Newhalem Camping and North Cascades

We just got back from a very fun family camping trip up to North Cascades National Park. Our kids love camping, but they seemed exceptionally excited for this trip - I guess because we don't normally go anywhere during this coronavirus quarantine.

We planned this trip only about a week in advance, so we ended up getting the only site that was available in our time frame. But we loved it! We stayed at Newhalem Creek Campground, at site #129 off of Loop A. It was a walk-in site, but we loved it because we got away from the cars and most of the people. We felt pretty isolated, which was nice. J and I both said that we might want to keep staying at walk-in sites in the future, for that reason. When we go back, we think we'd also like to try site #121 off of Loop A too, because that one is right next to the Skagit River (and #124 seemed like a decent option by the river too). I think we might like this campsite better than the Colonial Creek campgrounds, because there aren't as many people.

There was a bird that must live in the trees near our campsite, because it kept singing for most of the mornings and evenings that we were there. We never could see it, but its song was very long and distinctive with a lot of trills, staccato notes, and ascending/descending scales. We kept trying to figure out what it was without success, and I finally downloaded an app on my phone to help with identification. It is a Pacific Wren, and its call is so pretty! You can listen to it here.

Violet found a cedar throne. Lucy also commandeered the cedar pile and would use the rotting wood pile to hold her stick staffs upright

We got to go on several hikes, and some of them were right in our campground area. On our first day we went to the Rock Shelter trail to see an ancient native shelter. This trail is also within walking distance of the Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail, and the signs were informative and interesting (although some were outdated). We liked seeing the power station, too. Here are some of the things we learned:

• How to identify Oregon Grape, with its serrated leaves and waxy blue berries
• Hemlock trees have droopy tops, their needles are irregularly spaced, and the pine cones are on the ends of the branches
• Vine maples have smaller leaves and are more shrub-like than the big leaf maple trees. The vine maples provide a smaller tree canopy (maybe 20-30 feet high) over the big leaf maples that help to form a higher canopy for the forest
• The heartwood of a cedar tree can rot, but the tree can stay alive because the sapwood core around the heartwood is resistant to rot (due to the acid in the sap). The phloem is one of the other rings around the sapwood. This diagram is similar to the one that we saw on the trail.

The Trail of the Cedars goes along the Skagit River and is right by a bridge that leads into Newhalem

Trail of the Cedars Hike

We also noticed these white, almost translucent-looking plants growing around our campsite. I actually had just seen them the day before when I took the kids on a hike up the Whittaker trail in our Issaquah (see picture below). The kids and I commented about how the plants looked like "ghost flowers," and it turns out that the plants are known as "ghost plants" (also called "corpse plants" or "Indian pipe"). Now that we have spotted them, I wonder if we will see them everywhere in the PNW. I learned that these plants do not need sunlight to grow (weird!), which makes them even more creepy.

We also visited Diablo Lake during our short trip. We took the Diablo Lake Trail only about two miles up, to an overlook of the lake, and then headed back down. But the hike was worth it, and I loved how the terrain was varied across different types of forests and rocks. trail. We took the trail only up about two mil

Diablo Lake overlook from the highway after our hike

Diablo Lake overlook from the highway after our hike

J took several fantastic photos of our trip too, which have been uploaded here.

On our final morning we packed up our campsite and then visited Ladder Creek Falls before heading home. It was neat to walk around one more power station too, and the kids were interested in hearing the electricity buzz from the wires. There were signs mentioning that a light show was held at the falls, but I couldn't figure out if that was still happening (some things in the park were closed due to the coronavirus). It would be fun to return here when the light shows is on in the evening!

Swainson's Thrush Song

This is a summer of hiking, since it is pretty much one of the only activities that we can safely do right now. The kids and I have been going on at least one or two hikes each week, and they usually are willing to go because: 1) they get to leave the house and 2) they earn one minute of screen time for every minute of physical activity.

Earlier this week we hiked on the Shangri-la Trail in Cougar Mountain, and we kept hearing this really unusual ascending bird song. It sounded to me like the sound of a cassette tape was being fast-forwarded. Lucy thought that the bird "sounded like space." It took me quite a while to find the right call, but I finally did. For a good portion of our hike we were listening to the Swainson's Thrush sing:



We want to go back to this network of trails again, because there are a lot of different places to explore and we only visited a few trails in our three-mile loop. And I think we all would like to listen to this unusual bird sing again!

Latest Outdoor Adventures and Hikes

This first photo was taken on the same day as my last day of classes for the quarter. I took the kids to Sammamish State Park. As we walked around I kept mulling over how my last class session went over Zoom, and ways that I could have better taught the topic of Caravaggio's paintings of youths. This field of flowers helped me to focus better on the moment and on my two kids next to me. And I think it helped me to let go of the stress of online teaching from the past quarter, and begin to embrace the summer with my kids. Even though the last class didn't go as well as I had hoped (the students were understandably focused on the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests), I hope I'll have another chance to teach the Gender, Sexuality and Identity course at another time.

