Cushman

A couple posts back, I mentioned this magical place my family would occasionally (almost yearly) vacation where we'd regularly see adorable raccoons out and about.  We would stay at my dad's cousin's cabin on Lake Cushman, nestled in the Olympic National Forest in Washington State.  Growing up, this was my favorite vacation spot.

The four of us usually drove up to stay for a few days, sometimes a week.  The cabin sleeps 10 (three rooms with doubles or queens, one room with two sets of bunk beds), so we usually invited our cousins to join us since they lived reasonably close.  I loved being there with just my parents and sister, but I loved even more having my cousins join us.  Our days were filled with hikes at Staircase Park, lounging on the cabin's dock, playing in the water until we were shivering uncontrollably, playing board games, and gazing at the millions of stars.  I remember trying to count all of the stars in the sky one night, and I gave up after maybe 30 because it was hard to tell which ones I counted and which ones I hadn't yet.  It was too tedious a task, and kids just don't have that kind of patience!

My cousin Amy and I loved to use the paddle boat to putz around the lake.  Usually we stayed in our little cove, but occasionally we ventured over to boat ramp at the park down the shore.  One time we tried to paddle our way across the lake.  I don't think we even made it half way before we got too tired and turned around to start the long journey back.  In retrospect, that was not the best idea we've ever had considering there are often motorboats on the lake, pulling people on skis and tubes behind them.  Being a small, slow, human-powered vessel can be dangerous around fast powerful boats like that.  It must've been a weekday that we attempted our crossing since there was hardly anyone on the water.

I regularly reminisce about all the fun times my family has had at the cabin and to this day it is still one of my favorite vacation spots.  It had been several years since I'd last been up there, so I was thrilled when my parents suggested we go this past July.  Unfortunately, it was only my parents, me and Nick; my sister and her husband weren't able to join us this time.  Sadly the paddle boat was stolen and never recovered, so we didn't get to use it.  But it was still a great time with lots of relaxation.  We did all the usual activities, from hiking to relaxing on the water to playing games.

We had some beautiful sunsets during our stay at the lake.

These clouds started out yellow, faded to gray, then
became a brilliant orange which turned magenta
before completely fading to darkness.

These birds liked to just sit on docks along the water and soak up sun with
their mouths hanging open.

Father's Day Photo Hike

One of the reasons Nick and I moved back to Oregon was to be close to family and all the awesome outdoorsy activities available so close to town.  As a result, last Father's day I got to take advantage of both!  My dad and I took a few short hikes on a loop drive through the Columbia gorge, stopped in Hood River for lunch, and then to Lost Lake by Mt Hood, then up and around Mt Hood, stopping at Trillium Lake for the sunset, and then back home.  We took Nova with us but she was a huge pain pretty much the whole day.  She pulled so much more than she usually does on hikes and was super whiny the entire car ride.  I think the only reason she was worse than usual was because my dad was there and she doesn't see him often so she was extra amped up.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to hike with my dad because, like me, he is into photography so he and I were both on a mission to capture some great photos of the landscape around us as we hiked.  I often feel bad hiking with others who don't care as much about photography because I make them stop and wait for me while I take a lot of photos along the way.  Thankfully everyone I usually hike with is very patient and accommodating of my obsession.  But when I'm with others who are also taking as many photos as I am, I don't feel bad.  Instead, it's almost like we feed off of each other, sharing tips and ideas.  And there's multiple sets of eyes looking for great shots.  Plus it was obviously nice getting some father-daughter time, too.  Bonus!  Here are some of my favorites:

We paused at Horsetail Falls in the Gorge.

Along the trail at Lost Lake

About two thirds of the way around Lost Lake

 And more photos...