Voyage #13--Blakely Harbor to Yeomalt Point

We did it!  The Fantastic Four (minus one, again) finally finished our goal of kayaking around Bainbridge Island, all 54 miles of it! 

With two of us pregnant, we had to finish before pregnant woman #1couldn't fit into the kayak anymore.  Pregnant woman #2 has had a hard time joining us on our last few excursions, but she promises she'll make them up.  We forgive her only because that gives us more opportunities to get out on the water.

Leaving Blakely Harbor

This morning was cool, overcast and misty, just the way pregnant woman #1 likes it to help her avoid motion-sickness. 

View of Seattle through the mist.

High tide was at 7:30 AM, and we had to do this particular stretch at high tide to avoid the sandbar at Wing Point, so we left Blakely Harbor at 8:00.  I was nervous about crossing paths with the ferry, but our timing worked out perfectly.  We arrived at Eagle Harbor right when the 8:45 ferry was pulling out, so we were able to get safely across the harbor after it left and avoid the incoming ferry as well.  Whew!  It might not look like it in the picture, but those ferries are BIG!

Rounding the corner of Wing Point, this big, beautiful home popped into view.

Yeomalt Point was much further away than it looked, but we eventually made it!  Our stopping point was right by this beautiful house (this picture is from last September when we kayaked Manitou Beach, proof that we really did make it all the way around!), which is still for sale, only $1,799,000.   I'm going to start saving my pennies!

I am so proud of us for finishing our goal.  I'm great at starting things, but not so great at finishing them, so it's a  huge accomplishment for me to say, "I DID IT!"  We're going to celebrate (all four of us) by kayaking across Agate Pass to Bella Luna in Suquamish for lunch sometime at the end of next month, when it's sunny and warm so we can convince pregnant woman #2 to get on the water again, and if pregnant woman #1 can still fit into her kayak!

Did We Have to Come Home?

We just spend a fabulous week at Lake Sutherland, near Port Angeles.  I seriously did not want to come home. 

When we headed out last Saturday morning, it was 55 and cloudy, and I was very worried about the weather the week to come.  By the time we hit Sequim, the sun appeared (yes, it's pretty much ALWAYS sunny in Sequim) and my worries started to dissipate.  

We arrived at Lake Sutherland to the sun shining, blue sky, warm water, and a fantastic house with an even better view.  Jimmy and Mariann came up to spend Saturday and Sunday with us and brought their boat, which they left with us for the week.  What more can I say than FABULOUS!  Every day but one we woke up to bright blue sky and sun.  The one day it was cloudy in the morning, it quickly burned off.  The temperatures were in the low to mid 70s, but it felt much, much warmer.  Maybe because we were in full sun all day long.  There's something magical about that place!

We swam, boated, kayaked, hiked, biked, sun bathed, hot-tubbed, played games, relaxed, and ate great food.  Each day we went somewhere in the morning, and then came back to the lake to play in the afternoon.  One day we went up to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the continental United States.  The two hour drive was mostly on two-lane, very windy roads, which was quite scenic in itself, but nothing like the amazing cliffs and stunning, rugged coastline of Cape Flattery.  Definitely a must-see destination!  On the way back we bought a fresh king salmon in Neah Bay, which we feasted on for two dinners.  We also hiked up to Marymere falls, biked on the Olympic Discovery trail in Port Angeles and cliff-dived at the Devil's Punchbowl, a.k.a. Mermaid Grotto. 

On the Wise's boat.  Thank you so much, guys, for letting us use your boat all week.  It added so much to the lake experience! 

Ben finally got to go fishing one evening.  Unfortunately they didn't catch anything, but the neighbor said he catches trout and lake salmon (I never knew there was such a thing!) all the time. 

Tubing!  This was so much fun!  Everyone really enjoyed it, even Nate! 

We're thinking about using this one as our family picture in our Christmas cards, what do you think?

More smiles!  Another great thing about this trip, everyone enjoyed it.  If you have a teenager, you know that's a hard thing to accomplish!

 Hiking up to Marymere Falls.  There were some huge old cedar trees.  I was looking for one in particular that I remembered from being here in June, and I thought this one was the one.   We all posed for the picture, and then about two minutes later we came across the one I was really looking for!  It's even bigger!