And so, my kids and I have slowly been transitioning into summer. They officially finished school last week, but we are still trying to have some kind of academic structure for them during the summer months. And luckily, they are interested in going on hikes and outdoor outings, since there isn't much else to do with museums, summer camps, and the Y closed. Here are some of the things we have been doing, with some things from last month too:

In the middle of May, J set up the tent for the kids to enjoy some backyard camping. That night Lucy only lasted about twenty minutes in her sleeping bag and asked to be taken inside to her own bed (so I slept in the house with her), but the boys slept outside all night.

Seahurst Park in May

Seahurst Park in May

We took a detour on our way to my brother C's wedding and drove past the Salt Flats. This is one of my favorite pictures of these two kids. The trip for the wedding was stressful and frustrating for me, in light of the ongoing pandemic and the need to social distance from my family, but I'm glad we could be at the wedding dinner for two hours to support C and S.

On our first day of true summer vacation, I took the kids to walk along the I-90 bridge into Seattle. We walked from Audrey Davis Park in Mercer Island to the Sam Smith Park in Seattle, and then back to our car. We went about five miles that day! The kids were mostly interested in the I-90 bike tunnel, which had some fun art. I think they felt like the bridge was too noisy with the nearby cars and busy with the bikes, but I think they liked the experience of walking along a bridge that is a familiar landmark.

I-90 Bike Tunnel

This outing to bike/scooter through the Snoqualmie Tunnel was a total bust, but it is worth including it since it took a lot of effort to get here with our bikes. We went here for Father's Day. Lucy got scared about 1/2 mile into the tunnel because it was dark, and plus the ground wasn't paved and completely flat to her liking. She got to a point where she wouldn't push her feet on the pedals, so I had to hold onto her bike handle with one hand and pull her and her bike along while I pedaled on my bike. Sam and J continued on for another mile, but Sam got bored in the tunnel and they didn't make it to the end. I don't think we'll go here again. I was pretty frustrated and I'm giving up on my dream of family bike rides.

These last pictures from today are evidence of a success story, though. I took the kids to hike to Talapus and Olallie Lakes. We hiked about seven miles round trip! Lucy was tired when we got to Talapus Lake and didn't want to continue on, but I got her to soldier on and even carried her for about a mile and a half. But for the most part, she did it on her own. This is a really nice hike because most of it is in the shade and he trail isn't very steep. The only real setback are the potholes in the road that leads to the trailhead; I wouldn't attempt this drive in a smaller car.

The kids pretended that the rocks were giants, like those from The Silver Chair or Frozen 2.

Talapus Lake - this lake is quite blue because it is exposed to the open sky. The lake is surrounded on a few sides by slopes with boulders

Olallie Lake in the background. This lake looks quite green due to all of the surrounding pine trees

Sam was really chatty on the way back when I asked him about The Alchemyst book by Michael Scott that he has been reading. E and T gave the book to him for his birthday. He told me about the plot in great detail. Lucy was listening carefully, and then she chimed in and explained that she and Sam are doing a pretend game that is a variant of the book's plot. In their game, she can create things out of silver and gold (due to her silver and gold "aura") and Sam is a scientist/alchemist who helps her. I'm glad that they have such fun together. It's cute to see them quoting "Bad Lip Reading" videos to each other and getting a kick out of similar types of humor.

An Active and Educational Summer

On weekdays this summer, my kids have had five responsibilities to do each day:
1) Do a household chore
2) Do pages in their "summer learning" Brain Quest workbooks
3) Practice the piano
4) Read for thirty minutes (or, for Lucy, read at least one book)
5) Do something active

I have liked this last requirement of doing something active, because it has prompted us to spend time outside, try new sports like tennis, and spend time at the gym. I also want my kids to establish a regular habit of exercise. Lucy also started swim lessons this summer and she made some great progress with getting comfortable and putting her face in the water. She still has a long way to go and we will continue lessons this fall, but I'm pleased with the progress she has made.

