Micek's Northwest Adventure

Matt July 21, The Last National Park

2007-07-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to Crater lake our last national park. But if you are wondering what we did yesterday on the 20th I will tell you. Yesterday it was only a travel day. We traveled from Mt. Rainier to Prospect, Oregon. It was a long trip.

Anyway, back to today. Today we drove to Crater Lake National Park. When we got to the camper and we registered and explored the park. We drove to the look out on to Crater Lake. There was a volcano called Mt. Mazama. After the volcano erupted all the ash could cover all of Oregon 8 inches thick. We explored the gift shop and drove to the motor home. At the motor home we went tot the amphitheater to a junior ranger talk. The talk was about mammals. After the talk we went back to the RV. After a little while we went to the talk about crater lake at 9:00. Soon after the talk we went to the rv and we went to bed.

Leah July 19th, Skiing?

2007-07-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today we hiked Twin Firs. It was a .4 trail. We didn't know what 2 trees were the Twin Firs. There were alot of nurse logs on the hike.

When we finished that hike it started to clear up so we went and did another hike. This one was coalled Galcier Vista. Mom and Dad tricked us and said the trail was 1.1 round trip but it was actually 3 miles round trip. We didn't do the whole trail but we stopped at the Nisqually Glacier. I pretended to ski with imaginary skies. It was hard to not fall and slide down on my butt.

We started back down we saw a marmot. The hike down was familiar because the trail connected with the Alta Vista trail.

When we got back to the visitor center we went to the observation deck. We tried to see the mountain but it was covered in clouds. When we went back to the jeep the clouds cleared and we could see the crest of the mountain. It was really cool.

When we got to the last trail we looked at the transportation exhibits. We got to see old gas pumps. When we finally got on the trail we listened to the birds. Then we started the .7 walk. We got to see little springs and Iron Mike's. When we finished the trail we drove to the motorhome. We made the beds after awhile. Then we went to sleep.

Matt July 19, Hikes

2007-07-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

We hiked all day. The first hike we did was .4 mile and it was callled Twin Firs trail. It was cool, but we couldn't figure out which trees were the twin firs. Agter we hiked the Twin Firs we drove to the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center. At the Visistor Center we hike the Glacier Vistia trail. The trail was steep all the up. On the top of the trail we played in the show. On the way down we took the shiy line trail and we saw two meore marmots.

When we got back to the visitor center we went to the Observation deck. At the observation deck we coudl see the top of Mt. Rainier for the first time. Then we drobe to the RV. On the way to the rv we stopped and hiked the Trail of the shadows. ON the hike we saw a beaver dam and a cabin that was built in 188. After the hike we drove back to the motor home.

Craig July 18, Why we live in AZ.

2007-07-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

We were awakened early by the pitter patter of rain on the motorhome roof. Not a torrent, but a steady drumming that continued for the better part of the day.

The campground is a mix of cabins and rv sites set amidst old growth cedar trees. These huge 200’ trees completely screen the sky. They do a great job of filtering out any direct sunlight making midday when partly cloudy seem like twilight. With the dark grey of the rainy day, it felt like we were in a cave. Motivation was almost nil, it was all we could do to get the kids out of bed by 10:00am.

When we finally got rolling, we headed into the park. We explored the “Westside road” which was closed only 3 miles in due to flooding. With the rain continuing to fall, we were reluctant to stray far from the car, so we drive through the park the opposite side to the park village there called Ohanapecosh.

Along the way the rain cleared for brief periods giving us some great views. The low level clouds created dramatic effects surrounding the mountains and filling the valleys. Waterfalls were plentiful and running strong with the added moisture.

When we arrived at Ohanapecosh, we stopped at the ranger station. The kids had completed the requirements and were able to get their Junior Ranger badges. They were quizzed on plants and animals as well as general park info by what had to be the kookiest ranger ever. After taking the Junior Ranger pledge, we headed out for a short nature walk.

We left the park in search of forest road 52 which would bring us back around to the campground without having to go back through the park. Well, I missed it and rather than ask directions, we drove the long way around (only 60 miles, instead of the 20 it would have been).

The rain continued to fall all the way back to camp and through a good part of the night.

Matt July 18: Rain, Rain, and More Rain

2007-07-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

There was rain all day. The rain started at 5:00 a.m. and went until 2:15! We drove back to Mt. Rainier National Park today. First we stopped at Christine Falls. Then we drove to Ohanapecosh on the other side of the park. After a while we drove to the RV. At the RV we watched a movie and went to bed.

Leah July 18, driving me nuts

2007-07-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today we just drove around Mt.Rainer. It was really boring. We drove up along a road until we hit a gate that said ROAD CLOSED. It was closed because it was flooded out.

We drove to Christine Falls. The little trail to the falls wasn’t even a trail. It was only 20
ft. to the falls. It was very cool.

We got in the jeep and drove to a viewpoint. We got to go on a bridge that showed the river. We went on a trail that was .25 one way. It lead us to another bridge.

When we got back to the jeep we drove to the Ohanapecosh visitor center. Matt and I got our junior ranger stuff. After that we went on a nature walk. It was very short. We got to see some hot springs.

When we finished the trail we drove to the motor home. I played a couple games of solitaire. Then mom put in Brothers Grimm. When the movie got over we made the beds and went to sleep.

Matt July 17, Mt. Rainier National Park

2007-07-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today we drove the jeep to Mt Rainier National Park. First we hiked the Carter Falls, but we didn’t hike full trail. In order to get to the trail we had cross a brige going over the water. After we hiked some of the trail and went back to the jeep.

Next we hiked the Narada Falls trail. It lead to a waterfall. After that we drove to the Jackson Visitor Center. There, we asked about information and we saw a ranger talk. The ranger talk was about the 2006 flood. The flood took out a brige and roads. The talk was done by ranger Ian. After the talk we hiked the alta Vista trail. We saw some of Mt. Rainier, but some of it was covered in clouds. We also saw medows and the skyline trail.

Soon it was time to go on our way back to the RV people were pulled over on the side of the road. We got out and saw what they were looking at. There were two black bear cubs and one mom. We watched them for awhile and then we drove to the RV.

Leah July 17, Beauteous but Strenuous

2007-07-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

We explored Mount Rianier today. While we were exploring we went on a trail. It was called Carter falls. We didn’t hike the whole trail. It was to long to fo without water, We had to go across a funky bridge in order to get across the river. When we got across I went on some logs that were sticking out over the river. It was really scary because the logs were wobbly, I didn’t die though. When I got off the logs we went up the trail until we got to a point where we turned around. We walked around logs so this time Matt went on the logs.

When we got back to the car we drove to Narada Falls, We drove past a place where glaciers are in the winter. When we got to Narada Falls we hiked until we could see Narada falls. It was very pretty. We hiked back to the car and drove to Paridise.

The visitors center was the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center. It was huge. It had a cafe, a gift shop, a loot out point, and exibit. We were there for a long time. We listened to a ranger talk about the floods of 2006. After that we got some hot chocolate from the café.

Then we went on the Alta Vista Trail. It wasn’t very long but it was hard. It was switch backs all uphill. We got to the top after a long time. It was a lot faster going down because there was a pile of snow at the bottom. I got really wet in the snow. When we got back to the car we started to drive back to the motorhome.

On our way there we saw people looking at something. So we pulled over and asked what they saw. They said that they saw a bear and 2 cubs. We pulled over and watched them. After we couldn’t see them any more we drove back to the motor home. When we got back we put in Batman. When Batman was over we had a campfire and roasted marshmellows. When it got to be 10 we put the fire went inside the R.V., made the beds, and went to sleep.

Craig July 17, Big Mountain

2007-07-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

With our campground about a mile from the Mt. Rainier NP, it was nice not having a long ride just get in. We asked the ranger at the entry gate for info, but she was really just a ticket taker and told us what we already knew, hit the visitors center. So with a map in hand we headed up the road to Longmire, just a few minutes up the road.

When arrived at Longmire we went into the general store first as we did not immediately see the visitors center. On our way out, we ran into a Park Ranger and inquired about it. He said, “it is in the museum, I am the ranger there and I am on my lunch break for the next half hour. Being the quick study I am, I asked if it was then, in fact closed. He said yes very sternly. I bid him …Ahem…(rhymes with adieu). All right, enough for me! We have a map in the car, lets hit the next Visitors Center up at Paradise. We will check out the museum tomorrow.

We stopped for a quick hike to Carter Falls which was indicated on our map. We wanted to get out and get a taste of the park. We had to cross a heavily scoured river bottom to reach the trail on the other side. It was clear that the river had recently run very high and widened itself dramatically. We danced over the basketball sized rocks and crossed a makeshift bridge over some swiftly running water. 100’ long toothpicks were strewn about everywhere. Similar to the trees washed up by the surf on the beaches in Olympic NP, much of the bark had been removed and their once long flexible branches had been reduced to small rounded bumps on their sides.

Last November the park received over 18” of rain in less than 24 hours. That is not a highly unusual amount of rain, but it was exacerbated by the already heavy snowpack on much of the mountain. The warm storm and all its rain, melted huge amounts of snow and brought it cascading down the mountain. The entire park has been hit hard by this storm. Roads at all four corners of the park were washed out. Many have not reopened including the main and only path through the center of the park. This route is not expected to reopen for up to 3 years.

We finished crossing the river bottom and went partially up the trail to the falls. We really hadn’t paid attention to the mileage to reach the falls and turned back without traveling very far. We hadn’t had much activity the past two days and just wanted a quick stretch. So we headed back to the jeep anxious to see more of the mountain.

The road wound its way higher until we reached the Jackson Visitors Center at Paradise, altitude 5400’. When we entered the park, we were only about 1000-1500’ above sea level. The top of Mt. Rainier is over 14,000’. The tree line here is only slightly higher than the visitors center. This gives you an unobstructed view (weather permitting) of about 9000’ of mountain. The deep blue glow of the many different glaciers, hanging curiously above the verdant green sub alpine meadows, beckoned futher investigation. We found a helpful ranger and planned some hikes to bring us closer to this beauty.

The mountain creates its own weather. This can be problematic in trying to view it. While we hiked the Skyline and Alta Vista trails, we were alternately in the sun and then in the clouds. Most of the time, somewhere in between, where we could see 5000-6000’ above us.

Along the route wildflowers were abundant. Vibrant hues of crimson, yellow and lavender waved in the light breezes playing across these lush green pastures. Small dark silhouettes could be seen against the snow fields high above us, as climbers ascended toward their various destinations. All around, life giving water cascaded off of the mountain. Some in small rivulets others in roaring 100’ shear drops. Below us we could see rivers growing in size as they all joined together, vainly attempting to fill the recently widened beds. The movement of the clouds that created them, slowly consuming the valleys as they roll up the mountain side, only to deposit them back again as they pass. All of this gave us pause, even the kids, as we sat on a rock outcropping, admiring it all.

Back at the Jeep, we jumped in and headed out. We followed the one way Valley Rd. away from Paradise. Along the way we encountered a group of to the side taking pictures. Nothing draws a crowd in a National Park like and animal sighting and that’s what this was. A black mother bear and her two cubs, frolicking in one of the deep green fields. We watched until they moved behind some trees, grateful to have had the opportunity.

We worked our way back to the park entrance where we posed for our now obligatory park sign photo. I have gotten good with the self timer function on the camer, using the jeep as a tripod. This one was a little different as the sign is high up above the road instead of next to it. I was repositioning the jeep trying to figure out a way to make it work when an older gent popped and volunteered to take it for us. It is a little unnerving standing in the middle of the street with a blind corner behind you. But hey, anything for a good photo to keep our blog readers happy, right?

July 16: No Picture Day

2007-07-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

Craig July 16, Pullin Up Stakes

Time to move. The town of Puyallup was exciting, not really fun, but memorable. So after getting lost, memorable haircuts and expensive booze, it was time to go to the towering mountain, shrouded in clouds, that beckoned us from our window every day.

We knew it would be a short drive to the mountain. The Puyallup Fair RV park check out time was 5:00pm so we wasted the morning putzing around in no big hurry. We went to Krispy Kreme for some donuts. The blueberry fritters were to die for. We stocked up on berries and veggies at the fruit stand nearby. The raspberries, red and black were incredible. When we finished it was about 1:00, so we finally got moving.

After about 2 hours of uneventful travel we pulled in, checked in, hooked up, made dinner and watched a movie. Pretty exciting stuff. Hey everyday can’t be something special, can it?

July 16 A Very Short Day

We didn’t do a lot of things today, but we traveled to a different campsite. We left our campsite and drove to the next one. The next one is called Mt. Havens RV Park. It is next to Mt. Reiner with a lot of trees. That means no tv, only movies. After we hooked up dad and I went to check in. After we checked in we walked back to the rv and Leah and mom were watching spider-man. After that we watched spider-man 2 and went to sleep.

Leah July 16 relief

It was a travel day today. We got to our campsite and set up. Mom put in Spiderman. There were deer out side so we paused the movie and went out to watch them. When Spiderman got over we put in Spiderman 2. After Spiderman 2 was over we turned off the DVD player. Matt and I made up our beds. Then we went to bed. So as you can see today was a very short day and we did nothing worth writing a whole page about.

Craig July 15, Glass and Logging Camp 6

2007-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

We headed over to Tacoma today to see The Museum of Glass. This area puts such emphasis on the pursuit of the arts it is incredible. They have a large advertising campaign with the slogan “Art, ask for more”. I think it is for funding art instruction in the schools. We figured we better see some of it while we were here.

The Museum is in the downtown area of Tacoma. It is a stones throw from the water, but separated from downtown by the active train tracks. This posed a real accessibility problem as you don’t want people trying to run across the train tracks to get to the museum.

