Washington, Oregon, Idah, Utah, Home - Days 7, 8

Touring the Tacoma mission with Kyle
 
On Wednesday we went to visit areas on the Olympic Peninsula where Kyle served.  We started by taking the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, then going to the home of my cousin Tom and his family.  Tom kept his sons out of school to go with us.
 
We drove across the canal bridge to Port Townsend.  There was a line of traffic about 2 miles long to cross the bridge, but we eventually made it over.  There was a wonderful boquet aroma coming from the paper mill outside of town.  It reminded me of Kim-chi gone bad.
 
The town itself was picturesque.  The main street had little shops with the bay behind them.  We were headed for a special pizza place that Kyle loved to eat at, but it was closed for cleaning.  We walked around a bit and decided to eat at a seafood place with a window on the bay.
 
After lunch we wandered the shops and found a great 50s diner place to get ice cream and shakes.  We all got something for desert then took pictures out on the board walk.
 
Tom and his family went home, and Mike headed to the airport to fly home, but we went to Silverdale to visit a guy that Kyle really liked.
 
Brother Vidnhar was recently made the Bishop of the ward.  He and his wife are from Hawaii and Kyle enjoyed going to their home.
 
We rode the ferry back to the hotel and decided just to stay in and order pizza because we were all tired.
 
At about 10:00 we told Kyle that Mike's flight was cancelled and that we needed to go to the airport to get him.  Our daughter Klair was flying in, but Kyle didn't know.  So we got in the van and headed towards Seatac.  As we got close, Kyle pulled out his cell phone and called Mike.  Fortunatly we had actually told Mike about the plan so when Kyle told him we were arriving, he only fumbled for a few seconds before saying "Oh yeah, sure, I'll meet you by the baggage claim".
 
Klair called as her flight landed and I told her where to meet us.  Kyle spotted Klair and they hugged, but it was nearly midnight by then, so they didn't jump around much.  We drove back to the hotel and went to sleep.
 
On Thursday we checked out of the Hotel.  We didn't get out until nearly 11:00 so we decided to skip breakfast all together and went to Baja Fresh for lunch.  We sat around the table eating tacos, salads, burritos and chips laughing about old family jokes.
 
After lunch we drove South to Orting where Kyle ended his mission.
 
There was a huge wind storm starting to blow.  There were winds around 40 mph and many of the bridges were closing.
 
We got to Orting just as the power went out.
 
We visited 5 or 6 families and even ran into the missionaries at one of the homes.  Kyle had left his bike, a bag, and some other things (including a hockey stick?) at one home.  So we squeezed even MORE stuff into the van.
 
We went to one home that was at the far south end of his mission at the top of a steep gravel road.  Kyle told us about riding their bikes up and down that road, and how they could nearly coast all the way back to town without peddling, or using those pesky brakes.
 
After Orting we went up to Pyuallup (sic?) and saw his area and apartment there.
 
We stopped for the night in Olympia.  The front desk recomended a chinese buffet nearby, but it wasn't very good.
 
Kadi was tired of all the driving and decided to stay in the hotel so we got her a sub sandwich.
 
Looking at the map on the ferry

 
Kadi eating her Nachos on the Ferry ride

 
All of us on the ferry

 
Kyle and Mike on the bow of the ferry

 
Tom's home in Kingston

 
Kyle at the chapel in Port Townsend

 
Eating lunch in Port Townsend

 
Ice Cream at the 60s diner

 
Mike having ice cream

 
More ice cream

 
More ice cream

 
Kyle on the deck behind the diner

 
Kyle and Kadi out on the boardwalk

 
Kyle and Kadi

 
Nan, Kadi, and Kyle

 
Kadi with the ocean and clouds behind her

 
Late breakfast eating Mexican food

 
Kyle's apartment in Orting

 
Klair Kyle and kadi by the apartment

 
Kyle with a family in Orting

 
Kyle with his last companion in Orting

 
Kyle and his companion

 
Kyle and the Bevards in Orting

 
Kyle and Elder Travis Williard & Elder Kyle Rollins

 
Kyle and the Bevards

 
Kyle and his sisters (2 of them anyway)

