Tacoma, Washington

In September we went down to Tacoma, Washington so I could have a surgery. We weren't able to do much sightseeing in the area, but we did visit Point Defiance Park a couple of times. The park is located right on the Puget Sound. On our first visit there we were able to enjoy watching jelly fish and seals in the water. As we were driving through the park an owl dive-bombed our car and then landed on a tree. We just had to stop the car and get out to take some pictures. Neither of us had seen an owl in the wild before. It was an absolutely gorgeous bird. 

The day after surgery, I woke up to this view of Mount Rainier out my hospital window. The mountain was visible all day long. We were told that it is rare to see Mount Rainier. I guess we got lucky. We saw it the next day as well. 

A few days after surgery, I was feeling well enough to take another trip to Point Defiance Park. This time we did the Five Mile Drive in the park. We saw over 15 raccoons on the drive. They would come right up to the cars and beg for food. They were not shy at all. Crazy trash pandas! We also enjoyed some nice views of the Sound. Tacoma seems like the perfect place to live: You get both water and mountains. The plethora of trash pandas is icing on the cake!

Another August Adventure

August was a busy month for us this year. Just a few days after getting home from Colorado, we were on a plane again. This time we flew to Atlanta and headed north to Franklin, North Carolina for the wedding of some dear friends. They got married in Nantahla National Forest. I could not imagine a more beautiful place for a wedding. Husband officiated the ceremony, which took place overlooking the mountains. The bride was absolutely stunning; the groom was handsome; and the officiant wasn't too shabby either. We were honoured to be a part of such a wonderful wedding.

We had some time to explore the area a bit so we decided to try our hand at gem mining. Apparently it is a big thing in this part of North Carolina as there was no shortage of gem mining places. Basically, you sift through a big bucket of dirt and rocks, hoping to find gems. It was a bit difficult to discern which rocks were gems and which ones were just rocks, but thanks to the help of an employee, we finally figured it out. Husband found a ruby that was nice enough to be cut so we had it turned into earrings. 

Believe it or not, these are rubies and sapphires. 

Our flight back had a connection in Seattle - it is almost impossible to fly from Fairbanks and NOT stop in Seattle. We decided to schedule a 12 hour layover so we could experience more of Seattle than just the airport. We went to Pike's Market and watched the flying fish. We also went to the top of the Space Needle. It was a beautiful day for that: a little smokey from the fires, but the sky was clear and it wasn't raining, which I am told is a rare thing in Seattle. We conquered our fears and trepidation and walked on the rotating glass floor at the Space Needle. A glass floor is pretty scary. A rotating glass floor? Terrifying! But we did it and it wasn't too bad.

Denali and Colorado

In August, we were able to spend a couple nights just outside of Denali National Park. Gary the Elephant was able to come with us, and he enjoyed himself very much. We didn't see any animals on our drives into the park, but we did see Denali. That mountain always fills us with awe. It looms so big. We have seen it many times, but never from inside the park. 

 Denali

Less than 12 hours after returning home from Denali, we were on a plane headed to Colorado for a week long conference. Since we had some spare time before the conference started, we decided to visit the Garden of the Gods. What a beautiful place! Gary traveled with us again, taking up precious space in our luggage that could have been used for Hobby Lobby and Target purchases, but he was happy to be included.

After the week was over, we had some time to kill before our flight so we headed to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge features hiking trails, and an 11-mile (18km) wildlife drive. We chose to do the drive instead of hike (I am sure those of you reading this are not surprised). The Refuge was crawling with black-tailed prairie dogs. We enjoyed watching them pop in and out of their holes, chase each other around, and run all over the place. I was hoping we would see at least one bison and I was not disappointed. The deer were right along the side of the road, and didn't seem too bothered by our presence. I appreciated that because it allowed us to get some pictures. I like it when animals accommodate our picture taking.

We tasted Smashburger for the first time at the Denver airport. All future trips are now being planned around Smashburger locations. If you have one near you and you haven't tried it yet, GO! You won't be disappointed.