The solution… build a foot bridge, of course. But you can’t have just any bridge, you have to commission an artist to design your bridge. That way it will span the gap, functionally, yet create the transition from brick city office buildings to industrial railroad that will leave the traveler ready for the aesthetically pleasing form of the museum and what lies within. So you hire “Chulluly”, the god of glass art to achieve this transition. Here is what you get.

I guess this is why they have a 100% tax on alcohol. It may not be quite that high, but the $15 bottle of rum on the ferry boat, duty free, was $29 at the state liquor store. I think the sales tax is about 15% as well. I’ll have to check a receipt.

We entered the museum which ran us $24 for the whole family. Not too bad, but not free either. Shouldn’t the art be free for everyone to enjoy? OK, back on track.

We walk into the big silver cone you see in the exterior museum photos. It is actually a glass foundry. The low roar of the ovens and their associated heat greet us as we walk in. We take a seat in the audience, the comfortable tiered seating perfect for the demonstration going on in front of us. The museum is hosting a renowned glass artist from California. He runs a team of four apprentices, local artists from the area, each one in their mid twenties, with, we are told, a combined thirty plus year’s experience. We watch as they manipulate the glass. The spinning, blowing, hammering, heating, cooling and molding are alternated as abstract forms take shape. We find out that the local schools here, from grade school on up, all have glass “shop” classes. We watch for about an hour until they put the finished piece in an oven to slowly cool (anneal) it. This strengthens the glass and prevents surface tension from shattering it. All of us enjoyed the demonstration and learned a few things from it.

We moved on to the main gallery. No photography allowed here. As could be expected, the displays showcased superb craftsmanship along with political, religious, sexual and psychotic expressions. How come artists can’t be normal?  Even the kids were impressed with the work some of the artists had performed.

We left the museum, grabbed some lunch and headed for Point Defiance. This is a state park with a zoo, beach and some historical exhibits. It is located right on Puget Sound in an area called The Narrows and offers some wonderful views of the water and the surrounding shoreline.
Our first stop in the park was the Fort Nisqually reconstruction. Fort Nisqually was a Hudson Bay Company trading post. It was actually located about 20 miles away from this site, but was reconstructed here in the state park. Some of the buildings still contain original materials used in their construction. Others are simply recreations. We were not able to spend much time in the Fort as we arrived just before closing.

We moved on to the next stop, Logging Camp # 6. We pulled in with small expectations, but walked away in awe at the operation. I did anyway.

The site had an old diesel powered train and a few cars that took a small tour of the camp. The train conductor, a Santa Claus looking fellow, gave a very informative narration while we were on board. The tour included logging engines called “donkeys”. These donkeys revolutionized the way logging was done.

At the heart of the donkey was an engine, steam early on and replaced by diesel later. This engine would be used to power winches. First it had to be constructed. The engine and winches were all housed together in a steel frame. Large logs would then be shaped similar to a sled and the steel frame portion of the donkey would pull itself up onto the sled and be mounted in place.

The Donkey was used as a crane of sorts. A large log, sometimes a long as 100’, would be stood on its end vertically and held up with cables. The donkey would be located at the base of this log or pole. Other cables would then be run out in multiple directions as far as ¾ mile. These cables were used much like a rope tow or T bar on a ski lift. The logs would be partially lifted in the air and then dragged back to the donkey, where it would lift the logs onto the waiting trucks or railcars. When all the timber had been harvested as far as the donkey’s cables could reach, it would be cabled to tree stumps and using its winches, it would pull itself along the ground to the next area.

Quite the technological advancement from horse and ox teams.

We were able to view old pictures showing the hardships of this vocation. Wow, I have a lot more appreciation for the men that did this work.

Looking at pictures of all this hard work can be very tiring. So we headed home afterward for a little relaxation. These vacations sure can take it out of you.

Leah July 15: Glass

2007-07-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a long day. First we went to the Museum of Glass. Next we went to Fort Nisqually. Finally we went to the logging camp.

The Museum of Glass was cool. We got to see the hot shop team make glass objects. It was awesome. After they made 2 glass forms we went into the gallery. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the gallery so I don’t have any pictures to show you. My favorite exhibit was the web. The web is made up of cables with glass ball on them in the shape of a spider web that hung from the ceiling and took up the whole room.

After the gallery was the studio. The studio is an arts and crafts room. I made a stamp. Matt entered a contest. In the contest you draw a picture and if your picture is picked you get to come and watch the hot shop make the object that you drew. The museum gets to keep one to put on display and they give another one to you.

After the museum we went to Fort Nisqually. They were closing so we rushed through it. We did get to see a little bit of it. We got to go in one of the bastians. A bastian was a building that they attacked intruders from.

When we finished the fort we went to the logging camp. The logging camp I thought was boring. But the train ride was interesting. We saw an old logger, the last one of its kind. We went around on the train 3 times before stopping. When we got off the train we drove back to the RV. We entertained ourselves until bedtime.

Matt July 15: Glass, Glass, and More Glass

2007-07-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

We went to the Museum of Glass today. First at the Museum we watched how the workers made the glass. First you put it in a fernice probably over 1000 degrees F. Then you take it out and blow air through a pipe to make it bigger and put it back in. Do that about ten times and now it’s time to shape it. They had a box with three curvy lines on each side that makes the design. Then you put it back in the furnace and take it out about five times. Now it’s time to let it cool.
They put it in a metal safe about 900 degrees F. They have to leave it in the box for 12 – 24 hours. Finally the last step painting. The artist paints it any colors he or she wants it to be. Warning! Kids don’t try this at home. Next in the museum we went to the gallery. You couldn’t touch anything or even take pictures of the art. In one side of the room the art wasn’t made of glass. My favorite was where there was a small latter covered with one dollar bills with people falling off the wooden ladder. It ment some people can succeed and people can fail.

Then we left the museum and went to the Fort Nisqually. We got there as they were about to lockup. Toe toured the grounds and soon we left and drove to the campground.

Leah July 14: Space Needle

2007-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Today was Seattle Day! We spent 1 to 7:30 in Seattle. First we went to the farmer’s market. Then the aquarium. Finally we went to the space needle.

At the farmers market it was chaos. It was noisy and it smelled like fish. I didn’t like it. I made it through the torture though.

We went to the aquarium after that. The aquarium was pretty cool. We got to touch sea stars, sea anemones, and sea urchins. We explored around until the octopus talk. The lady introduced us to Kraken the octopus. They showed us how they feed Kraken. Then she told us that there was a female that he loved. Octopi die after they mate so the people separated them. One night Kraken undid all the bolts that separated the 2 octopi and they mated. They took the female and freed her. They are trying to get a permit to free Kraken so that he can live his last few weeks free. After the talk we finished building 1. Building 2 started with harbor seals. Then there were sea otters. Next we saw some other kind of seal. Last but not least we saw the river otters. They were so cute!

When we finished every thing in the aquarium we dropped mom off to get her pills. We drove around while she got them.

When we picked her up we drove to the space needle. It was 620ft. tall! We could see a lot of cool things from the top. There were cool things to play around with. We were up there a long time. We came down after a ½ hour.

When we got back to the R.V. mom and dad relaxed. Matt and I played golf. We got ice cream after a while. When we got back we went to bed.

Renee July 14: Taking in the Big City

2007-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

After battling some harrowing traffic all leaving town yesterday, we calculated that there should be only about 30 or so vehicles left in the city of Seattle so doing our tourist thing today, on a Saturday should be a breeze. Well, aren’t we naïve hicks from the backwoods?! With 30 different maps copied off the internet thus vowing never to be lost again, we navigated our way back into the city of Seattle.

Craig and I are now are in full understanding of just why there are so many attempts by the city of Seattle to provide alternate forms of public transportation into and around a city cut up by Puget Sound and hills and other man-made obstructions like road construction. Traffic is unbelievable. Gridlock in downtown Seattle on a Saturday afternoon is a sight to behold. Can’t imagine what it is like during the work week!

After re-ordering our agenda for the day at least 3 times, based on what streets and lanes we could or couldn’t access on our way into the city center, we finally snagged a parking spot directly in front of the Seattle Aquarium. For only an arm and a leg for a two-hour period, we left the Jeep and headed up the stairs to Pike’s Open Air Market, passing street vendors along the way.

The children were more than a little dismayed regarding the sheer number of people we were encountering on the way up and the number seemed to be multiplying as we neared the marketplace. By the time we actually reached the center of Pike’s market, the fear in the air surrounding them was palpable and their eyes were the size of grapefruits.
Talk about a little culture shock! All the people, the overwhelming aroma of raw fresh fish, and the plethora of goods displayed of all shapes and varieties caused them cower behind Mom and Dad and to ask when we were leaving this “stinky place”. When they learned we were going to have lunch here they thought we had lost our minds and they refused to eat. But much to their dismay we strolled along the fish markets, flower booths, fruit stands, antique shops, used book stores, sushi counters, and bakeries. Craig and I decided to demonstrate our bravery by stopping at a fruit vendor and sampling litchies. They were an interesting fruit about the size and outer color of a kiwi fruit but very bumpy, and that must be peeled to get to the edible part. Inside, the fruit had a white appearance like raw fish, the texture and juiciness of a peeled grape, but has a pit like an olive. Yeah, this piques your interest, doesn’t it? If not yet, than maybe its nickname: the Smiling Wife. Yeah. It was not one of my favorite tastes but the vendor laughed and assured us it was a taste that you had to grow to like. I’m not so sure…

But we put on a brave face for the kids and continued on to find more edible fare. The kids have now tried crab, halibut, ling cod, and have not died; they are even able to admit to us it all isn’t that bad. When you add to that list, all the different berries and cherries that grow like weeds in this area of the country: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries, blueberries, red cherries, and Rainier Cherries; they are learning to just accept and move on, in the process even liking a few, though they may never admit it to anyone else!

So after having our fill of the crowded open market, we ventured back down to the waterfront, checked on our parking time deadline and then headed into the aquarium. We enjoyed the tidepool displays where you could touch things like sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and anemones. The kids liked feeding seaweed to the sea urchins. We then gathered round the Beneath the Sea display tank for the Octopus feeding. We all enjoyed the octopus stories, especially how determined Kraken was to get to his female by removing all the bolts to the plexiglass division that separated them. The experts are right about the octopus being the most intellectually high-developed invertebrate in the sea. What we also learned was that the octopus at rest or in a relaxed state is a drab gray-brown color, but when they get excited or nervous or angry they change color to red in literally a blink of an eye. This was demonstrated when the feeding commenced and the long, tentacle-laden arm reached out to sample the fare of the day. We also enjoyed the fur seals and sea otters in the outdoor exhibit before leaving.

We had been hearing the kids all day asking when we would be going to the Space Needle. We consulted the map and aimed our jeep down more clogged roads to find the highlight of the kids’ experience in Seattle. We bought our tickets, and positioned ourselves in line for the 520-ft ride to the top of Seattle. The views were stupendous. Out on the skywalk, Matt of course, picked out all the pro-sports venues in the city: basketball, football, baseball, too bad they don’t have a hockey team.

Inside, Leah and I discovered SkyQ. SkyQ is a new interactive link that operates cameras up top and can scan based on a joystick. The other kiosks were touch-operated so when you touched a particular point on the screen info notes came up to explain the sites you were viewing. We spent a good deal of time just gazing at the skyline. We also overlooked the very harbor and houseboats that were the setting for the movie, Sleepless in Seattle.

When we had finally seen enough, we returned to the jeep and made a much easier journey back to the Fairgrounds. It had been a long day!

Matt July 14: Back to Seattle

2007-07-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

We drove back to Seattle today. We went to Pike’s open air market. The market was full of fresh foods. There was the smell of cherries, fish, crab, bakery, and pigions. Soon we ate lunch.

After lunch we went to the Seattle Auarium. First we touched the animals in the tanks. We touched seastars, anmiones, and sea cucumbers.

Then we walked through a ring of jelly fish. After we walked through the jelly fish, there was a talk about the Octopus named Kracken. They talked about the octopus fighting a wolf eel and about it getting separated from his mate. The Kracken and the wolf eel fought for a den for a home. The Kracken gave up because the eel had bitten some of one of the Kracken’s tentecals. The other story about his mate and him is funny and sad.

Octopus live until the have their eggs, then they die. To keep that from happening they seprated the two octopus with a piece of plexiglass. One night after the aquarium closed, the Kracken unscrewed the bolts that held up the glass and in the morning they found 16 legs together. The next day they freed the female to die and to lay her eggs in the wild.
Next we went to the second building of the aquarium. There we saw sea otters and seals. One of the sea otters was born in 1989 and it is still alive.

Then we drove to the space needle. We bought our tickets and rode up the elevator. We went to the very top 520 feet above the ground. We went out to the deck. We could see Safeco Field where the Mariners play, the Quest field where the Seattle Seahawks play, and Key Arena where the Seattle Supersonics play. Ther was even a football field game going on. We think it was semi pro. After we got to the ground we drove back to the motorhome.

Craig July 13, Puyallup Fair and Ichi

2007-07-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

With the bus rolling and everyone settled in for a drive we pierced some morning fog. Not very heavy, just enough to run the wipers once in awhile. I don't think anyone really minded the grey. It has been so sunny and clear this whole trip that it was a welcome change.

We had to cross a few bridges on the way into Puyallup located south east of Seattle. Nothing bad though. You always kind of wonder what you will have to deal with on some of the older ones, they can be pretty narrow.

Finding a decent RV park in the southern Seattle area is a difficult proposition at best. With a little help from a local gentleman I conversed with online, he pointed me here. Not a bad place at all, very reasonable and not to far of a drive from what we wanted to be able to access.

