A few weeks ago, Ryleigh was watching an educational video on YouTube (they really do exist!), and learned about the Hoh Rainforest. When I told her that the Hoh was only a few hours away, she got pretty excited about seeing it. I started searching vacation options and couldn't believe it when I was able to get a cabin at Kalaloch, part of the Olympic National Park and just south of Hoh, just a few weeks out. So, away we went!
Our cabin was a studio--2 beds, a kitchen, a table, a couch, and a wood burning stove. There was no WiFi and no TV, but the kids didn't die. Neither did their parents. We took food to cook and a few cooking items to supplement what we knew to be in the kitchen kit. We arrived Friday evening, stayed up late to enjoy the fire, and had a leisurely morning.
Mid-morning Saturday we headed to the beach at Kalaloch. It was gray, but pleasant enough. It was fun to see all of the trees that wash down the rivers and land on the beaches. We were hoping to see some gray whales since May is migration season, but it was just too gray and the sea blended with the horizon too much, and there was just no way to distinguish if there were whales out there.
After a little lunch back at the cabin, we then headed south to the Quinault Rainforest. We drove a giant loop around the Quinault Lake--some of it is on private property with the roads managed by the State/County, some of it was on the Quinault Indian Reservation, and some of it is in Olympic National Park. We saw the world's largest spruce tree, some lovely waterfalls, and wonderful landscapes.
Sunday morning we packed up and headed to the Hoh Rainforest. The kids got their second stamp of the trip in their National Parks Passports. We wandered through an elk sculpture inspired by the Roosevelt Elk. And the kids and Jip went for a little walk.
On our way back home, we stopped in Port Angeles for lunch. I randomly picked a diner, thinking it was always a safe bet to have kid food. We figured we would pick up the food and eat in the car or find a park. But, not only did the diner have stuff my kids would eat, they also had a fairly newly constructed patio area with a table for four available. We enjoyed our first meal with a server since March 11, 2020. It was magical. We're still crossing our fingers for vaccines for under 12 before the end of the year so that we can all go inside a restaurant again.
Just a few more weeks of school. RJ starts Safety Patrol training on Monday so that he can serve in that capacity next year. The kids here actually direct traffic at the intersections, which is very different than the Safety Patrol we had in Virginia. But, he is super excited about it--even if it means standing in the rain. :) Ryleigh is just ready for school to end and is very much hoping for a closer to normal school year next year.
Speaking of school, the school was able to squeeze in school pictures and the gym managed to do pictures, too. Both the individual and team pictures were taken in front of a green screen. The team picture is a composite of individual pictures. For being a composite, I think they did a pretty darn good job.
Jip continues to be busy with being the CO. He is going to have some official travel for the first time in a very long time in June. Then, I think the floodgates will open and he will have a ton of official travel. Normal is within view--we just have to stay the course a little longer.
Well, that is about it for now. As always, more pics to come as we wrap up the school year. Until next time, cheers!
