Tom's August-through-October sabbatical from work last year was so fulfilling, that he decided to make it an annual event ... at least for a while!
This year, plans are in the works for more road tripping, plus some local fun. But, first was just some time to enjoy not going to work at all! We decided to tackle a couple of deferred house projects ... not exactly fun, but pretty mindless. And it's all work at your own pace. First it was converting Kelsey's bedroom into a guest room ... which expanded into a once-every-20-years paint job, as well as figuring out what mattress to put in there. And the paint on the house exterior was peeling in a few areas, so those got tackled as well. Mixed in with that was regular exercise, and just relaxing. We also managed to fit in a couple of very nice day hikes as the mountains opened up.
Our first trip was to Commonwealth Basin and Red Pass, near Snoqualmie Pass. Not a spectacular hike, but it was an easy drive, and it was nice to get out in the fresh air and work the legs. Quite a few flowers, and some excellent mountain views from the pass. On the way up, we passed a trail crew that was headed up with hand tools to do some logging out of the trail (no power tools allowed in the wilderness). We only passed one spot where anything seemed like work was needed ... and it was a couple of 3' diameter trees across the trail at a creek crossing. We thought "Yikes, this will be a big job! Is this what they're coming to work on?" On the way back down, sure enough, there was the crew, sawing away with a big 2-man cross-cut saw!
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| Rosy Spirea |
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| Columbia Tiger Lily |
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| Mt. Thompson, with Chimney Rock and Overcoat Peak in the distance. |
The second hike was to Paradise at Mount Rainier. We linked together a few trails (Deadhorse Creek, Skyline, Upper Skyline, and Lakes Loop) to make an ~8 mile loop that first went up high to Panarama Point, then down to Reflection Lakes via Mazama Ridge. Despite the significant crowds (really? even mid-week?), the beautiful weather, great views, and billions of flowers were fantastic! Tom had trouble making any progress at all in the hiking department due to the need to photograph at least most of the flowers. Amazing! Ear-to-ear smiles! This is definitely on our "do again" list, but we'd want to camp nearby so we can enjoy it all in the evening light! We finished the day off with a leisurely drive home, stopping in Greenwater for a yummy burger at Naches Tavern.
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| Magenta Paintbrush |
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| Mountain Pasqueflower |
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| Wildflowers with Castle and Pinnacle Peaks |
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| Flower-filled meadow and Mt. Rainier |
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| Sluiskin Falls, Mazama Ridge, and Tatoosh Range |
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| Mt. Rainier |
Activities
- Painting (interior and exterior)
- Shopping for beds and furniture (oh boy, what fun!)
- Reading, relaxing, hanging out, and exercise
- Dayhikes (Commonwealth Basin/Red Pass, Paradise)
5-Star Moments
Tom's Daily Stress Points
- How should we use our huge credit at the mattress store, while figuring out whether there's a bed that's comfortable and that we can get upstairs to our bedroom?
Sleeps
Eats
- Naches Tavern in Greenwater
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