We had wanted to take in a ball game and after some confusion as to what we should do to finish out the day, we opted for a ball game. We left 2 hours ahead of time with some concern as to whether or not we would be able to cover the 35 miles to Safeco Field in time. All we could do was try.

We started off badly. I had printed off a couple of maps from the internet. But they were all of the downtown area. Not the area we were travelling through to get there. My trusty navigator, who had done a pretty good job of telling me where to go, (pun intended) didn't bring the atlas, so now we were running blind. We should be able to navigate this town just by signs...right? Hehe, sure. We take off out of the RV park and head a different direction than we arrived. I don't need a stinkin map! We hit the freeway and headed west. The wrong direction, but I know it will take us to the "5" eventually and it should be quicker than turning around going the other direction and maybe getting us lost. Did I mention this is 4:45 pm on a Friday? We come to a screaming halt about 3 miles from the "5". It takes us a good 45 minutes to get to the turn off and we guess wrong on lane assignments. There is no way we are getting on the "5". Time for plan B, get map!

We found a gas station and bought one. After having a look and seeing what he have to drive through, we still hold out hope we can make the game. We eventually find a way to the five and slowly pass through Tacoma. We make better time once we are clear of the Tacoma Mall. It is still slow, but hey, its not as bad it could be. We eventually clear a ridge and downtown Seattle comes into view with Safeco Stadium right at the base of it all. Whoo hoo!

We park 2 minutes before game time. We have a quick walk up to the box office, loud whistles from the trains blast us as we clear the bridge next to the stadium. We ask for the good seats, too pricey and not available, so we get the next best thing, decent seats on the 3rd base side.

Walking to our seats, we notice that the only name on the team jerseys worn by the fans are "Ichi". No ex Diamond back Richie Sexson or anyone else. All Ichiro Suzuki. We will learn the city lives and dies by this guy. He is the franchise.

The game is exciting. We see the Tigers hit a Grand Slam to take the lead and then Seattle make a valiant effort to mount a comeback. The game ends with the dejected Ichi fans despondant thier man only went 1 for 3.

We travel back to Puyallup and promptly get lost. Yea, we can read the map, but the detail stinks for this town. After a good 45 minutes of Leah's "I have to pee" I stop and ask for directions. We are sent back in the general direction of town and I spot a landmark that gets me reoriented. Leah is happy!

Matt July 13: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2007-07-13T00:51:00.000-07:00

Again, today was a travel day. Our campsite was southeast of Seattle. After we got set up, we drove to Seattle. In Seattle we went to the Mariners game. The Mariners are a baseball team. They played the Detroit Tigers. We missed the first inning tring to get tickets, but it was worth it. We got section 144 on the third base side in row 33! In the second inning Leah and dad went to get drinks. When they left the most amazing thing happened! The Mariners were up to bat. The batter hit a foul ball coming right twords us! It bounced in the isle next to us, then bounced two rows behind us, and stopped dead two rows in front of us. After the game was over the Tigers had won 6 to 3.

Leah July 13: Seattle Mariners

2007-07-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today was another travel day. We traveled straight to the campsite. We went to a Seattle Mariner’s game.

The drive to the campsite was boring. I watched Shrek 2 until it finished. We finally got to the campsite after a 2 ½ hour drive. We set up when we got here. I watched Disney channel until Mom and Dad decided that we would go to a Mariner’s Baseball Game.

We took off only to get stuck in traffic. It was too crowded so we missed our turn. So we turned into a gas station and got a map. We managed to get there after the first 1 ½ innings. We were in the right place to catch a ball, along the third base line near left field. The game went by really fast. One reason was Mom and I were getting dinner for 2 innings. The other one was because I wasn’t paying attention to the game. All I know is that the Mariners lost 6 to 3.

We got lost on the way home, even with the map! So we didn’t end up getting to the RV until 11 pm. When we got there we made up the beds quickly and went to bed.

Craig July 12, Hurricane Ridge

2007-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Located just south of Port Angeles, after a long winding climb, is Hurricane Ridge. This is the best place in the park to view the many snow capped peaks with their myriad of glaciers. You can guess how it got its name, but to our delight it was anything but its namesake.

We stopped at the visitor center to get the lay of the land. We have come to learn the National Park System well after traveling it extensively these last three summers. You don’t venture into any of these parks without an extensive inquisition of the ranger on duty when you arrive at one. This can make or break your visit as they are usually very up to date on what is going on. This includes animal sightings, road conditions and sometimes if you ask the right questions, a tidbit that is not generally made known to the general public. Today we were just looking for a ranger led hike that the kids needed to complete their Junior Rangers program, which we found.

We headed up the road to the ridge. It was cloudy and we even encounter a little drizzle. The road was tight, slow and twisty, with a few 100-200 yard tunnels thrown in. My kids hate these. Not because they are afraid of them though, its because they know I will be all over the horn the entire distance through it! It doesn’t matter if there are cars or not, I will be laying on the horn! Anyone who knows my kids knows they embarrass easily. All I hear is … “DAD, STOP IT!! STOP IT! AHHHHH!!!!” HEH HEH HEH! [full belly laugh] is my reply.

So we made the ridge and had a look around. There was a nice visitors center at the top with incredible views. To the south, snow capped peaks. To the north, Port Angeles, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Victoria. But something was missing, there was no wind.

We quickly hit the time for the ranger led hike and wandered over to the meeting place. The rangers name was Janice Berger. We took off across the parking lot and up a short hill, where we stop in a grove of rather short trees. Ranger Janice explains that while it is hot as blazes right now and there is absolutely no wind at all, this is not usually the case. The ridge is at 5200’ and in the winter the wind can blow upward of 100 mph for days at a time. The wind combined with the blowing snow can actually sandblast the bark off of the trees. She used Matt and another boy to demonstrate how the trees do survive in these horrible conditions. Sub-alpine Fir and Mountain Hemlock are the predominant species this close to the tree line. Matt was a hemlock, which bends under the weight of the snow, often covered completely and out of harms way. The other boy was the fir, which bends, but generally fights the wind and tries to stand tall. We saw where these trees were literally snapped off at about the 25’ level. This was the level of the snow. They lost the battle with the wind due to the unusually large snow fall that year. The smaller diameter trunks 10-12” at the top were not able to withstand the blasts and were snapped off. We continued the hike and were brought up to speed on the limited flora and fauna that are able to survive at this altitude and in the harsh climate. I enjoy this kind of stuff as do the kids, so we all had a good time!

We explored a little more, taking in lesser traveled dirt road that was closed due to snow on it. The sign said if you were hiking beyond the closure, you should have an ice axe and other equipment. I’ll bet I could have made it in the Jeep. ;)

We headed home after that. We all had some tasks that need to be attended to. So with a few extra hours left in the day this was a good time to get them taken care of. I needed to wash the Jeep and put on some new wiper blades. The weather report kept threatening a little rain and my blades were horrible. Who needs them in AZ.

Tomorrow we are off to a site closer to Seattle.

Leah July 12: Hurricane Ridge

2007-07-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

We went to Hurricane Ridge today. We also went on a ranger walk. When we got to Hurricane Ridge, we went into the visitor center. We stayed there until the meadow ranger walks started. When the ranger came out to meet us she talked to us about Hurricane Ridge. We talked about how some trees didn’t have bark on one side. The wind blew off the bark of the trees, leaving them bare. She told us that there were 2 kinds of trees in Olympic National Park. They are sub alpine fir and the western hemlock. The western hemlock is droopy at the top and the sub alpine isn’t. My favorite stop was the last one. We learned that marmots drop their body temp to around 40* F when hibernating. When we finished the walk we drove down a road that led to nowhere. We turned around at PJ Lake. We didn’t hike the trail. We just drove back to the RV. Mom had to do laundry so Matt and I went to the arcade in the campground. We played air hockey, then we played ping-pong. We didn’t play for points, we just played for fun. When we ran out of money we went back to the RV. Then we watched TV until bedtime.

Matt July 12: Back to Olympic National Park

2007-07-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Hurricane Rige in Olympic National Park. After we were in the park we went to the Hurricane Rige Visitor Center. At the visitor center we went on a half mile Ranger hike. On the hike we talked a lot about plants and animals. Also, we saw a marmot home. As we were walking to the jeep, we saw two deer laying down next to the visitor center. We snapped a few pictures and ate lunch. After lunch we drove on a dirt road that lead to Obstruction Point. But the road was closed. There was a 0.9 mile hike to PJ Lake, but we didn’t hike it. We turned around and drove back to the motor home.

Matt July 11: Hot, Hot, Hot

2007-07-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

Today it was hot everywhere. Today we took a fairy to Canada. It was about an hour ride from Port Angeles to Victoria. On the ride we saw seals, sea otters, and dolphins. When we got to Canada we had to show security our passports.

After we got through we went on a double-decker but tour of Victoria. We sat at the top. The first town we went to was called Chinatown. On the tour we saw a castle that was owned by a famous man. Then we drove past expincive houses. The average for a condo was $300,000! About halfway through the tour we stopped for a twenty minute break. We bought three water bottles and some ice cream. We ate our ice cream down by the dock. As we went down the ramp we saw two seals. Soon it was time to get on the hot bus. As we drove around we saw more condos. We also saw a cemetery with some famous people buried in it. After the tour we walked to the chocolate shop. In order to keep the chocolate cold they had to keep it air conditioned all the time.

Then we walked to the boat and rode back to Port Angeles. After we were about 15 minutes from Port Angeles, we saw a whale! We watched the whale for a while and then a baby dolphin jumped over the whale. Soon we were off. Then we docked and drove to the RV.

Leah July 11: Canada!

2007-07-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

Instead of starting out my blog with the word, “today”, I’m going to try something new. Hurray, we went to Canada! In order to get to Canada we had to take a ferry. It was an hour trip over to Canada. The ferry was called Victoria Express. It was nice inside. They had a snack bar. It also had tables and booths with an upstairs. But the upstairs didn’t have a roof.

When we got to Canada we got a hot dog. Then we had to get on our bus because we were taking a tour of Victoria, British Columbia. When we got to take a rest break we got ice cream. When we finished the ice cream there were seals in the marina! They were spotted and had big black eyes that made them look really cute. We realized that our 20 minute break was over so we husled back to the bus.

We finished the tour and stopped for a snack. Then we walked to Roger’s Chocolate and got some chocolate. We walked to Roots and got Matt a shirt. Then we started to walk back to the boat. I got a t-shirt on the way. We made it to the boat with 5 minutes to spare.

When we got on the boat we noticed the boat was the Victoria Express II. There were not tables and booths, just chairs. The upstairs was the same as the other boat. When we were about half way through the boat ride we noticed some whale watchers stopped. We looked ahead of them and there was a humpback whale! Dad took a lot of pictures of it. There were 4 whale watchers boats, the car ferry and us watching it.

When we finally got to the dock and unloaded, we went for a place to have dinner. We found Wendy’s. After dinner we came back to the motorhome. Matt and I went over to the game room to play air hockey and ping-pong. There were people playing ping-pong so we just played air-hockey. I won the game. We came back to the motor home. We watched a little part of a weird movie. Then I took a shower. I wanted to watch TV but Mom said I had to blog first, so I did. I ended up getting ahead of everybody else. Matt watched TV instead of blogging. It ended up being too late to watch TV when I finished so I just made up my bed and went to sleep.

Craig July 11, The Ferry, The Bus and The Whale

2007-07-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today we would cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca and tour the Canadian town of Victoria, British Columbia.

I grabbed the left over steak and potatoes from dinner a few nights ago and made a good breakfast for the family. We didn’t want another “save the starving children” fiasco like yesterday, we wanted to start the day off right.

We drove the Jeep down to the town pier, next to the restaurant we dined at the night before and parked. We bought our tickets for the Victoria Express Ferry across the street and waited a few minutes until the boarding call came. The boat ride was about an hour long and we enjoyed the sun on the open deck with the cool sea breeze.

We entered the Victoria harbor and found it bustling with activity. Boats of all sizes coming and going, as well as seaplanes landing and taking off. Apparently this harbor has over 70 seaplane flights a day. Whale watching is a big draw up here as there are a few pods of killer whales that frequent the Strait.

After docking, we entered Canadian customs. They asked few questions and quickly moved everyone through. We then boarded a double decker bus for a tour of the city.

The city is a mixture of new and old. The Empress Hotel, the predominant landmark of the inner harbor, was built at the turn of the century. New construction seems to have taken over and diluted some of the Victorian feel that the city so desires. At least in my opinion. But it is very beautiful nevertheless. The city is extraordinary in its cleanliness. No litter anywhere.

Flowers are everywhere. There are flower pots hanging from almost every light pole in the city. All are hand watered, as the summer is the dry season. The hotels, government buildings and other business are surrounded by color. The locals spruce up their front yards with dramatic flower gardens as well, with some rivaling those of the hotels.

Our tour lasted about an hour and a half, with a twenty minute break along the way for some much needed refreshments at a local marina. The city was seeing record heat with the high hovering just under 100*. This is obviously not the normal temperature as very few of the older buildings or homes are equipped with air conditioning. Nor was out tour bus. The top floor with all it's glass, moving ever so slowly through downtown traffic was miserable. Once we got out of the city we picked us speed creating some circulation, which was a little more comfortable.

We were only spending the afternoon in Victioria. So after a light lunch with some more liquids we went shopping for some souvenirs for the kids. Before long it was time to head back to the boat.

The ride back was a treat. The abundant sea life was showing itself on a regular basis. We were constantly delighted to porpoises swimming by, seals peering out of the water wondering what was disturbing them and the occasional inquisitive sea otter having a look as well. When we were about three quarters of the way across the Strait, we came upon a row of small boats drifting in the current. The captain slowed the boat to have a look. He came on the loudspeaker preparing us for the killer whales that are frequently seen here. To everyone’s surprise including the captain and crew, it was a humpback whale.

