Heading into 2026 - A Summary of Our Year 2025

 

Long-time friends enjoying the day in Sarasota

Scrolling through all the photos from 2025 helped jog my memory on the year’s happenings. It was a busy year, and highlights included time spent with family, gatherings with friends, and travel.

The magnificent Grand Canyon

Ancient dwellings at Wupatki National Monument

Winter travels included Arizona in January and February with Fred and Vicki where we hiked in desert parks, visited with cousins and friends, and enjoyed Old Town Scottsdale. We met up with friends Paul and Leslie for a road trip to Sedona, and then off to the Grand Canyon with a few national monuments along the way. The national sites are amazing! Montezuma Castle National Monument featured a five-story cliff dwelling that was occupied between 1100 and 1300 while Wupatki NM had the remains of multi-level pueblos that had residents in the 1100’s. Of course, the Grand Canyon was magnificent. We stayed in Kachina Lodge, along the rim, and enjoyed the park with fewer visitors than during the summer months. 

Sunset in Marana AZ with Minnesota friends

Our last few days were spent in Marana, south of Phoenix with Minnesota friends. Golf, the interesting Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Sabino Canyon Recreational Area and Saguaro National Park wrapped up our Arizona trip.

We spent March in Clearwater, Florida with distillery stops in Kentucky on the way. The guys had to stock up on Buffalo Trace Bourbon! We also made a quick stop at Castle & Key Distillery which is in the historic Old Taylor Distillery surrounded by gardens along Glenns Creek.

Chalk art on the sidewalks of Safety Harbor FL

Fred & Steve at the American Victory Ship Museum in Tampa

In Clearwater we spent our time exploring the area and towns nearby, walking in the beautiful parks, sunning on the white sandy beaches, seeing friends, and golf for Steve and Fred. We enjoyed the strawberry shortcake at the Strawberry Festival in Plant, Florida, but the festival is basically a county fair. We also spent time in Tampa including Ybor City, the “Cigar Capital of the World” in the early 1900’s. The American Victory Ship is one of three fully operational Victory Class WWII ships remaining. It is now a museum, and you can wander through the entire ship. At the end of March, we visited college friends and enjoyed their great food, lovely pool, and catching up with each other.

Our nephew, Jon & Kait, at their wedding celebration

We were home for Easter and spent the day with our family, including my sister, Lisa and her husband, Jim. Mother’s Day was spent with the family at Theodore Wirth Park for a picnic and walk in the Wildflower Garden. It is an adventure to keep a 2-year-old on the boardwalk! In May we celebrated the upcoming marriage of our nephew, Jonathon, and his beautiful bride, Kait, with a party in Iowa at my brother’s. They got married a week later in Glacier National Park, then moved to Fairbanks, Alaska. What an adventure for them as they start their life together!!

Camping with Bruce & Barb at Pilot Knob State Park

June brought a camping weekend with brother, Bruce and his wife, Barb, at Pilot Knob State Park in northern Iowa. Steve and I tent camp and there was only light rain so the tent and we survived!!

Beautiful blue Crater Lake behind Alyssa, Steve and me

Mt. Rainier

Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park

Salmon in the fish ladder at Ballard Locks in Seattle

July was a busy month filled with golf and friends’ annual Cheaters Golf Tournament on July 4^th. We also toured Fort Snelling with the family. Our next trip was to Washington and Oregon with our daughter, Alyssa, exploring more national parks. Stops included Crater Lake National Park, Mt Hood where people were still skiing at the very high altitudes, Mt Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park, as well as other smaller natural and park areas. Each national park has its own personality with amazing features and views. We spent a couple of days in Seattle, visiting Pikes Place Market, the Ballard Locks, Lamb & Co Storefront (another HGTV show), and took a tour of the Boeing airplane plant.

Hanging at the beach at the rental house,

Enjoying the summer with Annika

Next, we were back to the Midwest, and off to our family weekend up north near Itasca State Park. We enjoyed the Airbnb house on Two Inlets Lake with its own dock and beach. Xander, our almost 3-year-old grandson, really enjoyed swimming in the lake, as well as the headwaters of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park.

In a golf cart at Northfield Golf Club - we golf a lot in the summer!

