Beach Days With Erin

 We went to 2 beaches at 2 different campgrounds. At the first one, we went on an 11 mile hike to a lighthouse. We didn't realize how long it would take. See, we thought it would be 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back. So we packed a load of food, including lunch. We stopped a load more than we needed to, but we finally made it. It was a historic place, and it showed some of the furniture of what the owner of the lighthouse used and some pages about the lighthouse. I learned that was a tiny build the made that big light work. It was hard and gruesome on the way back.

The next place we went to had a long beach where, on the first day, we flew our gorgeous rainbow kite fly. Well, it took a few tries, but we did it. Then today we saw crabs and anemone when it was low tide. We found a cool island that was 30 to 40 feet tall and we got to find a whole park on it!

Well this was a short blog but I will do more so stay tuned for more!

Mountains And Hikes With Erin

We went to two volcanoes in the Cascade Mt. Range: Mt. Rainer & Mt. St. Helens. On Mt. Rainer, it

was a 2 & a half hour long hike without water. We ended up drinking out of a glacial ice stream! It was fresh and cold. We didn't know it would be this long of a hike.

On the way up, we saw something that my dad called a monkey. It turned out to be a marmot! It was perched on a rock. We saw many more marmots on the side of the path or on rocks. At this point, I was exhausted and dehydrated, and there was no stream at the top. So we made it to the top and turned around. The next day, we got in the RV and drove to Mt. St. Helens. Now, this volcano blew its top and side off on Sunday, May 18, 1980.

Here is a picture of Mt. St. Helens right now:

So, we go there and we stare at the massive volcano towering before us. We go inside and watch 2 films about how the entire north face fell and how 57 people died during the 2 eruptions that took place. The day before it erupted, when it looked safe, police and security and such let people past the red zone and into their homes and businesses. Then they would escort them out. The next day, at 8:32 a.m., the excitement began. The volcano's top slid of at a speed of 150 miles per hour at incoming forests, cities, and animals past the red zone. Now, Harry Truman was one of those 57 people who died. But he died being stubborn. He said that the mountain was his home, and that since he had been there 50 years, he was like part of the mountain. Harry lived at Spirit Lake, a lake at the base of Mt. St. Helens. Before the eruption, there was geologist named David Johnston who had set up a camp about six miles away from the mountain. He was there to monitor the growing bulge on the side of the mountain. It was growing at a rate of about 5 feet a day!

Eventually, after the explosion, a massive ash cloud left dead trees standing, and the ash surrounded the world. It covered up the sun and made it pitch black everywhere.

Even though the eruption destroyed the land, it helped rebuild a new one. Small creatures came out from underneath, protected from the blast, such as moles and pocket gophers. Frogs and salamanders came back to bare ponds. Elk and deer munched on flowers the popped up every day.

 Stay tuned for more blogs with Erin!

Sailing Adventure With Erin

After the cruise ship, we went sailing in the San Juan Islands with my grandma and Reese. I was part of the crew, and I had to help out on deck. We sailed to an island and saw orcas close to the boat. It was AWESOME! We went to shore on the dingy by rowing. Teamwork!  

We got to Shallow Bay (Which we called "Stinky Bay") and found 5 trails. We went to one and found gorgeous views of the sea! We saw crabs and had a stick/sword fight on the beach. My favorite part was sword fighting with Reese.

We also saw humpback whales and seals! We visited 2 resorts, and swam in a pool. We played volleyball in the pool and later bocce ball. We found a sculpture garden. With so much odd art it was unbelievable! Here I am being eaten by an alligator:

I think we're done sailing for today, so I'll see you later. But I have two shout-outs: Nancy Meyhoefer and Jenny Ames! Stay tuned for more blogs!

Alaskan Cruise With Erin

Alright, alright! New blog here, and this one's about a big boat. No, huge ship. No, big ol' Celebrity Solstice! Let me warn you: this is an extra-long special blog for our two weeks of adventure! So we'll skip the boring stuff and head to the cruise ship. Now, this ship was over 50 times the size of the RV! There were 15 floors, and over thousands of rooms. 1/10 of the boat was for staff, but whatever. There was a fun factory, a library, guest rooms, a buffet, a restaurant, an engine room, 2 pools, 4 big hammocks, hundreds of lounge chairs, and so much more! I found friends there, and I played a bit of Minecraft on the Xbox at the fun factory. I will not fail to mention the excellent service there. My grandma and Reese, my brother, were there with us. We saw humpback whales and the biggest glacier I will ever see in my life.



