GIRL'S WEEK

While the boys were at the summer Boy Scouts Camp a couple of weeks ago, Amanda and I had fun doing a variety of things. We took a trip over to Tacoma, spent the night and toured the city, hitting the mall, REI, and several other places of interest. I took her to Olive Garden, a place she decided had to be her favorite restaurant now. On our way home we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls, kind of by accident looking for a place to take Maddy for a walk. There is a beautiful lodge that sits at the top of the falls and a nice 1/2 mile trail one way down to an overlook. However, just buying water there was expensive, so from now on if we stop again, we will definitely remember to bring our own beverages. Tuesday morning was a morning of leisure as we traveled downtown Moses Lake to a cute coffee shop and had pastries with coffee and juice. Since all the shops were opened due to it being a weekday, we took the time to explore more of the town in which we live. Having put in a few hours, we returned to have Caesar salads and watch Anne of Green Gables. Wednesday found us laying around the house in our pj's enjoying good food and watching those movies we never get to watch when the boys are around. We decided to take a trip up to Leavenworth on Thursday and took a friend with us. Therese and Amanda had quite the fun trying on hats in the hat shop. Artists had their paintings and photo studios set up on the main street, horses carried sightseers throughout the town, and lunch next to the river all added to the ambiance of the day. Swimming was on the agenda for Friday, so we went to Moses Lake where Amanda hooked up with some friends and spent most of the day in the water. I got to read a book and enjoy the sunshine. Of course chores were let go most of the week so Saturday morning found us scurrying to clean up the house just a bit...how messy can two girls be?...and then we welcomed two extremely tired boys back home Saturday afternoon.

LAKE ROOSEVELT AGAIN

Another trip to Lake Roosevelt to flee from temperatures of 100 degrees found our family enjoying the lake, camping, and a scenic drive of 310 miles. We camped at Hunters Campground Saturday night, and then due to a flat tire on our camper Sunday as we were beginning our scenic drive around the lake and home, we camped at Kettle Falls campground Sunday night. The kids were able to swim in both places. Hunters Campground has a nice swimming area, while at Kettle Falls one must hike down the hillside of sand to the edge where they either can sit on rocks right at the edge of the lake, or jump into clear, cold water for a refreshing swim. Once the camper tire was fixed we were able to take the scenic loop bringing us within 28 miles of the Canadian border and then back down on the west side of the lake to the Keller Ferry, which transported us back across the lake, camper and all. We found many trails up around the north end of the lake, which will take us back to explore, hike, and backpack in the future. The northern lake is forested, mountainous, and beautiful. The more south one travels, they are lead into dry desert, hot weather, and sage brush. It is one of the few national forests that all campgrounds are first come, first serve, although reservations can be made, and the camping fees are $10 per night during peak season, and $5 for off-season. Winter activities can be enjoyed such as cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, and snow machining. There are many boat-in campsites available if you have the ability to travel the lake's waters. Tourist attractions are offered in several locations such as houseboat rentals, boats, water skiing accessories, canoes, and kayaks. For bikers, the three different scenic loops is a must if one has the time. Three locations offer free ferry crossings for pedestrians, bikers, and vehicles of all sizes. We really enjoy the northern section of the lake, only because we prefer the mountains and forests over the desert.

STEAMBOAT ROCK JULY 2009

View all

Get your own

If anyone wanted to find us on July 3, they would have found us at Steamboat Rock once again playing in the water and sun on a day when temperatures were close to 100 degrees. With the cooler packed with all kinds of goodies, chairs put in for relaxing, and swim gear ready to be used, we anticipated a wonderful day. Dale and I enjoyed sitting in the water basking in the sun while the kids spent most of the day in the water and on the island. Taking the grill allowed everyone to enjoy hamburgers for dinner. Upon leaving and returning home, one of eastern Washington's beautiful sunsets accompanied us home displaying brilliant colors of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. The day ended up being the perfect event prior to Dale and Spencer leaving for Boy Scout summer camp.