August found us heading to my hometown of Audubon, Iowa for my 50^th class reunion (gulp!). Besides seeing classmates, I have not seen in years, a couple of my favorite teachers also attended the night. My younger sister also had her class reunion, so we caught up with Laura and Lisa later in the evening. We celebrated Xander’s third birthday in August. And Vicki and I had a fun day at the Minnesota State Fair with her daughter, Kelli, and kids.

September was Annika’s first birthday with friends and family. We dodged raindrops a few times as we tried to celebrate in their backyard. Our next trip destination was California – two weeks with friends Fred and Vicki, and Paul and Leslie. It turned out to be three destinations in one trip.

Enjoying wine at Sterling Vineyards

The winery is built into the hill at Porter Family Vineyards

The beautiful vegetable and flower gardens at Regusci Winery

Enjoying wine and lunch on the Klinker Brick patio in Lodi

First was wine country in Napa and Lodi. We visited four wineries in Napa – Sterling Vineyards with a gondola to take you to the winery, Cakebread Cellars, Porter Family Vineyards with a cool cave built into a hill covered in vines, and Regusci Winery located on a farm with a fabulous garden. Each one included a tour and tastings of their wines. The next day we spent in Lodi, which has smaller wineries. We enjoyed lunch and a tasting on the patio at Klinker Brick Winery. Their red wines were great, so we joined the wine club and now get a shipment each quarter. We also made a quick stop at Harney Lane Winery to see their beautiful grounds.

El Capitan in Yosemite

Segment #2 of the California trip focused on national parks. At Yosemite we stayed at a house in Yosemite West, a residential area built on the steep hillside. Yosemite is simply majestic – with huge granite mountains, amazing waterfalls, clear blue lakes, and spectacular views. We visited Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point and drove Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows with hikes and magnificent scenery along the way.

The rugged beauty in Kings Canyon National Park

Surrounded by huge trees in Sequoia National Park

On top of Moro Rock

Near Kings Canyon National Park we stayed at a house where we met the host family, their huge dog and friendly sheep, and received a dozen fresh eggs for breakfast. The dozens of hummingbirds feeding at the feeders on the porch were so fun to watch! At Kings Canyon we saw the Grant giant sequoia tree, drove the scenic byway on the north side of the park, and enjoyed the majestic granite mountain scenery, waterfalls, and the Roaring River. Our rainy day was in Sequoia National Park which made for an eerie foggy atmosphere, driving the mountain roads with the huge trees. The General Sherman tree is the world’s largest tree by volume and estimated to be over 2,200 years old. It is amazing to see so many huge sequoias. Vicki and I were the only ones who made the climb up Moro Rock in the gloomy atmosphere. We walked up 350 steps, through narrow stone passages and along the edge of huge stone outcroppings to arrive at the top of the rock where we could see glimpses of the valley below through breaks in the clouds. On the drive west back to the coast we also made a stop at Pinnacles National Park but were limited on time and did not hike to Bear Gulch Caves, which was our plan.

The Devil's Bunker perched on a rock along the Pacific coast

The Lone Cypress on the 17-Mile Drive

Segment #3 of the trip included the coast of California and the city of San Francisco. Driving 17-mile Hwy on the Monterey Peninsula was a terrific way to see many sites along the Pacific Coast. We experienced overlooks of Monterey Bay, stopping along the ocean to see the rocky, rough Pacific Ocean, birds, and sea lions. The final stop was at Pebble Beach Visitor Center where we had to buy golf merchandise! On the way to San Francisco, we enjoyed parks along the coast. Especially interesting was a squat cement building called the Devil’s Bunker. It is covered in graffiti and sits on a rock peak looking like it could topple over at any moment.

China Town in San Francisco

In San Franscico we explored Presidio Park which was very foggy the two days we were there. We could see only the very tops of the Golden Gate Bridge, so no photo opportunities. A Big Bus tour gave us a good look at many of the areas in the city. We walked in China Town and North Beach, saw the cable cars, bought chocolates at Ghirardelli Square, and drove the Lombard Crookedest Street. A delicious seafood dinner at Fog Harbor Restaurant on Pier 39 capped off our time in California.

