Mt St Helen & Rainier
We flew to Seattle where we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island to start our BVE Adventure.
When we got to Bainbridge Island we found that the room we had reserved wasn't available because the people that were in the rooms the night before decided not to leave. The hotel was very apologetic and even found us another room at the Blue Heron Inn. As it turned out, this was a good thing as the place was beautiful. Here are are toasting how the BVE can turn bad luck into good fortune!
This is the trip where we became an international travel group. We took the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Victoria British Columbia. The city was in full bloom and very beautiful.
ButchArt Gardens near Victoria is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited.
Here is the group entering Mount St. Helens
A highlight of this trip was the hike to the top of Mount St. Helen. Brenda, Connie, Julie & Peggy started the hike at 7:04am and it was cold. Lisa R. & Lisa L. decided to drive to Portland to visit the Harley Davidson dealer instead of taking the hike.
The trip was made easier when the top third of the mountain was blown off earlier, but it was still very challenging. After 2 miles of mild hiking through the tree line we started climbing over rock. At the top we were hiking at a steep incline in ash. The air was thin and we kept sliding back down because of the ash.
Near the top we were taking 20 steps and then stopping for 20 breaths. There was some butt kicking involved, but we all made it to the top at 1:10pm. Another BVE Moment was when the fog cleared while we were at the top so we could see the crater for five minutes.
There was much celebrating involved when we made it back to the trail head at 6:34pm - 11 1/2 hours after we started. We were ready to sit down to a meal at Jack's where the portions are big and the food is good.
Before leaving Mount St. Helen we visited the blast zone. Here we are at the Hoffstedt Forest Learning Center where we learned how the Weyerhauser Company cleared off much of the timber that was destroyed in the blast and has replanted the forest.
Then on to Mount Rainier. We stayed in Paradise Lodge in the park. A beautiful place that is rustic and packed with history.
We did a lot of hiking in Mount Rainier, although nothing as challenging as the hike up Mount St Helen. Here we are in front of Mount Rainier by Reflection Lake.
Rock skipping has always been a favorite activity of the BVE. Here we are skipping rocks in Reflection Lake in Mount Rainier National Park.
On our last night in Washington State, we drove back to Seattle where we were flying out early the next morning. We met Lisa R's brother-in-law for dinner at Irvar's Restaurant. Peggy made plans to visit a cousin so didn't go to dinner with the rest of the group. After dinner we had to find Peggy's cousin's house to get her. The signage in Seattle was not good and it took us 45 minutes to find Peggy.