We left late after work on Friday evening. We weren't sure exactly where Joe's parents were camped, but we figured we'd call when we got there. Before we left town, Joe's sister, Liz, called to tell us that their mom's phone wasn't working, so she gave us Joe's uncle's phone number. Anyway, we didn't get to Packwood (long story) until about midnight. And surprise, our cell phones were no good there either!! So all we knew is that Joe's parents (we were supposed to be sleeping in the motor home with them) were camped about 5 miles in a campground out of Packwood and that we were supposed to check in to get a tag for our car on the way in. There were two possible campgrounds, and we searched until 2 o'clock in the morning for them...and couldn't find them. So we drove into Packwood and borrowed some guy's cell phone to try to contact Joe's uncle. Yeah, it was the wrong number. I guarantee "Andrea" was not very happy about getting called in the middle of the night for a wrong number. So we found a nice forest service road, pulled into a natural nook between the trees and counted ourselves very grateful that we'd brought blankets and pillows and slept in our van!
We woke up fairly early due to the not-so-5 star accommodations and drove into Packwood. The flea market was just huge. I couldn't believe all of the people that were there and the variety of stuff. Crazy! Joe and I found quite a few treasures among the garbage, but we stuck to the budget we'd originally agreed to. Ask Joe about Guardianware dishes some time. He's become quite the connoisseur. It took us until that afternoon before we ran into Joe's parents and his aunt and uncle. None of Joe's siblings were able to come after all. We spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping and watching movies in the motor home (which was in a campground about 5 miles the OTHER way out of Packwood). It was cold (really cold), and the kids were tired after walking all morning.
The campground had a zipline built into a natural ravine. The kids had a great time on it once we convinced them that it really would be safe. I apologize for my miserable camerawoman skills. I had to zoom in and out to get a good view of the kids.
Natalie was so funny!
We came home the next day and stopped at all the scenic viewpoints on the way. It was one of the most beautiful drives I think I've ever taken, seriously. By the way, for those interested, Packwood and all of the surrounding area reminds me so much of Forks, where my favorite books are set. In fact, we actually drove through the Goat Rocks Wilderness area where the Cullens go hunting in the first book. Weird, huh? Here's some pictures of Packwood:
Imagine 15,000 or so people squished into Monticello. They do this every year - insane! 
This was our first scenic viewpoint on the way home. You can't see any of this from the highway because the trees are so dense. We learned that the cliffs in the distance were formed when a huge lava flow ran into a glacier and cooled enough to stop right there. AJ was so excited when we explained it to him. He was super cute telling Natalie all about it. 
This is a picture of Mount Rainier, of course, covered by clouds. 
This picture does no justice to this incredible waterfall. I promise it's a lot bigger than it looks. 
Packwood was definitely worth the trip, if for nothing other than the drive. I'm not sure that it's something we'll make a habit of every year, but we'll definitely go back again
4 comments:
The cold doesn't sound too appealing, but the greenery sure looks nice!!
This sounds fun, NOT!!! Just kidding guys, I'm sure there were some good memories made.
The kids were sure cute. Looks like fun...we need to do a fun roadtrip like that!
Pretty.
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