Fika at Farm 12 is a fun experience. The building and property are beautiful. Trendy and inviting. You will often have a line extending out the front door with those waiting to order their fav coffee and treat.
The prices are comparable to the main chain coffee shops with an exception.. the profits go to help train and educate mothers as part of the Step by Step Program. A great way to enjoy coffee and help someone ❤️ . One of the elements that makes Fika super inviting is there are lots of comfy spots to chat with a friend,have a meeting or just have some time to yourself. Everywhere you look , you are welcomed with seating inside and outside. They have picnic tables , chairs around a fire pit and several couches and tables throughout .
The drawback is the mugs. We love having a mug in hand to enjoy our espresso with froth art as we meet with others but we have found that we get a mug 1 out of 3 times and the other visits have been disposable. So be prepared you may not get a mug .
Oh and did I mention the pastries? They have some of the best pastries around and all between the 3-5$ range .
We were up early to try to beat the crowds and were so thankful when we pulled in a little after 8am and there was still parking! Yay! Praise God!
The trail starts steep but then levels out for a bit where you almost think ,”where is the elevation gain? “ Oh no worries .. the last part of the hike is all elevation.
Be on the lookout for rock climbers also. We saw several sets of them ascending the rock face which was very cool.
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As you get closer to the summit you will have some rock scrambling so trekking poles are super helpful especially coming down.
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When you come to the top clearing you are met on the left side with a stunning view( top picture on this post) ! In fact it may be our favorite view even more then the summit!
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Then you climb a little more and are on the summit of Little Si. Mt.Si is behind you and the whole Snoqualmie Valley is in front of you .
Such a fun family hike! It took us about 3 hours round trip and we logged just over 4.5 miles on our Apple Watch.
We started our Easter Weekend by going to Knutson Farms for their Spring Bloom. It is happening now through May 5 🌷Tickets are $15 per person on the weekend and $12 during the week . It includes all the rides , games , animal barn , Easter Egg Hunt ( limited to March 29/30) , and all the fun photo ops that are throughout the farm.Check out all the fun things we did that were included in the admission ⬇️
Photo props – There are so many unique photo props scattered throughout the farm. We loved exploring and getting pics with them all especially the Jeep ❤️
Beautiful #instaworthy photo spot Swing photo opDuck racesBull riding or lasso practice Easter Bunny was visiting Easter Egg Hunt 29/30 only
Animal Barn – Who doesn’t love visiting the animals on the farm? This is one of our family’s favorites! The sheep were super friendly, the goats were so cute fighting each other and the miniature donkeys were braying at us and showing off their teeth . The chickens were on full display and we even saw a Bob Ross imposter duck … 😂
Ready for a pic Bob Ross imposter 😂
Cow Train & Hay Ride – These were both so fun! They also have a Grain Train you can ride that looks like mining buckets .
Games – sandboxes, jumping pillow , tricycle races , and so much more!
You can also purchase some additional items like the mining experience ⬇️ .. this was so much fun for all my littles! They all got a great assortment of gems and the whole experience was great.
Look at all those gems!!
Another extra you can add on is the the U Pick tulips ⬇️ We all enjoyed picking out just the right ones to take home , and loved learning after the flower dies we can save the bulb to replant 🌷
Oh and can we add the Coffee Cart drinks were amazing! We ordered a few drinks …Berry Bloom Italian sodas and an Iced Lavender Haze ☕️ The lavender haze was so good!! The drinks were also at great price points .
Another #instaworthy photo spot but also a great place to catch up with friendsThey have a reward card to earn a free drink .. yay!
Lots of Food Options – and affordably priced!
There is also a super cute store and flower shop . There are all kinds of gift options inside .. cards, gardening, candles , stationery and lots more. We enjoyed picking out some flowers for friends we are meeting this weekend 🌷
Video clip of the adorable store
There is something here for everyone! I was surprised how long we stayed enjoying all of the fun..over 3 hours! This is definitely something you want to add to your plans.It is a great way to support Local Farms in your area❤️
Here is a fun reel of our day at the Spring Bloom ⬇️
The winter trail for Franklin Falls is so beautiful! From the drive to the beautiful snow covered path . We had planned to snowshoe the trail but we didn’t end up needing the snowshoes and were able to use our micro spikes . The trail is typically 2 miles but with the road closure in the winter it takes on another 5 mi so we did just over 7 miles with the winter route .
Road closure Sun peeking over the mountains Trail Head Famous Red Cabin
The cabins along the trail with the creek was probably one of my favorite areas of the hike and so peaceful. I wanted to grab my hot cocoa from my pack and read a book right there .. it was such a beautiful spot!