Apparently, it is highly unusual for humpbacks to be seen in the Strait. They typically will travel along the coast up to Alaska to spend the summer. This is pretty far out of their normal path.

We spent a good ten minutes or so watching the whale before getting back on course for Port Angeles. I was surprised the captain would take this much time for a whale sighting. I guess this was that much out of the ordinary.

Once back in port we had to go through customs. This was a much different affair than we had last summer. Last summer we came back into the US from Canada and had to go through the worst customs agent ever. Rude, demeaning and just hating life described this guy. Not the same here! We were whisked through quickly and pleasantly. The agent asked the kids a few questions, looked at our passports and bid us adieu.

We were all pretty exhausted by the time we made it back to the motorhome. The heat had really taken it out of us. Everyone would sleep good tonight.

Craig July 10, Forks to Port Angeles

2007-07-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

With our two days gone in Forks it was time to move a little further north and east around the peninsula. We have three nights ahead of us at the Port Angeles/Sequim KOA.

We were passing by the area called Sol Duc in the Olympic NP. and had heard they had hot springs. We thought that could be fun. We had also heard of a wonderful waterfall here. We found a spot for the RV on a turn out off to the side of highway 101. The roads leading up to the prior attractions in the park were not friendly to 60’ long vehicles and this would probably be the same way. So we parked early outside, just to avoid any problems, unhooked the Jeep and drove in.

We reached the trailhead parking lot and jumped out, ready to go the short distance up the trail to the waterfall. The kids are now equating “hike” with work, instead of fun. So we have to deal with a little attitude, which quickly passes once we get moving. The flat trail went under our feet quickly and the “work” turned to fun. We heard the roar of the waterfall and it soon came into view.

When we left the falls, Leah put her head down and raced back to the car well ahead of the rest of us. Matt, didn’t think he would make it back before dieing of malnutrition. We shared some snacks in the car to take the edge off, gaining a brief respite from the cries of hunger coming from the back seat. We headed back down the valley to the Sol Duc Lodge which we passed on the way in, to see the hot springs. We took a quick look around, hoping to find a place for lunch but found the main dining room closed. Our ravenous kids would have to wait.

After hooking the Jeep back up to the RV and pulling out some more snacks, we took off ready for the 45 minutes left in the trip to get to the campground. After rounding the first corner I felt an unusual clunk. I quickly checked the back up camera and saw the Jeep way off to the side where it shouldn’t be. I must have missed an attachment on the towbar, either that or something broke. Damn. I just know I am tearing stuff up with each new clunk. We are on a very curvy road with blind corners and no shoulder. I have no choice but to slowly work our way around a few until a safe turn out can be found. Its either that or become one with one of thousands of loaded logging trucks barreling down this road. (Now I know where all that wood comes from) We found something just big enough to get us clear of the road. I walked back to have a look and found all the towbar connections still hooked up. The problem came from one of the safety cables. The cables are coiled. One of the coils had grabbed hold of a locking lever on the towbar, preventing it from locking. This allowed the Jeep to travel back and forth like it was only on a rope. I repositioned the cable so it would happen again and locked the lever. Luckily, there was no damage either. Whew, did I dodge a bullet!

We hit the KOA and hooked up. We made good on our promise to not let our starving children die. But they had to have SEAFOOD! I’ll bet you could hear their cries of glee across the Strait of Juan de Fuca! We hit the Crabhouse next to the town pier. They had half of the place closed down as the air conditioning was not working. Did I mention the heat wave going on here? It is really hot! They sat us in the cool side. We could have sat outside next to the beach, but it was just too hot. We had delicious crabcakes, shrip and halibut. We even got the kids to admit that it was good. Can you imagine?!

We wandered around the pier for awhile in the heat before returning to the campground. The kids wanted to swim, so Renee took them to the pool. I was busy with some electrical issues on the RV. It seems the heat had us and all of our neighbors running their ac units until the breakers were popping on the main feed for our leg of the park. We all conserved a little after they reset the breaker and all was well for the rest of the evening.

Leah July 10, Sol Duc Falls

2007-07-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Today was yet another travel day. We stopped at Sol Duc and hiked a .8 mile trail that led to Sol Duc Falls. We had a late lunch early dinner.

On the way to the campground we stopped at Sol Duc. We hiked to Sol Duc Falls. It was very pretty.

Matt and I had water races. We each found a stick that we held over the river and then, on the count of three, we dropped them into the river. Whoever’s stick went the farthest, won.

When we got back to the motorhome we drove to the campground. When we got there, we set up and went to have our late lunch early dinner at a restaurant in Port Angeles. It was called the Crabhouse. We went to look at boats after we ate. The boats were located on the bay, right in front of the restaurant.

It got boiling hot, so we went back to the RV park and went swimming. Dad stayed home to blog, while we swam. Matt and I swam for ½ hour. When we got out and dried off, we went to play on the playground for awhile. Then we went mini-golfing. Mom won the first game that we played. Dad came right as we were on hole number nine, the last hole. So, we played another game, this time with dad instead of mom. Dad won the game. We returned the equipment and went back to the RV.

We had dessert when we got back to the RV. Then we made our beds and watched the movie “RV”. It was really late when the movie finished, so we went to bed.

Matt July 10, To Port Angeles

2007-07-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

We drove to Port Angeles today. In the middle of the trip we stopped and drove the jeep to Sol duc.

In Sol duc we hiked the Sol duc waterfall trail. The trail was .8 mile and it lead to a waterfall. Leah and I raced sticks in it. Then we hiked back to the car and drove to the motorhome.

After we drove to the motorhome we went the rest of the way to Port Angeles. When we got to the campground it was four o’clock and we didn’t eat lunch. Then we went to the Crabhouse for a late lunch and an early dinner.

After dinner , then we went to look out over the straight of Juan de Fuca. Then we drove to the motorhome. At the RV Leah , mom and I went swimming for a while. After that we went mini golfing The first time we played Leah, mom and played and mom beat me by one and I beat Leah by two. The next game we played dad, Leah and I played. Dad won Leah got second and got last.

Matt July 9, Farthest NW Point

2007-07-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Today we drove the jeep to Cape Flattery. IT was another long trip. That ment windy roads and road work. There we went on a hike to the farthest northwest point in all the US not including Alaska and Hawaii. ON the hike we had to to walk on a board walk because of the mud. The trail was filled with lookouts where you could see caves and Islands. On one of the island I saw seven sea lions huddled together.

Next we drove back to the campsite. On our way we stopped to eat lunch. While we were eating a lost dog came over and wated to play fetch. We had to kick the ball becasue it was muddy and slimmy. After that we drove away to the campsite.

We stayed at the camper for a little while and then went to Rialto beach to see the sunset. We got there early so I built a house out of rocks and Leah, Mom, and dad wacthed the waves come in. The sunset was beautiful. After the sunset we drove back to the campground.

Leah July 9, Sunset at the beach

2007-07-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today was a sightseeing day. We hiked the Cape Flattery trail. Then we went to the beach after dinner to watch the sunset.

The wat to the Cape Flattery trail was long and bumpy. We finally got there agter an hour and thirty minutes of driving. When we got there we had a snack then went on the trail. It was pretty easy on the way own. On the way up it got a little bit harder. There were 3 viewpoints. My favorite one wa the last one. I could see seastars and baby birds in a cave. When we got back to the jeep we drove to a little town and we found a place to have lunch. Agter lunch we drove back to the R.V.

When we finished dinner we drove to the beach to watch the sunset. We sat on a log and watched it. Before it started setting Mom and Matt were doing something else. Dad and I sat on the log the whole time we were there.

When the sun set we drove to the R.V. Then we made up the beds and went to sleep.

Craig July 9, Cape Flattery and Rialto Beach

2007-07-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

We had stopped in Kalaloch yesterday and the ranger there was adamant that we get up to the Cape Flattery area and walk the trail. She insisted we would not be disappointed. So with that little shove, we embarked on another long drive. We knew the drive in would take about an hour and a half from the RV park in Forks. But we would not be deterred!

Renee offered to drive. Not know for having the strongest stomach in the family when it comes to twisty roads, she felt this might be a little easier on her. It might be easier on her, but what about me? I am not known for being the best passenger in a car and have a tendency to offer up timely suggestions for how the driver might better handle the situation at hand. I think I did pretty well! Renee might not agree. But hey, she did well and we got there in one piece. We did have to stop once along the way as Leah' stomach was talking to her a little.

After about an hour the road turned west and paralleled the coast. While the temperature was rapidly starting to climb the fog was fighting back. We could look out over the water and see this large bank of dark dense fog hanging over the water. But it hung close to water and you could see the mountains of Canada behind it. Very pretty and interesting to this desert dweller. Probably old hat to the locals.

We made it to the trail head and headed out for the short hike. The trail is only 3/4 of a mile and winds through the thick dark forest. Mud is everywhere, even when it hasn't rained in awhile. The have built boardwalks to ease the erosion from the constant flow of tourists coming through. The kids thought that was pretty neat.

Arriving at he edge brought ooh and aahs from all of us. Seabirds flew all around the cliffs. Their calls suddenly cut off by the concussion of the surf on the rocks, a few hundred feet below. The wind carried the concentrations of salt, mud and mist with each of its lofty gusts. I hope some of these pictures will do it justice, but they just never quite seem too.

I drove back and after spending some time back at the motorhome we decided to hit the beach. Rialto Beach was only a short drive away and on our list of places to go. We headed out with a sunset in mind. The sun is setting around 9:10 pm up here right now. Quite late.

We found the beach loaded with drift logs. Leah and I sat down on a log sticking out over the beach that the largest waves would rush up underneath, splashing us from behind as the water ricocheted off of a smaller log just behind and waited for the sunset. Renee and Matt found their own activities to keep themselves busy.

The sun finally sizzled its way into the ocean as we all looked on, shivering from the wet of the splashing waves. Ending one of the most scenic and picturesque days we have had yet.

Leah July 8: Olympic National Park

2007-07-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled to Olympic National Park. Before we got to our campsite we stopped at Kalaloch Visitor’s Center. Then we drove to Ruby Beach. When we got there we walked down there and we played on the sea stacks for a long time, then we started walking down the beach. When we decided to go no further we looked around and saw starfish! There were tons of them. They were purple and orange and they were really hard to the touch. We went back because the tide was coming in.

When we got back to the motor home we had lunch and took off again. We drove until we got to our campsite, the Forks 101 RV Park. After we got set up we went into Olympic National Park. We did a hike called the Hall of Mosses. It was ¾ of a mile. We saw 3 different kinds of mosses: we saw licorice fern, club moss, and lichen. After we finished it we started to drive to the RV. When we go to the Hoh River we stopped for a few minutes. We went to Pacific Pizza for dinner. Then we went to bed.

Matt July 8: A Long Day

2007-07-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

Again we traveled to a new campground for the second day in a row. This campground is called Forks 101 RV Park. After we arrived at the campsite we went to the Hoh (ho) Rain Forest. There we hiked the Hall of Mosses. On the trail we came across a stream with a lot of moss. The water was so clear you could see the bottom.

After the hike we journeyed our way back to the camper. Before we got there we went down to the Hoh River. At the RV Park we went to dinner at the Pacific Pizza Parlor. It took a long time to get our food and drinks. Then we went to the RV park and went to bed.

Matt, July 7, Good Bye Portland, Goodbye Oregon

2007-07-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

AFter nine long days in Portland, it was time to leave. Our new campground was called Qinault River Inn. It wasn't really a campground it was more like a motel. They only had five camping spots, but they were next to the Quinault River. After we got there we drove to the Quinault Information Station. At the station we parked the car and hiked the Rain Forest Nature Trail Loop. Then we hiked to see the World's largest Sitka Spruce. After that we drove home and went to bed.

Leah, July 7, Leaving Portland

2007-07-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a travel day. We traveled for 5 hours. It didn't seem like it took that long but it did.

We stopped traveling at 4. The campsite wasn't really a camp site, it was a motel with 5 R.V. spaces next to it. Some campsite.

Mom and dad decided that we would go on a hike after we got set up. We went on the nature hike. We saw the largest Sitka Spruce in the world on a different hike. We didn't see much on the Nature walk.

When we got back Matt and I entertained ourselves for a while. Then mom and dad decided that we should go down to the river. So we did. Matt and I were trying to see who could throw the farther. Matt won. So we headed back and had dinner. After dinner we watched Labriynth. I though it was really weird. After the movie we went to bed.

Craig July 7th

2007-07-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

We had plans to get up early and head out of Portland by 7:00am, but it was not to be. A very late night prior kept us in the sack a little later than expected. We had a great time meeting Dave and his wife at thier new bar and even won a few bucks in his poker machines. Thanks Dave!

I had to take care of some maintenance items that were overdue before we could leave. The Jeep had lost its brake lights earlier in the week and I fixed that with a new fuse. But why did the fuse blow? Time will tell, or maybe it won’t, who knows. I couldn’t find anything else wrong. I fixed a few other minor issues and we were finally ready.

Today we would move up to Quinault on the edge of Olympic National Park. It was a quick shot up I5 south of Seattle and then west to the coast. It put us on the road for about 5 hours including stops but the time passed quickly.

We arrived at our campground, the Quinault River Inn and quickly set up. They have 5 RV sites and we are the only ones here. The park is nice and well kept. It sits on the banks of the Quinault River. To bad we will leave first thing in the morning, a little fishing would have been fun. Maybe we will get a chance later in the trip.

Once we were settled, we drove over to south side of Lake Quinault. Quinault is home to 6 world record size trees. We saw the worlds largest Sitka Spruce which is 17.5' thick. Quinault is the southern most point of the temperate rainforest that exists in the park and makes for ideal growing conditions. The world record Douglas Fir is a staggering 302’ tall.