We stopped off at Ketchikan, Victoria, Skagway, and Juneau. We did some excursions there. We saw humpback whales bubble feeding, went on a nature walk through a national forest, went on a train ride through Skagway and went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia.

 My grandma bought us a souvenir.  Overall, it was a spectacular sight to see and I wish to have experiences just as great later. And with that, we are done with this blog.

Canoeing And Biking With Erin

So we had nothing to do today and thought a little canoe trip seemed like a good idea. So we rented a canoe and we rowed for an hour and a half. We saw an osprey nest, and we may have seen an osprey. We rowed to the bridge. Well, I say "we," but I mean my mom and dad. :D We were willing to dunk Ethan because of his nonstop whining.

 We went back to the dock and went biking. We biked about five miles. We biked up that same bridge we saw while canoeing.  There were bumps going up and down the bridge to help slow you down or speed up. It was really flat on that paved trail. After two hours of biking, we turned around. We went to get some ice cream to celebrate. The views of Idaho are incredible!

  It's another blog down so stay tuned for more blogging with Erin!

Touring The Wisconsin Capitol And Greenhouse With Erin

                                                        Touring the Wisconsin Capitol With Erin

     I went to the Wisconsin capitol with my Aunt Amy, Uncle Tom, Aunt Carol, Aunt Jean, Uncle Ed, Cousin Brenda, my mom, my dad, and Ethan. And me! We went to the Farmer’s Market and I tried on a safety vest and a police helmet. Eventually, it was almost time for the tour.

   If you haven’t heard about “Miss Forward”, she is the golden lady on the capitol. She’s called “Miss Forward” because her hand is pointing out to the U.S. capitol in Washington, D.C. The Wisconsin state animal is the badger, so she has a badger on her head. She is also called “Miss Forward” because “Forward” is the Wisconsin state motto.

   When we went in, it was ten minutes until it was time for the tour.  So Aunt Jean told me to lay on my back and look up. 

I did that and when you looked up, there was the mural about 200 feet up.  After that it was time for the tour. 

The first of three rooms we went to was the Supreme Court. Our tour guide told us that Wisconsin became a territory in 1836.

The first legislature met in the new Capitol in 1838.  They quickly discovered that the building was too small, so they tore it down and built a new, fancier one.  

                                                                 June 13: Greenhouse

   We knew someone who worked at Christenson Floral, a greenhouse/store near Chippewa Falls in Wisconsin.

He gave us a tour of the 6 greenhouses. We learned that the important parts of the flower are the Pistil &  Stamen.


Then we saw some rocks split in half called geos. They looked like crystals inside! It was incredible. I learned about geos in fourth grade. Our next destination had even more crystals!

That's it for this blog but stay tuned for more blogs!

Leaving Shakopee, Minnesota And Friends

      After a visit with my cousins (Spencer, Lincoln and Sloan) at the Willow River State Park, we went back to Minnesota for goodbyes.  We had a big party to say goodbye at Lions Park in Shakopee.
Then we had another gathering at Round Lake Park with even more friends.

 I will miss my all my friends, including the ones who weren't at the parties.  A few people who were at the party were Isabelle Castaneda,  Emily Eagen, Coral  Lindberg Collins, Paige Munoz, and  Navya Nambiar. A few who weren't at the parties were Abigail Wood, Nitiya Arun, Ming Wei, Ava Grover, and Ava Mine. I will miss their eager attitudes, and their broad smiles. I will also miss my 4th  grade  teacher, Mrs. Walker.

On the last day, we cleaned up the house and said goodbye to our cat, Ninja.  When we got on the road and broke down on the side of the road on the way to our grandma's house. So Grandma came and picked us up. We spent the next few days waiting for the RV to get fixed and hanging out with Grandma by the lake.

Well, that's about it for this blog. Stay tuned for more blogging with Erin.