Visiting Woodland Park Zoo

Jean and I went to Woodland Park Zoo Monday, August 3. She normally works a night shift, so she had to get up early so we could see all the animals during business hours. The last time we went to the zoo was last year about this time.

When we got there, we saw a blue heron in the same enclosure with the Humboldt penguins. These large birds are native to Washington and my previous home in Montana, but it's neat to see them in a city environment too.

There were some differences between last year and this. A year ago they had elephants, but they aren't there any longer. As a matter of fact, only 11 days after we went last year, one of their elephants died. Last year we also saw cheetahs, but they weren't there this year.

While we visited the zoo, we saw what we couldn't see last year. We especially liked watching the Asian small-clawed otters and the new ring-tailed lemurs.

Asian small-clawed otters at Woodland Park Zoo

Ring-tailed lemurs at Woodland Park Zoo

It was a hot day so between looking at all the different animals, we had Icees. For dinner, Jean and I went to Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse.

Jean shows her red tongue after eating an Icee.

Camping at Diablo Lake

 

Since Adam was in town, we decided to go camping on my days off. Neither one of us knows that much about the Washington area, so we had to research a place to camp. I really liked the drive through North Cascades National Park when I dropped him off on the Pacific Crest Trail, so we finally decided to camp at Diablo Lake on July 5-6.

Driving to the lake, we first picked up some firewood along the way. Many cars were heading out of the park, presumably because it was Sunday night and they had to go back to work on Monday morning.

When we got to the lake, there were still several campers there. We chose a spot and set up camp. I made a one-match fire and Adam cooked steaks over the campfire. It had been awhile since I had a good steak, and was impressed by his culinary skills. He cooked them to perfection in the dark!

Adam made some amazing steaks during our camping trip.

The next day, we decided to hike on one of the nearby trails. Unfortunately there was a fire that prevented us from traveling along the Thunder Creek Trail very far. We instead to hike on Fourth of July Pass to the Panther Potholes. The trail only had peek-a-boo scenery as it was densely forested. We were able to see a sizable waterfall next to Colonial Peak. Fourth of July Pass campground is easy to ignore if you're not looking for signage. However, Panther Potholes are just beyond it and were a great place for us to turn around.

Adam poses in front of Thunder Creek.

A large waterfall near Colonial Peak is visible from Fourth of July Trail.

If you look closely, you'll see two people hiking over a log at Panther Potholes.

I pose at an overlook at Panther Potholes.

When we got back to Diablo Lake campground, we made some lunch and then drove back to Snohomish. I was surprised that for not hiking at all this summer, I wasn't sore the next day as I had expected, especially considering we hiked so far with a 2,400-foot elevation gain.

It was a great time for Adam and I to talk. We had such a great weekend. Adam had to leave the next day for Oregon, so I said my goodbyes to him Tuesday.

Picking Adam Up from the PCT

 

After being on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) for eight days, Adam asked if I could pick him up in Wenatchee, Washington. He had just completed all 118 miles of Section K of the PCT and decided that just doing a section here and there would be alright for his purpose. He had some great times out on the trail too.

After work on July 2, I drove in the night to Wenatchee and picked him up and then drove back home. I had to work on July 3, but I actually had Independence Day off and we'd be able to spend some time together over the weekend.

I had to work for the morning on Independence Day, but afterward, we went to Gas Works Park in Seattle. We knew that there were going to be a lot of people there, so we parked about a mile away from the park several hours before the fireworks would start. There were already a lot of people there by the time we got there. We got something to eat and hung out at the top of the hill overlooking the park until the fireworks began.

It was a great fireworks show, even though the music messed up.

Afterwards, we watched for a little while as people left the park. There were so many!

Once we decided to work through the crowd, we walked back to our car, but saw that traffic was going to be backed up for awhile. We walked to a nearby restaurant and had a late dinner. By the time we were finished, traffic was much more manageable.

We had a great night. I enjoy hanging out with Adam. I don't get to see him very often.

