Coeur dAlene, ID, October 9 & 10, 2010

It was good to get back to the good ole USA! We stayed in Coeur dAlene, Idaho. It is really pretty here. There are a lot of trees on hills and lots of lakes. It was really cold though!!

The hotel we stayed at was really nice and it was all decorated up for Halloween. In the lobby they had cobwebs from the big stone fireplace to the chandelier. There were big mummies on each side of the door. There was a zombie holding a bowl of candy. It was really fun!

This was one of our favorite wards that we have attended on our journey! They were all so friendly here. We really enjoyed it.

We watched the kite surfers on the lake Monday morning. It was windy and cold!!

Vancouver, BC, Canada, October 1 - 9, 2010

What an awesome city Vancouver is! We love it! There is lots of water everywhere and bridges to each part of the city. We have explored so many things here and have loved each one of them.

One of our favorite places in Vancouver is Stanley Park. It is a beautiful 1,000 acre park with lots of trails, trees, lakes, totem poles, beaches, city views, playgrounds, etc. It has it all! It is adjacent to downtown Vancouver. We went here numerous times and enjoyed it each time.

We went across the Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver and up to Grouse Mountain. There we went hiking and walked across a suspension bridge to hike up to a beautiful waterfall! The bridge was spooky when is moved but it was fun. It was very green and lush and very beautiful.

One day was spent at the Vancouver Museum of Science. The Body Exhibit was showing there and we were able to go see it. Wow. As Christopher says, "It's amazing, but gross!" The boys were most impressed with the lungs of a nonsmoker as compared to the lungs of a smoker! I'm glad that made such an impression!

Another favorite spot was Granville Island. There were a lot of little shops with lots to see and they even had a Kids Market that the boys loved. It was filled with about 20 shops all dedicated to toys, kids books, puppets, and all things that kids love. The boys had a blast going in all the shops and seeing all there was. There was also a farmers market there that was fun to see.

We rode the ferry over to North Vancouver one day and went to the market at the ferry landing. What fun! They had a tower there that we went up on that gave us a great view of the city.

One afternoon was spent looking for the Mormon temple. We had the address, but the GPS didn't pull up anything. We searched and searched and finally found the temple. We were taking pictures on the lawn in front of the temple and had just moved off the lawn when the sprinklers came on! That was a close one!! They were just putting in the landscaping for the temple and were testing the sprinkler system! We almost got wet!!

We have decided that Vancouver is definitely a place we want to go back to!!

Seattle, September 30, 2010

We love Seattle! It has been fun being here for 5 days. We got to see and do a lot! Today we went to visit the Boeing Aircraft factory. That was amazing. We went into the biggest building in the world where they make the air crafts for all the different airlines. The latest one is the 787 which will be released in January. It is amazing! We learned that most air planes are painted white because white paint weighs less that colored paint. Who would have thought!

After leaving the Boeing plant we took the ferry over to Widbey Island. That was a beautiful drive. We drove onto the ferry and then went up top to sit and watch the view. Wow!! We drove all the way up the island through Oak Harbor and then stayed in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Gig Harbor & Seattle, September 23 - 28, 2010

We have absolutely fallen in love with Gig Harbor!! It is awesome. If we were going to move away from San Diego this would be one place we would definitely consider!! We loved the small town feel but being right across the bridge from the city. We loved all the water around, the harbor the lakes, the sail boats! We loved all the green everywhere! The boys said this was their favorite church we have attended since we left. We just liked it all!

On Saturday we went into Seattle and went up in the Space Needle. That was a lot of fun. What a gorgeous view from up top! We did a lot of walking along the waterfront and ate dinner there on the waterfront. Fun!! We went to Pike Place Market but they were just closing so we will be back on Monday.

Well, Monday came and we went back to the Market. It was a lot of fun with lots to see. My favorites were the fish market and the flowers. At the fish market, every time someone would order a fish they would yell out the order and then the guy out front picks up the fish and throws it to the guy behind the counter to wrap it up. It's fun seeing those huge fish fly through the air!! The flowers were incredible!! There was just bouquet after bouquet. They were beautiful!!

Later we went to the locks where they raise and lower the boats from Peugeot Sound to the lake. That was very interesting! We watched as they raised the boats about 20 feet so they could enter the lake. We also watched the salmon swimming up the ladders. They have an underwater viewing area and you can watch them swim upstream. The boys loved that!!

Port Angeles, WA September 22, 2010

When Christopher woke up this morning he jumped out of bed and said, "It's a fishing day!" He was so excited to be going fishing. We have been seeing pictures of these huge fish people are catching all around this area so he wanted to go catch one.

Well, after several hours on the river fishing.... No luck! I felt bad for him but he says he's not giving up! He said he has a score to settle with those fish!! We'll try again another day!! The only thing he caught today was a long stick! He thought he had one on because it was pulling on his line but when he reeled it in it was just a stick!!

La Push, WA & Sol Duc Waterfall, Septerber 21, 2010

About 15 miles from Forks, WA is La Push, WA where there are some beautiful beaches! We headed there and it was so nice to be back at the beach!! Just the smell of the ocean was heavenly!! We hiked down the side of a hill to get down to the beach and play around. The boys loved all the logs laying on the beach and tried building tee pees out of them. They had a lot of fun.

We went to Sol Duc Waterfall in Olympic National Park. That was a lot of fun. We had to hike about 1 mile into the falls through the forest. It is so green and lush with tons of moss and ferns everywhere! It is so calm and peaceful in the forest. Very quiet. It is a beautiful hike and well worth the effort to see the falls.

The drive on into Port Angeles took us by some beautiful lakes and lots of rivers that made Christopher want to go fishing all the more. We decided that tomorrow has to be a fishing day!

Looking across the straight of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles you can see Victoria, Canada and the mountains. We are anxious to go see some of Canada but we won't be headed over there yet....

Hoh Rain Forest, Forks, WA September 20, 2010

Finally!! We saw the sun today for the first time in about a week!! It's about time because I was becoming one cranky gal!! My guys can all verify that!! It has drizzled on us all week.

Today we headed to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. It was sunny until we got close to the rain forest and then guess what?? Of course! Rain!! It was amazing to see. It is so green with moss growing everywhere and ferns all through the forest. It was beautiful!! If you ever get a chance, go see it!!! They get about 144 inches of rain each year.

Tonight we stayed in vampire country! Forks, Washington. This is where the Twilight series took place. I was surprised at how small the town is. I didn't really know what to look for since I am not a Twilight fan but I did take one picture of the school.