We finished out the camping season last month by enjoying some more travel with the tiny trailer. I'm calling this one the Sibling Road-Trip because we went from home here in Oregon to the Seattle area (Washington State) for a great visit with my sister and brother-in-law and then across Washington into Northern Idaho for the same with Bill's brother and sister-in-law at their floating cabin on Lake Chatcolet. We enjoyed great catch-up times at both destinations and, as always, enjoyed the journey as well.
Here's a picture taken from our doorstep on our first night's stop:
Mount Rainier, late afternoon in late September
This is why we like staying in our own home-away-from home. You don't often get a view like this from a motel room.
We met up with our family the next day. It was a great catch-up time, enjoying good conversation and reminiscing, good meals, and exploring the area. One day the four of us visited the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Below are pictures from a beautiful bridge walkway built across a ravine in the 55-acre park.
As the sign says, it's a taste of the wild side in the middle of the city.
The whole park is one of those places that always seem sort of magical to me because of being so close to a major metropolitan area, while feeling as if you're miles away. An easily accessible outdoor getaway for city-dwellers — and tourists as well.
October and November are Dahlia season in the Pacific Northwest and the "tamer" area of the park had a beautifully groomed garden featuring these show-stoppers:
Who could fail to be cheered by these beautiful flowers.
Every variety and every color so photogenic.
We saw a few deer as we wandered around the park and always enjoy these sightings . But the above sign (and chewed up hosta leaves) reminded me of why some gardeners aren't happy to see them. Obviously, this park wasn't going to stop the deer from snacking. I'm sure the sign is to explain to the public that the plant damage isn't because the gardeners are neglecting their work.
The bees loved this flowering bush. Plantings in the gardens were all those that would do well in Western Washington's climate.
We had a great couple of days, over all too soon, before we got back on the road. I'll share some pictures from the other side of the State of Washington and neighboring Idaho in another post.
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MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and SATURDAY CRITTERS
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