Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, Aug. 13 & 14

Mt. Rainier, a towering, ice-clad volcano rising 14,411 ft. is strikingly beautiful. Remember the moments that take your breath away? This is definitely one of them. The cap of glacial ice that conceals all but a few crags and ridges makes it doubly impressive. Although the mountain is currently dormant, it is not extinct. It belongs to the class of exploding volcanoes, much like recently awakened Mt St. Helens, and one day could erupt in a similar manner. There are 35 miles of glaciers and is the largest single-peak glacial system in the contiguous U.S. 26 glaciers extend down the mountainside. The forests that cover go up 5000 ft. and how beautiful they are.
We saw wildflowers and meadows and the contrast to the masses of ice was striking. We then drove to Mt. St. Helens and how impressive that is! Until May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens was one of Washington's snowcapped crown jewels. Spirit Lake was the primary recreation center. At 8:32 a.m. an explosion of incredible force blew the top 1,313 ft. and much of the bulging north face off Mt. Helens, shot a dense plume of smoke and ash 80,000 ft. into the air and released a mile-wide avalanche that raised Spirit Lake by more than 200ft. and laid over forests as if they had been combed. Mud and logs surged down the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers, temporarily clogging the Columbia River shipping lanes with silt. The pull of ash turned morning into midnight as it fell, halting traffic for a hundred miles and covering parts of 3 states with a fine gray powder. In spite of this cataclysmic event, the area has renewed and is as beautiful as it once was. Forests have come back and a new wildlife system has evolved. I wish I had been here before the avalanche to compare the renewed life. Subtle episodes suggest the the volcano might not yet be ready for another extended nap. Seeing these 2 beautiful mountains in one day was, indeed, a lesson we will never forget.

Seattle, Washington Aug.11 & 12

Hi friends and family, We left Deception Pass and arrived at Everett-Boeing around 10:00 a.m. What a place! George, being a pilot, was intensely interested in the new planes they are building. We took a tour of the plant and learned how they build and assemble them. Facinating! The building we toured is the largest structure in the world. 75 football fields would fit in it. Then we drove to our camp which is home for four days. We wanted to be close to the city. We took a little drive downtown just to get the lay of the land. The city is beautiful. In the morning we drove to Pikes Market Place. Wow! Teri, you were right! It is so much fun. I bought produce I never even heard of. If you don't about Pikes place, it is stall after stall of fresh fish, beautiful produce, more cut flowers than I every saw in my life, cheeses, baked goods, (of which we happily sampled), all kinds of handicrafts and lots of restaurants. It opened in 1907 as an experiment in bringing together local farmers and consumers. Then we walked to Chinatown and explored. We had lunch at the famous Ivar fish bar and it was delicious. We finished off the day by going up in the Space Needle. It takes you up, up, up to the top of the city. That was very exciting! What a wonderful day in the city! Tomorrow we are visiting Mt. Rainier. See you tomorrow!

San Juan Islands, Washington Aug 9 & 10

Yes, we are still at Deception Pass which is in the San Juan Islands. Deception Pass is in Whidbey which is the longest island in the continental U.S. Having been here 3 days, we have explored the area pretty thoroughly. We loved it! We went into a little waterfront town called Coupeville. A charming little village with beautiful storefronts and old buildings. It was raining and we were looking for a coffee place and George found a little lunch cafe whose owners were Mom, Dad and daughter. Dad baked all the pies and were they ever delicious. The first time I ever saw George eat pie in the middle of the afternoon. What is the world coming to? We got into a conversation with the owners and found out that they were from Akron, Ohio and went to Kent State University. And as if that's not enough, their last name is Kline. What a small world! Today we took the whale watching cruise and viewed all of the other islands. It was beautiful! We saw whales many times. They may have been the same ones but what a show they put on! We then went to a little hovel of a restaurant that the Klines referred us to. They said they had the best seafood in the area and were they ever right! We loved every minute we were here. A delightful time was had by all. Love you