Bad Blogger: September ReCap

I have been horrible at blogging lately which is weird since we have been very busy doing fun stuff. I do want to do a quick overview of our September this far. So, going back to Labor Day weekend, Terry and I headed out to Lake Wenatchee State Park. We were a little disappointed about the proximity of the lake to the camping sites. We did find one site we would like in the future as it was very close to the lake, however, the loop we were in was far from the lake and day use area. We stayed Friday night there and fell asleep and woke up to rain. So, after one night, we decided to head down to Taneum and spend the rest of the long weekend with the Tamers. We snagged some seats on Sunday for a little trail ride where we encountered snow on the high ridge. It was chilly, but a fun weekend.

The weekend after Labor Day was Team Trophy Challenge-Washington (TTCW) that our club hosts. It was the third year of putting on the event and a ton of fun. We had 16 teams (I think) of 2 rigs and 4 people. The teams spend about 24 hours on the trail completing tasks during the day and looking for punch buckets at night. Our task this year was to a side hill winch task. We were there until about 11:15PM waiting for teams to finish before we were able to head back to camp. However, on the way back down the gravel road, on of the teams took a corner a little too fast and ended up down the embankment. There was a large group of us that helped winch the Jeep up and luckily everyone was okay. As we were about to go back to camp, Dan-O and ScramblerMike drove up on a mission to rescue some Toyota guys who had gotten lost and broke. Terry jumped in with Dan-O to help with getting them back to camp and didn't return until about 6:30 on Sunday morning. We had an exhausting, but fun weekend and can't wait until next year!
Then, last weekend was Operation Shore Patrol (OSP) at Ocean City State Park. Terry and I headed down on Thursday and enjoyed the sunny Friday around Ocean Shores. My parents and most of the Tamers arrived on Friday. Then on Saturday we headed out for the beach clean-up. I was surprised, there actually wasn't that much garbage on the beach. On Saturday night, our club put on the annual steak dinner that everyone seemed to enjoy. After that was the raffle where we won a gift card to 4 Wheel Parts, a ARB hat, and a T-shirt. On Sunday we packed up and headed home, stopping at the casino on the way out to watch the first half of the Niners vs. Seahawks game.
Once we were home, we unpacked a few things and then headed to the airport to pick my brother up. On Monday, Danny and I headed up to Mt Rainier and did the Naches Peak Loop hike which was a nice 3.5 mile hike that gave amazing views of Mt Rainier. It was a perfectly clear morning for the hike. On the way back at the house, we stopped and got tacos from the bus that were amazing. Once Terry got home on Monday, we headed up to Seattle for the Ben Harper w. R7/Pearl Jam concert. We had burgers at Dick's before the show and then walked over to Key Arena for the performance. Both bands put on an amazing show and we were entertained watching the guy in front of us try to pick up the drunk girl who had previously vomited into her purse.

On Tuesday, Danny and I headed down to Ruston Way in Tacoma and took a little walk and had a great lunch before dropping him off at the airport to head back to Texas. The weather was amazing for the first day of fall and it was good to be able to enjoy the day with him. Then, yesterday, I started school. I am going back for my degree and certificate in Social Services/Mental Health. I was a little nervous about starting classes again, but have always enjoyed school and my classes seem pretty good. I guess that is all that has gone on this month. I will try to be better about posting in the future.

Off again...

Summers are crazy for us. This morning we said goodbye to my brother and family. They were here since last Wednesday and we had a great time with time over the last week. The week was filled with camping at Birch Bay State Park, spending time with the extended family at my parents' house, tide pooling at Larrabee State Park, swimming at Jimmy & Sheri's house, and a trip to NW Trek. I had a blast getting to make some memories with my niece and nephew and hope now they will be able to remember Terry and I more. It was so great to see them and we can't wait until we get to visit again!

Today Nina and Ben fly in from France. My mom and I met Nina 10 years ago when we first traveled to France. We have gotten to visit with them several times both in the United States and Europe over the years. They will be staying with my parents but I am hoping to see them as much as possible while they are here. However, this weekend will be spent with our church family. We are packing up and getting ready for camping at Lake Easton State Park. It is suppose to be a warm weekend, so we are looking forward to the warm weather and quality time with our friends. Last year we camped at Mount Rainier and got to know the Olsen's more. We are praying that we have another great trip this year and get to know more of our church family better. Wish us luck as we finish packing and head out this afternoon!

I will keep posting about our busy summer and the fun we have planned.

Larrabee State Park

On Sunday morning, we headed down to the tidepools at Larrabee State Park with the family. Terry and I had never visited that state park before so were excited to check it out. We didn't get a chance to see the campground, but the beach area was really nice. I can definitely see going back there to camp sometime. Here are some pictures on our trip to the beach.

Birch Bay State Park

Since my brother and his family comes up to Washington for the 4th of July, we decided to pack up and do a little camping at Birch Bay State Park for the first two nights of their vacation. The kids, Jaclyn and Joey, had never been camping before so we were excited to make some memories and be there when they got to experience camping for the first time.

Terry and I made reservations for Tuesday through Thursday nights, however, my brother didn’t fly in until Wednesday, so they were only there for two nights with my parents. Terry and Trinity went to the campground during the day on Tuesday and set-up camp. We had decided to tow up the Jeep, so he was able to drive it back to my parents’ house after getting our site set-up. We stayed at my parents’ house until after dinner on Tuesday before heading back to the campground.

