Hanging out in the pool booth with Alex right now (she says "hi") during her unexpected shift today. The regular worker is sick so she gets to fill in. We are actually so grateful that we both have work to do. Neither of us was on the schedule as of yesterday since the folks who have been here the longest get first dibs on the remaining shifts for these last 4 days. But now I get to work 3 more dinners and 3 more breakfasts since our friend Molly decided to leave early. PRAISE GOD! He has provided so abundantly for us here, beyond anything we expected. We have our reservation made at Kalaloch for Sunday night (not leaving till we enjoy a greatly anticipated party and dinner that afternoon), but we find ourselves already getting sad about leaving this place. We have really enjoyed our new friends and this place is so awesome, anyone would fall in love with Olympic park. We saw a different face of it this past Tuesday on our last day off together. You can see a few new pictures on the HOK photo page. We hit PA early for an excellent breakfast at the Corner Cafe, then decided to hike up a well laid trail on the Elwa river to find the Olympic Hot Springs...a group of 7 primitive springs, unmaintained and wild somewhere in the forest. As I said, the trail was very easy to follow and quite beautiful...and the springs were a lot of fun. I did bring my suit, ignoring what I heard was the typical convention to go without there. We did not encounter any other bathers as such thankfully :) The 7th and uppermost spring was very hot though really comfortably lined with small pebbles and rocks, unlike the lower springs which were pretty muddy. We had a really fun time, capped by a gorgeous view of the moon rising over Lake Crescent (see the above pic). This may be my last post before hitting the road but will continue to post thoughts and reflections about the trip when we get back...We are set for a great adventure on our way home so will have plenty of material and more pictures to share. Thanks for keeping in touch with us!
dk
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Rounding Third
**NEW PICS ADDED TODAY (10/19/07)**
So that's a bit of am obscure baseball reference (watching game 5 of the ALCS) to say "about to head for home". We are in our penultimate week of work here at "The Duc" and starting to actually preemptively miss the place. Work has been abundant (hence the infrequent posts--little time to type and little else to say but "still working!") but we are still really enjoying ourselves here, despite the incessant rain (and windstorms!). The staff is slowly dwindling as they find their ways back to more permanent residence or move on to their next seasonal adventure. Alex and I are looking forward to our own bed, our dog Abby, homecooked food, our friends, and the comfortable familiarity of our hometown and street. We are thinking and talking and praying a lot about our next steps. It is likely that we will be looking for employment upon our return though I may be taking a detour of sorts before making permanent berth back in G'town (that's still a wait-and-see situation). We are also looking forward to the blessing of children which inevitibly suggests permanence of residence and employment. We cannot deny though, that this "working vacation", or "domestic mission" has given us a hunger for more travel and experience and adventure. We are seeking the will and pleasure of our Lord in this and all matters for we know that He has our best always at heart. Our latest days off, when they finally came!, took us on Monday to the local summit of Mt. Storm King and some of the best views of Lake Crescent that can be had. It was 2000ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles (whew) and we are still feeling it. We hopped an early ferry to Victoria, BC this past Tuesday. Pretty much just took a walking tour of the city and found some good food and beverages at the Sticky Wicket (more obscure Cricket reference I think) and lots of fun coffee shops and other quite assorted stores and sights. We didn't take in any of the many museums this time but really enjoyed the modern, ecclectic, and friendly feel of the city. The unexpected bonus on the return trip was a pair of whale sightings. We only saw their blow spouts from a good distance, though Alex thought she saw a dark body rolling in the waves. Very cool cap to the day. Back to work now and anticipating a busy week and a half leading up to closing day (the 28th). There will be a Halloween/End of season party that day after close and then Alex and I think we're going to spend the last night at Kalaloch lodge, on the beach, with a fire going. After that we are pondering plotting our route home via Redwood National Park, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and possibly Zion Park or Bryce Canyon. We hope to do a good bit of camping and so take 5-7 days to get back east. Will share more as the time draws nearer and we settle on the details. Will get new picture up tomorrow (I hope!). Love to all.
