We visited our forty-second state capitol in Boise, Idaho. The girls learned that the state bird of Idaho is the Mountain Bluebird and the state flower is the Syringa. They also learned that Idaho is called the Gem State and that it produces more potatoes than any other state.
We visited our thirty-first national park – North Cascades National Park in Washington. We saw lots of beautiful waterfalls and awesome mountain views in a park with over 300 glaciers! The girls also earned their Junior Ranger badges!
We visited our thirtieth national park – Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. We made it up to the Paradise Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center and got to hike up on a huge snowy area north of the visitors center. We also made it up to where a road was closed due to an avalanche to the east/southeast of the visitor center. We saw some breathtaking views of mountains (specifically Mount Rainier), rain forests, and glaciers. The girls also earned their Junior Ranger badges.
We visited our forty-first state capitol in Olympia, Washington. The girls learned that Washington’s state bird is the Willow Goldfinch and state flower is the Coast Rhodadendron. The girls also learned that Washington’s state nickname is the Evergreen State.
We visited our fortieth state capitol – Salem, Oregon. The girls learned that Oregon’s state bird is the Western Meadowlark and the state flower is the Oregon Grape. They also learned that Crater Lake, which is a lake a collapsed, dormant volcano, is in Oregon.
We visited our twenty-ninth national park – Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. The weather was less than stellar so we couldn’t even see the lake. Plus, since it is still technically the winter season at Crater Lake, and it was late in the afternoon, everything was closed – so no Junior Ranger Badges for the girls. I guess we will just have to come back!
We visited our twenty-eighth national park – Redwoods National Park in California. We took a couple of scenic drives and saw some huge trees. We even tested the width of Howland Hill Road, which the guidebook/newspaper describes as “a road that gives visitors an intimate encounter with the towering old growth redwoods…” We can definitely say that everywhere on the road is 8 feet wide….but not much wider. The girls also earned their Junior Ranger badges.
We visited our twenty-seventh national park – Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Although the visitor center and museum…and most of the roads…were closed,
we drove in as far as we could, took a little hike, and saw some beautiful sights. We visited the ranger in her office near the entrance and she was nice enough to dig up two Junior Ranger books, so that we can complete them and send them in for the girls’ badges.
We visited our thirty-ninth state capitol – Carson City, Nevada. The girls learned that Nevada’s state bird is the Mountain Bluebird and the state flower is the Sagebrush. The girls also learned that Nevada is called the Silver State.
We visited our thirty-eighth state capitol – Sacramento, California.
The girls learned that California’s state bird is the California Valley Quail (which we have seen a lot of lately) and its state flower is the Golden Poppy. They also learned that California has America’s highest waterfall – Yosemite Falls, which we got to see when we were in Yosemite National Park. In addition, they learned that California is called the Golden State.
