Battle Ground Geocoin Challenge

Since I work on the weekends and Ben worked every third day, we couldn't go to the actual coin event and had to do it on another day.  I had two days off this week and he had the same ones off so for one of those days I planned an outing down to Battle Ground.

The night before I got the query loaded and reread the rules which were the same from last year.  I had two passports printed out, the address of the chamber of commerce and their phone number and coords just in case.  I also heard there were less than 20 coins left so I was hoping there were some left by the time we finished.  This year’s harvest “theme” was fairy tales.  We had to write the item that corresponded with each of the fairy tales on our passport.

I got up at 8, packed everything in the car and left by 8:30.  I was at the Rochester Fire Department by 9, picking up Ben.  I was so excited to spend the day with him geocaching and exploring Battle Ground in the sunshine.  We got on I-5 and headed down towards Battle Ground.  We were just north of Kalama when my car's thermometer started to rise.  I sure hoped it stayed put until we were actually in Battle Ground.  I really didn’t want to pull over while I was on I-5.  We drove past the last rest stop and finally to the Battle Ground exit.  My thermometer gauge stayed put and didn’t rise anymore.

When we got into town, the gauge went down and my worries disappeared, it might cooperate with us today.  I did have some anti-freeze in the car just in case.  I put the first cache onto the GPS and off we went!  When we arrived at Snow White (GC592AX) it was near the Walmart parking lot, so we just used the lot and walked the rest of the way to the cache.  I saw a guy walk into the trees.  He had to have been a geocacher.  I ran over there just as he had the cache in hand.  I asked him who he was and where he was from.  He was from Aloha, Oregon and his caching name was SpockProf.  I told him where we were from and our caching names.  He said maybe we will run into each other again throughout the day.  He was also here for the coin challenge.

We drove to the next one, which was just up the road in the downtown area, it was nestled behind some stores and office buildings in a batch of trees.  I was sure hoping it wasn’t a micro hanging in the tree.  This one was Jack and the Beanstalk (GC592FA) and I didn’t find it right away.  I had to read the hint.  Then I saw the asphalt chunk near the tree.  It had to be it.  I lifted the piece of road and found a tin buried underneath a bunch of tree debris.  The container had magic beans on it.  We signed our names and put it back how we found it.

The Frog Prince (GC58NTM ) was the next one on the GPS.  We parked off the road and walked the 100 feet to a well used geotrail through the tall grass.  Ben spotted the frog container.

The next one was clear out of the way and you actually had to drive around the golf course.  There weren’t any through roads.  It took you about six miles out of the way.  We would get The Gnome (GC592DC) and then two others on the way back.  We had to grab five extra caches along with the ten coin challenge caches.  When we got there it was a greenbelt tucked away behind some houses.  We saw another car parked there with Oregon plates on it.  It had to be SpockProf wandering around in the forest.  We followed the GPS and there he was, he already had his hands on the gnome.  We chatted for a few minutes and he went to grab the others in the greenbelt while we drove back towards town.  We picked up Friend of the Devil (GC2210E) and Princess Peach (GC2254G) both were quick finds.

Cinderella (GC592VX) took us to a DNR office just outside of town.  We were lucky enough for the gate to be open.  We drove right in and parked less than 50 feet away from the cache.  It was an ammo can with a glass slipper glued to the bottom.

I’ve always wanted to go inside Lewisville Park but we never had the time when we were down here.  This time we got to.  Alice and Wonderland (GC592VG) was inside the park.  We figured it out once we were in there.  We actually had to drive down to the parking lot instead of park and walk from the entrance.  I liked that there was a bathroom nearby too.  We found the cache, drove to the bathroom and Ben went and got the extra one at the bridge nearby, Dirty Diggler and the Treasure of the Troll (GC3TYPN).

I know I’ve been to Daybreak Park at least three times with Bob and Bev.  Here we are once again, grabbing Aladdin (GC5926W).  We thought the container would be a genie lamp…I guess it used to be until it was muggled.  Now it was just a nano cache.  We ran into Chirpz and his wife.  We chatted a little bit and then they went on their way.  We went and got the cache and then decided this would be a perfect place to sit and eat lunch.  I made sandwiches, brought chips, granola bars, watermelon and drinks.  We enjoyed our picnic in the sunshine.  Ben found the cache underneath his butt, Time for a Picnic (GC2EEVG).

