Ruby Beach - Kalaloch, WA

On August 20, 2012, we visited Ruby Beach right after our hike at Hoh Rain Forest in Washington. What captured my eye was the silhouetted rocks that stood like a huge stone pillar against the sea. We just had to stop and check it out. Watch the above video.

After spending some time at Ruby Beach we stopped at the Kalaloch (pronounced clay lock) Lodge to have dinner. We were totally surprised that the food was delicious and the service was excellent considering there is nothing else in the area.

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Chambers Bay Hike - Tacoma Washington

On Saturday, August 4th, we planned a visit with Leo in Washington for a hike. We did the Grandview Trail that's located along the top of a 200 foot bluff that offers sweeping views of the Chambers Bay golf course, Puget Sound, and the surrounding islands. It was a nice moderate 1 1/4 mile hike.

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Blue Mountains and Hurricane Ridge Hike

Last Thursday we hiked the Blue Mountains and Hurricane Ridge in Washington's Olympic National Park. The slopes are heavily forested with pine and Douglas fir and has spectacular views. Loved the patches of snow on Hurricane Ridge! We also saw a few deer roaming around throughout our trek.

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Mount St. Helens Hiking

It was a beautiful day last Thursday when we hiked the Mount St. Helens area. We started our trek from the Johnston Ridge Observatory parking lot. We hiked the Boundary trail to the Truman trailhead that gave us captivating views of Mount St. Helens and a large lake.

Check out USGS website about: 30 Cool Facts about Mount St. Helens.

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We saw plenty of ground squirrels along the way to take pictures. I think they are so cute!

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Last Tuesday we went to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon. Fort Vancouver was a british fort used for the fur trade in the early 1800s. The buildings have been reconstructed and spreads out over several acres of land. It has a land bridge, historic homes, officers barracks and a beautiful garden. Great place to walk around and lots of fun history to see and explore. Click on the following link: National Park Service Website to learn more about the history of Fort Vancouver.

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We arrived there too late to explore inside the fort. However, one of the workers let us in to take a few pictures just before she closed the gate. We also took lots of photos of the beautiful garden just outside the fort.