 
All of us at the Bevards

 
The steep road out to the Calliham's

 
Same road

 
Kyle's apartment in Pyuallup

Picking up Kyle in Washington - Day 6

Nannette and I woke up at 6:30 to be at the Seattle temple by 7:00.  Nan 
was like a giddy school girl going on her first date.  She was so excited 
to see her son after 2 years.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
We got to the temple by 6:50 and waited just inside for the missionaries to 
arrive.&nbsp; Finally at 7:15 we heard allot of laughter and chatter coming from 
the entry.&nbsp; Then someone's head peeked around the corner and Nan squeeked 
with happiness.&nbsp; Kyle finished checking in, then came and hugged his mom 
for about 5 minutes.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Nan just kept touching him and rubbing his head to be sure he was really there.&nbsp; 
Me?&nbsp; I just hugged him and then handed him back to his mom.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Nan kept touching him so much he finally threatened to get&nbsp; a stick to poke 
her away with, but he seemed pretty happy himself.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
After the session, we met with all the other Elders for some picture taking.&nbsp; 
It started sprinkling so we kept it quick, but the elders kept talking and 
hugging.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Kyle said that Elder Heinzen was probably his favorite companion and spent a 
while chatting with him.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Finally the mission President started herding the Elders to their van for the 
trip to the airport.&nbsp; We got Kyle's bags out of the trailer and waved our 
last goodbye's.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Back at the hotel, Kadi also jumped on her brother and hugged him.&nbsp; They 
joked and teased allot.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Since I had been on the road for 5 days, I needed to do some laundry.&nbsp; Nan 
volunteered to sit at a laundromat and wash if I would take Kyle to target to 
buy some jeans and shirts.&nbsp; We bought him 4 pair of jeans, and 2 shirts, 
then went back for Nan.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
We were all tired so we went back to the hotel to rest.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyle and Kadi 
watched a movie while Nan got a nap and I wrote about the trips.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Mike had been at work for the day, so when he got back, we decided to go into 
Seattle for a good meal.&nbsp; We ate at Elliot's down on the docks.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
After the meal, we decided we could either go to the Space Needle, or go to the 
mall to get Kyle a cell phone.&nbsp; Kyle voted for the phone, so that's what we 
did.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
All throughout the day we had been calling people.&nbsp; First we called Koren 
and Klair, our&nbsp;other daughters, then grand parents, cousins, friends, etc.&nbsp; 
Kyle learned how to text message and took to it with gusto.<br>
&nbsp;
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Kyle and his Mother outside the Seattle Temple<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139797-L.jpg">
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Kyle's district going home together<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139918-L.jpg">
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Kyle's district with the Mission President and his wife<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139949-L.jpg">
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Elder Kyle Jones with President Kevin Pearson & his wife<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139877-L.jpg">
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Elder Kyle Jones, his parents, & his mission president<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139974-L.jpg">
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Kadi eating a pizza at Target while we shop<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209139993-L.jpg">
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Kyle and Kadi after shoping at Target<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209140025-L.jpg">
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Kyle and Kadi watching a movie in the room<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/209140046-L.jpg">
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Kyle and Kadi peering through our appetizer<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/210027469-L.jpg">
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Squeezed into one side of the booth at dinner for a photo<br>
<img src="http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/210027478-L.jpg">

Oregon and Washington trip to pick up Kyle Days 4 & 5

We began Sunday by attending church in Crescent City California.  It was their Fast & Testimony meeting.
 
We went back to the hotel after sacrament to change and pack, then grabbed Taco Bell for lunch.  We looked for a Wendy's but couldn't find one.  we stopped a few times to get photos along the coast. 
 
We hiked down to a beach and saw huge logs of driftwood.  I'd hate to hit some of those logs in with a boat.
 
At one stop, a guy told us to turn right and climb a bluff for some beautiful views.  It was a fantastic view.  There was a trail all the way down to the beach, but we didn't hike it.

We stopped in a town for some ice cream and some chocolate.
 
We spotted a candy/gift shop named "Kadi's" and decided to stop.  That's the name of my youngest daughter, and it's a pretty unusual name.  We bought some candy and a gift bag for her.
 
We were only half way up the coast by the time the sun went down.  We stopped for dinner, then had to drive another 3 hours in the dark to get to Astoria for the night.
 
Our hotel was right by the harbor and had a great view of one of the bridges from Astoria.
 
We drove the coast up through Washington, but it was so cloudy and rainy that we didn't stop for pictures.
 
We stopped at the Walmart in Aberdeen to print pictures and buy socks.  Then we drove to Lacey to drop off some hockey gear and visit friends that we knew in Arizona.
 
We picked up Nan and Kadi at the airport around 6:00.
 
We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, then some friends met us there for desert.
 