We returned to the RV a little weary from the short night and the travel. Renee and I sat outside in the loungers under a clear sky and a warm sun. We both were asleep within minutes with the light breeze and 68* temperature while the kids entertained themselves inside. This is the first chance I have had to grab a quick siesta this entire trip. We have kept so busy moving from place to place and seeing the sights, there hasn’t been any time. I sure enjoyed the opportunity.

Tomorrow we will head up to the Hoh Rainforest, maybe stopping in Kalaloch on the coast along the way, before stopping for the next two nights in the town of Forks.

Renee July 6: The City of Roses

2007-07-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

We are facing our last day in Portland and there is still some things that I want to do before leaving for the more Northern reaches of these United States. Do to overpacking activities on the Zoo day, we were unable to visit the Rose Test Gardens, one of the places I had identified that I wanted to see. The Portland area is known for growing roses. Hence the name of the Portland Trailblazers’ basketball arena: The Rose Garden. Many streets and suburbs and business names have the word rose in them. In downtown Portland there is a section of green set aside for growing and testing new hybrids as well as growing traditional varieties of roses.

Leah, Matt, and Bryce opted to stay home with Papa and go swimming, highly recommended by me! Mom and I met up with June at the light rail station and took the train downtown to the Rose Test Gardens. Pretty incredible vision, I must say. Just when I would find one that I claimed was my favorite, then I would look at the next row. Though I could never remember the names of all those beautiful blooms, I could take pictures so I did and here some of them are.

We then returned on the train, but making sure to disembark in Pioneer square to take in the city life and venture into Nordstrom’s Rack. See, I even managed to shop a little and now I feel back to normal again! I do have to say that Portland is a very clean city and the city life along the light rail is inviting. The older buildings are well preserved and/or restored and though we ran into some fine specimens of what one might call alternative lifestyles, people were pleasant and would talk to you on the train, unlike places like New York or Boston.

My favorite friend I met on the train was Octavian. He and his friend/partner boarded and sat directly opposite me and immediately engaged me in their life happenings and I just couldn’t help but enjoy their banter. Oh, to live a life of such drama. Just the fact that they both were wearing pink bebe tank tops, and women’s jeans puts quite a picture in your mind, but they really were fun. We had many other fun encounters on our adventure into the city today. June took most of them in stride, but my mother was having a difficult time hiding her shock. I think this kind of city experience makes her grateful for the small town life she lives.

We returned back to the RV resort and started packing up for tomorrow’s departure. We then began making our rounds to the relative to say our goodbyes. The kids were settled in to bed watching TV when I went to pick up Craig at the airport. We swooped down on the airport, whisked him up and headed to the Red Apple to meet up with cousins Steve and Dave to say goodbye. Dave and his wife Nancy had never met Craig up to this point so we finally achieved that on our last night. I really hate to leave my cousins. Though visits with them were few and far in between throughout our lives because of the distance we lived apart, we have such a fun time together when we do finally meet up that it is so very hard to separate again. But we finally bid the adieu to return to the RV for some shut-eye before tomorrow’s early departure.

Leah July 6: Goodbye

2007-07-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today we stayed at the camper again. Except for mom, grandma, and June. They went to the rose gardens.

Papa, Bryce, Matt, and I stayed in the campground. We watched TV for a while. After lunch we went swimming for a while. We had the pool to ourselves for w while until a day came in. Stayed for about 10 minutes longer, then we went to play on the jungle jim for a while. The slide was slippery when we were wet. I went on the swings and I lost my shoes so papa kept throwing them up until they were on my feet. Then we went back to the motorhome.

When grandma and mom got back we went to Applebee’s. The Alfredo was so good! After dinner we went to June’s house so that the adults could say goodbye their family at cousin Dave’s place. When they got back Matt and I went back to the RV so that we could go to bed.

Matt July 6: Our Last Full Day

2007-07-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

Today is our last full day in Portland. Today Mom grandma, and aunt June went to the Rose Garden. They didn’t go to the basketball arena, they went to the Rose Garden with roses.

Grandpa, Leah and Bryce and I stayed and went swimming. After we went swimming the girls came back and we went to Applebee’s. soon after we ate Bryce, Leah, and I went to June’s house because Mom, Grandma, and grandpa said goodbye to our relitives while she babysited us. After they got back they took Leah and I to the motor home. Bryce stayed with Aunt June because grandma, grandpa and Bryce are sleeping there. They are staying there because we are leaving tomorrow. When we got to the motor home mom went to get dad from the airport.

Matt July 5: Relaxing Day

2007-07-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today we stayed at home. First we went swimming. After we went swimming we saw Ratatouille. Before the movie started the film stopped for five minutes. Soon they got the movie working. Ratatouille (rat-a-towee) is a movie about a rat and a man named Linguini. The rat’s name is Remy and he likes to cook, but Remy is a rat. Even if Remy is a rat, that doesn’t stop him. Somehow Remy found a way to cook by pulling Lingunini’s hair making him pick up and put down things. After the movie we went to aunt June’s house for dinner. Aunt June made a special pasta dish. Soon it was time to leave and we drove to the campsite.

Renee July 5: Saying Goodbye to Roxy

2007-07-05T00:23:00.000-07:00

We took Roxy to the airport today as she is flying home to go back to work. We are sorry to see her go, but we have had a fun visit with her and we were glad she could join us for the time that she was here. Bryce is staying here with us and will go home with Grandma and Grandpa later in the week.

We decided another relaxing day was in order so we checked the movie schedule and opted to go see Ratatouille, the latest Disney flick released about a rat living in Paris that has a culinary gift. Rather interesting premise and was a nice change from all the more recent attempts Disney has made lately. It was a good choice for the age range we had: 5 to 11, though it was a little too long for the younger ages as evidenced by the fidgitiness level around 1 1/4 hours into it.

We went again to June’s for dinner, she tells us she just loves to cook for others and doesn’t get to do it often enough. Sounds a little crazy to me, but who am I to argue, it’s one less night of cooking for me!

Leah July 5: Ratatolle

2007-07-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today we didn’t do a whole lot. We took Roxy to the airport. Then we saw Ratatouille the movie. After that we went to June’s house.

Before we took Roxy to the airport we had breakfast at a restraint called Elmer’s. Their fresh strawberries are the best. After breakfast Papa, and mom took Roxy to the airport. After that we took it easy. We did nothing until about 4.

We got ready at 4 to see the movies Ratatouille (ratatooee). The movie was 2 hours long. A little long for a kids movie, don’t you think? I’m not going to tell you any thing about the movie in case there are kids out there waiting to see it.

Here's a picture of my lizard I bought in Seaside.
After we finished the movie we drove to June's for dinner. Dinner as spaggettii and beans. After dinner we had vanilla ice cream with strawberries. It was so good! After dinner and dessert we went back to the motorhome. We made up the beds and went to sleep.

Renee July 4: A Day for our Country

2007-07-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

We kicked back today for some much needed down time. We were tired of being in the car and looked forward to spending leisure time in the heated pool here at the RV resort. But of course first on the agenda was laundry. Today dawned hot and sunny, and the kids have been pestering for some swimming. We then took advantage of the free ice cream in the clubhouse. Leah now loves huckleberry ice cream. We had a traditional American Fourth of July lunch of Fried chicken, and then a much needed nap!

We had been asking the locals where the best fireworks display would be. Believe it or not, though we have issues with our RV Park, namely our proximity to the train tracks, we are actually also in close proximity to the Columbia River. On the Washington side of the river, Vancouver puts on an incredible display that presents over the bluff. Along with that we are actually in close proximity to Blue Lake just east of our location, on our side of the river at which another big celebration was happening.

So we opted to stay right where we were and found a hillside in the park, spread out a blanket, and watched all the shows. We were treated to a great many displays over the river beginning about 9:30 and lasting well after 10:30. We celebrated the birth of our county and then went to bed happy we live in America!

Leah July 4: The 4th of July!

2007-07-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th of July! We stayed home and we didn’t drive around or anything. We stayed in the campsite.

We did a lot of things today. First we did the laundry. Matt and I waited until all of the adults got out of the hot tub before we got in. After about 15 minutes, we went to the regular pool with Bryce. Compared to the hot tub the regular pool was cold. We stayed in the pool for a long time. When we got out of the pool we walked back to the RV to have lunch. After lunch we went to the clubhouse to get some free ice cream. I got some chocolate chip ice cream. My mom couldn’t finish hers so I got to have her huckleberry ice cream. It was so good! After we finished our ice cream we went swimming a second time. We didn’t stay in as long because we had to have dinner so that we could get ready for the fireworks.

When we got to our spot for the show we found out that we could see a lot of different shows. The fireworks stopped right after 10:30. It was beautiful. My camera stopped working in the middle of the show. But it started working right at the finale so I got a few of those pictures. After the show we went back to the RV and went to bed.

Matt July 4: Merry Christmas...NOT!

2007-07-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today was the Fourth of July. Today we had to wash landrey. After we washed the landrey we went swimming. The pool was packed! There was like fifty people in the area! After, we went back to the motor home and watched TV. Since it was the Fourth of July, the office gave out free ice cream. We saw that there was nobody in the pool. After we were done eating we got on our swimsuits and went swimming again. Leah and I played volleyball and mom taught Bryce how to swim.

Here's Grandma
Rounding off our day we watched the fireworks. They were cool but not as good as last years in Montana. After they were done we walked back to the RV and went to bed.

Renee July 3: Yesterday the Beach, Today the Snow

2007-07-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Against our better judgment, we planned for another long driving day in order to catch the Columbia River Gorge and a trip to Mt. Hood. We headed out in the opposite direction as yesterday’s coastal trip, and instead went inland to travel the Mt. Hood Loop. We went straight to the summit road and ended up at the Ski Lodge.

There were skiers and snowboarders galore! Many summer camps run busses to Mt. Hood for a day skiing or snowboarding. We walked a short distance up the timberline trail to get some breathtaking views of other snow-capped peaks and also to let the kids play in the snow.
It is not often that kids playing on the beach one day get to play in the snow the very next day. So Leah and Matt engaged in some snow volleys, Bryce spent his time unwillingly slipping and sliding and subsequently falling down little inclines. He wasn’t buying the argument that today’s snow is tomorrow’s ocean water which he loved playing in just the day before. We were just glad we were able to talk him out of wearing his sandals today! As it was he had more than his fill of snow down into his socks and shoes and also down his backside. As the kids were just getting in the snow thing, Matt narrowly escaped being run over by a snowboarder. It seemed that I had unknowingly sent the kids to play in a patch of snow that just happened to be the final run of a long snowboard trail. Some mom!

After the narrow escape from danger we hung around and watch several come down the trail and even perform a few tricks for us. Or they were just showing off, but it was fun to watch, just the same!

After wandering the pretty lodge for a bit and taking in gorgeous views from the veranda, hunger began to get the best of all of us so we set out in search of picnic tables on which to have our picnic lunch, when we spied the Alpine Slide Park, just a mile down the road.
The Alpine Slide is basically a way for many Ski Resorts to make a few bucks on their off-season. The slide is a track, much like a waterslide cut into the mountain in an undulating pattern. The more curves and turn the more exciting for the sledders. The riders ride the ski lift up to the top and select a sled. The sled has rollers and brake pads built in on the underside, and the control (or lack thereof) comes in the form of a one handle lever in the center of the sled. When you push it forward the rollers are more exposed than the brake pads and the sled builds speed. When you pull back on the lever the wheels retract so the brake pads are more exposed and you slow down. Simple right?

We munched on sandwiches as we debated just who was daring enough to give it a try. Leah of course was angling for an all day pass, Matt was game but had his doubts as to his bravado level. I was game but Bryce and the Grandparents were having none of it. Roxy initially refused but eventually was coaxed into being adventurous; afterall, it was her birthday. Finally she gave in and but desperately wanted instruction on how to operate the sleds, and most importantly how to get on and off the ski lift as this was her first time ever!

So Roxy, Leah, Matt and I all headed to the ski lift, managed to mount the lift chairs without too much incident and dismount without injury, though it was touch and go with Roxy on the dismount. But all four of us had good rides and without incident, and even Roxy said she could have gone faster.

We collected our things and headed out and around the mountain to the Columbia River Gorge by way of the town of Hood River. It is a beautiful little city right on the bank of the Columbia River.
We followed along the river back towards Portland, with pretty views overlooking the gorge the whole way. We took a brief wayside stop at Multnomah Falls, one the most, if not the most photographed Waterfall in the state of Oregon. It was indeed a beauty, descending 2 separate ridges. Because it is so convenient to the road and has easy access, many people stop and make the 0.2mile trek to midway bridge for some breathtaking photos.

We stopped just long enough for some photos, some waterfall ogling, and a little romp through the creek for the kids, before we traveled the last 20 miles home. We were sure ready to be done traveling!
We returned to the RV and settled the kids into bed with a movie. Leah agreed to be official babysitter while we adults met and the Red Apple Bar and Grill, my cousin David's new establishment. Great French Dip, by the way. The Gresham side of our family met with us for an evening of reminiscing and hilarious rehashes of family antics, led by ultimate storyteller, Cousin Steve. We have not laughed so hard, in a long time! The last time I had visited out here in Oregon was 35 years ago and we figured we better live it up because another 35 years down the road many of us agreed we may not be around!

Leah July 3: Alpine Slide

2007-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today we did a lot of things. We played in the snow and went down the Alpine Slide.

At Mt. Hood we played in the snow. The grown-ups didn’t. We played right in the middle of the path for skiers and snowboarders. Some were coming down and Matt was sitting right in the middle of the path. He got out of the way just in time. So we moved over to the part that wasn’t in the path and played there for a while. Then we hiked up a little higher and took pics.

