Day 1: July 30:
We spent the whole day packing up and left in the afternoon with the hopes of getting a camping spot before dark. We arrived in the Hoh Rain forest Campground Well after dark.
Day 2: July 31:
We woke up to the beautiful sights of the temperate rain forest.
Our Spot: Cheers!
Also-the Hoh River was across from our spot. It was not a huge or scary river. It was moving slowly, but it looked pretty deep in the middle. I (Kate) took the boys to go observe the river and Joshua accidentally dropped his kleen kanteen (a stainless sippy cup) on the ground, and it rolled off the 5 foot bank into the river. I sent the boys back to camp and ran down the river to see if I could get the kleen kanteen back. As I got to the first clearing, the darn thing was no where in sight. So I ran back up to where it fell in, with one last shred of hope. I scaled down the bank and carefully found some rocks to support me. The water was up to my thighs standing on large rocks, so one slip and I'd be in the river for sure. I saw that the Kanteen was caught swirling in an eddy several yards downstream and against the cliff bank. Using the branches above for support and the rocks below I made my way over the the expensive child cup and threw it up into the grass. Then I scrambled up the bank. It sounds kind of silly that I would take such a risk for an object...but Joshua and I were so relieved to have it back. It was his personal drinking water supply for the whole trip. Anywhoo...We enjoyed the lovely Visitors Center
We love this phone booth at the visitors center.
We took a relaxing stroll along one of the rain forest loops.
We saw so many hikers embarking on a grand adventure to the top of Mount Olympus. We hope to do this someday, but not this day! We had a ferry to catch in a few hours.
Next: On to FORKS and LaPush! (the setting of the Twilight series, for those who haven't read)
Like I said, we have been here before back in 2004 and we liked it. Presently, we were only passing through on our way to Port Angeles to catch the ferry. But it was so much more interesting to see this place after reading the Twilight series...and especially anticipating the release of Breaking Dawn in a few days. So Brent humored me and we took a few "Twilight" pictures.
Like I said, we have been here before back in 2004 and we liked it. Presently, we were only passing through on our way to Port Angeles to catch the ferry. But it was so much more interesting to see this place after reading the Twilight series...and especially anticipating the release of Breaking Dawn in a few days. So Brent humored me and we took a few "Twilight" pictures.
FORKS!
In Forks they have a "Twilight Points of Interest Map" at every business. We went to eat lunch at a Sully's restaurant where they sell the famed "Bella Burger." They were delicious, though I'm not quite sure what makes them a "Bella Burger" besides the fact that they come with THESE:
Good Vampire vs. Evil Vampire
Vampire family! Ha! I wish my teeth really were this white.
Sorry, didn't mean to scare the kiddies!Here we are at La Push, the Quileute Indian Reservation
It was raining, of course...so I am sorry about the rain on the camera lens.And here we are at First Beach
We found a little hut for shelter...we didn't see any of the wolf pack there.
The guys posing in front of "thumbs up rock"
Next: The Ferry Ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC (long day, huh?)
It was a cold, rainy hour at sea. Thankfully we had the full rain suits for the boys.
VICTORIA...the land of many totem poles.
We did some initial exploring before we drove up the island to our campground at French Beach. We found the world's tallest totem pole, among other things.
Day 3: August 1:
We started out by exploring French Beach. It was nice, but it had nothing on our favorite Oregon beaches, so we didn't stay for long.
It was a cold rainy morning, but the Canadian Campground host told us that the clouds would burn off by late morning. He was right. We headed for our next destination:
The Sooke Potholes are a line of clear inviting pools dotted along a river and waterfalls. Many people go swimming in them. I wanted to go swimming in them...but not with the little boys and NOT with how cold it still was. Yet, by the time we left the temperate warmed up enough that the pools were calling my name.
It was a cold, rainy hour at sea. Thankfully we had the full rain suits for the boys.
Thumbs up for coming into Victoria!
VICTORIA...the land of many totem poles.
