Blyth Park and Rail Trails - WA

Today is our last day in the "Seattle" area. We looked for an activity up north near Josiah which would allow us to take Yuuki.  During our searches we discovered the Washington Rail to Trail movement. Basically, railways which are not currently being used, are paved and turned into walking, jogging, biking, skating (sometimes equestrian) trails.  The trails go past historical sites and are usually in gorgeous areas. Here is a list of Washington's Rail Trails. We'll remember these for future trips.

The 27 mile Burke-Gilman Trail begins in Fremont/Lake Washington (Seattle) and goes all the way to Blyth Park in Bothell. There, it intersects with the western end of the  Sammamish Trail and continues on to Marymoor Park in Redmond.

We met Josiah at Blyth park at 1130 - give or take 30 min. Josiah added a bit of adventure to the day by locking his keys in his car. Turns out apartment managers in Lynwood don't open apartments to retrieve spare keys. This led to meeting the least talkative locksmith in Washington. ::snort::  We made use of the wait by eating our picnic and playing frisby.

Stacia was happy to discover Hayley and Miles, kids from a former RV park we stayed in, were at the park. They played together for a solid hour or so. The kids asked for her big brother and dragged him into their game as well.

The kids have gotten much better at Frisbee in the past month

While the guys played Bocce, I took Yuuki and explored the Burke-Gilman Trail. This was a beautiful walk wandering along the river.

Renovated trail tunnel

Amazingly large house on river with LOTS of boats moored in front

 

Eventually, games were over and we decided to walk up the Sammamish River Trail a ways.  This was as beautiful as the previous trail.  You'll note we didn't do a great job getting a family picture today.....but I'm including them anyway.

Family Photo #1

 



The trail led to another park and the Bothell Historical Museum. This looks like a great spot to explore on a future trip. They were closed today. We stopped at the memorial to vets and peeked inside buildings.

Family Photo #2

We'll need to come back and explore the story of these three gentlemen.

Our next stop was ICE CREAM - because it WAS Sunday - and some traditions cannot give way to life-changing moves into trailers.

It was great to see Josiah. I'm glad we made the trip to see him. The Lynnwood Chick fil A is beautiful, he's enjoying the new challenge at work and his new position.

We're proud of him. We love the  man he's become.

Point Defiance with COUSINS

I have three cousins who live in the Seattle area - Lois, LaDonna and Launny.

LaDonna suggested Point Defiance and Dinner for our meet-up. It was absolutely perfect - and is a spot we'll need to explore a few more times to fully experience all it has to offer. We have discovered we like combining visiting with seeing sights in an area - at least ones that lend themselves to natural discussions (like falls, hatcheries, hikes, parks, obscure art museums, bird hikes or Simpson murals).  All of my cousins seem to be photo-adverse. Michael snapped some anyway - which I will look at and smile...but I won't post online as I know they wouldn't like it. (I really like one of LaDonna and I face to face in the exact same pose - genetics are wonderful).

Point Defiance Park began as a military reservation after the Wilkes Expedition visited Puget Sound in the 1840s to map the bays and estuaries. Wilkes is thought to have noted that with a fort positioned at the point, and at Gig Harbor across the narrows, one could "Defy" the world. In 1888, President Grover Cleveland authorized its use as a public park.

Point Defiance has a zoo, aquarium, beach, boathouse, ferry dock, wildlife (fox, eagles, sea lions, raccoons, wolves) trails, old growth forest, Fort Nisquilly and GARDENS. There are rose, dahlia, rhodendrum and Japanese gardens.

Fort Nisqually is a replica of a Hudson's Bay Company's fort from the 19th century when the company had trading forts stretching from Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River, to Fort Yukon on the Yukon River in what was to become the state of Alaska. We were unable to get inside the fort as they were preparing for a Candlelight event.

 

We walked out past the boathouse and watched the ferry for a bit....and walked on a terribly unstable dock. I found myself motion sick by the time we left the dock. Michael welcomed us to his world. That stopped me in my tracks.

"Do you really feel this much motion and instability?"

"On a bad day."

Hmmmm.....maybe we can overlook his distraction.

 

We walked down Owens Beach and visited as we walked. Stacia was excited to find SEAGLASS.....she found a bright blue piece and Alex found a brown piece.

This was a pretty walk. The whole day was lovely. On our five mile drive (which we stretched to about 7 with a detour) We saw EAGLES, old growth forests, raccoons, narrow bridges and lots of beautiful scenery.

These guys were begging - obviously people ignore
 the signs about feeding the wildlife

Not even worried about cars

As I said, we'll certainly visit Point Defiance again. All we did today was FREE. We need to explore the many gardens (also free), visit the Fort and the Zoo/Aquarium.

