Our Road Less Traveled

2011-11-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

Never seen 'cones' on a Monkey Tail tree before. Cool huh

2011-11-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ike Kinswa State Park was our first stop and we had the place pretty much to ourselves and the quiet was broken only by an occasional "goose flyover", evening frog seranade and an annoying crow. This park is a keeper and would love to return.

2011-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

2011-11-04T08:20:00.001-07:00

Lots of wildlife

2011-11-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

2011-11-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

Nice flat hiking trails around the lake.

2011-11-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

Grayland was our second stop and we spent 3 days here, one which was pretty rainy so we played cards and watched movies. The park was pretty full for a mid week in October.

2011-11-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Grayland is miles of sand in every direction

2011-11-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Lots of mushrooms out in the fall. Saw people actually picking them. Hope they knew what they were doing.

2011-11-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

The beach at La Push WA. This was our third stop. La Push is on the Quinault Nation land and this beach is very popular with beachcombers, surfers and folks who like to surf fish. The beach was rocky and littered with hugh trees. On our way it was pouring rain so we stopped in the town of Forks and Roy bought a raincoat. That was the last rain we saw. He never had to use his coat.

2011-11-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Did I mention the beach was filled with driftwood. Can you imagine the storm it took to bring this giant ashore?

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Roy's experiment was to see if he could get some foam and let it dry and it might retain it's shape because it was salt. Well it didn't so I took a picture of the foam to bring home with us.

2011-11-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

It looks like this Coasty is heading right for the rocks, but there is a channel there taking them back to their station.

2011-11-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

You can always find a gull ready to pose for you

2011-11-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Our last stop was Crescent Beach, just west of Port Angeles. We stopped here because they had WIFI but it was old and slow. We followed the GPS from Forks and it instructed us to turn on Beach Road right past Lake Crescent and the road quickly narrowed to less than one lane. It was scary, especially when met on coming cars. There was no place to turn around so we just stuck it out. Roy was more worried than I was, I figured we were bigger, but if we had met a truck, Id still be sitting there.
The beach was lovely, with tons of seaweeds, driftwood and wildlife.

2011-11-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

View from the beach

2011-11-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

2011-11-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

2011-11-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Shells and seaweed.

2011-11-02T16:08:00.001-07:00

2011-11-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

2011-11-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

2011-11-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

We saw this buck walking thur the park

2011-11-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Eagles were thick. This one was being harrassed by a gull.

2011-08-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

2011-08-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

St Pauls Mission. Found this little mission tucked back into the woods behind a really cool museum. The mission was started in 1845 and built to convert the Native Americans to Catholisism. This current structure was rebuilt in exactly the same way in 1939.

2011-08-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

2011-08-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Roy really enjoyed the crafmanship that went into this building.

2011-08-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Only metal in the building were these hinges

2011-08-24T07:28:00.001-07:00

2011-08-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Square wooden dowles

2011-08-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

2011-08-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

The site of Ft Colville is actually underwater now.

2011-08-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

2011-08-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Area was recently thinned for the lumber. They did a good job.

2011-08-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Stayed at Kettle Falls Campground. There are no Kettle Calls because when the dam was built the area was flooded to create this man-made lake. In the background is a lumbermill.

2011-08-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Franklin Roosevelt Lake.

2011-07-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

These will be delicious berrys about September

2011-07-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Froggy went a countin,

2011-07-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Water Lilys

2011-07-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

I think this is elderberry

2011-06-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

One stop that I had to make was to try to find my great great great grandparents on the mothers side and I knew they were from Canajohnarie, NY and the name of the cemetery. As it turned out, it was huge and I thought I had no hope at all but I did and I was very lucky as most of the tombstones can't be read at all they are so old.

When I was talking to the curator below, he told me Canajohnarie was pronouned Can a ja harry.

2011-06-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Garlock was the family name

2011-06-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Stephen Garlock and Elizabeth Yeadon Garlock, Great Great Great Grandparents

2011-06-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Driving through New York I saw a sign that said Ft Johnson so I stopped and spent about an hour taking to the curator. It was so interesting. The Johnson's built the Fort/House before the Revolutionary War but they sided with the English and fled to Canada. The house has these huge fireplaces in them and you would think it would have been warm but huge fireplaces just sucked the heat right up the chimney and one letter they found, the guest complained he couldnt finish writing because the ink froze in the well.