When we got to the car we drove to the Alpine Slide. The Alpine Slide is a track that you ride tobagans down. I beat Matt and Roxy. The person behind me bumped into me because he wasn’t watching the track.

Then we drove to the Multnomah Falls and looked at them. We walked up to a bridge to get a better view. On the way back to the car we stopped by a river and played in it.

When we got to the car we drove to June’s house. When we got there june had dinner ready so we ate quickly after we got there. After dinner we watched some of the gameshow stuff. She doesn't have satellite TV. After we had dessert we drove back to the RV. Then we went to bed.

Matt July 3: MT. HOOD

2007-07-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Mt. Hood. At the Mountain we played in the snow. Our first spot was in the middle of a snowboarding track, but we didn’t know that. When a snowboarder came through without a warning we almost got ran over! Then we hiked up to where the snowboarders couldn’t run over us. Soon we hiked back down.

Then we drove over to the Alpine Slide. At the slide we had lunch. After lunch we went on the slide. My mom, Leah, Roxy and I went on the slide. To get to the slide we had to go on a ski lift to get to the top of the slide. My mom and I went first. The Leah and Roxy went. Leah and Mom beat me down, but I beat Roxy. When we got down it was time to go.

Matt July 2: To the Ocean!

2007-07-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to the Ocean. It was in Astoria. It was two hours to get there. At the beach we walked down to the stores. The girls went shopping and we went to get fudge. Then we walked back to the car.

Next we went to the Winter Fort of Lewis and Clark. We hiked to the fort and looked around. It was amazing! They had all kinds of fur; beaver, buffalo, wolf, and black bear.

Then we went to the Astoria Column. It was huge. At the top, it was really windy. Then we saw people flying airplanes off the top. We had to try it. So we went back down and bought two airplanes. Leah and I flew the airplanes. My airplane landed on the ground but Leah’s landed on top of the radio station!

Then we went on a trolly ride. It was the last trip of the day and we didn’t get the full trip so the conductor let us ride for free. When we got off the trolly we went out for dinner and rode back to the RV.

Renee July 2: Coasting Along the Coast

2007-07-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

We planned rather a full day today. We set off for a couple hours’ drive to the ocean to give Bryce his first glimpse of the beach. We set our sights on Seaside, Oregon just south of Astoria. Seaside is a small beach community that reminds me of a young Mission Beach in San Diego.
It’s a beautiful sandy beach that leads from bungalow motels, along the Promenade (or “the Prom” as it is known locally) that fronts cute but yet impressive beach houses in perfect condition, eventually leading to the beach circle and public beachfront area.
At the circle there is a statue the marks the spot that Lewis & Clark reached to see their first view of the ocean. I believe the quote by William Clark, written on November 7, 1805 is as follows: “Ocian in view! O! the joy.” The spelling is as written by the author who, as evidenced by his personal journals, was a horrific speller. The circle then led us to the tourist part of town displaying souvenir shops, fudge vendors, amusement rides, and an aquarium. We contributed a very small amount to the local economy before walking the return trip on the Prom back to the car, but not before we stopped off on a side historical marker that was the remaining evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition’s Salt Works.
The Salt Works was the central cooking station for making salt, used to preserve their meats and flavor their foods. The process really was remarkably simple: they made stone stoves for boiling saltwater from the ocean; the water was boiled off to leave salt residue.

We returned to the car and headed north along the coast to seek Fort Clatsop, the winter fort of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 to explore the unknown new territory west of the Mississippi. The story we received from the storytellers (in authentic garb from 1805) is that the Expedition reached the Columbia River estuary on November 7, 1805. By then they had traveled over 4,000 miles across North America in 18 months and were looking for a place to winter before returning to St. Louis. During the next 3 ½ months at Fort Clatsop they interacted and traded with the locals, hunted, fished and wrote copious notes on the wildlife, plants and fish in the area, along with detailed sketches.

We explored the Visitors Center to learn more details of the Expedition, we looked around the Fort area itself, rebuilt as a replica of the original Fort, complete with sentries, captains quarters, as well as regular quarters. Through story tellers we were treated to what life in the wet winters were like, with wet animal skin clothing, eight men to a small cabin, and almost continual rain. None of us thought it sounded very fun. We then followed the trail to the river and had a chance to sit in one of the canoes used for transportation. We all really enjoyed the history lesson. I for one, lived with the stories as a youngster as the Lewis and Clark expedition passed near where I lived along the Missouri River in the Midwest, but I always wondered where it all ended up. Now I know I have seen it for myself.

This a picture of me and my new Shoshone friend Sacagawea and her infant son in a papoose. The story tellers were saying how inconvenient it must have been for the men to have an infant along in their toilsome quest. Well, I think it must have been even more inconvenient for Sacagawea to have to manage her infant's diapers, feedings and other needs and yet still have to teach and lead these men where to go because they are too afraid of the locals to ask for directions! Inconvenient, indeed! Those storytellers need a fresh, more realistic perspective.

But we weren’t done yet! We continued short distance north from Fort Clatsop to Astoria, OR and set our sights on climbing the locally famed Astoria Column. The short history lesson on the column is as follows: The Astoria Column is the final monument in a series of 12 historical markers erected in the early 1900’s between St. Paul, MN and Astoria, OR. A project began by Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railroad, he wanted to properly salute early explorers and settlers for their critical role in the US’s stretch to the Pacific Coast. The column is decorated in “sgraffito”, a bas-relief artwork that commemorates 14 significant events that occurred in the region. Just don’t ask me anymore detail than that.

But I can tell you that it is 176 steps up a spiral staircase to the top lookout deck that gives the viewer stunning 360 degree views of the Columbia river and gorge, the pretty, but extremely hilly town of 10,000 people, and views of fir-covered mountains in the distance. Now, I had been told by another tourist back at the Cape Meares Lighthouse (Please see a previous post) that to make sure to buy balsa wood planes for the kids at the the column’s visitor center prior to going up in it so that they can fly them off the lookout deck. I totally spaced it and smacked my head. The kids found out you could fly those planes off the top so guess what they wanted to do. Yes, we made our way back down to the bottom to the visitor’s center, bought two 75-cent planes and re-climbed that blasted tower to send those things soaring. And soar they did. There was a strong wind and we did have fun watching the planes dip and spin in the wind.

We returned to the ground for the last time, and headed back down the hill to the waterfront to catch the last trolley ride along the length of Astoria. During the quaint little ride, the conductor gave us the local history including movies that were filmed there: The Goonies, and Arnold Schwartzeneger’s Kindergarten Cop.

We then went to satisfy a seafood craving at a local eatery, to celebrate Aunt Roxy’s birthday.

Leah July 2: Fort Clatsop

2007-07-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today was really fun. We did a lot of things. First we went to the beach. It was cousin Bryce’s first time going the beach. He really like it. He got really sad when we had to eat lunch. After lunch we went down to a little town to shop in. I got a lizard from there.

After we finished shopping we went to Fort Clatsop. When we got to the Fort visitor center we got our patches and our jounior ranger stuff. We watched a short movie and started the jounior ranger stuff. On our way to the Fort matt and I got close to finshing our stuff. On the way back we finished it. At the Fort we explored for awhile. The rooms were really small. In the captains quarters there were two men dressed up like Lewis and Clark. They told us about the journey.

After they finished talking to us about the journey, we went to the Astoria column. We had to climb up 176 steps. We went up it 2 times because we didn’t get airplanes, so the second tie was harder! Matt’s was boring but mine did flips and spins. When we got back to the bottom we drove to a trolley station.

When we got on the trolley the conductor told us that we weren’t going to get a full round trip so he let us rude for free. It wasn’t a long ride so I’m glad we didn’t have to pay. After we got off the trolley we went to dinner for Roxy’s birthday. After dinner we drove back to the RV and went to bed.

Renee July 1: Let’s See Some Animals and then We'll Go to the Zoo

2007-07-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

We decided to check out the future of mass transit in Phoenix today by riding on Portland’s Light Rail System affectionately called, The Max. Similar to what is being constructed in downtown Phoenix, the Max is a functional means of alternative mass transportation from the out skirts of the city/suburbs to many of the main attractions in downtown Portland. We picked it up in Gresham, its farthest eastern reaching point, and traveled it to Portland’s Zoo, at which it dropped us at its very door. Though the trip did take about and hour and a half, almost twice the time of taking our own car, what made it worth the extra time was that We didn’t waste precious gasoline (with 7 of us, we have to take 2 cars), we weren’t on a strict time schedule, we didn’t have to pay for parking (again, for 2 cars), we got to see many interesting sites of Portland, like the Rose Garden, PG&E Field where they play AAA baseball, Lowe Center (major shopping mall), as well as the farmer’s market, the people’s market, and Nordstrom’s outlet store, Off the Rack. We also saw how the city revitalized the run-down real estate on either side of the tracks into nice, even beautiful condo’s, townhomes, and quaint, eclectic shopping botiques/markets which appeals to young urbans, giving them convenience and the lifestyle of living within a vital city. There is also the positive aspect of less congestion on major city streets and thruways and a slowing of the need for additional freeways carving up the city. Those are the pluses. The minuses pointed out by the locals are the continuing costs of expansion projects as it has never been and doesn’t look like it could pay for itself fiscally, security issues in the later evening and night hours (it is a 24 hour service), and less than capacity riding numbers at various times in the day.

My take on it is this: The trains were clean, bright, and well-maintained. We boarded at the most distant point on the system so it was pretty much empty, but it steadily filled until there was basically standing room only (especially on our return trip), the amenities and retail as well as trendy residential options easily accessible on the routes were appealing, and not having to navigate the crazy meandering main streets and thruways was a blessing. They have a dedicated route to the airport that wasn’t in the initial plan at the outset, but rather was built during an expansion project, as well as other key connections to sports venues, tourist venues, and major shopping centers. The time factor is a concern.

Here's Leah and Matt playing subway commuters!
Anyway, we made it to the Zoo! We spent a couple good hours seeing the exhibits. Some of their best would be the Bald Eagle that was the largest I have ever seen, the wolf display that had 3 wolves that you could actually see, and believe it or not the bats! The bats were the most amazing to me and I am not a rodent fan, per se.

Here's one of my all-time favorites, the giraffe. But a zoo isn't complete without an elephant.

But after a couple hours we were feeling the effects of a long day in the sun and decided to head home for a quick repast at Aunt June’s home to relax outdoors in her flower garden to enjoy the beautiful weather we had been granted.

Leah July 1: The Portland Zoo

2007-07-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the zoo. We saw a lot of animals. In order to get to the zoo we had to ride the Max Train. It was a long trip. The trip was an hour and a half long. When we got to the zoo we saw our first animal. It was a mountain goat. The next animal was a black bear. When we went to see the eagles June got separated from us! It took us a long time to find her. But we found her after we saw the polar bears. After that we got some food. After we ate we saw the Asian animals. After the asian animals we saw the animals of the Alaskan Tundra.

My favorite animal was the wolf. It was my faveorite animal because I love wolves. After we saw the Alaskan Tundra we saw the African animals. I think that there were more animals here than any other place in the park! So it took us a while to finish that part. Then we went and saw the pacific shores part. That was as short as the Alaskan Tundra.

After we finished all the exhibits we went to June’s house to have dinner. We ate dinner outside. I was sitting in a rocking chair so as I sat down I leaned back and my spaghetti landed on my shirt! So my mom helped me clean it up and I ate the rest of my dinner. Bryce, Matt, and I played a game with little soccer balls until we had to leave. When we got back to the motor home we went to bed.

Matt July 1: ZOO

2007-07-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Oregon zoo. We didn’t drive to the zoo, we rode the train to the zoo. The trip to the zoo took us one hour and 30 minutes. My favorite animal was the polar bear. The first animal we saw was the black bear. Soon we ate lunch and the Black Bear café. After lunch the first animal we saw was the elk.
My favorite elk are the males because they have big antlers. Soon we saw the tigers. They were another one of my favorites. Later we had to go. Last we saw the penguins. Then we rode back on the train. On the way back we saw the Rose Garden where the TrailBlazers play. The TrailBlazers are a basketball team.

When we got back to the car we went to Aunt June’s house for dinner.

Renee June 30: The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

2007-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

With a full day of rest behind us, we all now had cabin fever. Seven people in an RV gets a little tight during the day so we looked to explore some of Portland today. The day dawn bright and sunny and after just two days of rain, this was going to be a nice one.

We set out with directions for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or OMSI is what the locals call it. It is a great Science center that had much to discover. Bodyworlds 3 was playing but a couple in the group seemed a little more than squeamish and I had already seen it, so we skipped that and instead took in a Planetarium presentation entitled, “Black Holes”, and an OmniTheatre movie titled, “Hurricane on the Bayou”, which gave a 270 degree view of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on the Low wetlands of Louisiana as told through the eyes of a young fiddler girl growing up in the bayou. That last one was a bit dizzying, but was entertaining for all.

The actual museum is reminiscent of the Science Centers of San Diego, only much larger and extremely kid friendly. We explored Reptiles, Food and Nutrition Displays, the Physics Lab, the Chemistry Lab, the Brain Teaser Room and the kid’s ball center. Check out some of the exhibits:

After we had had our brain fill of Science, we returned to Gresham, the suburb in which we are staying , to attend a Barbeque at my Cousin Steve and Cathy’s Home
.
This is Steve and Cathy. Steve and Cathy’s daughter Holly had just graduated from college and is headed to graduate school for a degree in Counseling this fall so we celebrated her successes with burgers and dogs, a dip in the pool for the throng a youngsters, and much catching up between all the families. The last time I had seen Holly she was 7 years old so we all had fun discovering how everyone’s lives had changed. The kids had fun with all their new cousins they had never met.