Sleeping Beauty (GC592WE) was the next cache on the list.  It was at a food co-op and it was a plastic rose with a bison tube hanging off of it.  It had to do with her name which is Briar Rose.  We signed it and moved on to another extra cache, New Cache #2 (GC2FBPT).  It was another micro in a tree.

Our last coin challenge cache was Beauty and the Beast (GC58XJJ), that was tucked away in a tree crotch and the cache had a mirror inside, for when the beast didn’t want to look at himself and broke all the mirrors.  We decided not to go get Three Billy Goats Gruff (GC5915Z) because no one could find it and we didn’t want to drive seven to eight miles out of the way for a DNF.  We decided not to go get that one which was a good decision because that day it was gone and was replaced soon after.  We only needed five of the ten caches to get the coin anyway.  We were happy with our nine caches and five extras.  We grabbed our fifth extra cache as we drove towards town.  It was on the trail along the 503 called Red Hot Pepper Flake (GC26KY9).  We found it after walking past it three times. 

We drove to the Chamber of Commerce in town and presented them with our passports and chatted for a bit with the ladies.  They really liked the coin challenge and wanted to do more in the future but realized they needed more coins because these challenges are very popular.  We thanked them and went on our way.  We stopped at the paintball store and looked around for a bit.  I had to stop at three quilt stores, one in Battle Ground and two in Vancouver before we left.  I had to pick up some quilt row directions for some sort of a thing happening this summer. 

When we were done in Vancouver we stopped by Brenda and Ray’s house to visit for a bit.  We drove down the road to Red Robin’s for dinner.  I was starving.  I ended up getting a chicken burger and a beer.  We chatted about caching, the block party, WSGA, summer, work, future trips and other random things that came up.  It was getting late and we still had to drive back to Bonney Lake, which was an hour further than my house.  I really wanted to get Freda’s ammo can cache on the way home when we drove past Longview.  We told them bye and that I would see them at the block party in a few weeks.  We left Vancouver at 8:30.

We tried our hardest to get to Freda’s house while it was still daylight.  My car overheated going up her hill.  We did make it to the giant ammo can but in the dark unfortunately.  After we logged "Smile Ammo Can in the Woods, (GC4RPG8). Ben fixed the car and fell asleep while I went inside to let her know that we were in her yard.  She told me it was fine because she knew us.  We visited for another hour and a half.  I thanked her and told her I would see her at the block party.

Ben and I made the trek back to the freeway, got gas at the nearby Arco and were on our way to Bonney Lake.  My car over heated again less than two miles from his house…we had to waste another half hour.  We finally walked through the door at 1 a.m.  I was exhausted.  I got ready for bed and fell asleep as soon as I could.  It was a fun day but very long and tiring.

Next Adventure:  Relay for Life

Disc Golf at Woodland Creek

I really wanted to enjoy the sunshine since I have been wasting it by having to work during nice weather and having my days off while it's crappy weather.  I am definitely a summer person.

Ben and I decided to get the discs out again.  It's been since May the last time we threw them.  After work I drove home and he met me there.  I changed my clothes and we were off to find some food before we went to Woodland Creek.

I didn't realize it was Sunday so Meconi's was closed.  We went to Subway instead even though we had our hearts set on the other sub shop.  We got our subs and went to the park to eat in the sunshine.  There were a lot of people enjoying the summer evening.

We grabbed our discs and headed to hole one.  Since the last time we came here the local group that takes care of the course, made it look really nice.  A lot of the launch pads were cement with the Team Oly logo imprinted in the slab.  Every single hole now had a cement launch pad.

We were definitely rusty.  Our throws were really off and Ben threw both of his up into a tree.  It was funny.  Even though we hadn't thrown in a while, we were still on or under par.  There were a few holes in which we were unfortunate.

We really don't keep score when we disc golf mostly because we forget to or we're out there just to have fun.

Near hole 7 we found a lost disc that had no name on it.  So we kept it and tried it out.  It was definitely heavier than our discs.  We thought maybe due to lack of disc education this was owned by a girl because it was pink and was heavy and just flat out lost it or didn't care or it was a disc someone didn't want anymore and lost it purposefully.   It really wasn't that hard to spot.

We finished up holes 8 and 9 and at hole 9 I had an amazing putt.  From about 20 feet out I nailed the basket.  I was so shocked I made it!