On Wednesday, we decided to take a walk down by the beach and ultimately into town first thing in the morning. The tide was out and it was a short walk to an café where we both got a chai latte. After the walk, we relaxed at our campsite for a bit before heading back to my parents’ house. We stayed there for most of the early afternoon before heading back to the campground around 1:00.

When we got back to camp, we got our large tent set-up for my brother’s family to use while camping. Soon after we got it set-up, my parents showed up with Trinity and my brother’s family. The kids had fun exploring the campsites while my parents got their RV ready. We all took a walk down to the beach before starting dinner.

For dinner, we cooked hot dogs over the fire with chili and macaroni and cheese. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and it was fun cooking the dogs over the fire. My parents’ friends, Dan and Kat, came over for dinner as well. As the night went on, we made s’mores before the kids got tired and decided to head to bed in mom’s RV. After the kids were put down, my brother, Jen, Terry and I walked down to watch the sunset. On Thursday, Terry and I woke up before the rest of the family and headed back down the beach for lattes. As we were leaving the café, my brother drove up with his family. When we got back to camp, we had pancakes for breakfast. Trinity and Jaclyn helped make the batter and I tried my best to make Mickey Mouse pancakes for the kids.

After breakfast, we decided to spend the day on the beach. My parents packed up their RV and parked it parallel to the beach giving us a place to get some shade during the hot day. We got really good, warm weather all day and had fun playing in the surf, looking for hermit crabs and playing games on the lawn. Everyone had a great day. I headed up to camp slightly before the rest so I could get dinner started. I made spaghetti for dinner, which was a hit. After dinner, Barbara, Earl, Grandma, Ed, Jimmy and Sheri showed up to spend the evening with us. We roasted marshmallows and chatted before walking back down to the beach for the sunset.
On Friday, my mom and dad made breakfast burritos. They were yummy. After eating, we starting packing up camp. It was sad to have to leave after such a fun trip. I would like to go back there as we had a great time. After loading everything up, we left the campground and spent the rest of the 4th of July weekend at my parents’ house with the family.

Battle Ground Lake State Park

In January, I had made reservations for last weekend at Battle Ground Lake State Park. Terry and I wanted to check it out last summer, but since the campground consists of only 35 sites, it was booked up every weekend. We were excited to hit the road on Friday afternoon and check out this campground for the first time. We left our house a little before 3:00 and headed south. We didn’t hit any traffic and made it there in about 3 ½ hours. It was a nice drive even though most of it was on the highway and I even drove for a little while.

Once we made it to camp, we got registered and headed to our campsite, site #14. It was a partial hook-up site, so as we unloaded, Terry also hooked up the water and electric. We decided on just having fried chicken from QFC for dinner since we knew we would arrive late. After getting the campsite ready, we decided to take a quick walk around the campground and go down to see the lake. It was a small lake with a lot of trails going around it. When we got back to camp, Terry made a nice fire and we both enjoyed some s’mores before heading to bed.

On Saturday, we woke up early and decided to go fishing. We found a nice spot on the lake near a picnic table and cast out our lines. Terry caught a small trout that we opted to give away and after about 3 hours of fishing, I didn’t catch anything. However, I did get some reading done. After a few hours of fishing, we walked back up to our site for breakfast. I made sausage and pancakes for breakfast. It was nice having the hook-ups as I was able to bring my electric griddle for the pancakes. They turned out really good. I also got dinner started. I had brought meat for chili verde, so put it in my crock pot on low for the day in hopes of tender meat.

After breakfast, we decided to go on a hike. We started on the upper lake trail and then did a loop on the lower lake trail. It was a pretty walk and since the lake was small, it didn’t take too long. Along the lower loop, we came across and eagle perched on a piece of wood in the lake. It seemed so close that it was unreal. There were also lots of momma ducks swimming around the lake with their babies following. When we got back to camp, I took a quick shower and then spent some time relaxing with Terry. We also took another walk around lake in the afternoon before dinner.

Dinner turned out great. The chili verde was very tender. I also made rice, beans and Terry helped make a salad. After dinner, we decided to head back to the lake. There was a little shop we stopped at along the way and got an ice cream to share. It was fun sitting by the lake, watching people and eating ice cream. There was also an eagle circling around the lake which was neat to watch.

When we got back to our site, I decided to make a fire. Terry really wanted to give me advice and I told him to give me a chance. Amazingly, I did end up with a nice fire. We roasted some marshmallows and had s’mores before heading to bed.

On Sunday, we woke up and decided to try fishing again. We got off to a later start, so the place we were the previous day was taken. Luckily, we found a nice spot along the lower lake trail. There were some rocks we were able to sit on while we fished. We didn’t catch anything on Sunday; however, the eagle had better luck. As we were fishing, we could watch an eagle circle the lake. It dove down a few times and finally came up with a fish in its talons. I had never seen an eagle catch anything before, so it was quite exciting.

When we were done fishing, we headed back to our site where I made veggie scramble for breakfast. After eating, we slowly started to pack up our gear to head home. We stopped quickly on the way out of the park and dumped the tanks before hitting the road. We made it home without incident. It was a nice, relaxing weekend away; however, I don’t know if we will plan another trip to Battle Ground Lake since it was over 3 hours away and not as special as we were hoping.