First off, we did some more camping and exploring of the PNW. We are city people-but have always enjoyed nature time too. In the last several years, life has been so busy that we haven't really had a chance to do much of that. We wanted to change that! So, when my FIL happened to be available the same time that Lester's vacation started we figured that was as good a time as any! 

We started by picking the kids up from school and heading across the border to Canada for the night. We went straight to the Night Market for food, fun, games and lights. We tried a bit of everything, and had some fun. From there, we went to our hotel for the night and stayed up enjoying the view from way high up. The next morning we went swimming on the roof in the sunshine. After taking our time packing up, we grabbed some breakfast and headed over to Lynn Canyon for some nature time. We checked out the view from way up on the suspension bridge, and hiked our way down to pristine pools and rocks to climb, with clear and green water to swim in. It was even cooler than we imagined! Afterwards we made our way to Gastown to check out the steam clock and overall area before driving our way back home to pack for camping. 

The next morning, we packed up the van early, and took our sweet time driving the Coast [with frequent stops along the way] to Olympic National Park for some camping! We even got to enjoy some donuts and views when we took the ferry on our way there. 

Our first campsite was in Hot Rainforest and it was like another world. After setting up and eating lunch, we stopped by the visitors center to get the kids set up for the Junior Ranger program [we try to do this every National Park we go to, its so fun!] so they had activities and things to look out for. Next we hiked the Hall of Mosses, checked out the river walks around us and made our dinner of foil dinners, fruit and banana boats. We went to bed smelling like bonfires and trees and it was perfect. 

The next morning, we woke up, packed our selves up, and the kids got sworn in for completing their tasks and got their badges. From here, we continued down the coastline through Forks till we got to Kalaloch for some beach side camping. After we were all set, we explored Ruby Beach, which had me feeling like we were in the goonies. We spent a good long time exploring there, climbing and getting our feet wet before getting back to play some games and eat lunch. Then we hiked down from our site to the beach next to us, and saw the Tree of Life and swam in the ocean till sunset. We played cards and warmed ourselves by the fire till late in the night, finished our hot dogs, foil dinners, and smores before falling asleep late to the sound of the waves. 

The next morning it was drizzly, so we had a quick yogurt granola berry breakfast, with hot cocoa, packed ourselves up and got on the road home. After a few hours we made a quick stop in Seattle and warmed ourselves up with Pho before getting home and relaxing for the rest of the day. 

Over the next few days, we went strawberry picking, attended assemblies and awards ceremonies at the kids school, celebrated Addy completing Elementary School with her friends, watching Inside Out 2, went to a party at a kids museum, and getting ready for the next item on my summer list...which I will blog about next time. It was the perfect end to a great school year, and perfect start to a great summer!