Labor Day 2020

 Since going to The Grove of the Patriarchs with Jamie and Cameron many years ago, I've wanted to go back with Ashlee and Russ.  We finally got to go yesterday.  We planned to drive up early, explore the beauty after a picnic lunch, and then go our separate ways home.  

Randy searched the web to 1) make sure it was open, 2) make sure the roads weren't closed between here and there, and 3) see if we could take our dogs.  The park was open, the roads were open, and no one said anything about not allowing dogs.  After parking, we noticed many people walking their dogs down, so we thought all was well.  Not so.  There was a ranger stopping everyone at the entrance.  Russ took Cooper back, put him in his crate with a frozen waterbottle to keep him cool, opened the windows, and hoped for the best.  That was the only thing that dampened our fun time.

I still need to get a picture from Ashlee.  We had all of the kids hold hands and surround one of the trees to see if they could encircle it completely.  Even with 9 kids, there was no way they could have, stretched out as they were.  In fact, after we dispersed away from the tree, a family came out from behind the tree that we didn't know was there.  It made us giggle, and put the size of the tree into perspective.  They're beautiful, majestic, and incredible to be amongst.

It was sad to see the smoke coming in to a view that had been clear.  We'd begun getting smoke in Richland that morning after warnings that we needed to prepare.  As we drove there, the blue skies were a welcome sight.  By the time we were heading home, the haze kept getting thicker and thicker...

Until it became this.

It would actually be like this in Richland, with air quality measurements off the charts, for the next 16 days.

I love having family to explore our new state with.  In a way I feel we're getting to know Washington more in the last 8 years than we did our entire youth in Utah.  Honestly, maybe it's because I'm able to remember more memories as an adult than I did as a child.  I'll never forget this day, that's for sure.  Someday we'll go back with the same kids and fully encircle that tree with our love.