We ended the night sharing dinner together. Despite suggestions for Yeti Yogurt, we settled on El Torros. The meal was wonderful and our waiter was great.  I'll remember my "crispy burrito with nothing on it" for a long time. ::grin:: Launny, my cousin, made the kids' evening by giving us a couple of new kites. He knows how to fly the custom-made kites.

All our walking this week seems to be aggravating Michael's hip, we're looking for a low-key, sedate, fun outing with Josiah tomorrow...we'll probably save the tours we didn't take for another trip.

#WYFF - Fishing @ Lake Pleasant

This week's #WYFF proves one can find, and enjoy, nature in the middle of a fancy RV Park.  Note how close they are to the back of a big ole Mother Home. LOL  While you can barely see feet in this photo - I assure you they each have wet, cold feet.

Stacia got up EARY this morning and sat down beside me on the couch. She didn't seem extremely motivated to have breakfast, go to the shower-house, or to start school. She wasn't complaining of a bad dream or feeling ill. I finally asked why she was up so early.  It seems Dad told them last night if they got up early, he'd take them fishing before we moved. Big time Daddy Points!

At 0 Dark Thirty, Michael, Alex and Stacia headed out to the Lake- in the drizzly mist.

Alex dropped his line and immediately caught a fish.

 

He then had a dry spell, while everyone else caught fish. Fishing at Lake Pleasant RV Park is catch and release. He eventually caught six more fish.

Nothing screams "back to nature" like a lake ringed by 40ft motorhomes ::snort::

 

In the end they caught 21 fish, enjoyed a beautiful morning, and made a zillion memories.

Yuuki and I checked in on them during our morning walk. We decided it was too cold and wet to stay and watch.  Three hours after leaving the Caboose, they returned with stories - fish stories.

Stacia retells her glory-filled exploits. She caught "almost 11," and she's sticking by the story and has no idea why we all think it's cute. Michael says she's a natural fisherman - her determination, she set and reeled them all in, her MATH, as well as her cute stories. Alex caught 7.  Both were happy!

The above photo also serves to illustrate an upcoming repair project. Our "WOOD" is buckling and peeling. We've been too busy to take a heat gun to it yet - but we're diligent to tear off the hanging, peeling sheets of "white wood."  We'll paint it one of these days....still pondering the color question.

Oh yes, we relocated from Bothell to Tacoma (Fort Lewis Travel Camp) today. We saw one of the first chaplains Michael worked with at the BX, went shopping for Baby D - this is boy week - though I may have found a couple of girl things too; never know if I'll be around stores next week -  and enjoyed an evening of movies in the Caboose.

#WYFF is sponsored by Fulltime Families. View more of our Friday exploits by clicking the #WYFF tab above.

 

 

It's GRAND - We're having a Grandbaby!

I'm going to be  Gemma, Granna, Grammie or whatever the little darlin wants to call me. Michael is going to be Grandpa. ::wink::  In fact, I have an electronic Grandbaby count down and it tells me that Baby D is due in 194 days.

For this child (we) prayed; and the LORD has given (us our) petition which (we) asked of him: Therefore also (we) have (given) him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be (given) to the LORD. And (they) worshipped the LORD there.

I Samuel 1:27, 28

Many of you know Izaak and BreAnne's journey towards parenthood. Many have been praying God would grant them their desire for a child. Months longer than we would have liked to wait - but in His perfect timing - HE HAS GRANTED THEM THEIR HEART'S DESIRE.  We are so excited to announce BreAnne is now 12 weeks pregnant and Baby D is slated to arrive in April 2016.

Those of you who have faithfully prayed for this day - thank you. You're the advance prayer team. Please continue to pray for this little life.

Here are some photos Bre has texted over the past weeks....enjoy the journey to date in photos.

Bre has the most creative ways to share news with Izaak!

1 August - and we're just a wee bit excited to hear that Bre is just pregnant!  Yes, with each Skype request we told ourselves not to expect a pregnancy announcement but this time there WAS ONE. Michael and I in the upper right corner.

We happened to be in Eugene for Bre's first OB appointment. It was a fantastic day when Bre saw a little heart beating.

It's been wonderful fun as Bre texts weekly photos of herself and Baby D. She has been charting growth and development on a chalkboard. We've used these as prayer prompts and the kids have been excited to know what is growing each week.  Here are a few of the weekly shots.
  

A Day in the Trailerhood

Today was a "down day," or as Stacia says, "A day in the trailerhood. Get it?"

We find about every 7 - 10 days we need a down day. We did have to move our spot for the  night....but we also did laundry, Michael ran errands (hair cut), relaxed, and completed a "mega school day."  (This allows us to have history/science/field trip days for 2 - 3 days a week).

