Tom and I went to the cabin my great grandfather built along with Rocky and Steve. The trip brought back lots of memories.

This is the bakery that my grandparents would stop at en route. I had wanted to be a baker due to my childhood memories of this place.

This is the Crystal Mountain bread they would buy and bring to the cabin.

This is the turn my mother would take to avoid Enumclaw.

This is the Farnam pickle factory we would always sniff.

This is the spot my grandparents would have a picnic lunch at on the way.

Here are the businesses we would pass.

Here is Mount Rainier, of course.

Here are views from the pass. Some trips would be foggy and spooky, and I remember Jean-Michel Jarre music would really enhance the spookiness of it.

Above Rocky taking a potty break.

My stepfather had a tape of music my Mom would play on the trip. In addition to Jarre, The Rolling Stones were heavily featured. They happened to come on for us too.

When we got there I decided to look at the cabin’s guest book. It started in 1969. We had been there earlier than the book, but here is the first time Mom, Greg and I are in the book.

Here is the first time Al is in the book.

Here is the first time Grampa Merv is in it.

And here is the first time Greg and I sign it ourselves.

We hung out on the front porch with beverages in the afternoon.

I took a video of the river in the sunlight.

I went back to looking at the book. There are lots of Swedish relatives in the guest book.

Here is Thor’s first visit.

Mount St. Helens blowing up.

Mom climbing Mount Rainier:

Me going up by myself for the first time to study physics.

On Friday the rest of the cousins and their bikes arrived.

They and Tom went riding while Mom, Al and I walked Old River Road with Steve.

There were some motorcycle mishaps resulting in a cousin’s injured hand. There was a nice birthday dinner but then a late night trip to the ER for the cousins confirming the fracture.

After a long night we had a nice Swedish breakfast in the morning.

On the weekend the boys went out riding and jeeping.

I did some genealogy research, hung with the dogs and knit. I was taken on a lot of walks by Steve.

On Monday we went to Yakima to visit the homes and decorate the graves of my great and great-great grandparents there.

We took the traditional family photo inside the cabin this year, but it was too late to include Kyle and his friend Max.

It was inside this year because I managed to get my heel ran over by a car tire, klutz that I am.

After dinner we placed peonies in the river in memory of those who have passed and are no longer able to join us.

This trip brought back memories and created many new ones. These new ones also include fallen and stuck motorcycles, a Jeep getting lost, middle-of-the-night fainting, and missing locks (AKA Gategate) as well as epic meals. It was also a chance to be with people who have known me my whole life and vice versa. I think we can all agree it was a memorable trip.