Leah June 30: OMSI

2007-06-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today we went to OMSI, a science museum. At OMSI we did a lot of things. First we looked at a few experiments. Then we went and saw a movie in the planetarium called Black Holes. A planetarium is a dome shaped building that has the screen on the dome. After the movie we looked at some things that you could do. After we finished the first room there was another room that had brain teasers. I did most of them. When we went into the next room, we did so many things I couldn’t even count.
We did water things and all kinds of other things. Then we went to a movie in the Omnimax Theatre. It was called Hurricane on the Bayou. It was about a family that was living in Loisiana during the time of Hurricane Katrina. The movie was over really fast. So we left for Steve’s house.

When we got to Steve’s house we went swimming. I met Abigail while we were swimming. We played together in the pool until dinner. After dinner we went back in the pool for a while. Then I got dressed. We played keep away with all the kids and Steve and Abigail’s dad Jack for a long time. Cathy made some really good cake. So we ate and played more keep away until we had to go back to the motor home.

Matthew June 30: OMSI

2007-06-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we went to OMSI. Are you wondering what OMSI stands for? Well, it stands for Oregon Meusem of Science and Industries. At OMSI we saw two movies. The first movie we saw was called Black Holes. It started at 12:30. Black holes is about how black holes are created. Black holes are created when supernovas blow out. A Supernova is a burnt out star.

When we were done with the movie we went to an excibit. There we got to see reptiles and got to play games. The reptiles we saw were tame rats, a snake, a crab, chameleon, a tree frog, and cockroaches. Next we wet to the Brainteasers room. There we did stuff that confused our brains. My favorite puzzle was where you had to arrange the numbers 1-9 without any touching each other. For example 3 couldn’t touch 2 or 4 diagnal, horizontal, or verticly.

Next we went to the sience playground. At the playground we built an arch, and raced toy boats. In order for the toy boat to go you had build it and then twist the rubber bands around.

Then we saw the second movie called Hurricane on the Bayout. It started at 3:00. It was about when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Then we rode the bus back to the parking lot.

Then we went to second cousin Steve’s house. There , we met for a family reunion. Before dinner went swimming. The pool wasn’t in the ground it was above ground. Soon we had hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. After dinner we played keep away from Steve and Jeff. Soon it was time to go.

Renee June 26: Who Doesn’t Love a Waterfall, Part 1

2007-06-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

We have picked ourselves up and moved yet again, this time inland from the coast to the Salem Area; a state park named Silver Falls. I would place this state park on the very top of my list of state parks, and I have been to quite a few in my travels. It was spotless, scenic, GREEN, the campsites enshrouded with foliage, the trails for walking, hiking, and mountain biking were thoughtfully designed and nature decorated the paths with some of the most beautiful scenery and flora ever!

Ok, enough gushing about that, now onto the gushers, or I mean, waterfalls. We had identified the Trail of the 10 Waterfalls early in our trip as a site we wanted to tackle. It had been recommended to us be close friends who had lived in Oregon. So we set about devising a way to conquer an 8-mile hiking loop that would not kill any chances for future hiking on this whirlwind trip. We knew it was an uphill battle we were facing. So we cut it in near half and drove the jeep to one of the closer fall sites, that just happened to have a small parking area nearby, and did a 3.5 mile jaunt this date to see 4 waterfalls. We didn’t tell the kids how far we were hiking so as to cut down on the whining until the last possible minute.

Our first one was the Upper North Waterfalls, a beautiful, wide cascade fall over rocks and that fell to a beautiful and large wading pool that was inviting us to come hither. We were all frustrated that we didn’t wear bathing suits that day because that pool was calling the Micek name. So we waded out into it and otherwise just sat enjoying the spray lacing our skin for a few minutes until other hikers came upon us. I will tell you now that this was is my favorite.

Onward to the next fall, The North Waterfall. Catching a theme here? Wait until tomorrow’s post to hear all the other original names. The North Waterfall was more of a shear drop, plunging 136 feet to its pool at the bottom. Next to its sheer size, the best thing about this fall is that the path led behind the falls and benches were located along the way to allow for reflecting and gazing and amazing, of which we took advantage.

Next up was the Twin Falls. A bit of a misnomer as viewing it was difficult from the angle we had from the trail, but we were unsure why it got that particular name. The best we could surmise was that there was a large rock in the middle at the top of the falls that seemed to divide it into two, but we cannot confirm because of the difficulty we had viewing it. But from what we could see, the cascade was pretty, though not nearly the size of our first cascade fall.

By this point, the grumbling was getting louder, so Craig and I were looking for distractions. We started counting bridges (9) along the way and naming them. We were also trying to identify some of the foliage along the way. We spied some very interesting berries that had the appearance of a large raspberry, but orange in color. We had seen some of these on the trail to Munson Falls yesterday, so Craig tried one; he thankfully didn’t keel over, but he said they were rather bland, definitely not of the raspberry flavor. We found out they were Salmon berries and that the bears and other wildlife do prefer them. They were definitely plentiful in Silver Falls State Park. We also identified a plethora of Sword ferns and Maidenhair ferns, Oregon Maples and some clover we remembered from the Redwoods. That’s pretty much it for our horticultural knowledge. There was a lot of “Leaves of 3” plants but couldn’t identify any thing specifically so we just told the kids to not touch. We’re great ones to have in the forest!

The last leg of today’s hike unfortunately led us up a steep climb to our last fall for the day, Winter Falls. This one was also just a bit disappointing. I say that ironically as our first 2 falls were so spectacular and we already know that tomorrow’s hike hold the best falls yet. But we found out that this fall was so named because it gets it water supply mainly from winter snows and run-off, making the best viewing, you guessed it, in the winter and very early spring. So after a quick rest break here, we attacked the last couple switchbacks and finally reached our vehicle, gladly.

We returned to the Motorhome and the kids donned their swimsuits and bikes in order to head over to the swimming hole. The park had semi-dammed the creek running through the park at this area, allowing for a widened wading pool-type area for those wanting to cool down. Leah and Matt jumped at the opportunity, though the water was a mite chilly. Arizona kids are so spoiled!

We returned to the campsite for some dinner and Craig gave a lesson in marshmallow roasting. I have to admit his marshmallows are pristine!

Leah June 26: Switching Campsites, Hooray! Hiking, Oh NO!

2007-06-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today was another travel day But once we got settled in to our campsite we went on a hike. It was hard! We hiked 3 1/2 miles of up and down like the trail couldn't decide where to go. But the god thing was that we saw 4 waterfalls. We even got to go behind one. The last part of the trail was the hardest to hike because it was switchbacks all the way out.
We finally got to our car after 2 hours of hiking. When we finally got back to the motorhome we got our swim suits on. After we got them on we wnet to the swimming area. It was cold! My body got used to it after a few minutes. I tripped on the rocks so I got my body submurged in the water. I got out after that. When I was dried off we went back to the motorhome. After we had dinner we made our beds. Then we read and went to bed.

Renee June 28 & 29: Dropping Anchor in Portland

2007-06-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

We made our final move toward Portland today, arriving just before noon to set up camp, relearn the ropes for sewer management (scenes from the movie “RV” are replaying over and over in my mind), receive instructions for transferring pictures from camera to computer, and catch up on any other instructions for keeping the RV in working order for the 9 or so days Craig will be back in Phoenix. All this needed to be done prior to Craig departing on the plane in 3 hours. No sweat; after all, the airport is only 5 minutes from the RV Resort.

But wait…is that a train I hear? I think it is heading right for us. Craig chooses that moment to tell us that this particular park has a train running directly behind the it which is one row over from where we are parked. This is not sounding good at all! So we never get to relearning how to set up the grill, how to reconfigure the thermostat settings, or clarifying what keys are for what on the four separate key rings which I just know will become critical at some point in this next week. But! We did not plan for rush hour traffic, stupid of us. We did not think the most direct route would be under construction. We also did not plan that the road we were on would pass only 3 cars through each green light. It will be sufficient to say that Craig pulled off a full sprint into the airport as the kids and I fling ourselves headlong into rush hour traffic going the other way. Amazingly, Craig reports later that he sailed through security, and was in his seat in record time. What is more amazing is that I found a more expedient route home, also in record time. Sometimes I think we function better when we operate under the divide and conquer principle.

So we arrived home and had about 2 hours before my parents, sister, and 5-year old nephew arrive in town. They have planned to visit us and our Portland relatives during our stay here in Portland. We were glad to see them and they were ecstatic to arrive here as they had just spent two long days driving out to Oregon from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After catching up on each others trip happenings and having pizza we all called it a day and simultaneously vowed that tomorrow would be a down day. No traveling!

So that is just what we did. We all tried to sleep in, after allowing for train schedule, which we determined was bi-hourly throughout the night. We sat around inside all morning because of the rain, but finally ventured out in the afternoon between rain showers to give Bryce his first lesson on riding a scooter. Leah also sharpened her skills on riding my bike and is now making a bid for a new bike as hers is too small, of course. Grandma and Grandpa Tschudy and Aunt Roxy even joined the kids in a rousing game of infield baseball. That was a sight! That was also enough excitement for our rest day. Maybe we will actually leave the RV park tomorrow!

Leah June 28 & 29 Grandma, Papa, Bryce and Roxy

2007-06-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a quick travel day. When we got to the campsite we got settled in. Not even 5 minutes after we arrived we found out that a train came right by our campsite!

Dad is leaving today so we took him to the airport. It was rush hour when we took Dad. So traffic was horrible. We finally got him there after a long time of navigating through the city.

When we got back to the motorhome, we had dinner and watched TV. We didn’t do much until grandma, papa, Bryce and Roxy came. We all watched TV for a while then we got some pizza because they were starving. Then Bryce, Matt, and I played the games there. I won a bouncy ball. When we got home it was 10:00 so we went to bed.

The next day we did basically nothing. We slept in, then we had breakfast. Then we watched TV for a long time. So long that the parents went to lunch and got back and even longer. We got our swimsuits on and right after we got them on the clouds made it look like it was going to rain.

So we went to the playground instead. When we got to the playground, Bryce and I went on the slide and Matt went on the swings. It started sprinkling so the slide was slipprier. Then everyone said it was time to go home. Then we had dinner. After dinner Matt and I taught Bryce how to ride a scooter. He really liked it. Then I made hot chocolate for everyone and went to bed.

Matt June 28 & 29: Our Family is Coming to Town

2007-06-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today we are traveling to another campsite, and our relitives are coming to town. We got to the campsite in no time. We didn’t think that our relitives would come today, but they did. But today dad had to leave. Shortly after he left they came in. Our relitives are Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Roxy, and Cousin Bryce. Soon we went out to pizza with Great Aunt June. After diner Leah, Bryce, and I went to play games. I won a bounce ball, Leah won a bounce ball too, and we got Bryce a bounce ball and a hacky sack. Just as we were about to leave we found a toy solder next to one of the machines. We gave it to Bryce. Then we left.

The next day we stayed at the campground. We went to the playground. We played on the swings. Later we played baseball. Grandma, Papa, Roxy, Bryce, Leah, and I played. We played for awhile and we walked to the camper. At the camper we rode our bikes and scooters. We also taught Bryce how to ride. Then we had dinner. Right after we cleaned up dinner, rain started to come down. Soon we went to bed.

Matt June 26: Another Travel Day

2007-06-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled to Salem, the Capital of Oregon. The trip went by in the wink of an eye. It went really fast. When we got to the campsite, we unhooked the jeep and hiked the trail of Ten Falls. Today we only saw four out the ten waterfalls because we only went around the first loop of the trail. The first fall we went to was the Upper North Falls. The Upper North Falls is sixty-five feet tall. Next we went to the North Falls which is 136 feet tall. This time the trail went under the falls and we got to see the water up close and personal. Then we went to the Twin Falls It is 134 feet tall. That was the last fall we went to that day.

Renee June 25th: Wisconsin!? Or Oregon?

2007-06-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

We set out today for Tillamook. For those of you grocery store savvy, you know why. For the rest of you, we were planning to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory. A bit of a drive on, you guessed it, curvy roads, but we were all having a Wallace & Grommit moment, hankering for some cheese sampling. On the way we spied a nondescript road side sign for Munson Falls. we decided to take the dirt road and see where it led. We came across the trailhead that sent us down a 1/2 mile path to one of the prettiest waterfalls we had come across yet. A local hiker there graciously informed us it is the highest waterfall on the Oregon Coast and remarkably few people ever come to see it. I can see why as the sign that we saw was so minicule. But it was worth the stop and though the pictures never do it justice, we enjoyed its beauty just the same.
Due to queasy stomachs we reordered the car arrangement and I took the wheel with Leah in the navigators seat and Craig relegated to the posterior. We finally came across the Cheese factory that we had been anticipating and place was huge. We set off on a self-guided tour of the processing and packaging areas. My favorite part was the mixing/stirring of the curds in a big, oversized whirlpool tub that had a large 4 pronged whip, slowly churning the mixture.

Then it was on to packaging. Try to imagine 30-lb blocks of cheese—about the size of an old 19-inch computer monitor, and I am not talking flat-screen. Watching it being chopped sliced and packaged was pretty cool. The kids will tell more about it. Next we joined the line for the sampling: cheese curd was the weirdest. It is basically the freshest form of cheese you can buy, best enjoyed immediately, as the brochure goes, but it was our opinion that it was much too rubbery tasting! They did have a garlic and white cheddar variety that was surprisingly tasty.

