Summer and Fall 2021

After not being able to travel for a year, we decided to go all out this summer and visit as many places as we could. It felt like every week we were doing something different. We started off the summer with a bike trip on the Tunnel Trail in Wisconsin. We went through all three train tunnels and got a bit wet in a few of them. Then we stopped over at Wisconsin Dells for some waterslide fun and pool time. After the exhaustion of being at a park overnight, we went back to biking and hiking around the Baraboo area. We visited the Ringling Circus area and Devil's lake before heading to Madison to spend time with relatives.

Tunnel Trail Sparta, Wisconsin

Devil's Lake A few weeks later, we were off on our Seattle/Portland trip. Our first day of the trip was spent downtown Seattle visiting the Space Needle, the Gum Wall and walking the downtown area. Then we spent the night in Olympia. After finding a pizza place, we spent some time on the boardwalks and explored the parks next to the capital building. We also had a chance to visit the Children's museum and found lots of cool things to explore like a tornado you could throw balls into and a pirate ship you could play in.

Space Needle Children's Museum

Olympia State Capitol Then we were off to the coast to visit Astoria and the beach where Lewis and Clark probably walked. In the evening we took the car out on the sand and almost got it stuck in a big drift. The next day we visited Fort Clatsop and met a dog that was similar to Seaman (Lewis's dog from the journey). We also visited another beach and watched a man dig for clams with a special tool. He showed us how he found them and what they looked like after they were dug up. We also played on the swingsets they had on the beach. A few cartwheels and flips were thrown in for extra fun.

Lewis and Clark's Fort

Swinging at Seaside Beach Next stop was Portland. As we came into town, we stopped at the local Zoo and saw a variety of animals. They had some elephants and a cheetah which we had not seen in person before. When we got to our house for the night it was late so we went out for tacos. The house had a ping-pong table and some board games we played in the evening. The next day we were off to the Science Museum to see the Dinosaur exhibit and to visit downtown Portland. Dan was so fascinated by the animated dinosaurs that we had to go through the exhibit twice. We saw Chinatown but quickly had to move on because there was a large population of homeless from the pandemic and people were not being safe with their language and actions.

Chinatown

Science Museum Dinosaur Exhibit In the afternoon, we decided to visit a local pool. In the evening we hiked up a small hill in a park that was right next to our house. It was called Mt. Tabor. It had a beautiful view of downtown Portland. There was a piano at the top where anyone could stil down to play as the sunset. They also had a fun playground for the girls with beautiful views.

Waterfalls near Portland The following morning, we stopped at a few waterfalls. We hiked up to the top and a ways onto a hiking trail before deciding we had enough hiking for the day. We also visited a river valley for lunch. The remainder of the day was driving to our next location where we would stay the night. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant. The girls tried Pho for the first time. Our plan had been changed when a house was no longer available, so we stayed at a flea market. It was an interesting stay. The host was very kind but we could tell he had not had any visitors in awhile. I did like his back and foot massager that he supplied and Dan and the girls used the sauna.

Eating Pho We started our next day out early. We visited Mt. St. Helens. The girls were excited to see it, but weren't very enthusiastic about climbing it. It was hot and dusty at the top and the drops were quite significant in some locations. There was also a race taking place the day we were on the mountain so people were always trying to run around us. We decided to hike a bit lower down by the lake and then went in the lake. It was cold and the adults standing on the shore had no idea how our whole family was able to get in the icy water. It felt refreshing but we didn't stay in too long. After our day of hiking we stopped at a local hamburger joint for dinner.

Lake at Mt. Saint Helens In the evening we walked around the Flea Market and mainly relaxed from the day. The next morning we went blueberry picking and found a hidden waterfall. Then we were off to Tacoma for our last night. We had planned to visit another local pool that day but it was so crowded we decided to walk away. Instead we ended up at beach that had crystal clear water and tons of space to swim (perhaps my favorite location we found on the trip). The remainder of the evening was spent walking on the beach and watching the sunset from the jacuzzi on the front porch of our house.