Our beautiful niece, Anna, and her husband, Weston

Home again, and we were off to Iowa for our niece, Anna’s wedding. It was a fun family wedding weekend!

The family at Brand Farms

Iowa State football!

October brought a visit to Brand Farms with the family for apple picking and fun fall kids’ activities. Then back to Iowa for an Iowa State football game. Unfortunately, ISU lost to BYU but the time with long-time friends is always fun!

The Northern Lights in Dundas MN

In November I spent a weekend with college friends in Galena. The highlight was seeing a friend we had not been in touch with for years! November also brought the Northern Lights to the Midwest, and I got some good photos with my iPhone. Thanksgiving was spent with our family, as well as an evening with friends, Fred and Vicki and their family.

Christmas with our family

In December we celebrated Jaime and my birthdays. Steve and I went to Jesus Christ Superstar at the Ordway in St Paul which was a fun evening in the city. Alyssa spent a few days with us over Christmas and helped so much with cookie baking and cooking. We spent Christmas Day with Jaime and family, which was magical with kids!

In the coming year we hope that each of you have a community to keep you sane in today’s crazy world. We wish for a happy and healthy New Year 2026!

 

 

Exploring the Pacific Northwest

 

First stop at Crater Lake

Since my last post earlier this year, we spent the month of March in Florida, then returned to Minnesota for spring and summer. The summer has been busy with spending time with family and friends, golf, adding to my flower gardens, and weekend trips. In July Steve, Alyssa and I took a wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest to see national parks in Washington and Oregon. Each national park we have visited has been unique and amazing, and these parks were the same!

Water Pipeline at Toketee Falls near Crater Lake

We flew into Portland, Oregon and headed south to Crater Lake National Park. Along the way we stopped at Roseburg Forest Products where Steve worked years ago. It was fun for him to see the plant and that area again. On the way to Crater Lake, our first encounter with the amazing landscape of Oregon was a stop at Toketee Falls where we hiked less than a mile through old-growth forest to the beautiful waterfall. Equally amazing was the 12-foot diameter pipeline that ran along the parking area. It was moss and plant covered with several spots spouting water. Made of redwood staves, it was completed in 1949 and powers turbines for electricity.

Wizard Island in Crater Lake

We stayed at the Diamond Lake Lodge, just north of Crater Lake. It was an older resort with no wifi or cell service so we were off the grid and in vacation mode quickly! The next morning we headed to the park. The first look at Crater Lake took our breath away! The caldera that holds the lake was formed 7,700 years ago when the Mount Mazama volcano collapsed. It is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet. The lake is fed by only snow and rain with no streams or rivers running into it, making it amazingly clear and blue.

A rim road circles the lake, but is closed in a section for construction. We spent the day driving the rim road, stopping at overlooks and hiking some of the trails. Highlights included:

Phantom Ship Rock

• Sun Notch Trail was a .75 mile loop through wildflowers and some remaining snow, with great views of Phantom Ship Rock and the lake.
• Watchman Peak had wonderful views of Wizard Island which was formed by an eruption after the lake was formed. Boat tours of the lake and to the island are available, but you have to take a steep hike down and back to reach the shore of the lake.
• Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only access to the shore of the lake. It is a 1.1 mile strenuous trail with 700 feet of elevation change. Alyssa hiked all the way down and took a very quick plunge in the icy cold water! Beginning in 2026 for two years this trail will be closed for updates to the trail and marina.

Pumice Castle rock formation

• Pumice Castle is an orange rock formation that can be seen from an overlook on the east side of the lake. This area also had large mounds of snow so a few snowballs were thrown!
• Vidae Falls, a 100 foot waterfall, can be seen from the road on the south side of the park.
• Pumice Desert Research Natural Area is on the north side of the park. It is a treeless subalpine pumice field that is still recovering from the eruption of the volcano. A few small trees are starting to grow in the area as it begins to recover.

Historic Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood

Little Zigzag Falls 

On Alyssa’s birthday we headed to Mount Rainier with a stop at Mount Hood to see the historic Timberline Lodge with wood interiors and massive stone fireplaces. The ski area was still open and there was skiing in July! We had a nice lunch break at Little Zigzag Falls nearby. It was a beautiful area with an old stone bridge that was once on the main road. A short hike led to the falls - along the Zigzag River and through the forest with moss, lichens, ferns and rock outcroppings.

