Arriving in Washington was exciting because we were meeting my family for a week-long vacation for the last week of May before we started working. We had rented a house on a small lake called Beaver Lake in Sammamish, WA (about 30 min drive east of Seattle) for a week of relaxing and exploring. We had some excursions planned, but most of the week we decided to just figure it out as we go.

Bijan and I had never been to Washington, didn’t know anyone there, and really knew nothing about it other than that there were some great outdoor and city exploring opportunities. We occupied the first few days of the trip with a boat trip to Bainbridge Island and exploring Seattle, hanging at the house and doing a few hikes in the area. We hadn’t seen my dad or Ethan since January so it was great to get the family together (minus Jack and Joc who weren’t able to make it because of their summer jobs). See some photos below for some of our adventures!

My dad had booked a white water rafting trip down the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth, WA. None of us had ever been rafting before, and my mom was very hesitant to go, but we all ended up doing it and had a blast. The scenery along the river was beautiful and our rafting guide was awesome! We went with Osprey Rafting Co. We also went for a beer at Icicle Brewing Co. in Leavenworth. Leavenworth is a unique place to visit, because it is a tourist attraction modeled after a Bavarian town. They have some really good places to get bratwurst!

Another memorable day was driving around the entire Olympic peninsula. The Peninsula consists of snow capped peaks, lakes, a temperate rainforest and a rugged coastline. We had to see it all, so we hit the road at 6 am, and didn’t return to the house until 1 am. It was an exhausting day but very worth it!

At the end of the week, when my family was leaving to go to the airport, they were pulling out of the driveway, and Bijan and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. Now we are alone, in a corner of the country that we know nothing about. It was a very lonely feeling, but had an incredible summer ahead of us!