We did some initial exploring before we drove up the island to our campground at French Beach. We found the world's tallest totem pole, among other things.
Day 3: August 1:
We started out by exploring French Beach. It was nice, but it had nothing on our favorite Oregon beaches, so we didn't stay for long.
It was a cold rainy morning, but the Canadian Campground host told us that the clouds would burn off by late morning. He was right. We headed for our next destination:
The Sooke Potholes:
The Sooke Potholes are a line of clear inviting pools dotted along a river and waterfalls. Many people go swimming in them. I wanted to go swimming in them...but not with the little boys and NOT with how cold it still was. Yet, by the time we left the temperate warmed up enough that the pools were calling my name.
What a cool tree!
Next we hit Victoria with full force.
O CANADA!
When we arrived in Canada, we noticed everywhere that people were speaking in French. Even here in British Colombia. All of the signs were in English and French. I guessed they must have two national languages. It was so cool. I haven't heard so many people speak French in a long time. I really felt like I was in a foreign country. As we started to walk around Victoria, the boys were seeing the Canadian flags everywhere and they were loudly humming the Nation Anthem of the United States. Although I felt proud that they knew it so well, it didn't seem very polite for us to be walking around singing the star spangled banner. So I tried to teach them the tune of the Canadian National Anthem: O Canada. But I only knew the first line: O Canada. So we set our resolve to ask someone to sing the National Anthem for us. Luckily we met two young adult girls who were more than happy to oblige. They did a spectacular job singing it in English and a to go beyond the call, they sang it for us in French too. They told us that most kids there learn French in school at a young age. Some even have French immersion in school. How neat would it be for all Americans to also learn another language so well at a young age?
We decided that we want a real "foreign" experience, a British experience, if possible. We went to the Royal London Wax Museum. It was amusing. We thought it was worth the money. There were several families chattering away in French. I was straining to understand everything they said, but they spoke so fast.
We saw (going in order from right to left, top to bottom):
U.S. Presidents, Henry the VIII's wives, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, the Kennedys, an old British ship, famous literary figures (Shakespeare and Dickins, among others), famous scientists (Einstein!), Babe Ruth, British Royal Regalia, FDR and Churchill, The Queen of England herself in wax, Princess Diana with son, Mother Theresa with (get this) Brigham Young, and Christopher Colombus. Very interesting. You can click on it to see it closer.
Then we went to get a closer look at the Parliament Building
And a closer look at Brent's nostrils. :-) Lovely nostrils.
Here we are posing in a BC Museum cutout thing. You will have to click on the image if you want to find us.
More totem poles, this time at Thunderbird Park.
The guys made their own totem pole.
We ate lunch at a French Patiserie/Boulongerie. Yum. This chicken was sitting on the sidewalk patio with us.
The Exquisite Empress Hotel
We walked all over the place, saw all the buildings and looked in many fun, expensive shops. We settled for mm, mm gelato before we headed back to the car.
Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies!
When we arrived in Canada, we noticed everywhere that people were speaking in French. Even here in British Colombia. All of the signs were in English and French. I guessed they must have two national languages. It was so cool. I haven't heard so many people speak French in a long time. I really felt like I was in a foreign country. As we started to walk around Victoria, the boys were seeing the Canadian flags everywhere and they were loudly humming the Nation Anthem of the United States. Although I felt proud that they knew it so well, it didn't seem very polite for us to be walking around singing the star spangled banner. So I tried to teach them the tune of the Canadian National Anthem: O Canada. But I only knew the first line: O Canada. So we set our resolve to ask someone to sing the National Anthem for us. Luckily we met two young adult girls who were more than happy to oblige. They did a spectacular job singing it in English and a to go beyond the call, they sang it for us in French too. They told us that most kids there learn French in school at a young age. Some even have French immersion in school. How neat would it be for all Americans to also learn another language so well at a young age?We took in some of the sights of the water front, the Parliament Building, more totem poles.
