Backpacking in the Olympics-Marmot Pass

We took advantage of the longer weekend and set out to backpack Marmot Pass and Buckhorn Mountain in the Olympics.  Buckhorn is one of the tallest points in the Olympics and has some of the best mountain views in the area.

 Heading up the trail.  It was a very steep trail with 4,000 feet of elevation gain over 5 miles. Backpack statistics:  Alia 16 lbs, Avery 35 lbs, Brandee 42 lbs and Scott 45 lbs.  That was a lot of weight to drag up the mountain but it's always worth it once you get there.

 We came during wildflower season!  The whole mountainside was covered in wildflowers.

 We made it to Mystery camp after hiking for 3 hours and 45 minutes.  

 Playing games in the tent is always a favorite activity camping.  Avery made up a game using pick up sticks and cards.

 We set up base camp at Mystery camp and then day hiked to the top of Buckhorn Mountain.  We heard the views from there were amazing but the clouds rolled in as we made it to the top.  It was another half mile and over 1,000 feet of elevation to make it to the top from our camp.  

We will have to come back to see the actual view.


This is what the view should have looked like!

Father's Day at Crystal Mountain

 We decided to take advantage of the great weather and spend a few nights up at Crystal Mountain.  We stayed at Alta Vista resort.  We had a great time hanging out at the resorts pool, playing yard games and exploring the trail systems. The kids have always made fun of Scott's lack of eye brows so they have him a set of eye brows.  Now he can fit in with the rest of the Davis men.

 You can ride a gondola to the top of the mountain.  

The views at the top were amazing!  You could see Rainer, Baker, Adams and St. Helens at the top.

 Enjoying the views and the restaurant.

 We decided to do a small hike from the gondola.  

 We didn't make if far before snow made the trail hard to pass.

Spring Break Exploring Oregon

This year we decided to take a trip to Oregon during spring break.  Scott wanted to drive a dune  buggy on the dunes near the coast and I wanted to explore Bend so we spent time in both places and we weren't disappointed.

 On the way to Bend we stopped at a historical marker for Alia because she's been studying the Oregon Trail.  We found a part of the trail called Laurel Hill.  It was the most dangerous section of the whole trail where there was a 60% grade and wagons had to be lowered by rope.  

 It was really interesting standing on the trail imagining all of the immigrants going through that area.  Looking at the hillside, it was really intimidating thinking about those wagons taking the plunge.  

 Part of the trail still had snow on it.

 We took a day trip from Bend and visited the Painted Hills.  They are vibrant hills created from different deposits when the area was an ocean and had a tropical environment.  

 It was a clay filled hike around the mounds.

 In Bend Scott and I ran the Deschutes river trail.  It covers 12.5 miles from the top of the city to the bottom.  Here Alia is standing by a man-made standing wave where you can tube or surf.

 We made it to Florence.  The Airbnb we stayed at had a cute path of covered trees to the ocean.  

 Kites and a windy beach go hand and hand.

 It was a creepy trail at night especially since we had seen a bobcat earlier in the day.

 The dunes were huge and rolling.

 We even tried sand boarding.

 Maia loved running free on the beach.

 Dune buggy time!

 Pure joy in Scott's eyes!

We had a lot of fun driving around the dunes.  There were a few moments where my heart was in my throat but Scott was a great driver.  

We made a stop at the Sea Lion caves. We had to take an elevator that was 12 stories down to the bottom of the cave.  

Over 300 sea lions were in the cave that day.  It was a smelly and loud experience.

 

Always being silly

On our way to hike the Hobbit trail to the beach.  Hey Avery, lets take a picture (oh wait, he is practicing to be a teenager).  I had to wear an extra large men's raincoat I bought at Lowe's because I forgot mine. 

 Since it was rainy we had the beach to ourselves.  Alia had fun playing in the sand.

 She found a lot of bull kelp to play with.

 Avery loved making long whips.

 They found a huge pile.

It was a bit rainier than we had hoped but it was a fun family trip exploring new areas. Bend was super fun and we want to go back and explore in the summer. Florence was a fun, laid back beach community nestled between some typical rugged Oregon coast.

All about Sloths

It all started with a sloth at a Rain Forrest Cafe in San Fransisco a few years ago.  Since that day, Alia has held on to love affair with sloths.  Fast forward to now and she was able to have a sloth encounter.   

 

 Alia made a dress from an old pair of her pants.  This was her first project on a sewing machine and it went well.  She even learned how to pull stitches out when she sewed the neck and arm holes shut.

Meet Clyde.  We were able to spend time with him and feed him.

 

Bonnie and Clyde

He's either smiling or trying to bite Avery.  I think he likes Avery's shirt.

 The place we went to was in Parkland, south of Tacoma.  It's called Debbie Doolittle's and it's a giant indoor petting zoo.  He had so much fun interacting with the animals there.

 

 

This is a kinkajou.  He was very sweet and loved to hide.

Meet Taco, a South American raccoon.  He was definitely my favorite animal there.  He was so fun, clever and playful.  He loved stealing things and playing with a bell with Avery.

 

This year she made a sloth for her Awana pinewood derby car.