Sunday afternoon, Mary Jo and John spent an hour kayaking in Lake Washington near the I-90 bridge. We dropped the kayaks from Mercer Island and went south and then north on a beautiful sunny day - with the Seattle skyline on one side and the Bellevue skyline on the other.
Leaving on a Sunday morning, a coyote was casually walking up the street. Clearly hurt (really just with three legs), he hobbled up the street before lying down in the middle of the street to sun himself.
In late August, John, Joseph, and Henry continued on their quest to complete the top ten hikes in Washington with an outstanding hike that certainly deserved its place on the list. Certainly one of the two or three prettiest hikes we've done in Washington, the hike left from just past the Mount Baker ski area, and climbed up a ridge to a chain of lakes (thus the name of the hike!) just below Mount Baker, with another mountain, Mt Shuksan, looming over as well. Lots of bright colors and a great hike. It got a bit crowded, somewhat surprising since it's a bit remote, nearly 3 hours from Seattle, but that was the only downside to what was a great hike.
Stuck in time - the last snow report in the Mt Baker ski lodge before they were shut down for Covid
Jack headed out to Boulder for college on August 18, driving out with Mary Jo. Before leaving, a few final activities in the Seattle area - Jetskiing on Lake Washington and dinner at John Howie steakhouse (coinciding with Henry's 16th birthday). He packed the car early the next morning and hit the road for the twenty-hour drive!
Continuing on our list of best hikes in the Seattle area, the three boys and John went down to Mt Rainier National Park on the Friday in August before Jack left for college to do the hike to Summerland camp. It was a bit chilly at the start, and a steady ascent through a forest for a few miles, before emerging in a meadow with lots of wildflowers. We had a great view of Rainier at the end of the hike, as well as surrounding foothills.
