Wallace Falls State Park and Motorcycles

Two weeks ago, we ventured East out on HWY 2 to see some wilderness and smell some fresh air. It was our first pure mountain outdoor experience and we shared it with about 385 other Washingtonians. Three hundred and eight five! Approximately. It was the first Saturday afternoon on the first spring weekend on the first pleasant weekend of the year. So, no surprise.

We departed for the falls after spending 15 minutes looking for parking (I love searching for parking) with Addy in the backpack and Kaylee by my side. Addy BARELY fits the backpack and pregnant woman do not have the same balance as Olympic gymnasts on the balance beam, so needless to say it was a good workout for me. The hike climbed steadily up river and we followed a winding single-track with endless ups, downs and bridges. All in all, we ascended over 1,000 ft over 2.7 miles and arrived safely at the top of the falls.

 We quickly scuttled down with Addy leading the way (during her only backpack respite). The descent went pretty quickly despite the fact that we had to negotiate the trail with hundreds of high school students also descending. Just as we were about to finish, Kaylee suggested that we engage in some light and leisurely trail running on a flat, wide trail that led back to the car. Pretty normal for a pregnant woman at 29 weeks and a guy carrying a 4 yr old, right? As we began, we passed an older couple and stirred up some fire within the gentleman. As we passed him, his demeanor quickly changed from calm to agitated, and he gave us a deathly scowl. He promptly shifted his gait into high gear and began SPRINTING down the trail while giving us a "catch me if you can" look. We continued at our leisurely 5 mph pace and watched as the humorous situation unfolded. After a quarter mile or so, he stopped to catch his breathe and then awoke again to our soft, slow footsteps. With a quick glance and a furious step, he resumed his torrid pace and never looked back as he neared the parking lot. Upon finishing, he quickly disappeared and the race was over. Within a few minutes, however, his companion approached and the gentleman resurfaced. She asked expectantly, "Did you win"? He responded, YES!, with a stern and forceful nod.

Random old gentleman 1, pregnant wife of mine 0.

And now the pics...

At the middle falls overlook

At the top

Addy took this picture and SPECIFICALLY requested that we have serious faces

Wallace Falls @ 265 ft tall

The girls and the map

Addy considers a future as a motorcycle racer with our friend Brandee

Life Update 4.12.12

Addy traveled back to Missoula with Nana and Papa so Kaylee and I spent the week doing whatever parents do when they don't have kids. These activities include, sleeping in, watching movies, going on walks, drinking champagne/lemonade, and wandering around new towns with absolutely no agenda whatever.

While Addy was gone, we spent Easter with some new friends at a new church (Mars Hill). Afterwards, we enjoyed a sunny day down at Lake Washington and cruised along the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail on foot/bike.

We also meet with our midwife at Swedish Hospital this week and really enjoyed the visit and the women at the clinic. The visit went extremely well and we felt very comfortable with all the women we met.

On Wednesday Addy, Jordyn, and the sun, arrived and we were so excited! The big race is less than 3 days away and we are loving our time with Jordyn. The girls spent the day (today) in Freemont shopping at consignment stores and Jordyn snapped some amazing pics of Kaylee and Addy.

Enjoy.

Easter Eggs with Nana and Papa

Soccer time...now that the sun came out.

Pregnancy Photo Shoot with Jordyn in Freemont

Kaylee and I rode bikes onto the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry and spent the day meandering around town.

Seattle Tourist Day II: Bainbridge Island!

Seattle tourist day part II. I went for a morning jaunt around Lake Washington, then came home and shuttled the family to City Church. Awesome message today.

We packed sandwiches, pretzels, cookies, etc and sped off to catch the 2pm ferry across the Puget Sound over to Bainbridge Island with our tour guide (cousin) Chris. We toured the island, spent time on a dock overlooking the inlet between the island and Bremerton and then spent a large chunk of time at the Fire Station. Chris, a local Fire Fighter and Paramedic graciously showed us around the station, turned on the sirens, and let us sit in the drivers seat while wearing the REAL hats and uniforms. Pretty neat. Needless to say, Addy was in paradise. She took home a cadette hat and badge and has spent the rest of the evening talking about her future as a Fire Boy and instructing us to dial 1511 or 611.

See video...use THIS youtube link...


These panoramic pics are pretty cool...click to enlarge.
















Waiting in line at the Seattle Terminal

Family tourist day

Today we got to "show off" seattle....starting in edmonds, then to the ferry terminal, then downtown to the seattle center and space needle, then to the monorail, back across to gas works park and lake union, then home. It wad 40 and raining the entire time. Nice.

We finished off the day with the Final Four and a pizza party.

On the monorail!






Gas works park...looking south at downtown seattle in the rain.

A quick Photo Recap 3.10-3.18

I successfully finished my third week of work and kaylee her second. Kaylee made a new friend this week (hooray) and we did some exploring near our house.

The Week in Pictures:

Carpooled down through portland to Molly Davies wedding in McMinnville last weekend:

The Grand Ballroom in McMinnville



Our group vacation home, shared with 5 friends (although we got the master suite). :)



Addy and her best car buddy, caitlin.









The McCabe Chapel...in wine oregon country.

Friday Night excursion to Richmond Beach!





Fremont Market shopping with brian and katie raynor



Quick trip to Bellingham for Chuckanut 50k, touring town, seeing friends. Top 10 finishers below including MT's Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe!


Drove down Chuckanut Drive on the way home...