Late Summer 2011

Leavenworth and Eastern Washington

The kids and their �forts� in the front yardThe Blatt�s backyard is great for kids


Building at the Adventure Playground on Mercer IslandPeter swimming at Derin�s Birthday party


Camping at Leavenworth - inside the trailerPeter has �lipstick� on from eating cherries fresh from the trees around the KOA campground


Our next door neighbors had catsOn a hike


Lots of wild cherries!We rented a bicycle four-wheeler at the Koa


Approaching the Sugarloaf fire lookout near Leavenworth - there was a big fire years ago, that�s why it�s still so barrenWe actually got to go inside the fire lookout - way cool!






We had a picnic just outside the lookout - very windy, but we managed to find a wind sheltered spot








We took a trip to Spokane/Eastern Washington. On a path near the hotel we stayed at was a colony of marmots!Some views of Spokane




A blurry picture, but it�s the only one so I�m including it nonetheless. I used to enjoy roller coasters, but not any more. Must have something to do with aging!A bike ride along the Centennial trail




At the Grand Coulee damn, we were able to take a guided tour








Irrigation pipes


Steamboat Rock State Park


Each of these layers of basalt columns is a separate lava flow






At Sun Lakes State Park




I was intrigued by this unusual geological formation, with the dips in the cliffs on the right. I wasn�t able to figure out what caused it, until I looked at an aerial view on Google Maps. It can be best seen just southwest of Sun Lakes State Park. It�s caused by rolling hills being ripped away dramatically and suddenly by the Missoula Floods.At Soap Lake. Sometimes apparently there�s actually some foamy stuff on the sides of the lake, but not when we were there. The water did feel a little weird and soapy, though.


Peter at the Point Defiance ZooLuther Burbank Park