Dropping Adam Off at the PCT

Wayne and Adam at the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington along Route 20

Adam came from Pennsylvania to Washington state recently so he could hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Adam arrived in Everett on June 22. I picked him up and we were able to hang out for a few days. I haven't seen Adam since he visited me in Montana March 22-25, 2014. Jean, Bruce, and I were still in the process of unpacking, so while I was at work, he helped us out with the process.

It was great to be able to catch up with him. So much has happened in the past year. I was able to show him where I work, and what I do. He was able to buy a few last-minute supplies and get ready for his trip.

Adam was hoping to go on the entire trail, but was open to other possibilities.

On June 25, I got up early in the morning and drove him through North Cascades National Park on Washington State Route 20. It was such a beautiful drive that I decided that I needed to drive there later to really see what's there.

After fumbling around on the road a bit, we finally found where the PCT met Highway 20. (It wasn't clearly marked, so we were a little confused.) We said our goodbyes, and then I left Adam in the middle of nowhere without even a cell signal.

I figured that he'd be alright and that he'd enjoy his time on the trail. I considered it a great adventure.

Moving to Snohomish

Remember how I moved from Montana to Renton in April 2014? Well, I moved again! On June 2, Jean, Bruce, and I moved from Renton to Snohomish. We were in an apartment, and now we're in a condo.

I've started going to a new church also. Since New Life Church in Renton is a long drive each Sunday, I decided to look for a new church almost immediately. I visited a couple churches before I found one I liked: Gold Creek Community Church. I'm super happy with this church and am already making new friends there.

My commute to work is longer than it used to be, but it's still reasonable.

Outside my bedroom window, there is a walking trail. We have some wildlife in the area too. I've seen a rabbit, but once the bobcat was in the neighborhood, it "disappeared." Just a couple days ago I saw a hummingbird visit the fence by my bedroom window.

Occasionally I still have to drive to Renton because my things are still stored there. Believe it or not, it's cheaper for me to keep the storage unit there and drive to Renton once a month than it is for me to get a new storage unit in this area.

I continue to look forward to new adventures.

Starting a Bible Study

On May 3, something unusual happened. I went to New Life Church as normal that morning. I had to go to work unexpectedly for a brief time, so I left after my duties were finished at church.

By the time I had finished helping at work, church was over. As I drove back toward Renton, I decided to stop in Factoria to get something to eat since there were several fast food restaurants there. I knew that I was going to have the night off with my aunt, and that we'd be spending time together. I also realized that she probably wanted to have Mexican, so I crossed Taco Time off the list, but I went to Taco Bell instead. I don't even know why I did it since it made no sense to me.

I didn't feel comfortable at Taco Bell because I didn't trust some of the people there. I sat in the corner, facing away from the crowd. This was also unusual because I normally face the people in a restaurant, and I already didn't trust some of them.

After I finished eating I realized that some people behind me were talking about the Bible. They were discussing 2 Corinthians 4. One of them was trying to help the other two understand what it meant, and he was doing a pretty good job at it. But there came a point at which he couldn't really explain what 2 Cor. 4:8-9 meant.

I turned around and told them I could help them understand this and asked if they'd like me to help. They invited me, so I explained the whole thing to them.

Weeks later, I asked how they started the Bible study together. Sometime during the week before May 3, a homeless man asked Caleb about the Bible and wanted to understand more of it. To Caleb, this was fairly random, but he knew who this guy was because he'd had some interactions with him. Caleb answered some of his questions, but knew there were too many to be able to answer all at once. He suggested that they meet for a Bible study that following Sunday, May 3 at Taco Bell. That's how they met me.

Since we've started this Bible study, we've seen one man give his heart to Jesus, and another rededicated his life to Him. We started studying the book of John on May 10, and this coming Sunday we're going to be studying John 18. We've also changed locations. By the way, the guy who originally had questions about the Bible is already saved.

God is changing the hearts of the homeless in Factoria, Washington.

God has given me some new friends.

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:12-14 NIV)

RoozenGaarde

It was the last day of the tulip festival, and I still needed to see it. I drove to Mount Vernon on April 20 so I could see the last of the tulips at RoozenGaarde. The fields of flowers had already been taken and so only a little was still there. Even what little was there was pretty spectacular. Hopefully I'll be able to go while the fields are still in bloom next year!

A crab apple tree among the tulips