We revisited the first lighthouse that got us started on our passion with lighthouses - Admiralty Head Lighthouse - Whidbey Island, WA
We are now back in Dickinson, TX in our usual winter
RV Park for 2 months for our annual doctor visits etc. In the last 6 months we have traveled from
Oregon thru Washington to Montana and thru Wyoming and Colorado on our way back
to Texas. Here are some of the
highlights of our travels:
We continued our multiple visits with
relatives and friends and made over 20 stops this year to visit with various
friends & relatives in the Western USA.
We attended our first National Park Travelers Club annual meeting (held in Seattle area this year (next year it will be in El Paso, TX) – This club promotes visiting National Park Service Sites and provides a list of all of the locations where one can get National Park Service Passport Stamps. They also give out awards to those that have reached various milestones in their quest in collecting the Passport Stamps. One new award this year (The Flat Hat Award) is given to a National Park Service employee that goes out of their way in helping a visitor. We were fortunate to visit with the first awardee when we later stopped at a site in Ohio.
We revisited the following great and beautiful National Parks:
- North Cascades in Washington State.
- Glacier - we again took the shuttle up the Going To The Sun Highway to Logan Pass to see the mountain goats.
- Yellowstone - quite crowded since we visited there in early August
- Grand Tetons, and
- Rocky Mountain - we again drove over the great Trail Ridge Road
After Denver, we attended our 9th consecutive rally of the New Horizons Owners Group held this year in Amana Colonies in Iowa. This group is made up of people that own New Horizons 5th wheels made in Junction City, KS. We are still living our original 5th wheel made in 2002 & have no plans to get another one since we still enjoy what we have. We did provide some unplanned excitement when a dust devil (whirlwind) came thru on a clear day and broke our awning arms and then laid the awning over the top of the rig. It was really weird since there was no wind before or after the dust devil and no other trailer was affected.
This next year we are going on our long planned first
trip to Hawaii for 3 weeks in April and visit the 6 main islands - of course we
plan to visit all of the six National Park Service sites, visit the National
Wildlife Refuges that are open to the public, and take photos of as many
lighthouses as possible. Plus, we might
even get to see a beach or two. After
this we plan to travel less than usual and spend most of our summer and fall in
Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Hope that all of you are doing well.
Sunset at Haystack and Needles Rocks at Cannon Beach in Oregon
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse - Oregon - Note: At one time this was turned into a columbarium (place to store a person's ashes) - but this venture has since been abandoned.
Tumalo Falls - West of Bend Oregon
Butterfly at lavender farm on San Juan Island, WA
"I've been kissed" sculpture at San Juan Islands Sculpture Park, WA. Note: You can purchase this gem for only $12,500.
Female Goldfinch - The Washington State bird.
Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park - The color is due to 'glacial flour' - Ground up bedrock by glacier erosion.
Grays River Covered Bridge in Washington State
Carved tree stump in RV park in St. Regis, Montana
"Shoreline Silhouettes" painted bison in West Yellowstone, MT
Jenny Lake - Grand Tetons National Park
Grebe swimming with her chick - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Utah
Great Blue Heron - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Utah
"Maxie" - In Sumner, MO - "Wild Goose Capital of the World"
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