In the relaxing category would be FISHING. Lake Pleasant is a Wildlife Sanctuary. Guests are allowed to fish for big mouth bass, but must release them. It's on private property so no license is needed. Stacia and Michael went fishing in the a.m. and caught TWO fish.  They all went fishing this evening and caught one more. Michael hooked it and Stacia brought it in.

 We finally made it to the Lynnwood Chick Fil A. I believe, and I AM being unbiased, this is the nicest Chick Fil A I've been in. I'd be curious to see if the other two in this region (Bellevue and Tacoma) are the same design. There were many things which I could tell were a nod to the local area.  They made me a VEGAN wrap - wrap minus the chicken and cheese, and added in roasted corn. It was YUMMY. Did you know you can BUY the CFA sauce - 8 oz for under $2? You can at Lynnwood. I hear from a birdie that Kale Super Salads will be out "soon." I seriously wish we lived closer to CFAs so I could EAT there. Before today, I took the kids to ate but didn't eat myself. LOL

 

Debra, the night manager, saw that Josiah was going to give us a back stage tour and asked if she could do it instead.  She did a good job. It was fun to see the behind the scenes story. I especially loved that they cut and make their own salads and fruit salads....that they filet and bread their own chicken....it's FRESH and real food.

 

 

 

It was fun to see Josiah settled in his new job at the new restaurant.

Hiouchi RV Resort

I committed to review the campgrounds we stay in - and I haven't reviewed Hiouchi yet.  IF you'd like to see more photos of Hiouchi and area, our latest stay was 13 Sept - 25 Sept. You can click through the blog archive.

Hiouchi RV Resort is located off Hwy 199 in a park-like setting.  It is about 9 miles from Crescent City, CA. We have come to learn the full-hook up RV spots are SPACIOUS by RV standards. The A, B and D loops all border nice fields.

The space behind our site on D Loop

The park has wifi (which we found was on a couple of hours a day), a fish-cleaning station, a water lily/duck pond complete with ducks, a clubhouse, propane, horseshoe pits,  newly remodeled laundry house, level pull-throughs, basketball court, a big concrete fire ring for campfires and a friendly staff. The restrooms and showers are spacious and clean - though you do have to use token for them. Our experimenting shows it to be .25 for 3.5 minutes. We have NEVER stayed here where Hiouchi was 100% full - but it could happen at the height of fishing (Smith River) or Summer (Right in the Redwoods).

In easy walking distance you can reach the Hiouchi Hamlet (gas station and small grocery store) and Hiouchi Cafe (historical cafe with an awesome breakfast). A bit further and you can visit the Redwood Park  Information Center and Jed Smith Park. We found a family bike ride to Jed Smith State Park to be delightful.

We stayed during the "peak season," but by paying the weekly rate it was $31 a night.  Hiouchi RV Resort offers 10% discounts for AAA, Good Sam's, AARP and Escapees (though there seems to be some extra hoops to get this discount?). We have been given a military discount of 10% in the past, though it isn't listed.  They do list a fee for extra people (kid tax) but we've never been charged this fee.

In all honesty, I wouldn't call this a "resort" over a park. I'm still not quite sure what distinguishes the two but this doesn't seem fancier than the parks we've stayed in. I think a hot tub or pool makes it a resort. ::snort::  WE LOVE THIS PARK/RESORT. Michael's mother lives across the river. The area is full of hikes, bike-rides, Redwoods, Smith River fun, AND the Pacific Ocean with all the fun it provides is only 9 miles away.

 

 

RATES:

Charge per person limited to 2 additional charges.

DAILY  

 30 amp camp site $37.00 (Non-Peak) and $43.00 (Peak)

 30/50 amp camp site $39.00 (Non-Peak) and $46.00 (Peak)

*Charge after first two people at $3 per person 

*Charge per extra vehicle/boat/cargo trailer at $2

 

WEEKLY

 30 amp camp site $205.00 (Non-Peak) and $220.00  (Peak)

 30/50 amp camp site $215.00 (Non-Peak) and $240.00  (Peak)

*Charge after first two people at $8 per person

*Charge per extra vehicle/boat/cargo trailer at $5

MONTHLY 

 30 amp camp site $340.00 + electric (Non-Peak) and $390.00 + electric (Peak)

 30/50 amp camp site $340.00 + electric (Non-Peak) and $390.00 + electric (Peak)

*Additional charge after first two people at $15.00 per person. 

**Charge per extra vehicle/boat/cargo trailer at $10 

OTHER RATES 

TENTS Daily at $22.00 

TENTS Daily W/ electric at $25.00 

STORAGE FEES at $55.00/month OR $2.00/day 

DUMP/WATER REFILL at $20.00