since I had never been to Animal Kingdom, I wanted to go.  Dennis assured me that I would be able to hit the best of the park and still have time for Epcot later in the day.  So, Dennis, Mike and I headed to Animal Kingdom.  Using the Fast Pass option, we were able to get a fast pass for 12:30pm for the Everest ride...and then go around the park doing the other rides.  We were able to hit Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, The Tree of Life, and Expedition Everest.  I was able to ride the Expedition Everest three times in about 20 minutes using the fast pass and the single rider line...it was INCREDIBLE!  I had never gotten my picture taken with characters and got to do that with Eeyore, Pooh and Tigger.  AWESOME!  And...we ate at the Rainforest Cafe right there.  The food was incredible as always.  We even went for the dessert!  It was about 2pm when we left Animal Kingdom and left for Epcot.  It was REALLY REALLY hot and muggy.  Even hotter than Saturday.  When we entered Epcot, we talked to the security guard who said it was 90something with a heat index of 105 and close to 100% humidity...not just our imaginations!

So, at Epcot we started to meet up with everyone else.  Dennis got us fast passes for a couple rides and then we started to ride things in Epcot.  I had been to Epcot once before and spent most of my time in the Countries...so this time I decided to ride the stuff at the front of the park.  I was able to ride the following;  Journey into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, Soarin, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Morocco, Japan, France, and Mexico including the Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros.  It was fun...I ended up eating a croissant with chocolate, a pretzel from Germany and some frozen lemonade.  It was all good!

That evening I was EXHAUSTED..but came back to our resort to spend the evening talking to Doug.  It was a great day!

Magic Kingdom June 5

We got up bright and early and headed to the Magic Kingdom.  We rode the boat over...everyone ended up at the front gate about the same time so we were able to get off on our adventure.  While in the Magic Kingdom we did the following... It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilHarmagic, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Space Mountain and we ate lunch at the diner in Tomorrowland about 2pm...then hit the Mad Tea Party, Hall of Presidents, Pirates of the Caribbean, Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Speedway, Country Bear Jamboree, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Monster's Inc Laugh Floor, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Canyon Railroad, and Tom Sawyer's Island.  Not necessarily in that order.  I was fortunate enough to ride Space Mountain twice as well as the Haunted Mansion.  I cannot rave enough about FAST PASSES...what an awesome concept.  We did not wait in line very long at all, and some of the rides we walked right on!  I did enjoy a pretzel and soft serve ice cream in the park...but we ate our lunch at 2pm and then ate dinner at 10:30pm at Taco Bell outside the park.  We did get to see the preview of the new parade...which was what I had seen back in the 80s or 90s...that was cool.  We stayed together for the first part of the day...but our group went separate ways so by the end of the night it was Mike, Dennis, and Doug with me.  We had a GREAT day.  It was REALLY REALLY hot!  But...we had fun!

Trip to Disney World June 4

I left Spokane at 5am Friday morning to a drizzle and 47 degrees to step off the plane in Orlando, FL at a balmy 86...it felt like someone took a large warm wet blanket and said here, you are going to need to wear this for a few days.  UGH, I don't miss the heat and humidity.  But...Dave and Jarel came to pick me up at the airport and we had dinner at a VERY good restaurant near their hotel.  I had lamb kabobs and hummus with pita, it was really quite tasty.  Then, we headed over to Downtown Disney to meet up with Dennis, Mike and Doug.  Turns out Dennis was picking up Jeff and Mike from the airport...so we walked around, enjoyed a Ghiradelhi sundae and talked until Dennis, Jeff and Mike joined us.  We ventured into the Lego store and checked out the new restaurant T REX...and then realized that it was nearly 11pm and with a long day on Saturday ahead, we should turn in.  Dave drove Mike and I to the resort/time share we would be staying in...and we tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour because we had plans to get up bright and early to hit the Magic Kingdom...