After playing the course, we went over to the putting area to play HORSE.  We made some insane shots!  We both made a no-looksey behind a informational board.  We were shocked beyond belief.  I wish we would have gotten it on video.  I won HORSE, we got into my car and headed home to hang out and have ice cream.

Next Adventure:  Battle Ground Geocoin Challenge

Clamming at Potlach State Park

Celeste asked if I wanted to go with her and a few other people clamming one day when it worked with our schedules.  So far she had Nicole and herself.  I told her I could go on Thursday because it was one of my days off.  We still had to wait until we found out Ben's schedule.

By Wednesday, we knew Ben could go with Celeste, Nicole and I.  We had enough permits, Celeste was going to drive and pick us all up, Ben and I had to be ready to go by 9 a.m.

The night before I tried to lay out everything and pack some extra clothes just in case it was rainy or cold.  I set aside my boots, rain jacket and some snacks because I didn't know if we were going to stop for lunch or not.

My alarm went off at 8:30 and I got ready as quick as I could.  Ben was getting close when I got a text from him saying he just passed through Tenino.  Celeste showed up a little bit early so I showed her the chickens running around the yard.

Ben got there exactly at 9.  We grabbed our stuff and boots and arranged it in the back of Celeste's car.  We were now on our way to Lacey to pick up Nicole. 

Nicole hopped in and they all decided to get some coffee before we drive up north past Shelton.

We got to Potlatch State Park after 10:30 and grabbed our tools, buckets and boots and headed down the beach to find a good spot to start digging.  Nicole walked through the muddy sand too deep and almost got stuck.

We dug around a little bit and both Celeste and Ben found huge cockle shells!  We added them to our bucket.  We needed to move to another location down the beach.  We grabbed our buckets and moved on.  I found out my boots had a hole in the heel and allowed water inside.  I was not happy plus I had to be careful how far into the water I went.

On the way down the shoreline, I saw some people I knew!  I couldn't believe it.  I chatted with them for a few minutes and asked how well the digging went.  They said it was alright when you went out to where it was rockier.  They were right.  We all popped a squat or sat down and started digging.  We found tons of clams big enough to take home.  We were all allowed 40 each with our permits.  Celeste and Ben opened up quite a few oysters sitting along the shoreline.

I was so excited when I dug up my first clam.  It was just like finding a treasure.  I measured it just to make sure and tossed it in the bucket.  We were out there for a good two hours digging and grabbing as many clams as our permits allowed.   We called it a day mostly because we got our limit and it was lunch time.

We walked back to the car and dumped our harvest into the cooler.  We got out of our boots and I changed into shorts.  We piled in and stopped at the closest mini mart to grab some ice to throw into the cooler.

We decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch.  It was delicious.

At game night a few nights later, Celeste and Megan cooked our harvest.  We ate our food, played a few games and had dessert.  Celeste said next time we would have to go clamming at Quilcene.

Next Adventure:  Disc Golf at Woodland Creek

Sequim, Olympic Game Farm and the Lavender Festival

It was so nice to sleep in a little bit.  I woke up around 8.  I continued laying in bed as Lacey got ready for the day.  It just felt nice to lay.  I finally got out of bed and started getting ready for our day and put my stuff together so we could check out before 11.  I dissected my bed and left it in a pile for the housekeepers.

The free continental breakfast was not so great so we decided as a group to go out to breakfast before we went to the Olympic Game Farm just north of downtown Sequim.  Just after checking out, we all piled into the cars and went across the road to the John Wayne Marina.  Mostly just to see what was out here while Evan was scoping out some fishing spots.  I looked at my GPS to see by chance if there were some nearby caches.  There were two.  The first one was called John Wayne's Viewpoint (GCQHKB) and it was located underneath one of the picnic tables.  Carol pulled it out of its hiding place.  Everyone was kind of excited.

The other one was above the marina near the edge of the road.  I walked up there quickly while everyone was enjoying the view of the water.  It was called Snow Bawl (GC4VCWV) and it looked like something that would belong on a Christmas Tree.  I walked back down and joined them in the Suburban.  We were now on our way to get breakfast.

I have never been to the Black Bear Diner.  I guess they have them all over the western US.  I ordered pancakes, bacon and eggs.  I didn't realize how big the portions were going to be but I was hungry.  I was also the only one to finish all of my food.  Everyone else had to take it with them.  We paid, took some pictures and all piled into the two vehicles.

