Beaches and Cheese....

Day 10:

Belle looks out the window at a bunny in the RV park in Cannon Beach.

Starting out in Cannon Beach, we drove to Tillamook.  The mileage sign said 40 miles, but it took us several hours to get there.  I guess you could nickname this morning as my personal ADD day.  First, we stopped at Arcadia Beach, then a store, then a winery, finally an overlook before finally making it to the cheese factory.

Rebekah and Jenny wore matching Twilight T-shirts to Arcadia Beach.

The cheese factory was interesting but a little disappointing.  It seemed like an overrated gift shop rather than an actual dairy.  And the parts of the factory that were on display were mainly concerned with cutting and packaging.  I would have liked to show the kids the actual cheese-making section of the factory, but it wasn't visible on the tour.

A beautiful bay is the habitat of migrating whales.

After the tour, Jenny wanted the crab cakes from the store across the street, so we drove over and she fed Jonathan while Rebekah and I walked in to order. They were out of bread bowls; they were out of crab cakes.  But the chowder was good.  The fish seemed a bit overcooked.  Nonetheless, it was our lunch today.  Next door to the crab shack was a coffee shop that advertised free wifi, so I went in to post my blog.  The coffee was a little dark for my taste, but I succeeded in posting my blog for yesterday.

Everyone having finished his lunch, we took off, turning at 3rd Street in Tillamook, which turned into Hwy 6 and took us through Portland.  Hwy 6 turned out to be a windy, twisty road that followed a nice river and went through a pretty, little canyon.  Rebekah was getting carsick, but she made it through.  By the time we got on the highway, the only one still awake (besides me, of course) was Ben.

We could see Mount Hood in the distance as we approached Portland, driving through downtown shortly before the traffic became unbearably busy and not stopping until after Salem.  When we finally did stop to get gas, the attendant came up to my car and pumped my gas for me.  It was a surprise to me, but he said that the law in Oregon says that an attendant must pump gas for vehicles receiving fuel.

Our next stop was in Cottage Grove, where we let the children play for a while at McDonald's while the sun set.  For the next couple of hours, we drove in the dark, stopping at a rest stop and turning off the highway in Grants Pass toward Crescent City, CA, staging us to see the Redwoods National Park tomorrow morning.

Wildlife to date:  2 moose, 21 bears, 3 deer, 6 rabbits, 1 squirrel.

Of beaches and vampires....

Day 9:

We started today a little west of Port Angeles in a charming little campground near Elwha Dam, which they began deconstructing a few weeks ago to rehabitat salmon spawning grounds on the Olympic Peninsula.  The project is supposed to take two or three years to complete. 

The kids playing at the playground at Elwha Dam RV Park

Backtracking a few miles back to Port Angeles, we picked up cappuccinos from Bella Rosa and drove up the hill to the National Park.  Jenny walked a mile with Daniel and Jonathan to the playground down the street while I took the three older kids into the park headquarters to become Junior Rangers.  The park ranger talked with the kids for a few minutes, gave them the Junior Ranger oath and presented their badges.  Then, we looked around the museum for a few minutes before joining Jenny and the boys who were by this time at the park.

The older kids earn their junior ranger badges from the Olympic National Park Headquarters in Port Angeles.

After adding Olympic National Park to their list of junior ranger badges, we stopped at Safeway, where Jenny went in to get a few supplies.  We listened to Adventures in Odyssey while we waited and the radio once she got back to the RV.  We may have also left the lights on, but the engine was not running.  When I turned the engine, it wouldn't turn over.  

The bells rang in the courthouse bell tower while we waited in the Safeway parking lot in Port Angeles.

Frustrated, I pulled out the jumper cables and found a man who was sitting in his Class-A, asking if he could help.  There wasn't enough room to pull his coach around to jump the car, but he said that his wife would be there soon in the car and she could jump us.  After waiting for ten minutes, I gave it another try and the engine hesitated but started.  I thanked the man for his time.

Finally leaving Port Angeles around 10am, we drove the 101 toward Forks, stopping at Lake Crescent to get a few pictures.  It was an amazing drive with spectacular views of mountains in the temperate rain forest.  Before reaching Forks, I saw the sign for LaPush, so I drove us toward Jacob's home.  Passing the treaty line, we knew we were safe from vampires but had no assurances about werewolves.  

