Mystery Trip

On Thursday, we took some of the girls of Bethel 11 on a trip in the RV. Our first stop was Crater Lake.  

From there we headed south to the Oregon Vortex, a "House of Mystery". Odd angles create an illusion of objects seemingly rolling uphill, or making the apparent relative height of two people vary, depending on where each stands.

We then turned north to the Grants Pass Lodge, where Susan had arranged for the girls to stay the night. Bryan and I slept in the RV. 

Friday we drove home, and today the girls initiated Jenn into the Bethel. Afterwards they had a pool party.

More Scouting

The kids continue to be active in Scouting. Bryan spent last week at Camp Makualla on Crescent Lake south of Bend.

Meanwhile Jennifer was rewarded for being the top Girl Scout cookie seller in her Council with a lunch at the Pine Tavern downtown.

But they keep active other ways as well. This week they attended a sports day camp.

Washington National Parks Part 3

 

Wednesday we drove south to Clarkston, then turned east and drove into Idaho to visit the Nez Perce National Historical Park and learn a little about the Nez Perce tribe and life under the Indian Agency.

After the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges we headed back east to Lewiston, and spent the night at the Hells Gate State Park campground next to the Snake River.

 

From there we continued southwest to Bend, stopping at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site to earn one more badge. The kids learned about the Whitmans, their role in establishing the Oregon Trail, and how they were killed by an angry native tribe.

Washington National Parks Part 2

Sunday morning, we turned east and entered North Cascades National Park, where the kids completed Junior Ranger programs for the park as well as Ross Lake National Recreation Area. We then continued east to the town of Twisp, where we camped for the night.

Yesterday morning we continued east, stopping at the visitor center at the Grand Coulee Dam.

In the afternoon we visited Fort Spokane, part of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. We stopped for the night outside Spokane, and were able to see Independence Day fireworks from our campground.

Washington National Parks

On Thursday afternoon we left on another week-long RV trip, this time to several National Park sites in Washington. Our first stop was in Hermiston, where we visited with friends and camped nearby. Friday morning we drove north to Yakima, where we stopped at Costco for supplies. We then turned west and entered Mount Rainier National Park from the east.

We drove to Paradise, located on the south face of the mountain, and the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, where we looked at the exhibits and picked up Junior Ranger packages.

We then continued west to Longmire, where the kids learned about the history of the area and were awarded Jr. Ranger badges. On Saturday we turned north and drove to the Sea-Tac mall, where we met friends for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. In the afternoon we continued north to Burlington, where we camped for the night.