We rolled into the Olympic Game Farm around 1:30.  We waited in line, switched seats (Lacey, Evan and I wanted to feed the animals) and bought two loafs of bread which were $2.00 each.  The animals were only to eat wheat bread and nothing else according to the USDA Government.  We got in the caravan of cars and followed the route.  It seemed to be a two mile loop around the park.  We stopped several times to feed llamas, elk, bison, bears and deer bread.  There were a couple times where the animals tried to get inside the car.

I really didn't want them to bite me and it seemed like every single animal wanted bread but we had to make it last.  We had to pick and choose when to divvy out bread.  We ended our journey with the weird looking deer (which we think they breed them to feed to the wild cats and dogs), the huge bison/buffalo and the elk.  I have never been this close to elk or bison before.  It was insane.  After our trip through the park, we parked the cars in the lot, used the restroom, went into the gift shop and some of them had snacks and drinks from the concession stand.

Evan decided he, Cody and Earl were going to go fishing while the rest of us found something to do in the meantime.  They joined Earl in his jeep while we piled into the suburban and I suggested that we go to one of the lavender farms in the area just to experience the festival.  The closest free farm was Graysmarsh Berry Farm.  We followed Lacey's phone GPS and made our way to the farm...when we saw the sign we knew we made it.

We got out and I really wasn't sure what I was suppose to do.  I read the sign, $4.50 U-Cut and $5.50 already cut.  Duh, no brainer.  I borrowed the knife cutter thing from the lady and cut a bundle of lavender or should I say I murdered a bunch of lavender with a knife!  Muhahaha!

I brought the knife back, grabbed a starter lavender plant as well and paid the girl who was running the stand.  We continued taking pictures and then decided it was time to head back into Sequim.  We wandered an outdoor/gardening store and sadly that came to a short end due to everything closing at 6 and 7 p.m.  I still really wasn't all that hungry but it was almost time for dinner but first I saw there was a cache nearby, The Great Sequim Bike Race #1 (GC53VGA) and that one took a while to find.  After striking out several times I had an idea after reading the logs.  It had to be a magnet.

We drove to the nearest Chinese food restaurant, The Dynasty.  I had some egg rolls and some sticky rice.  They ordered a bunch of food so we put it on the lazy Susan and all shared a bit here and there.  We chatted and shared some stories while we ate.

We left Sequim after 8 p.m. and I thought we were meeting the boys before we left.  I guess not.  They were going to fish until it got dark and then come home on their own.  We went the same way home as we did coming up here.  We paid the toll of $5.50 over the Narrows Bridge and rolled into Sally's driveway just before 11.  I grabbed my stuff and Lacey walked me over to my house.  I thanked her for inviting me and gave her a hug because I didn't know when the next time I would see her again.  I hope it's not another two years from now.  It was fun making memories with you guys!

Next Adventure:  Clamming at Potlach State Park

Port Angeles, Sequim, Ediz Hook and Hurricane Ridge

Lacey and her family came to visit for about two weeks.  We tried to get together as much as we could because we haven't seen her in almost two years.  She invited me to go with her and her family to Sequim and Port Angeles at the end of the week.  I was so glad they were my days off.  I told her I looked forward to it and to count me in.

I bought a new duffel bag at Shopko and packed my stuff up to be ready the night before.  I got up at 6:30 and walked on over to next door.  They wanted to leave by 7...and that didn't happen.  So many things were going on.  Everyone was getting ready and packing the suburban.  Earl and Cody needed to drive to Tacoma separate to get the windshield replaced and they would meet us in Port Angeles.  Earl left mad.

We put everything into the suburban, climbed in and we were on our way to Port Angeles and Sequim via Hwy 16 and Hwy 3 through Bremerton finally onto Hwy 101.

Between Bremerton and Silverdale we stopped at a Denny's for breakfast.  I ordered the value Grand Slam...you just can't beat a $4 meal.  Afterwards, we went all the way to Port Angeles.  We had to stop once because Huxley had a small breakdown in the suburban.  I guess she wasn't used to sitting in a car seat that long.  Lacey had several things written down on a list of sights and places to visit while we were in the area.  Sequim was very busy this weekend because of the lavender festival.  I always thought it would be fun to see fields of lavender and bring some back for my mom and grandmothers.  Maybe we will get to it?