Stopping for pictures at the picturesque First Beach in La Push

All silliness aside, we passed Beach 3 and Beach 2 without any change in the vegetation.  Nothing around us would have given us any suspicion that the world's largest body of water was only a mile from us.  But as we turned a corner and just before we reached the town of La Push, which is on a reservation, we saw waves crashing onto rocky islands jutting out of the water, the first view of the ocean since a rainy day in Whittier early last month.

On our way out of La Push, we decided to check out whether Beaches 2 and 3 were as amazing as Beach 1 in town.  Beach 2 didn't have enough free parking for our vehicle, but Jenny and I dismounted the RV at Beach 3 and, starting out on the trail that led to the beach, we passed four hikers.  They told us the beach was 1.4 miles.  We decided to walk up to the kiosk which told us exactly the same and that it was only .7 miles from Beach 2.

Four hitchhikers we drove several miles to a roadside restaurant on our way back to Forks, WA

Less than a mile down the road, we passed the same four hikers who were signaling their intention to hitch a ride.  Even though we never do anything in normal situations, Jenny and I both agreed that this was an ideal time to offer them a ride.  Their names were Drew, Travis, Mitch and Rachel.  They are cooks for a company that works inside the National Parks and one of them worked on top of Hurricane Ridge.  Our kids talked their ears off until we reached the first restaurant, which was at the boundary line, where we left them to grab a good meal.

Jenny and Rebekah stop for a picture at the sign for Forks.

Once in Forks, Jenny checked on the guided tours, but determined that they would take longer than we could feasibly afford to spend.  (Later, I saw that even the military rate for the guided tours was $35 for everyone seven and up, more than we could have possibly spent.)  

We walked into the Dazzled by Twilight store in downtown Forks and it was an amazing place.  They had all sorts of fun things for the kids to do.  Daniel was enthralled by the black-light room and Jacob's motorcycle.  The kids' enchantment of the store allowed Jenny and I the rare luxury of being able to actually look around without having to chase kids everywhere.  Having this luxury, we spent more time than we otherwise would have thought possible.  We pressed some pennies and bought a couple shirts and some postcards and bumper-stickers.

At the Twilight store in Forks, Daniel got his picture on Jacob's motorcycle.

Asking for a good place to eat, we stopped at a great pizza joint where Jenny wrote a few postcards, mailing them before we drove out of town.  Heading back into the National Park (as it covers some seashore as well as the mountains of the inland part of the peninsula) we stopped at a turnout that had easy access to the beach.  It was low tide, so there was a huge area for the kids to run around in the sand, completely deserted.

We stopped for a sunset stroll on the beach before jumping back in the RV and making a break for Oregon.

Heading back into the RV, we dusted the sand off everyone with diaper wipes and kept driving, stopping in Hoquiam for gas and Aberdeen for directions.  Driving on in the dark, we continued on across the Columbia River into Oregon, through the town of Astoria and past a couple of seaside towns (including one town called Seaside), finally settling at a small RV park in Cannon Beach, about 30 miles outside of Tillamook.

Wildlife count to date:  2 moose, 21 bears, 2 rabbits and 3 deer.

The Day We Didn't Get Very Far....

Day 8:

As the title implies, we did not get as far on this day as we'd planned; in fact, we didn't even get a fraction done.  Spending the night last night in Poulsbo, across the Sound from Seattle, we started getting ready to leave a little late when Jenny told me that she needed to see a doctor.  She laid down and the back while I finished readying the motor home.

Ben & Daniel playing ball in Poulsbo.  We started out a little late today, a contributing factor in our lack of progress throughout the day.

Before we left, I pulled out a brochure I'd picked up yesterday on the ferry, a map of Poulsbo, the town where we stayed the night.  At the bottom of the pamphlet, it listed the number for the Chamber of Commerce.  I promptly called and they directed me to an urgent care clinic on the north side of town.  Fortunately, Jenny was in and out of the clinic quickly.  I barely had time to pump gas while we waited.

The five Snethen kids get their pictures on a bear statue with the Olympic Mountains in the background in Poulsbo, waiting for Mom to finish her doctor's appointment.

Then we stopped at Rite-Aid to get the antibiotics she needs and decided to do laundry at the same time.  While we were there, we got some advice on the rest of our day.

