Beautiful Country

In June, Cherie and I had the opportunity to enjoy our vacation in the utterly beautiful Pacific Northwest.  To many, thoughts of Washington state gravitate toward drizzly rain and grey skies.  But for us, we were blessed with nine out of ten perfect days of clear skies and sun!  The first part of this time was spent in Bellingham, Washington, with Canada ten miles to the north, Bellingham Bay and the coastal islands to the west, and a view of Mount Baker to the east.  It is hard to beat that combination.  One of our days, we drove up into Canada and saw a string of nature sightings–first a raccoon crossing our path, several nearby deer along the roadside complete with speckled fauns, and a large Bald Eagle eating just yards in front of us.  Another day we joined a whale watching boat on a perfect day.  At one point the captain stopped the boat, turned off the engine, and we waited in awed silence as a pod of 10 Orcas (Killer Whales) came to us, literally a stone’s throw away, and we watched them, jumping and playing and hunting for nearly half an hour before they moved on.  Simply awesome.  A third day we drove up into the mountains near Mount Baker and walked to where crews were clearing the park road in mid-June and cutting through the remaining snow drifts that were still up to 30 feet deep.  We spent each of these days with a dear friend that recently moved there from Dallas.  Thanks for a great time, Anita!

We spent two days in Seattle as we toured around and enjoyed the city.  The second day was our only rainy day, so we went inside and visited their fun aquarium.  Then our last few days were spent with Cherie’s niece and her husband.  This included a visit to Snoqualmie Falls, a trip to Mount Rainier (left), and a steep mountain climb up to a remote lake that left me very uncertain whether I would finish the climb or die trying.  I made it.  But it was worth it to see this amazing lake surrounded by deep snow.  As we turned a corner in the trail, I was also able to meet a mountain friend (pictured to the right) up close and personal.

We thank the Lord to have had so many great experiences and places to visit.  God’s creation is amazing!