Hiking down Crystal Mountain

The view of Mt. Rainier looming over us in Maple Valley never gets old. Seriously. We have been here for almost two months now and I just can't get over how majestic it is as the backdrop of this beautiful, green place.

Before we left for my sister's wedding, we were on a quest to get closer to its gloriousness; we had heard about the gondola ride on Crystal Mountain so we thought we would give it a try.

Our New Favorite WA Hang: Rattlesnake Ridge

When my family came for the week, we had to find some places to explore and fish. Adrian asked around at work and they recommended Rattlesnake Lake for a great recreational area and good catch-and-release fishing. 

Camping at Lake Kachess

One of our favorite pastimes as a family is to camp, hence why we made a pact last summer to do it as often as possible. We thought it was probably a little ambitious to camp only 3 weeks post-move, but with so many visitors coming this summer and traveling in August for my sister's wedding, we really didn't think we would have many other opportunities.

Adventuring at Flaming Geyser State Park

Coming from San Diego, a place notoriously beautiful, you would think that I would be less impressed by nature's beauty. NOPE. This area is so fascinatingly gorgeous, I can't stop staring. The trees, Mt. Rainier looming in the distance, the water that is in every nook and cranny of these towns, this is the type of place where almost everywhere you go, you think: wow.

Granted, we haven't had but just a few drops of rain since we have gotten here, so I'm sure we will be in for a shock in a few short months! Hopefully I'll still be singing the same tune at that point. 

Anyway, this past week while Adrian was at work, I took the boys to Flaming Geyser State Park. I am in a Community of Maple Valley Facebook group and they recently had a thread sharing all of the cool short hikes to take kids on in this area, which is where I found this park. 

The trek

Phew, we made it. It wasn't until 6:00 am on Sunday, June 21st that it felt real. I still am a little bit in shock that we live in Washington, but I'm sure the fact that my family isn't just a short drive away anymore will hit soon enough.

Anyway, Adrian came home on Friday night and was able to take the early flight, thank goodness! The boy were ecstatic to have him back and even still today, 2 weeks later, get upset when he leaves for work. On the Saturday before we started the trek up north, my parents threw us the most amazing, fun, wonderful going away part ever. I couldn't have asked for a better way to be sent off. We played in the pool, had yummy drinks at the tiki bar and enjoyed the company of our best friends and family.