dk
So that's a bit of am obscure baseball reference (watching game 5 of the ALCS) to say "about to head for home". We are in our penultimate week of work here at "The Duc" and starting to actually preemptively miss the place. Work has been abundant (hence the infrequent posts--little time to type and little else to say but "still working!") but we are still really enjoying ourselves here, despite the incessant rain (and windstorms!). The staff is slowly dwindling as they find their ways back to more permanent residence or move on to their next seasonal adventure. Alex and I are looking forward to our own bed, our dog Abby, homecooked food, our friends, and the comfortable familiarity of our hometown and street. We are thinking and talking and praying a lot about our next steps. It is likely that we will be looking for employment upon our return though I may be taking a detour of sorts before making permanent berth back in G'town (that's still a wait-and-see situation). We are also looking forward to the blessing of children which inevitibly suggests permanence of residence and employment. We cannot deny though, that this "working vacation", or "domestic mission" has given us a hunger for more travel and experience and adventure. We are seeking the will and pleasure of our Lord in this and all matters for we know that He has our best always at heart. Our latest days off, when they finally came!, took us on Monday to the local summit of Mt. Storm King and some of the best views of Lake Crescent that can be had. It was 2000ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles (whew) and we are still feeling it. We hopped an early ferry to Victoria, BC this past Tuesday. Pretty much just took a walking tour of the city and found some good food and beverages at the Sticky Wicket (more obscure Cricket reference I think) and lots of fun coffee shops and other quite assorted stores and sights. We didn't take in any of the many museums this time but really enjoyed the modern, ecclectic, and friendly feel of the city. The unexpected bonus on the return trip was a pair of whale sightings. We only saw their blow spouts from a good distance, though Alex thought she saw a dark body rolling in the waves. Very cool cap to the day. Back to work now and anticipating a busy week and a half leading up to closing day (the 28th). There will be a Halloween/End of season party that day after close and then Alex and I think we're going to spend the last night at Kalaloch lodge, on the beach, with a fire going. After that we are pondering plotting our route home via Redwood National Park, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and possibly Zion Park or Bryce Canyon. We hope to do a good bit of camping and so take 5-7 days to get back east. Will share more as the time draws nearer and we settle on the details. Will get new picture up tomorrow (I hope!). Love to all.
dk
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Pondering 32
**LOTS OF UPDATED PICS NOW AVAILABLE**
Greetings all! Alex and I enjoyed our first overlapping days off this past week and decided to take off for some us-time and to celebrate my 32nd (10/2). Monday was just an awesome day. We stopped first at the very-swollen Salmon Cascades just a few minutes down the road from the resort. The salmon running is in full-swing and it was just awesome watching them leap dramatically and confidently out of the water upstream and up-rapid in their instinctive quest for their breeding grounds. Had seen this before on TV but it was just amazing to witness. New definitions of "tenacity", "counter-cultural", and "are you kidding me??" lept to mind as we watched. We also took a beautiful hike through some old-growth forest. I have decided that this area of the park is my favorite...more on that later. We pretty much laughed for the next hour after leaving the forest. I was getting into the car but lost my footing and in pure "America's Funniest Videos"-style went down, down, down a short hill, head-over-heels. All Alex saw from the passenger side was me suddenly disappearing and then...after a pause...feet coming up and then disappearing themselves. At this point, she was leaping from the car only to find me shaking with laughter a dozen feet off the road. She wasn't sure if it was laughter or not at first and it took me a minute to catch my breath enough to assure her I was fine. It still makes us laugh when we remember. We then made a trek to Clallam Bay, Neah Bay, and Cape Flattery, the NW-ern most point in the lower 48. After a short hike from the car, we found a truly jaw-dropping beauty there...ocean waves crashing into sandstone cliffs, carving out enormous caves and hollows in the soft rock. Sea stacks and dramatic drops and a beautiful off-shore island and dense forest growth all made for an unexpectedly worthwhile