N. Cascades NP to Seattle, WA

8.28.08     N. Cascades NP to Seattle, WA

Ned joined us today- Hooray!  That's our big news.

This morning we drove from North Cascades NP thru Darrington, where we saw the huge wood mills.  It made us sad every time a big truckload of old trees drove by- we had a reality check about how much wood and paper we use.  How do we renew the resource of trees that took 80 years to grow?  If we plant 10 times the trees that we’d use for our log cabin, would it be ethical to use those trees- It was an interesting discussion with the kids.

We stopped for groceries and then went to call our friend from The Woodlands, Christy, to see if we could “swing by” to Redmond to visit with her.  However, it was now close to 2pm entering Seattle, which is known for bad traffic.  Since we had to go all the way through town to the south, I decided that maybe we can come back up to see her since Ned’s flight was coming in soon.

Well!  Driving I-5 through Seattle was terrible!  It is a long trip (over 50 miles) on multiple, 70 mph lanes, similar to driving through Houston or Atlanta.  Fortunately, we were able to take our exit just when accident traffic shut down the road.  Unfortunately, I’m not taking that road again so I’ll have to meet Christy some other way/time.  We made it to the campground just in time to cook dinner and get organized.

Ned took a cab in 5pm traffic from the airport that was 4.5 miles from the campground- we are so happy to see him!  We had a delicious lasagna/salad/garlic bread dinner with brownies for dessert- also celebrated Lia’s 8^th “Gotcha Day” today!

The Seattle KOA here ($65) is like a resort, although highway traffic is disruptive.  Choices in Seattle are very limited.  We enjoyed the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” last night at the campground and laughed a lot.  Swimming in the pool is fun.  We’re headed to the pancake breakfast in the morning!

Then our plan this week is to visit Olympic National Park, Victoria, and family on Lopez Island before Ned has to head home.