We left Leavenworth and drove across the Cascade Range to stay at the Thousand Trails Park near Chehalis, Washington. While there we enjoyed the pool and spa and also took a couple of road trips to see Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens.
Our road trip into Mt. Rainier was really fun.

Bob was stationed on Mt. Rainier back in the 50′s when he was in the military. At that time, he had a picture taken on this very same bridge at Christine Falls. Bob said to me, “I remember a bridge. If you cross it, I will know it.” He recognized it immediately when we drove across it.




Both the park and Mount Rainier were breathtakingly beautiful…


We were told that we were lucky to be able to see the mountain. Some people said they had been there several times and every time the mountain was clouded over with no visibility. We just live right, I guess.

Bob also remembered this canyon from his days on the mountain.

It was such a nice day; enjoyed by all!

A couple of days later we took a road trip up to Mt. St. Helens.

Again we had a nice, sunny, clear day. The devastation of the blast is still evident although things are starting to green up nicely. Notice the trees lying on the ground – they were blasted down during the eruption.

K.C.’s brother, Chuck, flew her over the volcano a year after the explosion. She remembers seeing trees scattered every which way like toothpicks shaken from the box.
There is evidence of devastation for 17 miles…

Bob’s camera zooms right into the crater. Notice the steam coming from the vent. We were told that Mt. St. Helens continuously erupts a dumptruck load of ash and material every ten seconds, continually building the dome in the crater.

It was a pretty awesome sight even now – over twenty years after the eruption.

On August 13, K.C. and Bob battened down the motorhome and drove to the Thousand Trails Park at Pacific City on the Oregon Coast.