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Perfect spot
Before you come to the falls, you descend stairs and then the whole beautiful area just captivates you as you climb down and see the awe of the rushing falls! It was so cool!!
Anyone else amazed that you can drive right over this beautiful area and never know it was there until you hike it ? I am learning to look beyond the trees and roads as we travel . There are so many beautiful adventures when we take the time to explore 🌲
Have you ever hiked this trail? What were your favs?
I also did a fun reel of our day .. check it out here ⬇️
We had a girls trip recently and stayed at the Home 2Suites Hotel by Hilton . We have never stayed at this line of Hiltons before so we wanted to check it out.
Front desk Clerk was very attentive and kind Love when hotels have this posted⭐️
The hotel was very welcoming when we walked in .The front desk agent was very kind and texted us to see if we needed anything once we made it to our room .
The room was clean and huge! It really is made for a family of 4/6 easily. There were two queen beds and a pullout couch. A fully stocked kitchen and full size refrigerator.
Our Stay included breakfast ..love that! It was a typical breakfast buffet . Eggs, meat ,toast , oatmeal and grits!! I was so excited for these!
Loved the seating
Our cost was for one night was $225, which we felt was a great price especially if we would have taken the whole family . We ended up using points from our Chase card so it was free !! Yay 🥳
Oh and they take dogs. We had quite the parade of dogs as we enjoyed breakfast in the am.
The Mountaineers Base Camp Bar & Grill was the perfect place to stop and grab dinner after finishing a hike near Mt. Rainier. . The atmosphere was a mix of adventurerers and locals. No one seemed to judge us being filthy from climbing so that was good:)
We wanted to try a drink but were unsure so they offered us tasters to taste which was a fun treat! We loved them so much we purchased both of the ones we tried so it worked! The food was ok and average price.
When we stopped they also had live music. I have to say it was pretty fantastic to eat a burger, enjoy a beer and listen to some music!
If you are planning a trip to the Mt. Rainer area then plan to stop on your way through 🏔️
“Our Secret Rainier”by Mountaineers Gene Yore and Mickey Eisenberg refer to these harder to find memorials and plaques of those that have added to the history of Mt. Rainier. . The Stevens – Van Trump Historical Monument is one of these. It is located on the Skyline Loop Trail by the Mazama Ridge. It is made in the form of a bench so that climbers can sit and reflect on the climbers of past summit push.
This was a welcome site as we descended the Skyline Loop Trail .
We took a day off from school to enjoy a new pumpkin patch , Schilter Family Farm 🎃 . It was so much fun! It is a beautiful location and well laid out. We were able to do the corn maze , which was Top Gun themed and the maze was cut into jets .. so cool! I really appreciated that they had a Q code of the maze so you could find your way out of there within a reasonable time . There are some mazes that I feel like we are in forever so this was a great option. . We also enjoyed riding the tractor . It dropped us right in front of the pumpkin patch and we were able to pick a pumpkin.
. Another fun treat we enjoyed were some Apple cider doughnuts and a cup of yummy apple cider. Delicious! It was the perfect treat to end our time at the pumpkin patch .
Our stay at McMenamins in Tacoma was quite the adventure . Think Adult scavenger hunt mixed with college bar scene , throw on some steampunk decor and a history museum and that would give you some insight to what we experienced .
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First a bit of the history …
The building itself is a 1916 Elks Temple that was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been restored . There are 7 floors packed with history including a hidden 5th floor . There are 5 bars ,The Tasting Room & brewery, The Spanish Bar and Ballroom,Doc’s ,The Old Hangout, McMenamins Pub and a secret Speakeasy bar if you can find it called ,The Vault.
The 45 guest rooms are named after a person or group of people that had some connection to the building or to the Tacoma area.
The diversity of the rooms is amazing. There is so much history in just the names.
We stayed in the Lea McMillan room 204 . In the room, there is posted his history with the Elks Lodge. We learned he loved handball and would sneak into the Lodge with his friends to play . He then served in the military and when he returned in 1961 He applied to be a member so he could play handball but leaving out his Native heritage. At that time , People of color were not allowed to join. That was corrected in 1976 . He may have been the first member of color to be a member of the Elks Lodge. So fascinating !
There is also a hidden hallway with graffiti that was originally in the building when it was bought and restored .
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There is so much visually to take in as you explore the hotel. You can’t possibly see every detail the first time.
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It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We recently met up with friends who taught us how to do clamming. . It’s pretty amazing that you can go out and use these suction rockets and find clams. . We lasted maybe 10 minutes in the wind and rain before we were ready to head back but bucket list item crossed off! Yay!!
