Goodbye Summer…

Goodbye to Summer 2021!! The Summer of Travel, Friends, and Family after a long 18 months of Covid isolation. People broke out of their social chrysalises to try being butterflies again… it worked for some, not so much for others.

My summer began with a trip to Seattle to visit with a friend I haven't seen in years. It was great to catch up and see all the fir trees and water. Visiting Puget Sound wouldn’t be the same without a ferry ride!

Exploring the docks and the market is also fun to do!

We also went on some hikes near Monroe, Washington. The first one included getting lost in the journey of our destination, but happily resulted in some of my favorite photos of the summer…

We also hiked to the top of Wallace Falls near Gold Bar, Washington. It was a fun 5 miles!

After a great few days up north, it was time to head back to the hot southwest in early June. I had planned several camping trips up on the Mogollon Rim and Grand Canyon, but sadly car issues and forest fires resulted in fizzled plans. I was sad about being homebound, but did a lot of hikes in the local area before sunrise. Then it was back to the Pacific Northwest to spend time with the family! My youngest son and I arrived on the 4th of July and had a lot of fun relaxing outside and visiting in the cooler temps. I had fun photographing my dad “doing the hay” in the lower field.

Back when my grandparents were alive, we would store the hay in their barn, which was built in the early 1900’s. The current owners have had it registered as a historic landmark. My cousins and I had a lot of fun playing in the barn when we were children. It has 3 levels, and the bottom level had an entrance to a corral for the farm animals. We used to climb into the top level and rest and talk in the soft warm hay. The farm kittens would play there as well.

Family time this summer also included hiking with my sister and nephew at Battle Ground Lake!

Another hike included Loowit Trail at Mount St. Helens. I have been wanting to do that trail since I came across the Plains of Abraham on a hike about a decade ago. It encircles the top section of the mountaintop, and has great views. I was able to do a few miles of it this time— definitely not the full trail! It is mostly all huge granite boulders that have been tumbled down from the eruption, and you have to hop from rock to rock to get anywhere. I was not a fan of the hopping or the crevices between the boulders. To be honest, I had a panic attack on top of one of them, when it teetered precariously and I almost fell. I did push through that crippling anxiety and kept going, but after reaching a lava flow zone and taking photos of the dripping waterfall, I was ready to head back to the trailhead.

*Walking through the forest before reaching the higher section of Mt. St. Helens*

The fog lifted and the view was awesome!

*End of the trail for me that day… gorgeous view of little trickling waterfalls from the melted snow.*

The next day we headed to the beach. A trip to the Pacific Northwest is never complete without visiting the Oregon Coast!

*Hiked Crescent Beach trail to reach the sand and water.*

*Walking along the historic district of Astoria, Oregon*

*The convergence of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean*

A few more day trips included visiting friends at the Rose Garden and driving along the Columbia Gorge. Being a native of the PNW, it was great to see the old sights but super frustrating with the huge crowds of people.

Before heading back home, I visited Mouton Falls and took a hike to see the bridge at sunrise. I also walked along the old roads to the sites that hold special memories of my pioneer grandparents.

*Moulton Falls Bridge at Lewis River, Washington*

*The historic schoolhouse of my community of Venersborg, Washington*

*My grandmother created this map of the Swedish/Finnish settlement. The original settlers are listed on the left, including both sets of my Swedish great-grandparents.*

It was a whirlwind of two weeks of visiting, camping, hiking, and road trips. I loved seeing my family again and feeling “normal.” I should add that obviously I shared the highlights of the summer, and it wasn’t all fun-and-games at times. That’s my biggest beef about social media- we choose to show the happiest and best moments and photos of our life. I could include photos of my car being towed away for a crazy expensive part, sitting at a table for hours, writing curriculum for the upcoming school year. I could show the ceiling of my sister’s house, where I fell out of bed because my lower back completely clinched up after hiking Mount St. Helens and the beach in less than 48 hours. Although it’s good to remember the hard times that we persevered through, it’s ironic how we don’t pick up the camera to document them!

The Summer of 2021 was mostly a great one, despite a few hiccups along the way. But all good things must come to an end…

Hello, autumn…

Driving Nowhere