We got into down just after noon.  Our first stop was the pier area.  We walked the boardwalk waiting for Earl and Cody to arrive.  I did a virtual cache, Stairs for Stares (GCF6F4) while we waited.  I had to tell the owner how many stairs to the top and what direction we were facing when we got there.  It was a great view from the top.

About a half hour later they arrived and we went into the Feiro Marine Life Center.  Inside, I got to pet sea creatures and learn about dolphin skeletons.  I even got to touch whale baleen.

More information:  http://feiromarinelifecenter.org/

We wanted to go drive around and sight see for a while.  Lacey mentioned a place called the Ediz Hook and we wondered how to get there from the pier.   I think someone had asked.  All we had to do was follow the road and the signs.  It was such a beautiful day you could see everything.  The ocean and the mountains at the same time.   We hung out at the hook for a while.  We walked around, threw rocks, stacked rocks, took pictures, saw the coast guard helicopter fly circles and just enjoyed everyone's company.  I saw there were two caches here so Lacey and I went exploring.  She found the first one, Ediz Hook Views (GC4ZTEN).  It was attached to a stick out in plain sight.  I walked past it three times or more.  She was very excited to had found it first.

We walked down to the other one, it was less than a half a mile away.   Watch for Rocks and Water (GCJ0G3) was an ammo can hidden amongst the rocks near the road.  I gave Lacey the GPS to see if she could zero in on it.  I gave her a nudge or two in the right direction.

We all used the restroom and decided it was time for some dinner.  We drove back to the pier after some discussion in the suburban of what kind of food we wanted and we came up with fish and chips type of food.  To Smugglers Landing we go!  Since we had a part of more than ten we sat up in the bar area with a great view of the ocean and the town.  I think everyone ordered something that had some sort of fish in it.  My fish and chips were delicious.  I thanked Evan for dinner.

More info on dinner:  http://www.smugglerslanding.com/

Upon leaving the restaurant, we walked into the visitor's center to ask about Hurricane Ridge.  The guy knew more about the ferry's and Canada more than the stuff in Port Angeles.  Earlier, Lacey and I talked to one of the girls at the sea creature place and she told us it was worth the drive up there.  I also have been told by my friends who are from here to go to Hurricane Ridge.  I wouldn't be disappointed.  We all agreed to go.

We piled into the surburban and Earl, Tab and Cody followed us in their jeep.  We paid at the gate and up the 5,000+ grade we went.  As we went up, the views got more awesome and more prettier.  When we reached the visitor's center, there were quite a few people up here and tons of deer just hanging out.  Almost to the point where you could touch them.  We spent the next two hours taking pictures, standing in line for the bathroom and walking around.  Lacey and I walked up to a view of Mount Angeles.  There was an earthcache up there as well as the experience and the views.  Mount Angeles Lookout (GC1WW3N), required us to take some readings of our elevation in regards to the mountain and we needed to know some geology to figure out the rest.  Piece of cake.

We walked down and met everyone.  More pictures, more deer and people getting tired and were ready to head back to Sequim to check into the hotel.  We stopped at Swain's, similar to a Sunbird's, REI, and a Tri-State Outfitters.  Evan was looking into some fishing licenses so he and the boys could go fishing while they were up here.

We checked into the Sequim Bay Lodge.  (http://www.sequimbaylodge.com/)  All of our rooms were next to each other.  The rooms were alright...nothing like the Prairie Hotel, where I work.  I dissected the place and couldn't help myself.  About 10:00 everyone wanted to go to the store.  I told them there was a Safeway in Sequim along the main drag.   That's where we went.  Ice cream, crackers, bananas and drinks were among the main staples people were buying.   I ate my tiny container of chocolate ice cream while Lacey and I sat at the tables inside the store waiting for everyone.  Finally everyone was happy with their purchases and we went back to the hotel and got ready for bed.  I was exhausted.  6:30 in the morning is a horrible time to wake up and past midnight is a horrible time to go to bed.  That's summer and using the entire-waking-moment-of-your-days-off for ya.  Tomorrow will be another adventure.

Next Adventure:  Sequim, Olympic Game Farm and the Lavender Festival

Mowich Lake

We've wanted to go on a hike together for months and finally got an opportunity to do so.  We thought we'd drive up to Mowich Lake (I've never been there before), enjoy the lake and then hike up to Tolmie Peak.

