VISITING THE BAUERS in YELM, WA August 23-26, 2012

Our campground Wednesday night was at Brookhollow RV Park near Kelso, WA. No discounts other than Good Sam so a little pricey I thought for the park and especially since we didn't get there until about 8 that night.  Dry grassy areas near the site but a nice river on the backside of the levee gave us a great moonlit walk with Foster before turning in for the night. I think there's a state park a little further up the road, but we were tired and didn't want to do more driving...sometimes that's the way we choose our stays.

 We got to Katie and Paul Bauer's home near Yelm, Wa Thursday afternoon just in time for appetizers, wine and great conversation! Mt. Rainier was covered in clouds but we knew it was there.  We took a walk down the backside of the property with the dogs and Foster felt right at home with his buddies, Abby and Luke. Even the neighbor's dog, Jet, came up to say hi to Fossie.

Friday morning we chatted and then went for a wonderful outing and walk at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. It's located where the freshwater of the Nisqually River meets the saltwater of south Puget Sound, creating the Nisqually Delta, 8 mi east of Olympia with beautiful views in every direction. The walk is about 3 miles round trip on a newly built boardwalk out over the marsh. The property was once a dairy farm with dikes built to keep out the waters but all thats been removed leaving only the twin barns still in the park and natural springs.

 Dinner was fantastic that evening back at the house, love and laughter always!

Sunset was beautiful with the mountain in full view right out the dining room window.

 But sunrise Saturday morning about 5 AM was even more beautiful! We stayed Saturday just getting some basic things done on the MH and doing a run into Costco. The evening was warm and perfect for sitting out in the front yard.

 We got away about 10 Sunday morning with a stop to see Mandy in Portland for lunch.  She's loving her new life in Portland. Hard to say good bye this time...it will be a big chunk of time before we are back to her new hometown.

She was off to meet up with some Santa Barbara friends for the afternoon so we drove about 50 miles east to gorgeous Ainsworth State Park just a little way off the freeway. No reservations at this park but lots available for Sunday night and we had a wonderful pull thru site. We turned off the I 84 for a more peaceful ride along the tiny alternate scenic route... a bit of a challenge but PK did a super job even in the tight little spots. We keep forgetting we are much bigger than we've ever been before. 

Wish we just could stay longer in every one of theses places. Next time we'll stay here and visit all the falls we passed on our way in...next time...