One wrong turn....400 miles later.

We took a little road trip to the Olympic National Forest on Saturday. We had intended to drive directly to the Quinault Rain Forest. I knew that our destination was along Hwy 101, but I didn't realize that Hwy 101 was a loop! I followed the signs to Hwy 101, and I didn't figure out that I was going the wrong way around the loop until Hoodsport. Well, why not just keep going, right?

The kids, Kate and Jack (Cole is in Maryland visiting his cousin), did really well on the trip, and seemed to enjoy themselves. They had their Nintendos and we tried to make stops along the way. Next time we will go the other direction around the loop and make it to the Rain Forest before dark!


Our route...



View of Lake Crescent. A beautiful sight. We will probably come back here to camp sometime.



A quick stop to take some photos.



Another shot of Lake Crescent.



Jack poses for a photo.



Like the song..."Smoke on the water".



We stopped at a public park in Forks, WA before dark to let the kids get out and play. We weren't impressed with Forks, but the kids had fun.



Jack gives me some attitude.



Kate says "Tah-Da"!



Doing some excavating on the playground.



Kate gives it a try too.



Forks, WA public transportation.



The highway follows the coast for a few miles. We got there just after sunset.

Kindergarten Graduation

Tonight was Jack's kindergarten graduation. I personally think going from kindergarten to first grade doesn't necessitate a graduation ceremony, but it was really more than that. They performed a couple of songs, and recited scripture verse for every letter of the alphabet (I wish I could do that). It was a wonderful program/graduation and we are sure proud of our first grader! Check out the photos...


Wow, 2020 will probably get here in a blink of an eye!



Singing with the mortarboards.




The school principal, Mrs. Blum, performed a patriotic rap song with the graduates. She is such a good sport.



"Ahhh..I finally made through my first year in school".



After the concert part of the evening, Jack walks down the aisle with one of his classmates. They make a handsome couple, don't they?



Jackson Andrew Lane....come on up!



One minute after getting his diploma, the attention span ends.



Jack with Alexi. She is in Jack's class, and her mother was Kate's 4th grade teacher.



Jack with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Noteboom.



Kate took a picture of us with Jack.

Mt. St. Helens

Today we traveled to Mt. St. Helens. Rob's folks live at the base of the road to Mt. St. Helens and we all took a drive up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory (all except Kate, who was with with her other Grandparents). The weather wasn't great, and the cloud cover was low but we figured it was a good day for a drive anyway. We all had a great time, got to see some scenery and wildlife, and took some good photos. Too bad we couldn't see mountain, but now we have an excuse to come back again soon!

Jack takes a look at the blast zone on the scale landscape model.

Cole makes a souvenir smashed penny for his collection he started in Disneyland.

Jack experiments with the seismic sensor placed in the floor.

Here is a shot of "Earthquake Jack" highlighted by the yellow arrow.

Cole reads checks out the monitors of live seismic sensors placed near the lava dome.


The boys wait to head into the Mt. St. Helens movie presentation.

Getting the front row at the movie.

Jack is astonished at what the mountain looked like when Dad was his age.

The boys at the entrance to the observatory. Note the snow pack on the right.

Papa, Jack, Cole and Nana out at the front entrance.

A great family shot but we are missing Kate!


Leaving the observatory. Notice the wonderful view we had in the background!

This was the view we were hoping for!!

Now let me get directions out of here. I just got to slip on my snowshoes.

Tucker says "I'm cold, and I just want back in the warm car".

Jack uses his new binoculars to check out the Hoffstadt Creek Bridge.

Coming off the trail head.

New walking trail/bridge on Silver Lake near one of the Mt. St. Helens visitor centers.

Testing out the macro lens again.