We got up around 9ish and started getting ready.  We took Amy to work and picked up a few groceries at the store to take with us on our hike.  We went back to his house and made breakfast and lunch.  We got on the road shortly after in his dad's truck.  (His Explorer had a minor mishap and will be going to the shop the next day.)

We were on our way to Mowich.

We drove through South Prairie, part of Carbonado and Wilkeson on the 165.  I've been up past the Fairfax Bridge with Bob about a year ago.  We turned around before we got any further because it was snowing.  I have no idea what is beyond our turn around point.

We followed the road until the pavement turned into a dirt road.  It was nice until we got closer to the lake, we encountered very large potholes.  I didn't realize how popular this place was.  We had close to five different cars behind us.  One of them was a douche and tried to pass us.  Really?

We got to the trail head by the seasonal gate around 12:30.  The gate to the lake was closed!!  What!?  We saw that we had to pay to be here too.  We were so unprepared for this.  A few minutes after arriving, the park ranger for the area rumbled down the road in his truck.  He got out and answered everyone's questions.

We heard since the gate is closed you have to hike to Mowich.  Since the gate is closed there is no fee.  The gate opens tomorrow and it's going to be an 8-mile hike round trip to Mowich.  That meant we weren't going to have enough time or energy to do Tolmie.  It will have to be another time.

We got started up the 4 mile dirt road incline.  We weren't exactly sure how long it would take us to walk to the lake.

We saw a few waterfalls along the way.

About halfway there, two guys in hiking packs were right behind gaining on us.  The first guy was named Quinn and the second was Ethan, both were from the Gig Harbor area who now live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  They were heading to Sunrise.  We chatted for a while as we walked closer and closer to Mowich Lake.  Then they wanted to take pictures so we walked ahead without them.

Along the way we saw some beautiful views, remnants of snow pack along the road, flowers, lots of birds, insects and trickling water from rocks above us.

About the last half mile or so, we went around a long corner and saw our back packer friends and another guy wandering around up ahead.  I guess there is a trail that cuts off some of the road so you don't have to walk as far but we weren't sure about it.  The guy wondered where he was and asked where the lake was.  We told him the other way because he got disoriented when he came out of the woods.  I guess the trail still had some snow on it and was muddy.   We all continued at our own pace towards the lake.

We finally saw the sign!  We made it!! 

I couldn't believe how much snow was still around!  The scenery was gorgeous!  It was like looking at a postcard.  Why haven't I been here before!!  The views from the road were breathtaking.  We decided to get a closer look and find a place to eat our lunch.  We found a small trail that led to the lake.  I took my pack off and my shoes and socks.  Ben took his off as well.  We thought it would be a great idea to soak our feet in the frigid glacial waters.  You could only stand to be in there for about ten seconds.  After that it kinda paralyzed your feet.  You couldn't walk and had to limp to the shore.  We did this a few times before sitting down to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some Doritos.

We took in all we could while we ate.  We snapped a bunch of pictures of the scenery and of course ourselves being silly.

Before we left we found some giant frogs and Ben had to play with them.  Lol!

It was about time that we thought we should head back.  It was after three and we had 4 miles to walk...at least it was downhill this time.  We used the restroom and saw that Quinn and Ethan had set up camp nearby.  We talked to them for a bit and decided to make the trek back.

On our way down, we decided to try the "short cut" that they boys used.  The trail marker said it was called the Grindstone Trail.  I sure hoped that it shaved off some mileage.  Indeed, there were some patches of snow still on the ground which made it really muddy in places.  We made it back down to the main road and continued on the Grindstone just to see how far it really cut off.

We walked through the forest for a while talking about various things.  Eventually it took us back down to the road.  From there, the trail ended so we continued down the road towards the gate.  It actually took off at least a mile from our previous walk up to Mowich.  We got back to the gate around 6ish and took our boots and socks off and got into the truck to go home.  I was hungry.  Trish was going to make steaks and potatoes on the grill.  The entire hike took us about 5.5 hours and we gained about 1,300 feet in elevation.  I wished the gate would have been open so we could have gone to Tolmie that day.  Oh well I guess.  I hope to get around to it this summer on a nice clear day.

Next Adventure:  Port Angeles, Sequim, Ediz Hook and Hurricane Ridge