Halloween 2021

Mt Pilchuck

The road to the trailhead was full of huge potholes.  It took 45 min to go 5 miles.

The trail was an easy hike with a gradual grade.  We hiked 5.5 miles in 6 hours.  It was a slow going trail because there were a lot of boulders to climb over.

The fall colors were beautiful

The final push to the top was scary.  We had to climb over these large boulders to get to the fire tower.  The dogs couldn't climb the last part so we carried them in our packs. 

The clouds rolled in when we made it to the top but it was a nice view because we were above the clouds.  We enjoyed eating lunch up there.

I carried her a little while on the way back and she enjoyed the ride.  At 11 I was afraid the hike would be hard for her but she did really well.

Luna also enjoyed the ride but was ready to get down sooner.

Fall Sports

Alia had her first cross country meet on Tuesday on Vashon.  She ran the 1.5 mile middle school course through the school woods and on our school campus.  She did well and said she loved it. 

On Saturday Avery had his first Regatta.  It was a scrimmage at home with a Seattle team.  We had amazing weather. 

The first race he did was in a two person boat named Frankenboat.  He said it was hard to steer as the boat was actually made up of two different boats. 

In his second race, he was on a four person team with a coxswain.  Both races were a 5k.  They did well for their first race and being novices on the team.  Avery really likes rowing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday we ran The Run of Hope in Island Center Forest on Vashon since it was a virtual race again this year.  Over 50 people came to run or walk the course.  Team Maarten raised over $56,000 this year!

Yearly Pictures- Vashon WA

Age 15 - Freshman

Age 12 -7th Grade

Feeling like the Ingalls family- WA to WI and back

 This summer we took another road trip home to Wisconsin but this time we pulled our RV.  We often felt like the Ingalls family in their covered wagon heading across the country.  I think we had much better accommodations though.  We spent the last year making it feel like home and we were more than happy to stay in it for a month.  The trip to Wisconsin was filled with daily adventures.  

On day 1 we were stuck on the interstate on Snoqualmie pass for several hours as crews tried to put out a fire along the interstate.

Traffic as far as we can see

We pulled over to eat a quick snack, power up the batteries and figure out a plan if the pass stayed closed. Our first day went from 5 hours to 12 hours.  We pulled into Spokane WA late and tired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Day 2 things were going well until the gas gauge malfunctioned and we ran out of gas on the interstate in Montana.  We tried to calculate once we realized and were stopping at the next station, 10 miles away but we didn't make it.  As cars zoomed by at 85 mph, we had to figure out what to do.  It happened to be over 100 degrees that day.  Thankfully we stalled near a frontage road and I was able to flag down a kind gentleman who went home to retrieve his gas can, fill it and make his way back to us.  Since he lived in the middle of nowhere it took about an hour.

 

 

On the third day of travel, we were hopeful things would go smoother but at breakfast Alia's yogurt slid off the table and exploded all over the RV. The picture doesn't show the portion that is all over the dogs backs, the floor and the cupboards.  The container is so small and I'm not sure how it held so much yogurt.

 

 

All of the delays meant we wouldn't make Duluth on time so we stayed in Walker MN on a lake.  It was a beautiful site and sunset.

We made it to Duluth and our first stop was the Lake Walk and a caramel apple.

We were able to meet up with old friends at Park Point for a picnic.  Thanks for the visit Jamie and Rachel!

Building a dam on the shores of Lake Superior.

After a fun weekend in Duluth, we headed to Washburn to see Grandpa and Grandma, Laura, Tony and Lilly.  

This is Abby, Grandma's rag doll kitty.  She is so sweet and we all fell in love with her.

Heading for a walk to the tennis court to play a few games.

Luna was very interested in what Maia was doing.

Hiking in Bayfield

 

 

 

Making sand castles

The kids spent lots of time fishing with Grandpa and catching perch. They caught enough to have a perch fry for a snack.

Boating on Lake Superior is a favorite.  The kids always love tubing.  

Cliff jumping at Houghton Point

We went out to dinner for our 20 year anniversary to the Good Thyme restaurant.  The owner was the same person that catered our wedding in Washburn 20 years earlier. 

 

 

 

August 4th, 2001, Washburn WI

August 4th 2021, Washburn WI

Drinking from the artesian well in Washburn and filling our bottles for the next stage of our trip.

Next stop, Noah's ark.  Since it was raining and cooler, the lines were short.  We were able to ride many rides more than once.

Bama, Papa, Gaven, and Cassie joined us in the Dells for the weekend.

It was great to see Gaven after so many years.

It rained all day, so we went to an arcade and walked around the Dells.

We went to a haunted house.

Ceiling fan games

The gang

Luna had fun playing with my Dad's dog, Gizmo.

We tried the Paqui chip challenge.....it was way too hot.

Ginger came on the trip with us.  She did great and had her own adventures as she escaped twice, once in the car and once in my Mom's basement.

We spent all day looking for her and finally found her in the wall in some insulation.

Avery brought his ant colony along on the trip too so he could feed them.  On the long car ride we listened to Harry Potter and Avery felted an ant.

Sweet Zoe posing with her parents.

We were able to meet up with Janna and The Wang family in Platteville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We played Werewolf at the park and then headed to Sarah's parent's house for a bonfire and the Perseid meteor shower.

 

 

Wunderlin Family reunion.  Linda, Larry, Susan, Judy, Dad and Cheryl

Cousins!  We are missing 9.  In order of birth from Right to Left....Stacie, Sarah, Jake, Sherie, Me, Heidi, Lisa, Shaun, Corissa and Patrick.

Our kids

Bingo, always a favorite.

On the way home we stopped in Custer SD to hike Jewel Cave.

Jewel cave is the 3rd longest cave system in the world with 200 miles of passageways. 

We hid a travel bug on the way home in Butte MT.

Making pizza using our pizza oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My cuddle bug.  

 

 

Until next time!  Can't wait to hit the road again.