Golfing at Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima, WA

Look closely at this island green as Mike tees off. The whole thing is shaped like an apple, with a sand trap for a "leaf" and a bridge for the "stem". What a great tribute to the Apple capital, Yakima!! And yes, we both made it to the green, and got pars. :) Must have been the energy we got from eating all those apples...

Picking apples in Yakima, WA

Did you know that Washington state produces 58% of the apples eaten in the United States? This orchard weaves through Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima. You can pick fresh apples while you are waiting to tee off! These are by far the best apples you will ever eat - fresh off the tree, unwaxed, crispy and sweeeeeeet.

Climbing up the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Cool! We were lucky enough to get the last public tour EVER to climb the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. You can see the 1950 bridge on the left and the new bridge on the right. We were 510 ft. over the water!! The bridge extends downward below the water 230 ft. An amazing feat of engineering - check out the Washington State Department of Transportation website for a computerized animation of the process. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr16narrowsbridge/animated/

and here's the newsreel of the original bridge "Galloping Gertie" that collapsed in 1940 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxTZ446tbzE

Doiing the slingshot ride at the Puyallup Fair

With Mike as cameraman, Sue and son-in-law Joel took on the Slingshot ride at the Puyallup Fair. What a blast, literally!!!

Parasailing in Seattle

Over beautiful Elliott Bay with downtown Seattle in view, we took a late summer parasail on Mike's birthday. This is actually what we did on our first date, 5 years ago!!

Biking in Sunriver, OR

Sunriver is at at a 4,000 ft. elevation in central Oregon, which made for beautiful clear skies. Lots of stars, too!! We mostly golfed, but also took in a bike ride next to the horse pasture.

Heating up the rainforest

It was chilly and damp at times, so we relished the cedar driftwood campfires. One day when we were unable to kayak due to weather, we hiked 4 miles across the island forest and 4 miles back just so we could go spend an hour in an old wood fired dry sauna and dry out our clothes. A temporary pleasure, as we were all wet again by the time we got back. But it was fun!!

Now this is COOL!!

Look what we found on the beach in Canada!! Sunflower sea stars are large predators of the sea floor, reaching arm spans of up to three feet. They are surprisingly fast, voracious hunters for clams, urchins, snails, abalone, sea cucumbers, and other sea stars. Adult sunflower sea stars can move at the astonishing speed of one meter per minute using 15,000 tube feet which line the undersides of their bodies. They range in color from bright orange to purple, and have a soft, velvet-textured body and 16 to 24 arms studded with powerful suckers.

Kayaking in the Rainforest

Paddling on Claquot Sound, near Tofino, British Columbia in Canada. A six day trip, we camped out on sandy beaches. Pretty damp, and we had a true downpour on one day with 30 knot winds. We saw orca fins off in the mist, sea lions and a bald eagle boldly stealing a fish from an osprey. Oh, and wolf tracks in the sand just outside our tent!