2011-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

The Privy was across the yard from the Fort. Nice winter walk

2011-06-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

2011-06-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

2011-06-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

This bedspread was one of two displayed in Ft Johnson. I don't know how this lady did it and it's amazing.

2011-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

2011-06-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

We had fresh lettuce for our salad every day. It was sooooo good

2011-06-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dada dada dada dada Batmat

2011-06-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Weather was wonderful, but Evan put one foot in the water and decided he didn't like it.

2011-06-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

My poor granddaughter-in-law hates snakes and spiders and bugs and this guy met us at the door. Neighbor said it was a corn snake, I thought it was a milk snake. If anyone knows, would you let me know

2011-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why the roof sticks out so far. Could be something about the ice and snow in the winter?

2011-06-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Oldest continually used as a post office buiding in the US. I could have gone inside but forgot.

2011-06-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

2011-06-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

So many of the buildings are long and narrow. This burned a few years ago and is forsale. My grandson said there are a lot of fires in the old buildings because of old wiring and the need for so much heat to keep them warm. I wish I could tour some of the bigger ones just to see what the inside looks like.

2011-06-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

My grandfamily lives in New Hampshire and I just love the old barns, building and green. Of course we took 100 pictures of the grandbabies but some of town also.

2011-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Walking thru Jefferson State Park in Ohio and took this picture. Pretty park but there was this big black cloud heading toward us so I decided to head for the motel. Got there 2 minutes before thunder/lghtning and quarter size hail. Its been a long time since I've been in storms.

2011-06-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota and took some pictures. Very pretty state. When I signed into the guest register the person before me was from Olympia WA. Small world.

2011-06-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Old Mission outside of Coure d'Alene, (Not spelled right)

2011-05-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

When I was in California I took pictures of the beautiful wildflowers so yesterday I went to Snake Lake in Tacoma because I use to see ducks there all the time. That was probably 20 years ago and while they still have ducks you aren't allowed to feed them now, so they stay hidden in the reeds. These pictures are a tribute to spring in Washington State.
I did see woodpeckers and chickadees and robins and swallows and even a beautiful Yellow Warbler.

2011-05-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

I almost had to get down on the grass to get a picture of this pretty. It was the only one in the whole park.

2011-05-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

2011-05-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Nettles?

2011-05-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Betty is at war with these guys and I think they are pretty but she said they are weeds she can't get rid of.

2011-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Roy is at war with the dandelion and I come home with a picture of it.

2011-05-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nature trail right in the heart of the city.

2011-05-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Little tiny wildflowers peek out from the pines (furs?)

2011-05-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

The lake was just filled with these. Rather pretty I thought

2011-05-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

I took this on my way out of 29 Palms and forgot it was on the camera. I love this color cactus.

2011-05-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Horsetails?

2011-05-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was cool. Ocean Shores WA

2011-05-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

My father was born in Pacific County, WA in 1918. This structure was built in 1911 and it's just awesome to me that my grandparents were actually in this building.

2011-05-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

2011-05-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

I think I would like to take this out to sea.

2011-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lots of shells on the beach. Thought I would collect them and then decided a picture would last longer.

2011-05-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Young girl playing in the surf

2011-05-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is just a pretty rock. Brought it home and it's not so pretty went dry.

2011-05-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers not as abundant yet. These were tucked into the salt grass

2011-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

2011-05-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Roy checking out the ship out at sea

2011-04-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

The last of the desert wildflower pictures. I am going to miss the desert, but looking forward to returning home.

2011-04-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Apricot Marrow

2011-04-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

There are just some pictures I take that I really like. This one and the next 3 especially

2011-04-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Bird food.

2011-04-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

MaryFran's Hollyhock

2011-04-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Went to see the poppys in Antelope Valley but unfortunately narry a poppy and to make it worse the wind was cold and harsh. Also they charged me $10 bucks to not see the poppys. Below are some of the pictures I did take and some of the wildflowers.

2011-04-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was really surprised how much the area east of Lancaster looked like Joshua Tree. Some, few, of the Joshua Trees were in bloom.

2011-04-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Antelope Valley Indian Museum. Awesome. If you get a chance it's worth the 17 mile drive out of Lancaster.