Snowshoe trip to Deer Park

Ryan and two friends went on their first snowshoe trip in March. Here is him testing out his pack. He had to take a lot of gear as it was way up in the mountains and below freezing. His pack weighed about 50lbs and included a tent, stove, lantern, axe, snowshoes and more.


The hike was 8 miles uphill to where they would camp. At this point the snow wasn't deep enough for the snowshoes. This is Jeremy and Keith.

Now they have put on their snowshoes...

I wish we had pictures of their camp, hopefully I can add some later. Below are two Great Pyrenees (like Kody) doing what the breed is for, guarding livestock. These boys guard alpaca. This was on the drive up to where Ryan's hike started. They sound just like Kody, but are obviously way tougher!

March and April activities

TWILIGHT FANS: We visited Forks, the home of Twilight! I haven't read the books or seen the movie. But, Peninsula College (my employer) has actually gotten calls from people all over interested in coming out here for college because of the film!

Forks High School (above and below). I work with kids who attend here often!

La Push, Washington - Rialto Beach

I loved this piece of driftwood, it was huge! I am huge as well, 36 weeks pregnant.

Our second stop was a hike down to Second Beach (easy walk down, tough return to the car!!) I was disappointed as I couldn't climb over the driftwood to get to the water

Mom and I spotted the wild elk herd that wanders the Sequim area. They are not fenced in, as it looks they are in the second photo. They are very used to cars and people.

In early April we couldn't wait any longer and went camping. We tested out our new tent and cast iron cookware. It was a nice time and I can't wait to camp more this summer!
It was a test for Kody, to see if he could handle camping without too much barking. He was great! He also kept us warm in the tent.

Our March snow, about 6 inches in early March. Kody and I couldn't resist getting out and walking in it.

This is an early morning sunrise from our living room. The mountain way off in the distance is Mount Baker. Across the Puget Sound, it is between 100-150 miles away from our place, near Bellingham, WA.

Baby Shower!

My lovely friends at work threw me a baby shower in late March. I appreciated their company, advice and thoughtful gifts! Here are a couple of pictures:

Ryan spotted this bald eagle from out couch. It is looking out over the Juan de Fuca Straight. I went outside and took the picture from our porch. We have seen this one and a juvenile often flying by.

Snow in Port Angeles

It has snowed a 2-4 inches three times in the last week here in Port Angeles. It isn't common here, so I actually didn't have work on Thursday and Friday. Here are some pictures:

our house

Kody gets crazy in the snow, its the Alaskan in him.
Guarding all that is his.

A tanker heading towards Seattle on the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Looking down on houses to the East.

View from the recliner.

Visit to Roloff Farms Pumpkin Patch

We love the show "Little People, Big World." I think within 10 minutes of learning we were moving out here, Ryan realized we could go see their farm sometime. So, we drove down to pick our pumpkins for Halloween.Zack Roloff. His brother, Jeremy, drove our hayride.

Molly in the "Old Western Town".Jacob at the house.Zack running down the road, persued by a camera man.

The line was long, GO EARLY if you go. We waited maybe 40 minutes to park, but when we left he line had over tripled! We got to talk to Matt Roloff breifly, they are all as kind as they seem on the show.

October update

In the last month we moved from the cabin to a house. The cabin proved to be too rustic, the heating and water quality helped us make the decision to move on. The new house is the best place ever, I cannot believe our view. We are 50 feet from the edge of a bluff, we had to sign a waiver that we wouldn't sue the owners if we fell off. We look over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the land on the far side is Canada. We can see Victoria on a clear day and the lights at night.

Here is the view from the new house's living room (literally from the couch):

These are pheasant that roam the yard in the evening. Kody has a fit!

Below are photos from Ryan. His boat often escorts Navy ships and submarines through the strait. I saw the aircraft carrier go by from my couch and knew he was on one of the little white boats escorting it. I have pictures to add later, but these are from his point of view. The coast guard boat you will see is exactly like Ryan's (the Adelie). The CG uses two or more boats to escort them to sea.

There are seals resting on this buoy.

A rainbow from the water.Canadian Coast Guard ship.Seattle from the water.