experience. I will be putting all my new pics on the photo page tomorrow. We then stopped on the way out of Neah Bay for lunch at a roadside food hut run by a Macah lady (we were in the Macah reservation). After some terrific halibut and chips, we headed south, eventually arriving at Lake Quinalt where there is a lodge managed by the same company as Sol Duc (therby affording us employee discounts). They had a room with a view available and we had a really good evening relaxing and enjoying some terrific food at the Roosevelt Dining Room there. FDR's visit to the area was what prompted the creation of Olympic National Park. We also met Roosevelt, the cat (not kidding) and brushed our teeth with Roosevelt, the toothpaste (kidding). The next day we enjoyed some excellent quiet/coffee time in front of the lodge's roaring fireplace, then did some hiking in the surrounding rain forest. There are 6 record-holding trees in the area and we managed to see 2: the world's largest sitka spruce and the world's largest western yellow cedar. Incredible to stand at the foot of these ancient giants: nearly 200 ft tall, 20 ft around, and 1000 years old!! The cedar is supposed to be the largest tree in the world outside of California. On the way home we stopped by the Hoh Rain Forest. It was getting late and rainy so we didn't linger but did do a short hike. It was here that we decided that of all we have seen of the Olympic Park, with its diverse and awesome beauty, that we really like the Sol Duc valley forest environment the best of all. We love its enormous trees and beautiful forest floor and the quiet we find on long hikes through its shadows. On Thursday, our friend Tabatha arrived. Alex and I drove into Seattle and made a stop at the flagship REI store (camping/outdoors) where I found my Birthday gift from Alex...an awesome camping day-pack which can double as a trendy man-bag for all my manly essentials. We made it to Sea-Tac right on time then made a tiring 3.5 hour trek around the south end of the Sound to Kalaloch lodge where we spend the night. Alex and Tab will be there till Monday. They have an awesome suite there with a view of the Pacific. Friday morning, with our mochas in hand, we found a rare day of sun. So we headed for Hurricane Ridge to show off one of the most picturesque sights around. The fog/cloud bank which obstructed our view of the ridge however apparently did not get the memo. But we enjoyed the morning nonetheless up there, particularly since it was now (as opposed to when we were there last) covered with several inches of snow (as you can/will see in the pictures). It was so beautiful and quiet. Where else in the world can you wake up on the coast, then drive through a rain forest and arrive, 2 hours later, among and atop snowy peaks? Just awesone. We decided, in the cold up there, that some chili for lunch would be just the ticket so I drove us to Peak's Pub, a joint in PA I had passed a bunch of times where I noticed a sign proclaiming "Ed's Killer Chilli". That was enough for me so we went in to find a bar (not a bad place but definitely the type where the food is an afterthought). The menu consisted of: a cup of chilli, a bowl of chilli, a hot dog with chilli, nachos with chilli, and a quesadilla (not with chilli, but I'm sure they could have added it). So no wonder the waitress looked at us strange when we ordered 3 bowls of chilli, a quesadilla, and 3 waters. Really good chilli as advertised though!! The girls dropped me off after that and headed for some rest back at Kalaloch...I promise I am trying to get Alex on here to share and on the photo site to descibe her pics. Enjoyed some bittersweet campfire-time last night with the gang (got some pics there) who gathered to say goodbye again, this time to Kana...a sweet friend who is on her way home to Japan. She is such a light around here and will be missed. Finally, today I opened the pools but then got off at noon. I decided to hike so I did a 12-mile loop to Deer Lake, a sub-alpine lake on the way to the Blue Glacier and Olympic peaks beyond. Just a beautiful spot...I could see snow-capped heights ahead and it was noticably colder there, likely due to the 1700-ft elevation gain along the way...made for some sore muscles. But I will be well-recovered tonight due to the renown healing effects of our hot springs :) A mama doe and her fawns capped my hike as I neared its end. Missing Alex but I am so glad her other best friend is here to encourage and love her. Tab is also newly engaged so they have no shortage of conversation topics (as if they ever did). Thanks for reading all this. Realizing the end of our time here is fast-approaching and so am looking expectantly to our Father to continue to lead me and our family. We do continue to covet your prayers to be faithful witnesses and servants of the Most High.
