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<p>Big thanks to those who provided me with some great ideas as to where to visit/how to maximize our limited time out in the PNW! Quick summary/thoughts about our family's great trip;</p>
<p>- Seattle is hillier than I ever imagined. Kind a baby version of San Fran. </p>
<p>- Ichiro is a bigger star than I thought. We enjoyed the bb game! </p>
<p>- We loved the hiking in Olympic N.P. Especially in the rain forest. Wine/hot chocolate at two old Lodges (from early 1900) was very enjoyable while playing board games. </p>
<p>- What a view of Mt. Rainier we had from the window of our room at Paradise Inn. DH and I ran the Paradise loop (4miles) - wow!!</p>
<p>- Learned quite a bit by attending several Ranger-lead talk/hikes at Olympic, Mt. Rainier, Mt.St. Helen, and Crater Lake NP's. Kids got four Jr. Ranger badges/patches.</p>
<p>- We were amazed how drastic the weather changes between the OR coast and inland. Super-windy in 40's vs. 90's! It was chilly running in tanktop/shorts in early morning by the water, but beautiful. </p>
<p>- Portlant traffic at 4pm on Friday was.... aweful. DH missed a few wine tastings he was looking forward to in the Wilmeatte valley. And it almost costed us our marriage (yes, the traffic was THAT bad).</p>
<p>- The blue color of the Crater Lake was beyond what words could describe. Would have loved swimming a bit even in the water temp in 40's, just to be in it. </p>
<p>- Going through lots of small towns - the stores/restaurants close early i.e. 9pm. Hotel/motel check-in is not 24hrs. A little culture shock, having lived in a big city for many years. </p>
<p>- Food is EXPENSIVE (I guess because we were in the tourist cities mainly). </p>
<p>- To our great surprise, we rarely encoutered the tourist traffic known for the summer time in the National Parks. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lots of hiking (+ about 20miles running) and learning, as we expected. We are planning to go Yosemite/Sequoia/Kings Canyon/Death Valley (even Joshua Tree) next summer. I had better reserving those old Lodges/Inns from early 1900! They are pricey but the atmosphere/history plus the convenience can't be beaten. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>- Seattle is hillier than I ever imagined. Kind a baby version of San Fran. </p>
<p>- Ichiro is a bigger star than I thought. We enjoyed the bb game! </p>
<p>- We loved the hiking in Olympic N.P. Especially in the rain forest. Wine/hot chocolate at two old Lodges (from early 1900) was very enjoyable while playing board games. </p>
<p>- What a view of Mt. Rainier we had from the window of our room at Paradise Inn. DH and I ran the Paradise loop (4miles) - wow!!</p>
<p>- Learned quite a bit by attending several Ranger-lead talk/hikes at Olympic, Mt. Rainier, Mt.St. Helen, and Crater Lake NP's. Kids got four Jr. Ranger badges/patches.</p>
<p>- We were amazed how drastic the weather changes between the OR coast and inland. Super-windy in 40's vs. 90's! It was chilly running in tanktop/shorts in early morning by the water, but beautiful. </p>
<p>- Portlant traffic at 4pm on Friday was.... aweful. DH missed a few wine tastings he was looking forward to in the Wilmeatte valley. And it almost costed us our marriage (yes, the traffic was THAT bad).</p>
<p>- The blue color of the Crater Lake was beyond what words could describe. Would have loved swimming a bit even in the water temp in 40's, just to be in it. </p>
<p>- Going through lots of small towns - the stores/restaurants close early i.e. 9pm. Hotel/motel check-in is not 24hrs. A little culture shock, having lived in a big city for many years. </p>
<p>- Food is EXPENSIVE (I guess because we were in the tourist cities mainly). </p>
<p>- To our great surprise, we rarely encoutered the tourist traffic known for the summer time in the National Parks. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lots of hiking (+ about 20miles running) and learning, as we expected. We are planning to go Yosemite/Sequoia/Kings Canyon/Death Valley (even Joshua Tree) next summer. I had better reserving those old Lodges/Inns from early 1900! They are pricey but the atmosphere/history plus the convenience can't be beaten. </p>
<p> </p>
