And then there was Ruthie.

When last we left our intrepid...well, us.  We were finding beauty in our stark and sere new surroundings.We had to drive a ways, but we found it.  To say we were missing Bremerton and the Olympic peninsula would be a tremendous understatement.  Luckily we had Ruthie and the Gang come down for a quick visit.  They rolled up in the van with their smiles and awesomeness and brought happiness.  Of course we had to reward them with the beauty we found.  So, it was back to the Chinook pass and Ranier area for some scenery and hiking.

With one small stop.  We learned in Santa Fe, with Russell, that ponderosa pine trees smell like butterscotch.  We told Ruthie and she had heard of this, but never experienced it first hand.  Well, on our previous trip we noticed some ponderosas along the way and of course had to stop to sniff some tree.

They got it, but I only smell the scotch part.

With our duties out of the way, we were free to enjoy the day.  And we did.

Back to Tipsoo lake to hike some trails.  Ruthie, it turns out, wants to hike the PCT as well.  So we had to get some pictures.  We skipped the box canyon though and decide on a different hike.

When did the kids get in front of us?

Another view of scenic Lake Tipsoo.

The wild flowers were still in bloom

Max was trying to steer me away from Mexico.

Notice the lack of fear in their eyes.  No Mexico today guys.

Ranier peeking through the clouds.

Our chosen hike for the day.

Amaia, Swahili for: always in motion

Just kidding, it's actually Swedish for:  Always cute in pictures.

Another one of those pretty cool and wobbly bridges. 

Creatures of the night out to play in the daytime. And Amaia

Time for some calm reflection.  Even in an 8 year old.

I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.

A bunch of tree hugging hippies

Awesome group picture

Then...this.

Trees are tall

Back across the bridge.

Chillaxin by the river

Kid's got a career on the PGA tour.

And then we were back to the car for a drive home.  We discovered a few waterfalls on the way and, of course, we had to stop and take pictures.

Lava Creek falls

Clear Creek Falls.  I left the non-zoom lens in the car. 

Clear Creek Falls from a distance.