These are all of the hikes that my kids went on this summer:

• Mount Constitution and Cold Springs (Orcas Island)
• Cascade Lake Loop Trail in Moran State Park (Orcas Island)
• Moraine Lake in Banff (to viewpoint above the lake and along the shore)
• Lake Louise shoreline trail in Banff 
• Hoodoo Creek in Yoho National Park
• Wapta Falls in Yoho National Park
• Ramona Falls at Mount Hood National Forest (I wrote a post about this hike)
• Trillium Lake shoreline trail at Mount Hood National Forest (shown in photo)
• Myrtle Falls at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park
• Grove of the Patriarchs in Mount Rainier National Park
• Denny Creek and Franklin Falls (we plan do to these on Labor Day)

I'm also pleased with the things that the kids were able to learn and experience by working on their Brain Quest workbooks this summer. The workbooks also included "outside quest" experiences, which included things like science experiments, natural walks, and creating food for a family picnic:

I feel like this summer passed by quickly, like a dream, although as I have gone through photos I realize that we have done so much (not even counting our trip to the Weber in July). Sam also got to do a fencing camp, as well as a Lego/Chess camp. Lucy went to a Princess Camp at her dance studio.
We have had a lot of fun, and it's hard to say goodbye to the summer. Both of the kids are excited about the upcoming school year, though.

Ramona Falls in Mount Hood National Forest

At the beginning of this month, J went to Provo for his cousin Colin's wedding. I had the kids with me, so I got substitutes to cover my tours at the museum. Since we didn't have any obligation to be in town, we drove south to Portland to visit Mount Hood, the Enchanted Forest, and the Wa-Fol family. I also loved that we listened to Kenneth Branaugh narrate "The Magician's Nephew" while we drove (I highly recommend it - he does accents for all of the different characters and it really is delightful.)

It was a really lovely weekend trip, and I was especially glad that I took the kids to hike to Ramona Falls. We hiked about 8 miles together, according to the All Trails app that I used. The kids were awesome, and I felt really empowered that I could to a road trip and such a long hike while I was a single parent for the weekend. I do regret giving them so much candy as "power pellet" treats along the way, though - Lucy's stomach bothered her a little bit that evening.

I was most nervous about hiking this trail because you have to cross a river. The logs were positioned in such a way that we were able to cross alright, but I did have to pick up Lucy and help her out for the last couple of steps. I couldn't have done this hike with Violet and the kids, if J wasn't there. See how Lucy earned a lollipop after we crossed the river? She whined the first mile of the hike until this crossing, but she kept going. Then she was quiet for the next twenty minutes while she had the candy in her mouth!

There was hardly any elevation gain on this trail, which is why the kids were able to do it. They were proud of themselves.

This waterfall was so lovely! It reminded me more of a bridal veil than Bridal Veil Falls.

You can go in a loop on this trail, and I much preferred the trail that went along Ramona Creek. The cliffs alongside the trail were stunning: the textures and colors were clearly nuanced. Sam kept saying, "Dad would like to see these rocks!"

Ramona Creek

The part of the trail that goes along the Sandy River is really quite sandy: I regretted wearing Chacos because the amount of dust created extra friction and blistering than normal. I liked this hike so much because the environment is so different between the PNW forest along the creek and the sandy trail along the river, where the trees are more sparse. The upper parts of the trail were speckled with lots of rhododendron bushes, too, and I imagine that this hike is really stunning when the bushes are in bloom. We will have to go back in the spring! 

Memorial Day Weekend: Bowen Island and Britannia Mine Museum

After leaving Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, we headed to the ferry terminal and took a ferry to Bowen Island. We have been wanting to go there for some time, especially since the island has such as great name!

On the ferry

We stayed at a charming cottage that was beachfront property. Lucy loved the mirror doors of the hallway closet, and she kept going in and out of them. She pretended that the closet doors served as a portal to Oz, and she kept going to visit different Oz characters. J and I joked that she was confusing the Oz closet with the idea of a Narnian wardrobe.

Throwing rocks on our private beach

Digging in rocks on our private beach

We went on two short hikes during our stay on Bowen Island. The first was a quick 1.5 mile hike to Dorman Point, which had a lovely overlook of the water.

Our second hike was after lunch, and we walked from Killarney Lake to Bridal Veil Falls. I think this was about a little over a mile hike altogether.

The kids loved jumping on the trampoline at the beach house

On Memorial Day, we took the ferry back to the mainland and headed to the Britannia Mine Museum before driving home. Sam wanted to go to this museum because he thought he could make some associations with the game Minecraft, but I don't think he really was able to make any good connections, Regardless, I'm so glad that we went here and I think that we all really had a good time. It was a little bit more expensive than I had hoped, but it was definitely worth it. The exhibits were really interesting, and I liked learning about what this mining community was like in the early 20th century. It was also fun to go inside the actual mine and the mill. I learned quite a bit about mining too. One thing that stuck with me is that the song "Sixteen Tons" is actually referring to the amount of rock that muckers were supposed to shovel and load in a ten-hour shift.

Waiting for the train to take us into the mine

The mill was huge! This photo doesn't even do justice to the vast space contained in this structure.

And then, we headed home. Lucy conked out after all that fun and slept for a good portion of the drive back home. She tends to only nap in the car now, which is unfortunate since she really could still use a nap each day. She often will fall asleep if we drive anywhere in the late afternoon.