Go West Young Yohos!!

This year the beach trip was traded out for a Milne family trek across the country to introduce the kids to Seattle and the Eckroth clan.  Though Papa could not join us due to the start up of his new job in D.C., the other 13 of us were a mighty travelling team.  We planned several stations to run on the planes so that the cousins would all be entertained.  It actually made the trip go very quickly for all of us.  Stations included games, book reading, logic puzzles, and learning about volcanoes prior to visiting one!!  Despite all of our fears, we were not too much of a nuisance to those around us on any of our flights.



Once we arrived in Seattle we were treated to luxurious accommodations at Marlene and Tim's house. The kids enjoyed all of the game,s toys, and backyard space that their home had to offer and we enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with the Eckroths after a long time.

We enjoyed a few days of seeing the sights in Seattle including the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, a ferry boat tour of the Peugeot Sound, and the Seattle Aquarium.  It is hard to choose a high point in the trip because the children enjoyed all of the things we did.  The weather was perfect for us to enjoy the city, including the fountains which were, literally, a blast!!

Our weekend was then spent camping at the Eckroth Family Reunion!!  Lake Mayfield became our next home during this trip.  We enjoyed some tent camping, some cabin dwelling, and all of the beauty that the lake had to offer.  Hiking over the the island, sitting around a campfire at night, and visiting with cousins the kids had never met made for a great reunion,  I'd say that the scavenger hunt was a big hit, but with the competitive crowd we had, I'm not sure they had fun unless they were winning!!  I earned the nick-name "Lash-ski" due the strict rules requirements.....mostly because Craig hates to lose!

We took one day out from the reunion to drive out to Mount Saint Helens.  After learning all about volcanoes, the kids were delighted to see one up close   We hiked around for a while and saw some amazing footage at the visitor's center about how the top blew off of the mountain.  This was certainly a highlight for the whole family, as was our brief stop at the Crystal Lake at the foot of the volcano.

After a really great weekend of bonding we decided to take the long way back to Seattle via Mount Ranier.  The children were in love with the mountains and we wanted to take advantage of the fact that we were close to seeing a few of the best views Washington state has to offer.  Though the trip was a littel longer and windier than we anticipated, it was well worth the extra time.  We enjoyed a hiking path that took us out Nisqually Ridge and enabled us to see the glaciers on the side of the mountain top. It was another amazing day for Team Yoho and one that we will continue to remember for a long time.

Our day ended us at a Seattle Mariners game with the cousins.  Though the Mariners are not our home team, we were able to bring our team spirit and we enjoyed a beautiful game at the ball park and the chance to meet the Moose mascot!

Seattle could not have been any better for us.  The memories made and the bonds formed were amazing.  Though it will likely be a long time before we are able to make it back to Seattle, our hearts are very fond of our family and time spent there.