Washington State - Day 2 - Mount Rainier National Park

 Today we did a day tour to Mt. Rainier National Park.  Tours are not usually our thing, but I felt it would be the most efficient way to see the best of the park in one day.  I am so thankful we did.  Our tour guide, Joel, was wonderful. He is actually the general manager for the company so I feel we hit the tour guide jackpot.  He usually does tours to Olympic National Park, so an added bonus was that I could get some good info for exploring Olympic the next few days.

Our first stop was Longmire Visitor Center.  We bought a few stickers and the girls picked up junior ranger booklets.  We weren't planning on trying for badges at this park, but they were able to complete the booklets while on the bus and receive their badges at our last stop of the day.  I think this makes 15 badges!

Next, we stopped at Christine Falls located right off the mail road.  Joel told us to walk across the road and look straight down over the bridge and we would get a great surprise.  

We then stopped at Reflection Lake lake for a few photo ops with the mountain reflecting in the lake.  This lady was so cute.  She wanted pictures of the scenery but didn't want to be in them by herself, so she would grab one of the girls to pose with her.

Reflecting by Reflection Lake

Next we stopped at the Paradise Visitor Center.  We had about two hours here and Joel suggested several hikes we could do during this time.  The girls agreed that we should try the most challenging hike with the best views: The Skyline Trail to Panoramic Point.  This hike was short but steep!  We gained over 1100 feet in elevation in just 1.5 miles.  Our quads and gluts were on fire.  One hiker we passed said, "heart and lungs on the way up and knees on the way down."  I think I should make a t-shirt that says this.  

The wild flowers did not disappoint!

The scenery was magical.  I felt like a gnome or hobbit were going to join us at any moment.

We did not make it all the way to Panoramic Point as were worried we would not have enough time to get back to the tour bus at the scheduled time (one of the downfalls of a guided tour).  We made it to a look out with stunning views all around.  We could hear the glacier cracking and rumbling at one point.  Pure awe!

We could see Mt. Saint Helens!

I love my hiking people!  Lily takes a quick stretch and comments how great it feels so everyone tries it!

Mt. Rainier beer in front of Mt. Rainier!

Next we stopped at Narada Falls.  Thankfully this was a short .3 mile hike to get a spectacular view of the falls.

Lily looked below the falls and matter of factly said, "that is where the mermaids live."

Our final stop was a short .5 mile loop, Twin Firs Loop Trail, through an old growth forest.  I love a forest floor - so soft and spongy.  Joel was so knowledgeable about the forest life and vegetation.  The girls tried every kind of berry along the way.  

SE reminded us (about every 5 minutes) that hikes are harder for her because she is smaller.  I guess her little body was pretty tired. 

Once back at our hotel, with the help of Yelp, we picked the cutest little diner to try for dinner, the Champagne Diner.  We ubered to the Queen Anne district and ate fabulous burgers right next to a railroad.   The best part - they played old school rap.  LL Cool J and Queen Latifah.

We made it back to the hotel, took showers and passed out.  

Today I logged 17,562 steps, 8.2 miles and 100 flights climbed!

Washington State - Day 1: Charleston to Seattle

We made it!   After a rough start to the day, we made it to Seattle. As a nervous flyer, I am never very pleasant to be around on the morning of a flight.  We made it out of the house with only one minor family scuffle and with plenty of time to make it to the airport for our 9:00 flight.  Plenty of time, that is, until we came to a complete standstill on I-26 for THIRTY minutes.   I'm stressing looking for alternate flights and meanwhile, James is examining the asphalt on the road outside the car as if this is the neatest thing he has ever seen.  I suppose this is what makes the world go around.  Traffic finally starts moving and we make it to the airport and our flight on time!

Why do I look terrified in this picture? Oh, because I am!

I thought it was pretty neat to fly over Lake Murray!

Once in Seattle, we took a taxi to our hotel.  We couldn't check in yet, so we set out to see some of the city.  We headed towards the sound and Pike's Place Market.  We walked a lot of the market, but never saw one person throwing a fish.  We did taste some of the yummiest peaches and true Rainier cherries.  We will be back for more of those.  We were getting hungry and found a brewery on Yelp that looked pretty good.  While we waited for a table, we found the famous gum wall.  Ewww and gross!

Old Stove Brewing was indeed delicious!  With full bellies and better attitudes, we set off to find the Space Needle. 

On our way to the Space Needle, we kept seeing these bikes parked in random places. Apparently, you download an app, scan the bike, and then you can ride it wherever you please, and leave it anywhere in the city.  Pretty cool.  We took turns testing this one out.  

Lily crashed into a sidewalk and we decided we would be safer walking the city!

James and SE decided to go up, while Lily and I were perfectly happy to stay on the ground.  It took a while for them, so Lily and I walked around, shopped a little, and enjoyed a local vendor playing music.