At Mount Rainier we stayed at a cute rustic wood cabin in Packwood which was south of the park. We saw a herd of elk the first night, as well as deer wandering through the woods by the cabin. At Mount Rainier National Park, we entered the park in the southeast corner and drove north to the Sunrise Corrider where we had a timed entry. This is the only entrance in the park that requires a reservation to enter. 

Mount Rainier from the Silver Forest Trail

• From the Sunrise Visitor Center we hiked the Silver Forest Trail through meadows with beautiful wild flowers and spectacular views of Mount Rainer and the Emmons Glacier.
• A drive on the Box Canyon Road with a hike to see the canyon with the Cowlitz River running far below.
• A stop at Reflection Lake which wasn’t very reflective due to the breeze stirring up the water’s surface, but still a pretty view.
• Paradise Visitor Center is a very busy area of the park, with many visitors entering at the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park. We did hike the crowded trail to scenic Myrtle Falls for a few quick photos. Scenic views like this just are not the best when you are dodging so many people!

Christine Falls through the historic stone bridge

• After some slow traffic due to road construction, we stopped at 60-foot Christine Falls, a beautiful falls beside a historic arched bridge.

Alyssa standing on a huge fallen tree

• The Longmire area of the park has historic buildings designed in the National Park Service Rustic style, including a National Park Inn, gas station, general store and more. The Trail of the Shadows was a lovely loop around the Longmire Meadow with springs still bubbling up from historic stone fountains. It went by a historic cabin and through a forest filled with huge trees, fallen trees and large plants in the wet springs area.

By Silver Falls in the Ohanapecosh area

• In the Ohanapech area the Grove of the Patriarchs was closed due to damage to the suspension bridge caused by flooding. We were able to hike one way on the Silver Falls Trail through a Douglas fir forest. This led to another beautiful waterfall.

Next, we headed to Seattle, stopping in Enumclaw, a small touristy town. We had lunch at the Kettle Diner where the classic long-time waitress told us to be careful in the big city of Seattle! Steve and I had visited Seattle a few years ago and saw many of the classic stops then. 

Pike Place Fish Market

Our first stop was the iconic Pike Place Market. Unfortunately, we were there on a Saturday so lots of traffic and crowds! We explored many of the shops in the market and on nearby streets, and made a quick stop at the gum wall.

Boeing planes with a green film to protect them during assembly

Sunday morning we took the Boeing Future of Flight tour. Marvin, our tour guide was from Sitka, Alaska and was great! We saw two jet assembly buildings from an upper-level balcony (or bays as they were called) where many planes were in different stages of assembly. After the tour, a drop off at the gift shop, then onto exhibits covering the history and future of flight. From a Sky Deck we could see planes that were almost complete, as well as the many Boeing buildings, and a small air strip for the area.

Lamb & Co Storefront in Snohomish

In my quest to visit HGTV show sites, we went to downtown Snohomish where Lamb & Co is located. Twins Leslie and Lyndsay host “Unsellable Houses”. They have a storefront with home décor and Lamb & Co. merchandise. Behind the store is the real estate office for the company. I enjoyed talking with the young lady who was manning the store to hear about working with Leslie and Lyndsay. We had lunch at the Snohomish Bakery with sandwiches on delicious bread.

Salmon in the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks

Our next stop was at the Ballard Locks which connects freshwater Lake Washington with the salt water of Puget Sound  We watched boats lining up to go through the locks. A fish ladder with salmon going upstream could be viewed from an underwater room. There was also a small botanical garden beside the locks.

The next three days were spent at Olympic National Park. It is very large with several ecosystems including old-growth temperate rainforest, glacier-capped mountains and subalpine meadows, and wild coastal beaches. All of it is amazing!!

A walk through the meadow in Hurricane Ridge

We took the ferry from Seattle to Kingston, then a drive through the peninsula to the visitor center in Port Angeles. We headed to Hurricane Ridge and hiked the Meadow Loop/Cirque Rim trail in the meadows with beautiful views, wildflowers and the remnants of an old ski lift.  

