WA2004 Convention Activities
 


 July 1 - July 22

 Pre-Convention Exploring: I hope all of you are able to get to Washington long before the start of the convention. There are so many things to do and see, I'll leave it to your imagination and budget! A few ideas; Visit the final leg of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Columbia Gorge, Witness the awe inspiring crater of Mt St Helens, See the Air Museum in Seattle, home to a recently retired Concorde Supersonic Airplane, Tour the wine country of Eastern Washington, Visit the Olympic Peninsula or venerable Cascades! For families, there is the Pacific Science Center with [MAX Theater in Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, and more bicycle trails then you can imagine! Here is a partial list of web sites to assist you in planning your own unique visit.

 Mount St Helens National Monument  
 
Mount Rainier National Park
 
State of Washington Tourism
 
Olympic National Park
 
Northwest Trek Wildlife
 
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
 

Friday, July 23

Convention Kickoff: Registration begins at 1:00 PM at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. A Social begins at 5:00 PM. We will have the registration desks open in the Expo Hall all evening, while at 5:00 PM, an assortment of appetizers will be provided for those who want to hang around and visit with old friends while making new ones. Make future plans, share recent experiences, or just plain relax!


Saturday, July 24

Pancake Breakfast: Everyone is invited to join in the customary pancake breakfast. We'll try to talk the Board into serving the coffee and juice since the facility requires caterers to prepare the food. Early birders welcome at 7:00 AM since we need to be on the transport buses at 9:00 AM for the ride to Paradise.


Paradise, Mt Rainier National Park (11:00 AM - 2:00 PM): We'll board the buses at 9:00 AM for the approximate 2 hour trip to Paradise. This is the time you've been waiting for! Enjoy the majesty and lure of this magnificent mountain. There are trails to wander on for days, and I know you'll want to hike the short distances to spectacular views of the glaciers and meadows on this humbling national treasure. Water will be provided on the bus, (along with rest rooms), but you'll need to bring your own snack. There is a Visitor's Center at Paradise, but this is also the busiest time of the year. We board at 2:00 PM for the return trip to the Fairgrounds.


Social Hour: From 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM, gather at the Expo Hall to share experiences while browsing at the Mere! There will be others with goods for sale as well. Pick up a few new favorites, and get the authors to sign it at the same time!


Banquet: The buffet style banquet will begin at 6:00 PM, and I've gotten on good authority that everyone will be served by 7:00 PM! Don Holmes will have to work quickly to give away the door prizes in time. Our guest speaker will begin at 8:00 PM, early enough for all HP members to stick around and enjoy the show. Mike Gauthier, the lead Climbing Ranger at Mt Rainier promises an exiting, educational show. More about Mike in the side bar.


Sunday, July 25

Post-Convention: This is the hard part. Although informal, saying good-bye to all those friends for another year is difficult. No doubt we'll all have new stories to share, and common memories to reflect on. The individual breakfast get-togethers will develop as the time nears. Until then, there's always NH2005 to dream about.

Washington Home

Highpointing Home