NO, NO AND NO

One must pose often when out and about with a teenager!

After the Space Needle, we wanted some ice cream (basically for dinner).  We couldn't find anything open.  We found it interesting that pretty much everything closes at 6.  Has Seattle always been this way, or is this something new post-Covid and post-riots?  

Overall it was a good day, but I am really ready to get out of the city.  It's just not my thing. So much tall, loud, graffiti, smells and just plain weirdness. It was hard to see so many homeless and so much mental illness.  One man stopped to tell us five jokes and then asked for $12 dollars for ferry money.  We gave him the money not knowing if we were doing the right thing or not.  I said a prayer and put it in God's hands.  It has been hard on the girls too.  I am glad they are older, but these issues are hard to understand no matter your age.

Tomorrow we set out for Mount Rainier, and this girl is ready!!

 

Avon, Colorado - Day 7

This was my favorite day!!  We enjoyed another big breakfast at Northside Kitchen and set out for our snowmobile adventure.  We choose Sage Outdoor Adventures which was about 20 minutes west in Wolcott.  Angie's brother, Matt, works in Denver and was able to join us for the day!  We were getting rather nervous as we kept driving and saw no snow.  

We continued to drive and took a twisty, turny dirt road up a mountain.  We were greeted by wonderful staff that helped us sign our lives away.  Our guide for the day was Victoria and she was fabulous.  I let her know that I was pretty nervous and she eased all my fears by thoroughly explaining everything and assuring us she would go as slow or as fast as we wanted.  SE rode with me and Lily rode with James.  Let me just say, I found my winter sport.  I absolutely loved snowmobiling.  I was slow at first, but once I got more comfortable, I had a blast!  We rode a trail for a bit, then came to a large clearing where we could play and ride to hearts' content.  So. Much. Fun!!!!

Victoria in the lead, then SE and me.

Lily was not happy with the experience at first because she was feeling the pressure of driving.   Victoria took her around the clearing and when we told her she didn't have to drive, she relaxed and had a great time!  

The views were stunning!

Trouble!

This video just does not do justice to my level of speed and daredevil abilities!

Angie and Lily, followed by Tripp and then Matt

Lily P. was a crazy woman driving!

We drove through so many peaceful Aspen groves.

On our way home we stopped by Northside and grabbed an assortment of donuts for lunch.  One of the thing the girls wanted to do on this trip was to dress up and go out to a nice dinner.  Angie and I spent the afternoon researching places and calling around for reservations.  Most everywhere was booked.  We wanted to go back to Vail Village for the evening and The George got good reviews, so this is what we finally decided on.  It was hard to find, but once we did, we realized it was a straight-up bar with a bouncer and all.  They did not have a table big enough for us, so the girls sat across the room from us.  While they didn't get their fancy dinner, they sure thought they were super cool hanging out at a bar.  We realized that as they get older, SE will absolutely have to chaperone all of their outings.

Once back home, we got in one last game of Bang.  Angie won as sheriff with her deputies, Lily P and James.  I was the renegade and was not suspected at all because James played the Barney Fife of deputies. 

Alas, comes the end of another amazing Porterholtz vacation.  

And guess what - we had no airport/flight mishaps this time!  That is a first!!!!

Avon, Colorado - Day 6

Can I just say how happy I was this day to not ski!!!  Everyone woke up ready for another day.  Angie drove the group over and dropped them off so we could get ready slower and not sit in the early morning cold.  I snuggled under a blanket at home perfectly happy with my sudoku.   Angie and I bundled up and drove over around 10:30.  We even took a blanket!  We lucked out with a prime spot in one of the cushioned outdoor sofas looking directly onto the slopes.  It took about five minutes before we were peeling off layers.  Apparently 50's in Colorado feels much warmer when you're sitting in direct sun.  After sweating for 30 minutes, we decided it was time for lunch.  The boys texted that they were grabbing lunch up on the mountain, so Angie and I took off for Alpine and Antlers.  I had looked at the menu before the trip and had been drooling over a short rib sandwich for days!

Notice they are in a gondola this time!

Their lunch

Our lunch

James and Lily

Sarah Ellen

Angie and I made our way back to the roasting couches after lunch and enjoyed the afternoon people watching.  We would occasionally check on Life 360 for their locations.  Around 3:00, we spotted them coming down the mountain.  The dads wanted to head back up for a few more runs.  SE was rather insulted that she couldn't go.  I explained to her that it was not because she is not capable of doing the same runs, but that they did not want to be responsible for keeping up with anyone while skiing for just an hour.  Lily W. was done for the day.  Lily P and SE took off for a few more runs on the Haymeadow.

Angie and I wanted to get a good video and of James and Tripp coming down a black diamond.  Tripp had his phone with him so we tracked him on Life 360 and quickly wished we had not.  He was going 29 mph!!