pacific northwest vacation: part 1

Two weeks ago Mr. Swift and I flew out of Denver to visit my Dad and family in Eastern Washington. It had been a long time since our last trip.

I was so excited to see my dad and family. It had been the longest time I had gone without seeing them.  (A little less than a year).

We were expecting to spend the following 2 weeks with them, my sister and her family. But we were happily surprised by a pair of disguised grandparents picking us up from the airport. It made our holiday even better to have my grandparents with us in the pacific northwest.

The morning after we arrived we drove 4 hours south to Wallowa Lake, Oregon. Here are some of my favorite snapshots from our holiday travels:

**Warning: there are many photos of my adorable nephews! Beware.**

baseball with mama and grandpa jerry

little nephew sawyer

i think there was a crazy story being told here

my dad and my nephew diesel

cutest.thing.ever.

jospeh, oregon (pretending we're parents)

antiquing

mr. swift loves coca cola

my brother garrett

mama and my sister taylor swift

david, grandpa jerry and mama

wallowa lake, oregon

my sister ashley and her husband david

guided fishing tour

my sister and my dad 

vacation, part two to come!

Week 3: Fern Lake (late)

Fern Lake Camp Site, RMNP

It's been almost a month since we have been in RMNP and so far Chris and I have done 5 hikes. I have posted two of them earlier. Now here is another.

Sometimes people ask us why we like camping/hiking. Hiking for us is many things. It's an adventure. It's away from crowds. It's a challenge. It's rewarding. But most of all, we are usually just amazed by how beautiful our Creator has made nature to be.

Here are some photos from an overnight hike we did a few weeks ago with our pastor's family and some friends. We hiked a little, ate a lot and learned to filter spring water. It was awesome.

Big Thompson River|Bigelow Tansy-Aster

the river and my friend Amy

morning cup of coffee, instant coffee made from stream filtered water

Mule's Ears| stream filtered water

Look at those vasculcar plants growing off the trees!

We love our camelbacks! (Camelbacks are water pouches that you can fill and stick right into your backpacks. They're much easier than using water bottles when hiking because the tubes and come right out of your backpack and stay next to your mouth. So... you don't have to stop to take a drink of water).

More hikes to come as I catch up on posting!

Week 2: Cub Lake

Mr. Swift's glasses

Last week we went on hike number 2.

(And we did 2 more this week that I will share soon)!

Two hikes in less than a week in RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park). 

We're on a roll.

Or maybe a quick paced walk. :)

We hiked to Cub Lake, a little lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, that is northwest of the YMCA (where we are staying). We began a little before 10am and arrived home around 2pm. We hiked about 11 miles (ish) round trip.

The trip was beautiful. It was remote in some areas, crowded in others. We didn't like the crowds but we did like the preparation this particular hike gave us for future hikes. Overall, I was a little sore afterward. I think that is a good sign! 

Here are some photos from hike #2:

(p.s. One of my goals this summer is to learn the names of the different Colorado wildflowers. So a few days ago I bought a book called Wildflowers of Colorado Field Guide. Below I am attempting to name them, although there are no guarantees that I am correct).

Mrs. Swift's backpack
Morraine Park

RMNP

Cub Lake

RMNP

Mr. Swift

Hello!

Mr. Swift, my friend Kirstin, and me at Cub Lake

on our way back...

Then a little critter visited me. It reminded me of Oreo!

Below are some wildflowers I am attempting to learn the names of:

Canada Violet

Creeping Barberry (AND POLLINATION!)

Stemless Four-Nerve Daisy

Mountain Blue Violet

most likely Aspen Fleabane?

LOOK! Pollination!

White Marsh Marigold?

Thank you Samantha for emailing me about your summer!
She had fun visiting Silver Dollar City!
(I am guessing Tori went too, right?) ;)

Remember guys: if you would like to send me an email about your summer or nature photos of your summer, feel free to send it to the address to the right! ---->

Week 1: Morraine Park

Good morning Swiftlets!

Our friends: Andrew and Kirstin, me and Chris

It is Day 3 of many in Estes Park, Colorado. After making the drive on Sunday, we've had a few days to unwind and get settled. I don't want to brag or anything... but this place is pretty awesome.

Right now I am sitting at my homey kitchen table in the wooden cabin that will be home to us for the next few months. It's beautiful.

Our cabin is surrounded by pine trees and beautiful views. Mountains are everywhere. Elk droppings are everywhere. Science is everywhere! Deer get close and little ground squirrels run around like meerkats. Here that guys: MEERKATS!

...

We've kicked off the summer well. So far we have already done one hike.

Here are some photos from our first hike on Day 1 to Morraine Park:

The Swift Current

(for REAL, it's called that!)

Our friends ahead of us

Morraine Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

By the way, I know one of you requested to see a picture of my new-do. I will update a picture soon!

I hope your summer is going fabulous. Remember to send photos and notes if you would like me to show your summer photos! Stay safe and keep exploring the outdoors!

summer!

Happy last day of school!

Someone was a little sad to see everyone leave today...

I may have been a little sad too. :)

Have a great summer everyone! 

Mrs. Swift

1st hour mustache pencils

There is a common pencil problem at MMS.
Students often forget pencils.
Teachers let them borrow.
Then, after a while, teachers are out of pencils.

To solve this problem, Mrs. Swift had mustache pencils that she allowed students to borrow in her classroom. They had mustaches on the end in order to separate hers from other teachers/student pencils.

 ...
In 1st hour this week we made mustache pencils as souvenirs for a great year!
They were very fun to make!