5. Charles River Canoe Trip

Week 5 8/26/15

A low-key adventure closer to home seemed in order for this week. Paul and I decided to canoe a stretch of the Charles River that we hadn't yet experienced. We consulted our trusty copy of Ron McAdow's guidebook: The Charles River: Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe and selected a stretch below the Natick dam. We put in at that spot.

Then we traveled 7 miles down the Charles and also a tributary to a take-out spot near the Needham/Dover town line. The trip included some relaxing time with sticks and string:

4. Olympic Peninsula

Week 4 8/17/15 - 8/21/15

Again a cheat - several Olympic National Park locations.

View from Hurricane Ridge of Olympics. Mount Olympus is the leftmost peak, I believe.

Lake Crescent Lodge - an absolutely beautiful, quiet spot on the lake.

Flattery Point in the Makah nation - the westernmost point of the contiguous 48 states. There were eagles flying about.

The Pacific was cold and riptides were very strong. This is as far as Paul wanted to go. I took the photo from as close as I was willing to go.

Many wildfires raged throughout the state including Olympic National Park. We witnessed only smoke and burnt areas, but no flames.

Several of the world-record large trees of various species are found in the rain forest area of Olympic Peninsula, including this one. Photo was taken from inside the tree.

Our big splurge was staying at the Quinault Lodge. We're glad we did.

3. Seattle and Suncadia

Week 3 8/12/15 through 8/16/15

I'm cheating a bit this week because I couldn't choose one location.

First, Seattle including Pike's Place Market.

Then to Suncadia on eastern slopes of Cascades - with good friends.

2. Mark Twain House and Hartford Ancient Burying Ground

Week 2 8/4/15

We went to the Mark Twain house in Hartford, Connecticut.

Afterward, we tried to go to the Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest continually operating public art museum in the Unitied States. https://thewadsworth.org/ But it's closed on Monday and Tuesday. Instead we happened to run across Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground which Becky has seen before and was hoping to show to Paul. This spot has beautifully restored stones from as early as the 17th century, is very well cared for, and is staffed with knowledgeable young people as guides. Most of the inscriptions are legible and there are quite a few with interesting poems and stories about the deceased. This is well worth a trip. http://theancientburyingground.org/