5500 miles

Glacier National Park had big shoes to fill after everything we had seen and experienced in Yellowstone!  A hike deep into the woods brought us to an incredible lake fed by 4 enormous waterfalls from the glacier over the ridge.  The water was turquoise and crystal clear.  The next day we spent the morning on horseback with guides sharing details as we rode through the forest.  A but more exciting was the white water rafting trip that afternoon...especially when we hit a rock broadside throwing both Lucy and Ann overboard!  As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, we took a walk that evening from our campsite down some train tracks.  Apparently the signs warning us to stay out of the tunnel through the hillside were legitimate, as halfway through a double locomotive came barreling through giving us all a good scare!

After leaving Glacier National Park, we traveled south for a bit(Missoula, MT is a fantastic city and filled with active, friendly people) then turned west across Idaho, Washington and Oregon, following the same route as both Lewis and Clark, and the settlers on the Oregon Trail.  We followed alongside the great Snake and Columbia Rivers, the latter as it powers through its massive gorge, always moving purposefully to the Pacific.  Thanks to a great tip from an old college friend, we stopped by for a visit at Multnoma Falls...absolutely beautiful!

As we continued west toward the coast at Newport, OR the temp read 102 degrees outside.  30 miles later, when we opened the doors of the RV along the shores of the Pacific it was 52 degrees and foggy.

While walking the beach the next morning, a state parks volunteer told us some fascinating stuff:

-the entire coast of Oregon is public space...no private beaches at all

-the rocky coast line was created by volcanic activity millions of years ago by Yellowstone NP

-the oxygen content of the water is much higher than the Atlantic where we live in MA, resulting in much greater marine life (which we saw first hand and Tanner will update below)

As we traveled southward towards California, we decided to stay at Cape Blanco State Park.  It's a 5 mile drive uphill off of highway 101 and the wind was raging off the ocean.  We saw 3 young bikers walking up one if the final hills, looking so defeated.  After we got into the campsite, we found them and invited them over for dinner, s'mores, and a chance to warm up and get out of the wind and fog.  Cass, Emily and PJ are Canadians traveling by bike from Vancouver to San Francisco.  They were grateful for what we could offer and we were grateful for the chance to serve them in Christ's name.

Onward we traveled to the stunning Redwood National Park and its 2000 year old Redwood trees...they took our breath away...

After a quick night's sleep in Willow Creek...famous for a certain museum...

We turned back east through Lasser Volcanic National Park and have arrived for the night in Reno, NV.  Tomorrow it's on to Yosemite!

Tanner's animal tally now includes harbor seals, elephant seals, sea lions, ospreys...and grey whales!  Yup...saw them right from shore in Oregon.

Elsie reports that the favorite DQ blizzard flavors seem to center on Midnight Truffles and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, although Johnny is partial to Choco Cherry Love.

Keep your prayers coming...we feel them!