Our Scenic Drive to McCall, Idaho

We got an early start and watched the sun come up as we got to Yakima.  Two cinder cone mountains overlook the town - I think this is Mt Hood, and I think it was Mt St Helens to the West.  It could be Mt Adams too.  

We crossed the Columbia River and entered Oregon to continue our journey on I-84 through Pendleton, and then into Idaho.  At Boise we hooked a left onto one of the most scenic roads in the United States, Idaho Highway 55.

The road follows the Payette River all the way from Boise to McCall, a distance of about 100 miles.  

We crossed the river several times, but the river was either on our left or right for nearly the whole trip.  You can see the railroad track on the right.  We passed a large station shortly outside Horseshoe Bend, where they take excursion rides up the river on the train.

At about 5,000 feet elevation, we entered farmland on the outskirts of McCall, Idaho.

The house we rented through VRBO.com was unassuming from the outside, and it seemed too small to "sleep 18" - which is why we always tell people "DO NOT STREET APPRAISE"

Inside, we found rustic charm and a fully equipped house with five large bedrooms and three nice bathrooms.

Four of the five bedrooms had either a king or queen size bed.  One was set up as a dorm for kids with several bunkbeds.  TV's throughout the house and even a foosball table downstairs in the den. 

A large deck with gas grill, and a hot tub, overlooks the firepit and horseshoe pit.  What a great place for a family gathering.

Lovely September in Washington

After the longest wait for summer that I can remember, suddenly, we have our first string of 10 days of 80+ temperatures in September, extending our swimming season and our motorcycle riding season.

After a fun day with Tyler and his family, Ron and I took the motorcycle for another shirtsleeve ride on Sunday.

First stop, Ixtapa, our favorite Mexican food chain.  This restaurant in Duvall offers dining on the outdoor patio.  Why would anyone sit inside on a day like this?

Beautiful flowers all along the highway in the Snoqualmie valley between Carnation and Fall City.

Its the perfect time to visit Remlinger Farms - fun for the whole family, good food, farm fresh veggies.

Back through Monroe, where many people were enjoying the beach at the city park on the Snohomish River.

August at the Lake

When the kids get cold or tired at the lake, there is always the hot tub.

Everyone had fun with the new float

Lots of sticklebacks for the little kids to catch

Sara and Jesse and I went exploring in the swamp and did a little fishing.  Jesse caught one breakfast size trout.

We worked on trimming the maze while the big kids were visiting.

Ron and I had time during the week to pick 5 gallons of blackberries and make 15 quarts of blackberry jam.

Motorcycle Ride to Sumas

Another beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest found us once again on the motorcycle.  This time we headed up to the Sumas border crossing into British Columbia. It is the perfect ride - through the Skagit and Whatcom County valleys with mountain and river views the entire way.  It is just about 100 miles - a perfect day trip.

We headed out Jordan Road to Arlington, following the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River.  

Highway 9 between Arlington and Sedro Wooley is dotted with lakes. We followed long, narrow Lake McMurray for a couple of miles, and then entered the forest for a few miles.

We had peek-a-boo views of Big Lake for many miles.

Mount Baker in the background, flourishing dairy farm fields in the foreground as we passed Big Lake and neared Clear Lake.

There was no place to stop in traffic as we went through Sedro Wooley, but the plaza when we entered the town was full of the most gorgeous flower display.

Mt Baker got closer and closer as we neared Acme, where we found the cleanest nicest biker bar we have ever been to.

Of course, it isn't just for bikers!  The food was excellent, and the view was wonderful.

Mountain Loop Highway - August 2011

We woke up on Sunday to a perfectly clear and sunny day, so the motorcycle came out of the garage and we set out as soon as I finished getting peaches into the dryer and laundry on the clothesline.

The highway is very scenic as it follows the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River from Granite Falls to Barlow Pass - a distance of about 30 miles.  On the other side, it follows the White Chuck River and then the Sauk River into Darrington, and then the North Fork of the Stilly into Arlington.

Most of the 100 mile loop follows a river through the forest.

The first hiking opportunity is about 3 miles East of Granite Falls, where a short trail takes you to the falls that gives the town its name.  One of the longest fish ladders in the country helps fish go past the falls to their breeding grounds upstream.

One of the most famous Mt Loop Highway trails is the easy one mile hike through the forest to the glaciers on Big Four Mountain.  Ice caves begin forming in June or July.  It is a popular hike and quite busy in the summer months. 

 The Verlot Ranger Station is located on the highway about 11 miles from Granite Falls.  Parking passes for the hiking trail heads are sold here.  They also have a nice selection of maps and books.

Green Gables Store is located near the Verlot Campground and Pillaguamish Nature Trails, a private camping club.

Reservations necessary for the campgrounds along Mt. Loop.  Lovely camp sites right on the river make Verlot a very popular campground.

For more rustic camping and fishing, just go further out on the highway.

After Barlow Pass, the road becomes gravel, with a few potholes, but not bad for a gravel road.  There are some steep places and some loose gravel, but we made it fine on a street bike.  A car would be easier.  Lots of hiking opportunities all along the highway.

Old Growth Douglas Fir

Lush farm land and pastures between Darrington and Arlington as Highway 530 brings you around the circle and back toward Granite Falls.

If you like barns, this is the highway that abounds in picturesque barns.

Native Plant Identification

We are fortunate to live on a fairly wild native plant rich 25 acres here in Washington State.  My parents taught us about the native trees and shrubs and wildflowers.  All my siblings are familiar at least with the common names for the plants that grow in our woods.   I am constantly amazed at how little the average child knows about the plants that are native to our area.  Most can't tell the difference between a fir and a cedar.


My sister, Mona, has been visiting and we have been brainstorming a class for plant identification.  We decided that strolling the trails through the woods, touching, feeling, seeing and smelling the various plants would be better than just a lecture.  So we dug out all our plant and tree books (we found six between us) and discovered just how much we had to learn!  


By cross-referencing the books and descriptions, we came up with a class that we thought might be appropriate for 10-15 year old kids.  When we had a family gathering this past weekend, we asked the grandkids if they would like to take a walk in the woods.  (This is one of their favorite things to do when they visit, so they all quickly jumped at the chance.)

Mona pointing out the way a fir tree branches droop.

Even the little ones enjoyed gathering cones and seeing the difference between a Douglas Fir and a Cedar and a Hemlock cone.

We found several varieties of edible berries on our hike.  Red huckleberries, salmon berries, and small blackberries. Mona did a fantastic job of pointing out the differences in needles and leaves and how plants grow in the wild.  We are thinking about offering the class to the local 3rd or 4th grade class when school is back in session.

Motorcycle Ride along Marine View Drive

We have been out on the motorcycle for the past two days, enjoying the beautiful sights around our neck of the woods.  We left early, so the morning clouds hadn't yet made way to the full sun of the afternoon.  Our first side trip was by Lake Cassidy.  The Centennial Trail goes right past the lake. If you are out riding a bicycle or walking the trail between Lake Stevens and Getchell, you will find a public access area.  We rode the bike to the other side of the lake where there is a parking area and a boat launch.

As you can see, it isn't a well-known or crowded lake.

We followed Marine View Drive from Marysville around through the Tulalip Indian Reservation and into Stanwood.  By the time we got to where we could see the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound, the sun was fully out and it was feeling really perfect for a ride.

Along the Pioneer Highway, we saw miles of corn fields.

and picturesque barns.

In Stanwood we stopped at one of our favorite places to dine on the balcony in the sunshine.