Happy 4th of July!

Yes, I know the 4th was several days ago, but we haven't had time to log in for awhile and catch up!  We spent the 4th in Forks, WA.  Their celebration is HUGE and lasts four days.  On Day Two, we watched a frog jumping competition.  Pretty entertaining.  The frogs jumped three consecutive times, and then the organizers pulled a tape on the distance.  The little frogs jump much farther than the big ones.  Especially if you place them in the sun on a hot paved tennis court.

That evening, I entered a cribbage tournament.  We played seven games.  It was FAST playing!  I didn't have time to check the counts of my opponents' hands, so I just trusted them.  I won three games out of seven.  Grandpa would've been proud of my playing...no breaking up runs, keep an eye on what the other person is playing and always have an ace to hit 31.

For the 4th, we fished for steelhead on the Sol Duc River.  No such luck for either of us, but a friend did give me a casting lesson.  My casting has improved, but I still need lots of practice.  We ended the night with 25 minutes of fireworks and a spectacular finale.

Casting lesson with Gerry Byrnes (Thanks, Jens!)

We hit the road on July 5th and stopped at the Hoh River.  Absolutely gorgeous!  Then, we headed to Clearwater River to fish.  Caught a few super small trout.

Emil at the Hoh River

Hoh River

Ruby Beach

Lighthouse at Ruby Beach

Clearwater River

Now, we are hanging out at the Spokane Library, which has a beautiful view of the Spokane Falls. http://spokaneriverfrontpark.com/index.php/RFP/page/360/.  They have a tram ride for $7.25 pp, so we may do that tomorrow if time permits.  Our plan is to head east tomorrow and settle down for a few days in Montana to fish.

Our bikes were feeling neglected, so we did a seven mile ride this morning along the Spokane River right by our campground.  It was fun to ride again, despite the 75+ degree temp.  I am melting and mentioned to Emil that we cannot go anyplace where it's warmer than this.  He laughed and rolled his eyes.

Here's our campground:  http://www.riversidestatepark.org/bowl_and_pitcher.htm

If you're following this blog, you may have noticed we are still in Washington State, and we left on June 20th.  Do the math for how long we've been gone and factor in the 1000+ miles driven thus far.  It's just too hard to leave!  We enjoyed the San Juan Islands, visited family in Everett, visited a friend in Seattle, drove almost the entire Olympic Peninsula, AND fished four major rivers (Bogachiel, Calawah, Sol Duc, Clearwater)!

Welcome to vacation and no schedules!  Only a few confirmed dates on our upcoming calendar:  A quick hi to all at my Mother's Family Reunion in Kentucky (almost all the family lives in Cincinnati), visit friends who are moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in August, visit friends in Providence, Rhode Island, catch up with my brother, Tom, on R and R who is coming to Cincinnati to visit my other brother, AND a wedding in Estes Park.

As much as I love the air conditioning at the library, we need to go shopping and restock our supply of tuna, ravioli, peanut butter, and fruit.  Enjoy the day!