 

Driving North on 101, we passed some great views of the ocean and decided to stop at the Visitor's Center in Sequim, a mistake.  I asked them the fastest way to make my kids Junior Rangers and Jenny wanted to take the Twilight tour in Forks and Port Angeles.   They directed us to all the local attractions in Sequim and knew nothing about the National Park and only handed me a Twilight pamphlet with a laugh.

We drove through Sequim, a charming town that was completely not on our agenda.  Driving past the shoreline, we were able to see the mountains of British Columbia's Vancouver Island and even, in the distance, the lovely town of Victoria, BC.

Jenny & Rebekah become Twilight pilgrims, beginning in Port Angeles' Bella Rosa Coffee House.

 Continuing on, we drove into Port Angeles.  Jenny recognized a local theater, so we had to stop.  We found a local coffee shop named Bella Rosa where we all got coffee and I was able to post yesterday's blog.  We walked around downtown Port Angeles and found the bookstore that Bella went to in the movie.

Jenny & Daniel stop to read a book in Port Books, where Bella buys her books in Port Angeles.

We drove around to the National Park Headquarters, but it closed at 4pm and it was already almost 5pm.  Bummer!!  It wasn't just because I was so dead set on making my kids junior rangers but also because we just felt like we were frustrated at the end of a relatively unproductive day.  We'll have to make up some ground tomorrow when we visit Forks and hopefully make it to Tillamook before the cheese factory closes.

Into the States, across the Sound, meeting new friends....

Day 7:

So, David fell asleep early tonight, so I get to write the blog for today.

It feels like we've been on this wonderful family vacation for much longer than a week.

 Actually the movers took all our things away about 17 days ago, so technically we've been "moved out" of our home for over two weeks. 

 Every day in the RV we get more and more organized. The first few days when the movers were packing everything it was a constant frenzy of "saving" things we needed for the trip or for cleaning up the old house. The result was, having way more things jammed into the RV than we actually need. But each night we get a little more organized and a little less junk. 

 

Rebekah has been super helpful in the organizing department. I didn't know she was so detail oriented.

So, this morning we woke up in the beautiful Fraser Canyon in British Columbia. I know David mentioned how amazing it is, but seriously, I never even knew it was here. As Americans, we are kind of proud of our own country so much so that we neglect the education of our youth of the majesty of ALL of God's creation, even in other countries. 

Today we drove this behemoth out of Canada (sad) and into our home country, the United States of America! Washington is ... rainy. But they have the things we are used to, Burger King, Albertsons, familiar street signs, post boxes that are blue instead of red, and gas by the gallon. 

It was another rainy day in Seattle when the Snethen Seven visited the Space Needle.

David took us into Seattle, downtown, in our gigantic motor home. On those tiny streets God provided a very big, very close, very safe, and very cheap parking spot right across the street from the Space Needle and a very neat place, the EMP Museum, in downtown Seattle.  I've never heard of it, but they had a totally awesome Battle Star Galactic exhibit, and a cool Avatar exhibit as well. The kids loved it. We arrived an hour before closing and made the most of it. The kids got to do this motion capture thing that demonstrated the technique they used to make the movie. If I can I'll post the link to the YouTube video they made. 

Kimberly, creating her own Avatar video at the Seattle EMP Museum.

After the museum we hit up a gift shop and got a Millennium Falcon bumper sticker for the van and May the Force Be With You sticker for the RV.  We then took the Bainbridge Island Ferry across the Sound to Poulsbo where we had dinner at the very cheap, very fulfilling gourmet restaurant, Burger King. The kids meals where only $1.99 each, and the value meals where under $5!!!! Alaska people know what I'm talking about! 

David & Daniel leaving Seattle, on board the Bainbridge Island Ferry.

 

I walked to Albertsons with Kimi and on the way we made a little friend, Sheldon. Sheldon, the snail . Kimi had never seen a snail. It's too cold in Fairbanks for them to live there. She was in love! But, alas, the road is no place for a snail, so we had to let him go, after we carried him all over the grocery store showing him off to everyone we could meet! 

Kimberly and her friend, Sheldon.

In the dark, again, we tried to find the RV park David had picked out for us. When we arrived it was dark, and full so we went to a different one down the street. It's level, and quiet, and has a little green grass lawn next to each spot. The mist and the dark made it not so good an idea for the kids to play outside, so instead we did some play dough time inside while Beka and I organized the RV and the camp host helped David get us all hooked up.