We decided that we want a real "foreign" experience, a British experience, if possible. We went to the Royal London Wax Museum. It was amusing. We thought it was worth the money. There were several families chattering away in French. I was straining to understand everything they said, but they spoke so fast.We saw (going in order from right to left, top to bottom):
U.S. Presidents, Henry the VIII's wives, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, the Kennedys, an old British ship, famous literary figures (Shakespeare and Dickins, among others), famous scientists (Einstein!), Babe Ruth, British Royal Regalia, FDR and Churchill, The Queen of England herself in wax, Princess Diana with son, Mother Theresa with (get this) Brigham Young, and Christopher Colombus. Very interesting. You can click on it to see it closer.
Then we went to get a closer look at the Parliament Building
And a closer look at Brent's nostrils. :-) Lovely nostrils.
Here we are posing in a BC Museum cutout thing. You will have to click on the image if you want to find us.
More totem poles, this time at Thunderbird Park.
The guys made their own totem pole.
We ate lunch at a French Patiserie/Boulongerie. Yum. This chicken was sitting on the sidewalk patio with us.
The Exquisite Empress Hotel
We walked all over the place, saw all the buildings and looked in many fun, expensive shops. We settled for mm, mm gelato before we headed back to the car.
Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies!
After we left downtown Victoria, we still had time to explore before we went to our hotel room (yes, bye bye camping...hello shower)
Out of curiosity we drove over the the campus of University of Victoria. We expected to see glorious buildings covered in ivy. We did NOT expect to see BUNNIES running wild all over the campus! It was quite the sight to behold. They were everywhere! The little boys were in heaven watching them. We stopped and asked a local about them. Apparently they've been there forever.
Out of curiosity we drove over the the campus of University of Victoria. We expected to see glorious buildings covered in ivy. We did NOT expect to see BUNNIES running wild all over the campus! It was quite the sight to behold. They were everywhere! The little boys were in heaven watching them. We stopped and asked a local about them. Apparently they've been there forever.
Day 4: Back to the States
It was Saturday. Brent had to be in Seattle early Monday morning for business. We decided that we had better leave Vancouver Island Saturday morning so we could attend church in Seattle without cutting it too close. We took a much longer ferry ride back, through the San Juan Islands, to Anecortes, Washington.
It was a nice and much warmer ferry ride through the alluring San Juans.
So instead of riding up the space needle we took a ride on the newly restored Seattle Monorail! That was such fun. It's a short train ride, but it rides on a track that is 2 stories above the street at least. It is so cool riding through the leaves and past the shop windows. I highly recommend the experience.
So after we had some dinner in the city, we decided that it would be much easier for the family and especially for Brent, if the boys and I stayed home during Bren't business in Seattle. So on a whim, we decided to drive 3 hours back home. Brent would come back up Sunday evening by himself. And on the way home, we stopped at a bookstore in Tacoma and I picked up a copy of Breaking Dawn to keep me from getting too lonely while he was gone. Ah, love.
It was Saturday. Brent had to be in Seattle early Monday morning for business. We decided that we had better leave Vancouver Island Saturday morning so we could attend church in Seattle without cutting it too close. We took a much longer ferry ride back, through the San Juan Islands, to Anecortes, Washington.
It was a nice and much warmer ferry ride through the alluring San Juans.
Next we made our way down to Seattle. We took the boys to the Pacific Science Center since we could get in for free with our Oregon Museum of Science and Industry membership. They always enjoy these museums very much. We had planned on riding to the top of the Space Needle...but it was ridiculously expensive. Thankfully Joshua chickened out when he saw how tall it was, which meant that we wouldn't have to sooth his disappointment.
So after we had some dinner in the city, we decided that it would be much easier for the family and especially for Brent, if the boys and I stayed home during Bren't business in Seattle. So on a whim, we decided to drive 3 hours back home. Brent would come back up Sunday evening by himself. And on the way home, we stopped at a bookstore in Tacoma and I picked up a copy of Breaking Dawn to keep me from getting too lonely while he was gone. Ah, love.
