July 27 - Portland, OR to Everett, WA

Today we got up and headed to the coast. For the first two hours of driving, all we could see were tree-lined roads. It felt like we were driving in northern Minnesota. We drove into Seaside, Washington which was the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. It was fun to see the northern Pacific Ocean, although it was a bit cold and windy. The water was so cold that it instantly turned our feet numb. After leaving Seaside, we drove to the Lewis and Clark museum at Fort Clatsop (where they wintered over in 1805). The replica of the fort was first built in 1955, it burned in 2005, and was later rebuilt. Fort Clatsop was filled with huge trees – you can get a feel of how big they are in the pictures. The one with my hand was actually the top portion of the tree. The base was much larger, but off the trail further into the woods. When we left Fort Clatsop, we headed for Kirkland, Washington. (We did stop for lunch in Astoria, Washington - fish and chips from a stand near the water.) Rachel and Veronica live in Kirkland and Bill and Connie were in town. We went out to eat with them at the Olive Garden. (Thanks for dinner, Bill!) It was fun to see them and also to meet Rachel’s fiancé, Nate. Our hotel was a short drive away in Everett, Washington. Ron will work at the Everett Reserve Center on Monday morning.