First-Ever Complete Zoglman Family Vacation

For the first time in a very long time-- certainly since we've been a family of five-- we Zoglmans went on vacation. It wasn't anything exotic; we drove to and camped at two of the active volcanos in our beautiful state, and finished our trip by visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Portland. It was, as one might imagine when one pictures a car crammed with a week's worth of camping gear and five people, exhausting at times. But oh, was it worth it! So rarely do we take advantage of the beauty that is practically in our backyard. And, so rarely do we spend family time that is ours and only ours, with no other comings or goings, no intrusions, and no obligations to anyone but ourselves. There were moments when I thought we might kill each other. But mostly it was, in every possible sense of the word, beautiful. That may be why, less than 24 hours after our return, I find myself here, overflowing with pictures and words. I can't say "wish you were here," but I can't wait to share our memories with you.

Stopping at Ohanapecosh and visiting the nature trail

  

Settling into our first campsite at White River

Avery, proving that with a lot of friction and a little bit of prying, you can open a can without a can opener.

Just playing

Sunrise, Mt. Rainier

Lunch overlooking Emmons Glacier

At the Visitor's Center

Identifying native plants

"Boop" on Little Tahoma

Not pictured: my panic attack during the drive back down

Back at camp

Exploring the campground

Poohsticks

Old Ranger's Cabin

Rockin' a milk mustache and ready to break camp

White River valley, with evidence of the recent floods

Our handsome chauffeur for the trip

On the trail to Grove of the Patriarchs

Ancient cedars

Snacktime

Daddy showing the girls a classic example of a nurse log

Chipmunk peek-a-boo

Look what we did!

A new campsite near Mt. St. Helens, and watermelon for dinner

The look on Lavender's face when she found a six-inch banana slug

Storytime by lantern light

Morning in our camp

Camping breakfast: cinnamon rolls and cardamom apples in butter

Sibling love

Kindling concert

The nearby playground, which was actually upstaged by a massive dirt hill

Spinning, climbing, and swinging

Mt. St. Helens Visitor's Center at Silver Lake

At the Johnston Ridge Observatory, looking down at the landscape created by the eruption

Wildflowers in the Blast Zone

At Bubbah Jordan and Auntie Andreen's apartment in Portland, after an afternooon of swimming and bowling, and a night in a hotel

Barbecue time

No, he didn't drink any

Bubbah heals all wounds

Morning with Auntie

At OMSI

The animatronic dinosaurs were a little too realistic for comfort

Dinosaurs rule!

... and then a long car ride back home.