Washington Trip - July 19

FRANK'S JOURNAL - Day 5
(Photos by Abby--well, except the one of Abby)

We got up and started packing up camp. Karen found a Banana Slug and brought it back. We all got our picture with the Banana Slug. We tried to go to church but no one showed up. We finished packing up and started on our way to some "Hot Springs," stopping at some neat spots at the coast on the way. Someone had made a bunch of "art" out of the rocks on the beach, so we made some, too.

At the hot springs there were 3 pools that were 100, 104, and 106 degrees. There was also a big pool that was a nice swimming temperature. After that we drove around a lake that was formed by a melting glacier. The water was actually a blue color.

We then set up camp on the north part of the Olympic Penninsula.

I finished reading White Fang. We ate supper then we had S'mores. Then we went to bed.

Washington Trip - July 18

FRANK'S JOURNAL - Day 4
(Photos by Abby)

We got up, ate breakfast and started off for the Hoh rainforest. We saw a bald eagle and 2 elk on the way.

We stopped at a river to find invertebrates. The water was actually blue because it was a glacier river. We finally got there and went on a hike. The hike was called "Hall of Mosses."

Its name described it. there was cool moss hanging off of everything. We ate lunch there then we started back. We went to a Ranger Talk when we got back.

Then we ate supper and made a fire on the beach. We stayed there until sunset was over then we went back to our camp and went to sleep.

Washington Trip - July 17

FRANK'S JOURNAL - Day 3
(Photos by Abby)

We didn't do much today. We woke up and had a breakfast of homemade bacon, pancakes, and juice. We packed up and headed for the Olympic Penninsula. After a long drive there we finally got there and set up camp. Once we were set up we went on a walk on the beach. There were dead crabs everywhere on the beach. We went a little way into the water but it was freezing! We went back to camp, ate supper, and started a fire. When it was getting dark we went down to the beach and watched the sunset. It was really neat. The sunsets there last for a long time. We went back to camp and went to bed.
I threw-up in the middle of the night.

Washington Trip - July 16

FRANK'S JOURNAL - Day 2

We got up and ate breakfast. After breakfast we started driving towards Mt. Saint Helens. This is the story of the 1980 eruption. Mt. Saint Helens had been acting active and people were told to leave the "blast zone." After a while the people were getting tired of waiting and the police let them go get their stuff from their house. Just 10 hours after the last person left the blast zone with their stuff the only people there were loggers. Just 10 hours after the people who lived there got their stuff and earthquake occured. The magma in Mt. Saint Helens had been pushing a
bulge out of the north side of the volcano. The bulge had been growing by a rate of 6 feet a day! The earthquake caused the north side to collapse causing the biggest landslide in history! It destroyed everything in its path. It destroyed all of the thick forest and carried it down the river. All the logs from the Fir trees looked like spaghetti going down the river. Then toxic ash started coming out.
The ash had rocks flying through it. It was the middle of the day but the ash turned all the light to blackness for hundreds of miles away! Ash from the eruption even reached Texas! No one could enter until all the toxic dust had cleared out. All the ground was barren after the eruption. All the destruction made Mt. Saint Helens 1500 feet shorter! It used to be a perfect cone-shaped volcano, now it is an odd-shaped volcano with a huge crevasse in one side. Harry (B) Truman died in the eruption (it wasn't the president Harry Truman). We went on some hikes. Then we went back to Doug and Karen's house. My dad was excited because he got to see Sasquatch on the trip!