Madison Falls

Next stop - Elwha where we took a short hike to Madison Falls with large moss-covered maples and cedars along the trail.

Swimming in Lake Crescent

In the Lake Crescent area, we hiked 1.8 miles to Marymere Falls through old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall. The next day as we looked for a spot to have lunch we headed down a narrow gravel road on the west side of the lake. We finally came to a parking lot with an easy hike down to the lake with a beach and dock. We had lunch there and Steve and Alyssa spent some time in the clear blue water. It wasn’t as icy cold as Crater Lake, so they enjoyed their dip in the lake.

We stayed one night in Port Angeles at the Royal Victorian Motel, in need of updates but clean. The next two nights we stayed in Forks (west of the park) at the Forks Motel which was amazingly nice!

Sol Duc Valley was filled with old-growth forests that were magical. Many of the trees are hundreds of years old and very large. Snags, dead standing trees, provide shelter for many types of living creatures. The trees that have fallen are called nurse trees. They are often covered with moss and provide a place for new trees and other plants to grow. Ferns and other tropical looking plants cover the forest floor along with the moss and other fungi. At Sol Duc we hiked the short loop Ancient Groves trail and the Sol Duc Falls trail.

Moss covered trees in the Hoh Rain Forest

The Hoh Rain Forest is a very popular area of the park, so we got up early and arrived at 8:30 am, none too soon. The main parking lot was full but we did find parking along the road. We hiked the magical Hall of Mosses trail through beautiful old-growth forest, then the Spruce Nature Trail. This trail wound by the Hoh River with pale blue glacial water. When we left the area at 11 am, there were miles of cars waiting for entry.

Rialto Beach

The Pacific coast beaches are amazing. We stopped at a few of them and each one was a bit different. First Rialto Beach in the Mora Coastal Area with many weathered logs strewn on the rocky beach. The famed Hole in the Wall hike is along this beach but we arrived at high tide so could not walk up the beach for this hike.

First Beach in LaPush is on the Quileute Indian reservation. We stopped briefly here to see the sandy beach.

Ruby Beach with mist in the air from the surf

In the Kalaloch area we visited Ruby Beach. A short hike through the forest took us to a rocky beach with many trees and logs strewn about, and sea stacks in the water. It was a little after low tide so we were able to see anemones, shell creatures and star fish in the tide pools on the rocks.

Next we stopped at Beach 4. A long set of stairs lands on a large rock. You must crawl down the rock, with a rope to aid you in the climb, to reach the black sand beach. The rock has swiss cheese textured stone caused by piddock clams that burrowed into the rock for protection against the surf.

A little further south is the beach at the Kalaloch Campground which has the Tree of Life. The creek has eroded the earth beneath the tree’s roots so that a cave is formed under the tree. This beach also has many dead logs, but it is mostly sand with a few rocks. It was very misty that day so the beaches looked foggy and straight out of the movie “Twilight”.

Bella's Truck from the movie "Twilight"

Back in Forks we took time for shopping and “Twilight” spots. Yes, I am a Twilight fan, and read the books and watched the movies with my daughters. Bella’s pickup sits outside the Forks Chamber of Commerce office. We drove by the Swan house, as well as Miller Tree Inn that was used as the inspiration for the Cullen house.

On our final day as we headed back to the Portland airport we stopped at the Quinault Rain Forest. We took the South Shore Road in Quinault which is in the Olympic National Forest, not the National Park.

• Merriman Falls was a pretty falls that could be seen from the road.

Big Sitka Spruce Tree

• A short .3 mile walk led to the Quinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree. It was huge with a 58-feet circumference and 191-feet tall. It is estimated to be 1,000 years old.
• The Quinault Rainforest Trail was a half mile loop along a gorge with a babbling stream and through old-growth forest with lush undergrowth, snags, nurse trees and many large trees. It was a great final hike before we headed to the airport and back home!

A trail through the Quinault Rain Forest

The amazingly blue clear water of the lakes, the magic of the old-growth forests, the beauty of the wildflowers and mountain views, and the wild majesty of the Pacific coastline stand out in my mind from this trip. Put this part of the country on your travel bucket list!