Seattle/Vancouver Trip -- Finally

I really thought I would do this sooner but obviously I haven't. Neldon has been bugging me to get this entry done but he should know by now that I only procrastinate more when I am getting nagged.

So, the first week of September we ditched the kids and went on vacation for a week. It did include the in-laws and a football game but it was still great. (Disclaimer in case they are reading...I have great in-laws and I don't mind having them on vacation with us.) Bekah stayed with our neighbor so she wouldn't miss any school. We took the boys to UT and they were passed between my sister and my parents.

We left Friday morning and flew to Seattle. It was Neldon, me, my sister Lyndsey and her husband Darin, and my mother-in-law, Norma. We got our car and headed to downtown. We joined a tour of the Seattle Underground (http://www.undergroundtour.com/). Then we walked down the waterfront and ended up at Pike's Market Place. (http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/). We met up with more of Neldon's family (Spencer, Brooksany, Steve, Lynelle, Nathan, Amanda, Logan, and Emily). Total count is now 13 people. We then hopped on the Duck Boats and got a land/water tour of Seattle. (http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/) I now know the difference between a house boat and a house barge. After a long day and a late dinner we parted ways for our hotel/lodging. Neldon, me, Lyndsey and Darin stayed with Juliana and her family-she was an exchange student that lived with my family 20 years ago in Idaho. She is like my 3rd sister. Here are some pics from the first day.

Day #2 - The main reason we were even in this part of the country. BYU vs. UW football game. (See Neldon's entry below) By this time, Neldon's dad had joined us. Along with some other friends making group total about 22 people.

Day#3 - Everyone kindof did their own things in the morning and then we met up in the afternoon at Snoqualmie Falls. http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/ We then went back to Juliana's house for pizza and little more visiting before parting ways. Lynelle & Steve's family went back home to Portland and Lyndsey and Darin stayed with Juliana and the rest of us headed north to Vancouver, B.C, Canada.

Day #4 - Vancouver, B.C. Our group was now down to a managable number of 6 (Me, Neldon, his mom, dad, brother and sister). Spencer was our tour guide because he used to live there. We rented bikes and rode along the Pacific Ocean and through the rainforest of Stansbury Park. It was awesome! We ate a Dim Sum lunch at a restaraunt of Spencer's choice-let's say it was interesting, especially because I am not a real fan of fish. I refused the squid (see entry below about Neldon's birthday) but tried just about everything else. That night we tried frisby and dinner on the beach but it was a little windy and chilly so that didn't last long.

Day #5 Whistler, B.C. Sea to Sky Highway - We saw amazing scenery along the way, rode a gondola and ski lift to the top of a 7,000 ft. mountain, saw 2 bears and walked around the village. This is where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held. We ended the day back at sea level at a lighthouse watching the sunset on the city of Vancouver.

Day #6 - Vancouver, B.C. and Olympic National Park, Washington

We went to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Treetop Adventure. (http://www.capbridge.com/) This was definately an overpriced tourist trap but it was fun anyway. It felt a little like the Eewok adventure from Star Wars or maybe like Robin Hood. We then ditched Spencer at the airport and the rest of us drove back to the USA. We caught a ferry and drove around Olympic National Park.

I took way to many pictures but now I will just add them to my endless "Things to Scrapbook" list. It was an awesome trip!