LOPEZ ISLAND

as the weather gets chillier

i find myself looking back to summer

and the fun and frolic we enjoyed,

and some of it even in the sunshine!

we like to camp.

and we are a bit particular

about our campgrounds.

we're not big fans of the

cigarette smoke wafting,

curse words flying,

pit bull leash pulling,

boom box tunes blasting

crowd.

that's why heading to lopez island

in the san juans is a great place.

it takes some effort to get there.

planning in advance.

making a reservation.

and taking the ferry,

which ain't cheap.
but all that planning
means that campgrounds in the san juans
tend to attract a certain crowd
that we don't mind being around
for a weekend.
it's snobbish, perhaps,
but i like to think of it as
self-preservation,
or more specifically,
vacation-preservation.

and speaking of, ehem, planning,

we did not plan to miss the ferry this year.

we did not plan to get on a different ferry

than our friends we were meeting.

we did not plan to sit in line for 6.5 hours

waiting for the next one to our island to sail.

but that's what happened.

and it sucked.

but thank the heavens for friends...

friends who present you with a pitcher of margaritas

and a fully set picnic table with a hot meal

waiting when we arrive

at the campsite.

friends who greet us like this:

friends like the swensons,

some of our favorite folk

in all the land.

we did a little jelly fish crafting...

and the boys took the opportunity

to spit

at the end of spencer spit.

you gotta do that.

you just gotta.

we did some rock collecting...

and farmer's market visiting.

we did a lot of this...

and perhaps even more of this.

it was a great weekend.

greater than great.

super dee duper great.

SUMMER VACAY FINAL STOP: BRITISH COLUMBIA

in this little town...

through this big lock...

on this big door...

and behind this huge wall...

is a fort.

fort langley.

an old hudson's bay trading company fort.

where were stayed.

in this tent.

for some supreme forting awesomeness.

there were sheep and goats to take vittles...

and guns to pose with.

there was barrel making...

and gold panning.

there was even a little theatrical presentation

starring our very own wyatt.

during the day, 

this place is a living history museum.

at night, it's a "campground" for the guests in the 5 tents.

a place to roast marshmallows on a huge bonfire.

and a spot for the goats (snap, crackle and pop)

and the sheep (juan and pablo).

to frolic with the chickens

(and the guests).

we picked veggies for our salad from the beautiful garden...

and even shared some with the bunnies.

there were two camp hosts,

and seriously two of the most interesting women

i have ever met.

i would have loved to have taken them

down to the local pub for a pint.

the stories they could tell!

the mosquitoes were relentless,

but if we pretend that trainwreck

never happened,

it was a fantastic end to a fantastic summery vacation!

oh, and did i mention that our first night in canada,

we went out to eat,

and wound up at...

a 1950s american style diner?

but we ordered kokanee.

that makes it ok, right?

STOP 5.5 ON OUR SUMMER VACATION TOUR: NORTH CASCADES

ah, the lovely north cascades national park.

we drove through this beauty

on our way from winthrop to canada.

it was a whirlwind,

with a big 'ol half hour stop

at a lookout.

we squeezed in one more view

at lake diablo...

and ran into these dweebikins.

i wonder where their parents were?

lake diablo is seriously one of the awesomest

bodies of water i have ever seen.

unbelievably green.

so so green!

i dream of schlepping a kayak here someday.

but alas, the border crossing was looming,

so away we went.

we shall meet again.

yep. it's a date.

STOP NO. 5 ON THE SUMMER VACATION TRAIN: WINTHROP, WA

so far on the replay

of our summer vacation tour,

we've seen thompson falls, mt,

spokane, wa

quartz mountain, wa,

thomas lake, wa,

and now we're heading

to winthrop, wa

for a little touristy trip.

we stayed along the river

near the heart of the town

so we could walk

wherever we wanted to go.

you see cool stuff when you walk,

like ginormous dandelions.

we found a super dee duper

delightful place to eat.

no use going anywhere else.

good food, beautiful setting

and most importantly,

beer.

good and plentiful.

when the tag line for the dining establishment is

"we're all about the beer,"

you stop.

no questions asked.

we practiced being cowpokes...

then went out and took a ride on the range.

yee haw.

we swung a few clubs

at the mini golf range...

and tried a local favorite,

East 20 Pizza.

we toured the methow river

via kayak.

it was cold.

we got wet.

there were rapids.

small rapids,

but still,

rapids.

it was cool for some of us.

and not so cool for some of us.

but we're glad we did it.

little winthrop.

a beautiful little touristy stop

with lots to offer

us davis folks

looking for a bit of adventure.