dk
Greetings all! Alex and I enjoyed our first overlapping days off this past week and decided to take off for some us-time and to celebrate my 32nd (10/2). Monday was just an awesome day. We stopped first at the very-swollen Salmon Cascades just a few minutes down the road from the resort. The salmon running is in full-swing and it was just awesome watching them leap dramatically and confidently out of the water upstream and up-rapid in their instinctive quest for their breeding grounds. Had seen this before on TV but it was just amazing to witness. New definitions of "tenacity", "counter-cultural", and "are you kidding me??" lept to mind as we watched. We also took a beautiful hike through some old-growth forest. I have decided that this area of the park is my favorite...more on that later. We pretty much laughed for the next hour after leaving the forest. I was getting into the car but lost my footing and in pure "America's Funniest Videos"-style went down, down, down a short hill, head-over-heels. All Alex saw from the passenger side was me suddenly disappearing and then...after a pause...feet coming up and then disappearing themselves. At this point, she was leaping from the car only to find me shaking with laughter a dozen feet off the road. She wasn't sure if it was laughter or not at first and it took me a minute to catch my breath enough to assure her I was fine. It still makes us laugh when we remember. We then made a trek to Clallam Bay, Neah Bay, and Cape Flattery, the NW-ern most point in the lower 48. After a short hike from the car, we found a truly jaw-dropping beauty there...ocean waves crashing into sandstone cliffs, carving out enormous caves and hollows in the soft rock. Sea stacks and dramatic drops and a beautiful off-shore island and dense forest growth all made for an unexpectedly worthwhile experience. I will be putting all my new pics on the photo page tomorrow. We then stopped on the way out of Neah Bay for lunch at a roadside food hut run by a Macah lady (we were in the Macah reservation). After some terrific halibut and chips, we headed south, eventually arriving at Lake Quinalt where there is a lodge managed by the same company as Sol Duc (therby affording us employee discounts). They had a room with a view available and we had a really good evening relaxing and enjoying some terrific food at the Roosevelt Dining Room there. FDR's visit to the area was what prompted the creation of Olympic National Park. We also met Roosevelt, the cat (not kidding) and brushed our teeth with Roosevelt, the toothpaste (kidding). The next day we enjoyed some excellent quiet/coffee time in front of the lodge's roaring fireplace, then did some hiking in the surrounding rain forest. There are 6 record-holding trees in the area and we managed to see 2: the world's largest sitka spruce and the world's largest western yellow cedar. Incredible to stand at the foot of these ancient giants: nearly 200 ft tall, 20 ft around, and 1000 years old!! The cedar is supposed to be the largest tree in the world outside of California. On the way home we stopped by the Hoh Rain Forest. It was getting late and rainy so we didn't linger but did do a short hike. It was here that we decided that of all we have seen of the Olympic Park, with its diverse and awesome beauty, that we really like the Sol Duc valley forest environment the best of all. We love its enormous trees and beautiful forest floor and the quiet we find on long hikes through its shadows. On Thursday, our friend Tabatha arrived. Alex and I drove into Seattle and made a stop at the flagship REI store (camping/outdoors) where I found my Birthday gift from Alex...an awesome camping day-pack which can double as a trendy man-bag for all my manly essentials. We made it to Sea-Tac right on time then made a tiring 3.5 hour trek around the south end of the Sound to Kalaloch lodge where we spend the night. Alex and Tab will be there till Monday. They have an awesome suite there with a view of the Pacific. Friday morning, with our mochas in hand, we found a rare day of sun. So we headed for Hurricane Ridge to show off one of the most picturesque sights around. The fog/cloud bank which obstructed our view of the ridge however apparently did not get the memo. But we enjoyed the morning nonetheless up there, particularly since it was now (as opposed to when we were there last) covered with several inches of snow (as you can/will see in the pictures). It was so beautiful and quiet. Where else in the world can you wake up on the coast, then drive through a rain forest and arrive, 2 hours later, among and atop snowy peaks? Just awesone. We decided, in the cold up there, that some chili for lunch would be just the ticket so I drove us to Peak's Pub, a joint in PA I had passed a bunch of times where I noticed a sign proclaiming "Ed's Killer Chilli". That was enough for me so we went in to find a bar (not a bad place but definitely the type where the food is an afterthought). The menu consisted of: a cup of chilli, a bowl of chilli, a hot dog with chilli, nachos with chilli, and a quesadilla (not with chilli, but I'm sure they could have added it). So no wonder the waitress looked at us strange when we ordered 3 bowls of chilli, a quesadilla, and 3 waters. Really good chilli as advertised though!! The girls dropped me off after that and headed for some rest back at Kalaloch...I promise I am trying to get Alex on here to share and on the photo site to descibe her pics. Enjoyed some bittersweet campfire-time last night with the gang (got some pics there) who gathered to say goodbye again, this time to Kana...a sweet friend who is on her way home to Japan. She is such a light around here and will be missed. Finally, today I opened the pools but then got off at noon. I decided to hike so I did a 12-mile loop to Deer Lake, a sub-alpine lake on the way to the Blue Glacier and Olympic peaks beyond. Just a beautiful spot...I could see snow-capped heights ahead and it was noticably colder there, likely due to the 1700-ft elevation gain along the way...made for some sore muscles. But I will be well-recovered tonight due to the renown healing effects of our hot springs :) A mama doe and her fawns capped my hike as I neared its end. Missing Alex but I am so glad her other best friend is here to encourage and love her. Tab is also newly engaged so they have no shortage of conversation topics (as if they ever did). Thanks for reading all this. Realizing the end of our time here is fast-approaching and so am looking expectantly to our Father to continue to lead me and our family. We do continue to covet your prayers to be faithful witnesses and servants of the Most High.
dk
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