Last week F and I went on a camping trip to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. I mean it's summer, it's nice and hot, people are taking off all the time. So, we set out early on a Thursday and planned to be back Saturday afternoon (I had a baby shower to attend). We get to the ranger station in Leavenworth early in the afternoon. I love talking to rangers. I think in my next life I'll come back as one. They are like the AAA of nature, but way friendlier - oh yeah and free. We decided to camp at Ida Creek, which was about 14 miles up Icicle Creek Road next to the roaring Wenatchee river (next time we're rafting). We went on a couple hikes, one up to Eight Mile Lake. The entire trip was serene, relaxing, and quite - almost perfect, except for the rain. It started raining the afternoon we arrived and finally stopped Saturday morning as it was time to leave. Oh well - still beat being at home.