Day 5, July 8, 2009

Day 5 was mostly a travel day.  We had to get to Columbia Falls, Montana by evening, and had no stops scheduled.  Jacob to the first shift, and we had a very difficult time finding our way to a store to buy batteries for the camera and breakfast.  We finally did; however, and then had a very hard time finding our way onto the proper freeway.  So it was a late start.  Yakima isn't very visitor friendly as far as signs and roads go.

Just outside of Yakima we got a very disant but interesting view of Mount Rainier and Mount Adams, although they were both still partially shrouded in cloud despite the clear skies.  The road to Montana was rather fast, so while we saw a lot of pretty country it is hard to remember and we took few pictures.  We did see a lot of farming and ranching operations, and discovered that they irrigate EVERYTHING in eastern Washington.  In one field they had circle irrigation set up, and where the irrigation fell we saw distinct green grass while immediately after the irrigation stopped the ground was dry, rocky, and covered with yucca.

Mount Adams in the distance (can you see it)

Mount Rainier in the distance

We did see a very neat valley after dropping off a tall mesa, and we saw a couple of crop dusters and a UH-1 Iroquoi military chopper.  We stopped in Spokane for lunch and met more horrid traffic as Megan took over driving and fought construction back to the interstate. 

We quickly made it to Idaho and started seeing a lot of pine trees and changing elevation.  The Coeur d'Alene area was especially pretty as we drove along the lake, but it was very busy also.  And it took us little time to get into Montana since the panhandle of Idaho is fairly narrow.

We left I-90 at St Regis, Montanta to try to cut off some of the distance.  That part of the day became pretty long and we had to make an emergency stop at a little gas station in some small town that we don't remember.  The people there didn't seem very friendly.  But we made it on to Ravalli and headed north toward our destination.

The end of our day was amazing, though we were very tired.  Flathead Lake was large and pretty, and we could see very abrupt mountain ranges off to the east.  We pulled into Columbia Falls and met up with Mom, Dad, Nathan, and Kristin at the Super 8 (I think that was what it was).  It was a very nice hotel with a rustic look.  We then met Caleb, Amanda, Seth, Jared, and Ethan at the A&W next door and had a great time.  Later we visited in Mom and Dad's room and made plans for our stay in Glacier which would start the next morning!

Rain over Flathead Lake

Mason having fun as we near Columbia Falls, Montana

Dramatic Mountains east of Flathead Lake

More beautiful mountains in western Montana

Day 4, July 7, 2009

Megan took the first shift driving out of Portland (or whatever part of Greater Portland we ended up in) toward the Pacific coast.  Our goal was to see the ocean and find a lighthouse.  The drive was a long one, much longer than anticipated.  It was wet just like you'd imagine in coastal Oregon and the scenic highway we were on was slow going.  Jacob thought it was pretty but the kids got tired and Megan wasn't too happy about driving for so long.

We finally made it to Tillamook and drove up the coast.  Even that got long looking for a beach.  We finally found Hug Point and made a stop.  It was very beautiful, and this year we even found a picture of it in Backpacker Magazine as a good place to stop.

Hug Point from the parking lot

Hug Point

Mason and Brynn loved playing in the waves and we saw a lot of Sea Gulls and some other birds.  Far to the North it appeared we could see a lighthouse, but we weren't for sure.  We looked in some caves and climbed some rocks and then had to leave.

Mason runs from the incoming surf

Brynn also runs from the waves.

This shot is almost identical to the one in Backpacker Magazine.

Triumphant pose.

We continued the long trek up the coast from there.  After quite a bit of driving, we found a small town with a beach.  Traffic was horrid, and we made it to the beach only to see a complete lack of a lighthouse.  So we fought traffic back out and continued on.  Oh, and the traffic wasn't heavy, it was really light, but the street was narrow and there were cars parked all over it.

Our next pit stop was Astoria, Oregon (HEY YOU GUUUUUUYYYYYSSSS!).  It didn't look anything like what Jacob thought it would, and it was crazy.  So instead of doing any sight seeing we stopped at a small gas station so Megan could get post cards and we managed to find a way up onto the giant bridge over the Columbia River channel (we drove under it but the streets were insane trying to get up to it).  But we made it into Washington only slightly behind schedule.

Megan was still driving.  The highway was slow and there wasn't much to see.  Jacob saw a Belted Galloway but didn't have his camera out.  We did make it to Longview, Washington (not a moment too soon) and ate at a Dairy Queen.  Jacob took over driving and we headed up to Mount Saint Helens.

Columbia River

Bridge over Columbia River from Astoria, Oregon to Washington

Mount Saint Helens was absolutely awe inspiring.  Jacob was once again impressed by something he wasn't so sure about seeing.  The perspective is so vast that it plays tricks on your ability to see things in scale, and the devastation is still very, very obvious.  It was a great stop for its beauty and for a reminder of the power of God's creation.

Jacob, Mason, and Brynn at Mount Saint Helens

Leaving Mount Saint Helens, we travelled back out (you have to go back out the way you came in which eats up a lot of time, but still worth it) and made our way toward Mount Rainier.  Jacob really wanted to see it, but unfortunately it was very cloudy and the east park entrance was closed.  So Jacob drove up through the mountains in hopes of catching a glimpse of it.

THAT road was scary.  The clouds didn't break, and we eventually wound up in them.  Furthermore, there were a lot of places where rocks had fallen on the road and where it appeared more were ready to do so at a moment's notice.  We happened upon a parking lot with bathrooms, and were thankful.  But we did indeed make it out of the mountains and had a very scenic drive through the evening into the drier part of Washington toward Yakima.  It would be a nice area to visit again, but we didn't have time to really sight see after that.

The closest we got to Mount Rainier

A mild picture of our point of view driving around the Mount Rainier area.

Dinner was Taco Bell in Yakima.  It was great, and the manager was very gracious and gave Mason and Brynn little comic books and colors.  Finding the hotel was very difficult; however, due to the street layout and naming in Yakima.  Beware.  But we made it to bed and tried to get rested for a long drive the next day.