Isn't it gorgeous?  I still pinch myself that I live somewhere close to such beauty.

Marymere falls...this was Brad's idea...

Here's a better shot of the actual falls.

Cape Flattery...amazing! 

Look at those colors!  Doesn't nature have a beautiful palate?

Maybe this one would be a better Christmas card picture?

Floating around in Mermaid Grotto.  Again, gorgeous colors!

Everyone jumped off the bridge.  I was a little worried about the temperature of the water, since it was only about 70 outside and the last time we were here it was in the 90s, but it wasn't unbearably cold.  Not as refreshing as last time, but it still felt good to swim around for a few minutes.  We had so much fun that the girls and I are coming back to camp at Lake Crescent next week while the boys are on the Boy Scout bike trip.

Synchronized jumping!  We need to work on our timing before we join the Olympic team!

Kylie and Jillian were the only ones brave enough to jump off the cliff.

Ben did a spectacular face flop...it really hurt, but after a while he decided he would do it again and was able to keep his head back.

So now you can see why I really didn't want to come home!  We're looking forward to going back often to Lake Sutherland!

Fun and Games

We're on vacation and have been playing lots of games together, and alone, which has sparked lots of laughs.  I have to get these two funny things Ben said while playing written down before I forget them.

First, playing Risk by himself, singing "It's the end of the world as we know it!"

Then last night playing Settlers of Catan with the family, he looked up at me and said with a straight face, "Mom, I think I'm part goat."

How Sad is it When...

you go out for your morning run at 8:00 and you can see your breath...on JULY 16th!!!!

Camping at Fort Flagler

Summer decided to arrive last week, on Tuesday to be exact.  I had planned a last minute camping trip for Thursday to Saturday and was hoping that summer would stay.  It did!  It reached the low 90s in Seattle, but stayed in the mid 80s up in Port Townsend, perfect camping weather.  I had been to Fort Flagler for the day, but never to camp, so we were excited to try it out.  It did not disappoint!  Thursday night the campground was pretty quiet.  Outi and her kids camped with us.  Our sites were right across the road from each other and the kids had a great time running back and forth between them, playing with water balloons, trying to catch lizards and snakes, and generally having a blast.  By Friday afternoon, the crowds started showing up, but we still enjoyed being there.   Our campsite had an amazing view of the water and a "private" beach just a few feet down the road, and down a steep stair case.  The kids loved playing on the beach and in the sand dune cliffs.  I loved sitting on the beach, visiting with friends.

Mariann and Izaac, and Shannon and her kids came up to spend the evening with us on Thursday.  Brooke and her gang joined us on Friday for the day.  After playing on the beach for a while on Friday, we went to explore the bunkers.  We imagined what it must have been like 70 years ago when there were no trees blocking the views to Fort Worden and Whidbey Island.  We saw a submarine coming in and tried to guess where it had been, and if there were excited families waiting back at the sub-base to welcome home their submariners.  We headed home Saturday afternoon, after packing up camp and a quick cliff climb for the kids.  We'll definitely be returning to Fort Flagler to camp.  Maybe not this year, since there are so many great places to camp nearby, but someday soon!

Beach Day with the Cousins

My nephews spent the afternoon with us last week and I decided instead of trying to keep them entertained at my house, I'd invite some friends to join us at the beach. It wasn't hot and sunny like I was hoping it would be, but the kids didn't mind.  I got to sit and relax and talk to friends while all the kids spent almost three hours playing in the water and in the driftwood forts on the beach. 

Jillian's 11th Birthday

Happy Birthday, Jillian!  We always know that summer will be here by Jillian's birthday on July 6th.  The weather had been pretty miserable until then, not a day over 77 since last September, but once July 6th hit, a heat wave came on and we've been basking in the sun ever since. 

She invited six friends over for her birthday party.  They had a crazy costume contest, played games outside, ate pizza, cake and ice cream, and painted t-shirts.  11 year old girls are quite a riot!  They laughed a lot and were their naturally silly selves.  Jillian came up with the idea for the monkey cake.  She designed it and figured out how to cut it all out and decorate it.  She's such a creative girl.