Tomorrow we are driving through Forks, Washington, the setting for the Twilight series!!!! I am super excited about this! To celebrate we watched the first Twilight movie with the kids,  the younger three were asleep in minutes, and so was David, which is why I get to write the blog tonight. But there is no internet here, so it will have to be posted tomorrow, maybe from the laundry mat, because we have so much dirty laundry it's coming out our ears!!! 

PS. Ben's favorite part of the movie was when they played baseball, but he says it was weird and that he just didn't get it. When do they make her a vampire? I told him, next month. Tehe!

Miss all of our dear friends up north terribly! Can't wait to see all our old friends down south soon! Love you all! Keep following our blog!

Jenny

A nice day, but not as far as we intended....

Day 6:
Today we woke up at the Bee Lazy RV Park, south of Prince George, BC.  We took the Cariboo Hwy south, leaving after the sun had risen but before the big kids were awake, intending to make it as far as the American border today.

Our first stop lay a little less than an hour down the road, at the city of Quesnel.  I was looking forward to teaching the kids about Mackenzie stopping there when he was the first European to navigate across the North American continent, decades before Lewis & Clark.  However, I was disappointed to find that the Visitor's Centre/museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays.  Boo hoo

Kimberly with her friend Ally in Quesnel, BC

While we were there, the kids all played at the playground in the park behind the Visitor's Centre, and Kimberly met a friend named Ally and we were able to meet and talk with her mother, Coral.  That was a nice visit and Jenny made breakfast on the stove in the motor-home, so we wound up staying in Quesnel for about two hours.

After leaving Quesnel, we stopped an hour later at a gift-shop and an hour later at a fruit stand.  In 100-Mile House, we stopped at a Chinese Restaurant.  By the time we left, it was after 3:30 and we realized that unless we drove into the night, we would not be crossing the border today.  I really wanted to give the kids a chance to play when we arrive, so we made the decision to stop short tonight.  We were hoping we could make it to Hope.

Today's quote of the day was when Kimberly, looking outside and stricken in awe of what she found, started screaming, "Oh, oh, oh!!  Wildlife!!  WILDLIFE!!  Bears, bears, BEARS!!"  at which I looked and saw a bunch of black cattle.  "Uh, Kimi.  Those are cows."  Kim, "Oh."

Kimberly and Ben on the playground at the Cariboo Wood Shop on the Cariboo Highway in British Columbia.

And then, the topography changed.  Unexpectedly, it changed from a hilly forest of mostly pines into a knobby jumble of naked hills, scarred by jutted rocks and crevices.  After Cache Creek, I took the road that said "Vancouver" and kept heading south on the Gold Rush Trail.  I had heard that the highway passed through Frasier Canyon, but I had no idea what it actually was.  I thought maybe it was about like the canyon leading into Denali Park in Alaska, but when we got there, we found much, much more.

To describe the Frasier Canyon to someone who has never been to British Columbia would be much like describing a train whistle to a deaf man.  I could spend pages describing it, but unless you experience it yourself, you will not possibly understand.  It is beautiful and it is treacherous.  It is a natural wonder, comparable to the Grand Canyon!!  The road winds into the canyon itself and after winding and twisting with the Frasier and Thompson rivers for about an hour(!!), we finally decided that since we're not going to the border anyway, we might as well stay in the canyon.  We were afraid we'd be disappointed if we made it as far as Hope.

The children love the RV Park in Frasier Canyon.

Beginning to look for places, we passed a few before I'd realized they were behind us.  Finally, we found a place that was open called Canyon Alpine RV Park.  It has this quaint German feel to it, and the manager met us outside, guiding us into our site and talking to us and our kids while they played ball.

Once it had gotten dark, we walked over to the restaurant that is just down the street.  I think there was one other customer in the store and I think she was friends with the owners.  It was a perfect experience.  Jenny and I both had excellent schnitzel, two different kinds, and the owners treated us like family.  It was an amazing experience, unforgettable!!

Daniel hugs Belle just before walking with the family to the German restaurant.

On our way back to the RV site, we noticed how clearly we could see the stars.  I showed Kimberly and Beka and Ben the Big Dipper and how it pointed to the North Star.  Living in Alaska for so long, we stopped looking at the stars because most of the time when they're out, it's so cold that we don't want to stand in one place.  It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Wildlife to date:  2 moose, 21 bears.