This Train is Bound for Glory, This Train.

Washington is a beautiful, beautiful state. I couldn't believe how unbelievably scenic the entire drive was - you're surrounded by rich, diverse, thick forests that travel for miles beyond the hills that the roads find their way through. Granted, it did rain on us a bit, but that's to be expected - after all, no place can really be that green without a large amount of precipitation.

The best part about it, though, was that we were able to make a couple stops and see a few familiar faces.

On our way to visit with family, we drove up to Mt. St. Helen's - a ginormous volcano that, shaken by a 5.1 earthquake nearby, erupted back in 1980, devastating 150 square miles of forest. It was freezing once we finally made it to the look-out point, snow had blanketed the peaks and it was strange to think it was probably sunny and near the 70's back home. The view was incredible (we'll put up pictures later). It would've cost us $8/person to get into the little observatory, but we agreed we'd save the money for a t-shirt with a 5-point elk on it and a penny from one of those penny-stamping machines for a memento. We're very wise with our money.

After the two hour long trip to the national monument, we got to spend some time with a handful of relatives. It's amazing the feeling when surrounded by people you love, and, quite frankly, I don't have the words to describe it other than this sense warmth and security. And I couldn't be happier that Nick is with me, because, well, as far as I'm concerned, he's a part of this family too.

We got as far as Bellingham last night, and now we're going to go across the border (my first time!) and get to William's Lake by this evening. We don't really need to rush, especially since the sun doesn't go down until well after 9pm (which is weird). We'll be camping in this remote area that Nick found where we'll be able to get some hiking in, too. The camera is out in the car, or else we'd have a lot of pictures to put on here as well, but I'm sure they'll all come in one gigantic post sometime sooner than later (hopefully).

Onto the next stop (good thing the passenger seat is able to recline now)!