Stopped at an overlook

 
Stopped at an overlook

 
Driftwood on the beach. Or. Driftlogs

 
Some nice multi million dollar beach front property

 
Stopped at another overlook

 
A lighthouse

 
A view off of the bluff

 
Looking down at the visitor's center

 
A view of me at the bluff

 
Mike on the trail down the bluff

 
A rock house overlook

 
A gift shop named after my daughter

 
The restauraunt where we ate dinner. There was a beautiful view from the bay windows

 
A view from the hotel we stayed at in Astoria

Oregon and Washington drive Days 1, 2, & 3

I can't believe it's been 2 years since Kyle... excuse me.... Elder Jones left for his mission to Tacoma Washington.

I've read his emails for the last 2 years and heard his testimony and marvelled at just how much he has matured and grown, both in the church, and as a strong young man. Much of his growth came in the 4 months prior to his mission, when he just decided to become ready for a mission. He became much more outgoing and self assured, and those changes have continued through his time in the Tacoma area.

So now the time has come for "Elder Jones" to come home, and he mentioned to us that he would like to drive home rather than fly, so that we can have time to talk. We thought about it for a while and decided that I would drive up, then Nannette would fly up and we could all drive home together.

I know what you're thinking, "What a saint you are Clay, to drive and let your wife fly". But I had an ulterior motive. I called my buddy Mike in Lehi Utah, and asked if he wanted to drive highway 101 and the Oregon coast with me. He said yes and we were all set.

I also managed to schedule a business trip in Salt Lake, so the first day of the drive was actually a "work travel day"

I left on Thursday October 11th. But rather than just taking I-80 to Salt Lake, I took I-70 to Rifle Colorado, then turned North and East toward Vernal Utah to visit my cousin. I'd never been to Vernal, and I hadn't seen Holly in quite a while so it was all good. I got to Vernal by 2:00 and had sandwiches with Holly. We talked about the joys of living a little ways from the rest of our families (we love you all) and about the fun of raising teen agers (we love you too mostly).

After lunch I turned North and drove to the Flaming Gorge to look around and get some pictures. The whole area was empty but it was beautiful.

Next I drove up to I-80 and then West to Coalville to meet a mission companion named David Bell for dinner. We hadn't seen each other or even talked much in about 5 years, so it was great to catch up. It turns out that he and his brother bought a motorcycle recently, and he has yet to take any long rides. So next summer we'll try to go ride somewhere together.

The drive to Salt Lake was uneventful as was the business meeting the next day. Even the first drive in the afternoon was pretty boring all the way to Reno Nevada. We checked into the hotel then went to get dinner. But as we arrived back at the hotel, a couple of guys were just entering and one of them held the door open for us. It turned out to be Dick Wells, a guy I serve with at church. I had been telling him on Thursday about this trip and he gave me some suggestions for places to go and things to do. He flies charter Lear jets and just happened to be in the area. What a coincidence.

Saturday morning we woke up pretty early and headed towards the coast. We saw some beautiful scenery crossing California and drove allot of twisty roads. They would have been even more fun on a motorcyle.

We hit the 101 just North of Eureka, then stopped in Trinidad for lunch. There was a seafood restauraunt down by the pier and we got some great seafood. But there was fog everywhere so we didn't get many pictures

After lunch we drove up to the Redwood National park and walked around the Lady Bird Johnson grove. It's hard to capture the sheer size of those trees and the feeling of age being around things 800+ years old. It was beautiful and relaxing to walk there.

Next we drove down to the beach and walked around. We arrived as a large group of college kids were packing up. They had left some sand sculptures and sand castles that we admired for a bit. The tide was coming in and we walked around taking in the sounds and smell of the ocean. It's been a long time since I've been on a beach.

We continued North, and as we climbed up a bluff, we saw a beautiful shot of the sun setting. We pulled off and took a few pictures, then noticed that a black bear was right across the road from us. It stayed around for 10 minutes, then ran up the hill and disappeared, so we disappeared too.

My cousin Holly and I

 
Flaming Gorge

 
Looking through the trees at the Flaming Gorge

 
California Highway 299 heading toward the Coast

 
California Highway 299 heading toward the coast

 
Mike and I at the first spot where we saw the Pacific (without fog)

 
Standing inside of a Redwood

 
Luuking up through the tree

 
Using my tripod to get some photos

 
Sitting on a picnic table half buried in the sand, admiring the view

 
Looking back at the bluffs from the beach

 
Looking down the beach with the bluffs

 
Watching the sun set over the ocean

 
A few big rocks as the sun sets

 
Another shot of the rocks and the sunset

 
Me with the sunset behind me

 
Mike with the sunset beside him

 
Mike with the bluffs and Pacific behind him

 
Me with the Pacfic and Bluffs behind me

 
A sign warning not to feed the bears

 
A black bear about 40 yards across and down the road from where we took the bluff pictures