Hidden Waterfall

Unplanned Lake Visit

Jacuzzi watching the sun set On our last day, we swam in the morning at yet another crystal clear lake and then hiked around near the Tacoma garden area. We saw some amazing Red Wood trees before heading back to the airport for our journey home. I think we were all glad to be back after the long week and the traffic near Seattle.

Swimming at Lake America

Rose Garden and Red Woods "Don't fall off the cliff signs" A week later the girls were off to a day camp where they rode horses, went ziplining and played a variety of outdoor games. We visited the lakes and parks in our area in the evenings. We also got together with some friends from swimming to float our wishes out onto the lake using Chinese lanterns.

Visiting new parks on our bikes

Chinese latern making In August, Dan took the girls to Madeline Island while Erin completed a required training for her new teaching position. They had a great time jumping off cliffs, biking and hiking. Dan got a bad hornet bite on his lip but the girls nursed him back to health.

Ferry Ride to the Island

Hanging out at the Cliffs The travel continued as summer turned into fall. We visited the Cannon Valley trail on our bikes and stopped for ice cream at a local shop. We also went to Mille Lacs and climbed their fire lookout tower to see the fall leaves. As the temperatures dropped, we visited a few more locations closer to home. The trees were gorgeous at William OBrien State Park and we had a chance to go down by the Mississippi River a few times. The girls and I have been taking art classes together this fall.

Cannon Valley Trail

Mille Lacs Fire Tower

William OBrien State Park

Mississippi River Walks In school, the girls are learning physics and geology. Analise is very excited to learn about earth quakes and how the plates work. Emma is excited for her Rube Goldberg trap creation. She is her team's leader. Both girls participated in speech meet and did an outstanding job memorizing their speeches. We were proud of both of them. Emma passed from fourth grade to fifth grade math this fall and she excited to have her skills appropriately challenged. Analise still has a passion for reading and can be found with a book in her hands when she gets the chance. Emma started clarinet this fall and is working on her "karate belts." Each time she accomplishes a new song, she gets a belt. She is hoping to get her green belt soon. Over MEA, we visited Pinehaven Farm. The whole family jumped on the giant "air pillow" and the girls went down various slides. We stopped for a fair amount of time to play in a bed of corn. The girls were surprised by how smooth their skin was after playing in the corn. We also checked out the corn maze and petted a few goats and cows. The following day we visited the Three Rivers Park district and hiked some of their trails. They have an amazing playground with some many unique toys. We also visited the Springbrook Nature center Pumpkin Nights event. They had over 1,000 carved pumpkins on the trails for us to view. The favorite of everyone in our family was a carving of a cocker spaniel puppy. We hung out be the bonfires and listened to some music for a bit before returning home.

Pinehaven Farm Analise is in gymnastics and she frequently teaches all the kids at school her tricks. She has started a gymnastics club at recess time. Emma is a fast swimmer and enjoys freestyle. Analise just passed all of her classes and will start with the swim team in November. Emma started basketball and we have been out on the court at the playground working on dribbling and passing skills. Both girls attend figure skating lessons and love to skate backwards or twirl around on the ice. For Halloween the ice skating school had a free gathering where students could wear costumes and do fun activities on the ice. I am not sure how they hula-hooped on the ice but they did.

Gymnastics Stunts Next month, we will be serving meals to the homeless at Thanksgiving and hopefully still getting out a few more times for some hikes before it snows. Emma signed up to be an altar server. We are excited to see her perform her tasks during mass. The girls will get some time with grandma the second week in November when school is cancelled for conferences. They are looking forward to time with her. In December, Dan will visit his cousin for her wedding and Erin will wrap gifts for those in need during the holiday season with her friend Joy. We are planning a cookie baking get together with grandma and the girls will have a holiday music performance with their school. Emma is learning "Jingle Bells" on the clarinet and Analise is singing, "Hark the Harold Angels Sing." Lots to look forward to in the coming months.