After having a long lunch at the factory, we set out for the return trip via the scenic coast route. We located the Three Cape Scenic Loop and set off on, you guessed it, a curvy road and in much need of resurfacing. We passed an Ocean Spray certified Cranberry farm and reached our first stop: Cape Meare’s Lookout and Lighthouse. As we progressed down the gently sloping lane, the head of the lighthouse came into view. We saw people walking around in side, around the actual lens. We were excited as it might be our first chance to go up into a lighthouse.

Sure enough, as we reached the bottom of the hill we were welcomed into the lighthouse keepers building and show the way to the spiral stairs ascending to the top!
A short jaunt, but at the top we were treated to a quick lesson by the volunteer on how the signals created by the alternating flat red and curved clear lenses created the signature flash, specific to this particular lighthouse. We were informed that each of the nine lighthouses on the Oregon coast has its own distinctive pattern and any ship’s captain would be able to identify location based on the lighthouse pattern he sees. This, of course, is new information to the land-locked childhood I experienced.

Notice in the picture the optics trick. You see the kids and I upright, but the ocean in the distance is upside-down. Pretty awesome!
We then walked the alternate trail back up to the jeep, and much to Matthew’s particular chagrin, we continued up the trail to the sign demarcating, “The Octopus Tree”. Sounded just bizarre enough to draw our attention, except Matt’s who pouted the whole 0.1 mile path to the tree. So we ignored him and went to the ridge and came upon the craziest looking Douglas Fir Tree we had ever seen. And it did really look like an octopus. Obviously it was a tree, that instead of initially growing up, grew multiple horizontal trunks at its base before all angling up and reaching vertical heights. Definitely and oddity, kind of like the worlds largest ball of twine…

In the car again, we head for the little oceanside town, appropriately named Oceanside. A community that originally gave rise to an amusement park that failed, was flooded, and was subsequently rebuilt into a vacation rental destination that apparently is doing quite well. The beach is protected by large cliffs on the northern side. When at the lighthouse at Cape Meares, we spied a quaint little sandy beach that looked to be set off and unreachable due to rocky bluffs. Now on the other side in Oceanside, we looked for a way to get to that beach.
Yes, crafty folks that they are in Oceanside, there was a long narrow tunnel through that formidable cliff, that could be traversed, which we did, and we reached that quaint little beach and took a leisurely walk along the shore.

We decided to leave the area loop and return home as we were tired of vehicular travel. Enough is enough and tomorrow is another travel day!

Leah June 25: Tillamook Cheese Factory

2007-06-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Tillamook Cheese Factory. We also drove along the 3 capes scenic route.
We did a lot of things at the factory. We watched the workers make and cut the cheese. First they mixed the curds. Then they aged it. If you like extra sharp cheese they age it for 14-17months. This picture shows the big blocks of cheese before it is cut.

Once it’s in block form they bag it. When they bag it they send it to the slicing and packaging room. When they slice it, the cheese has to be the perfect size or they have to make it the right size. Then they package it. After we finished the stages we tried cheese samples. I only liked 2 of the 3 samples that I tried. We got lunch after the samples.

Then we took a picture with the rain cow. The rain cow is a cow that has rain drops on it. Then we got ice cream.
When we finished our ice cream we drove the 3 capes scenic drive. On the drive we stopped at a lighthouse. Do you want to know what was so cool? We actually got to go inside it! Another cool thing was the sea stacks on the other side were upside- down. But if a person is standing on the same side as the sea stacks the person would be upside- right! Isn’t that cool?
Once we got back to the R.V. we had dinner. Then we watched T.V until we went to bed.

Matt June 25: Way To Cut the Cheese!

2007-06-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. To get to the cheese factory we had to drive forty miles.

In the middle of the trip we stop to see a hidden waterfall. To get the waterfall, we had to like 0.2 miles. When we got to the waterfall a man told us that is was the biggest waterfall on the Oregon Coast. We took some pictures and went the rest of the way to the Cheese factory.

The first thing we did at the factory was got the observation deck. From there we could see how they make the cheese. Before they packaged the cheese, they have to let it age for a long time. After that you package it and ship it to grocrey stores.

Next we went to try samples of cheese. There was about ten different flavors. My favorite was Medium Chedder. Then we went to the gift shop. There, you could buy cheese.

After that we went to the restaurant. I got a corn dog and Leah got a grilled cheese samwicth. There was like one hundred people at the resteraunt! That ment it would took a long time to make our food. And it did take along time. Then we left the factory.

As we were driving we stopped at a senic veiw. A the veiw you could go inside a light house and go on a short hike. First we went to the light house. It was the first light house I’ve been in.

Then we went on the short hike. It was only 0.1 mile. The trail that led to an octopus tree! It really looked like an octopus with is arms stiking out. There was also a look out. It showed a beach. After that we went to the beach an waded in the water. The aftera little while we went back to the motor home.

Renee June 24: Sea Lions Galore

2007-06-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

It is another moving day, another day on winding roads which means gurgling stomachs in Leah and Mom, and a 4 hour full-body workout for Craig, manhandling the RV around tight curves and within tight lanes. Ask him sometime how fun it is to encounter an arched tunnel that has minimum clearance for the RV on the edges if we are centered in the tunnel, but then to face an oncoming RV already within. It’ll be a good story!

Though we planned to spend a good part of today traveling, we made plans to stop at the Sea Lion Caves en route, probably a tourist trap with minimal parking, but we needed to break up the trip, so we embraced the tourist in each of us and ventured in.

It is certainly one of those places that you need to see, but just once in your life will do. As Leah mentions, the elevator takes you from the Gift shop, down 20 stories into the ground and opens into a foyer that takes you to an overlook into the biggest sea cave in the world. Now, we are there at/near low tide, so smell is an issue, but it really was incredible all the yelping or should I say, barking going on in a hollow cave. We definitely have no trouble hearing them!

We also explored a display of an assembled sea lion skeleton. Amazing, but the theory continues to hold true; we are all made of the same basic structure, but crucial differences in function make for adaptations to the basic structure. For instance, the bones that would be our humerus, radius, and ulna in the arm are shorter and flatter/broader so as to allow for a flipper structure. Too cool. Some of you out there know exactly what I mean; others think I am drinking too much wine…

We then took ourselves to yet another lookout to get a stunning view of the Cape Heceta Lighthouse just down the road. The Heceta Lighthouse is reportedly the most photographed lighthouse in the United States. Maybe so, but maybe many residing on the East coast would likely disagree. We decided that since we now already have pictures of the lighthouse that we had planned to visit, we could skip yet another parking extravaganza. So on the roads again, we made a beeline for our next port of rest: Lincoln City, OR.

If we had grandiose visions of our new temporary residence in Lincoln City based on our prior good fortune, things were about to change. When researching sites, we do most of our work on the internet and look at price, amenities, proximity to desirable landmarks, reliable photos, and safe road access. Well, we had proximity and safe road access and we were willing to skimp a bit on amenities as long as pictures were decent. What we had booked was not the same picture in our minds as in reality. We were basically resigned to what was little more than a RV parking lot, but it did have a free shuttle to the gaming casino…which we didn’t even visit! We decided luck was about to run short at some point, so hopefully this one was it, we hoped for a return to good luck again time. Frankly, Matt was thrilled with the place because it had a USA Today newpaper stand and it had been a whole 2 days since he had read the Sports page! Go figure!

Leah June 24: This is our New Campsite?!

2007-06-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a travel day. We traveled almost all day! We stopped at Sea Lion Caves. We rode in an elevator that took us 220 feet down into the biggest sea cave in the world. There were probably around 150 sea lions. We climbed up to a view that showed sea lions drying off from swimming in the ocean.

After we got out of the sea lion caves, we drove to our campsite. You want to know what was so shocking? Our campsite was a parking lot!! Dad must of accidentally made reservations at this campsite while looking at a different one. Oh well, at least we’re only staying here for 2 nights.

After dinner Mom and I made cookies while watching Disney Channel. We watched the Lizzy McGuire Movie until we went to bed.

Matt June 24: BBBBBBBBBaaaaaarrrrrrrkkkkkk!

2007-06-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

Again, today was a travel day. We were going to Logan Road RV Park, in Lincoln City. Before we went all the way, we stopped at the sea lion caves. The cave is the biggest sea cave in the world. We bought our tickets, and went inside. Inside, it was very loud. It was sea lions glore!
There was even a skelton on display. Soon it was time to go, and we left. On the way we watched HOLES. Before we knew it we were at the campground. We checked in, and hooked up. For the rested for the rest of the day.

Craig, June 23, Lots of Fun!

2007-06-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Morning broke with the occasional sound of fishing boats running up the harbor. It wasn’t annoying as this is a pretty small harbor so the traffic is pretty light. You couldn’t see them at first, then the fog lifted and the sky cleared and I wished I was heading out of with them for some angling of my own.

We aired the tires on the Jeep down in preparation for some duning. A slow drive of a half of a mile or so was all that was required to get to the sand, so we opted to let the air out before leaving the park. Now for some fun! We hit the sand and started to get the feel for the jeep. We gradually worked our way into bigger and bigger dunes, until we had climbed the largest of them. I wished I could say we climbed the steep side, but I think we all know better than that! We did make it up some good size stuff though, surprising the quad riders who were laughing at us the day before. We had fun on the trails that run through the pine trees, even surprising some of the smallest deer I have ever seen.

We decided to go walk out on the triangle jetty. I have always enjoyed hopping from rock to rock while checking out the sea life that clings to their side. Matt and I made it our mission to make it out to the very end. It took us about an hour but we did it, much to the chagrin of the sea lions who were sunning out at the end. They were pretty vocal about our presence. Their noise, coupled with the constant sounding of the fog horn every 20 seconds or so, kept us from lingering for very long.

Dinner time was starting to roll around and the prospect of seafood was still not appealing to Leah and Matt. We decided to compromise and get them some pizza from just down the wharf from the “Cannery” which was where we were planning on eating this evening. It was wonderful. Renee had the chowder in a bread bowl while I had the three item combo as one thing was not going to be enough. Fresh crab, ling cod and prawns had me ohhh and ahhhing with each bite. The kids even tried the cod and were impressed that it wasn’t anywhere near as gross as they expected. In fact they said it was good.

We jumped on our bikes back at the rv and did a little calorie burning. We rode aways out on one of the piers and struck up a conversation with Steve, the manager of a local hotel. He was one of the many people out on the pier, trying their luck crabbing. The are allowed up to three traps each, which they bait with fishheads and throw off the pier. After the trap sits for awhile you pull it up and see what you’ve caught. Steve wasn’t having much luck finding any crabs large enough to keep, but he sure was pulling up traps full of smaller ones. It is still early in the crab season and he said they tend to catch the larger ones starting in late July.

We finished the night off with a fire on the beach watching the sunset. A busy day for sure, but one of the best so far.

June 23, Sand, Sand, and More Sand

2007-06-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a day full of sand .We went to the dunes. This time we could go on to the big stuff because we let air out of the tires. We went driving on the dunes for a while and then we went to the beach. At the beach my dad and I went on the triangle jetty. We had to climb on big rocks to get to the end. When we got to the end we saw sea lions! They where barking like crazy , and they did not stop. Then we journeyed back to the beach.
There , mom and Leah where waiting for us. We drove to the motor home. Then we went out for dinner mom and dad got sea food, and Leah and I got pizza. After we ate and drove to the motor home we went on a bike ride down to the dock. There we met a man who was fishing for crabs. You don’t fish with a fishing pole, you fish with a big basket with bait. You use fish heads for bait! The crabs have to be a certain size to be able to keep them. Soon we went back to the motor home. Then we went to the beach. We stayed until almost 10:30! My dad and I played catch and Leah drew her name in the sand. Soon we rosted marshmellows and we went back to the motor home. Then we went to bed.

Leah, June 23 Sand, Sand, and More Sand

2007-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today was basically all about sand! First we went to the dunes. Then we went to the beach.
At the dunes we could do a lot more because, dad aired down the tires. We kept going up bigger and bigger hills until we couldn’t because they were too big. Then we went back to the loading area so dad could air up the tires so we could ride on the roads.
Then we went to the beach. We tried to hike out to the end of the jetty but Mom and I ended up going back when we were ½ way through. Mom and I turned back because she was tired and I had flip flops on.
When Mom and I got back to the beach we went into the water. We saw sand crabs burying themselves. When the water got too cold I tried to make a 3-D sand angel. It didn’t work. When the guys got back we went back to the RV for lunch. Mom did laundry after lunch. That took until dinner.
After dinner we went on a bike ride. We rode the bikes to the boardwalk. We watched people fish for crabs. When we got to the RV, we took some wood, drove to the beach again. We made a fire. I ran down to the water. It was too cold for me. So I drew my name in the sand. When I finished, I went back to the fire. Then we roasted marshmellows. Mom, Matt and I played with sticks until we left.

Matt June22, Another Day Another Trip

2007-06-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Again today was a travel day. We went from Grants Pass to Winchester Bay. Our campsite was called WINCHESTER BAY RV PARK. We didn’t stop anywhere today. On our way in we saw two heard of elk. After we got to the RV park we went to the dunes. We couldn’t go on the big stuff because we had to let air out of the tires. We went on small dunes and went back to the rv. Mom and dad went out for seafood and Leah and I stayed at the rv.

Craig, June 22, Back to the Coast

2007-06-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

We packed up the coach and hit the road this morning. After a leisurely breakfast though. It is sometimes hard to get the gang moving in the morning. Anyone who knows me, knows that when I am the early riser, we might not be breaking camp at the crack of dawn. But hey, it is vacation after all and the only place we have to be, is where ever the heck we want to be! Where we want to be is Winchester Bay!

Winchester Bay is just south of Florence Or. The RV park is right in the middle of a small harbor protected from the Pacific by a few breakwaters or jetties. The harbor protects a small fishing fleet along with a few charter boats. One of the jetties is unusual in the fact that it sticks out into the ocean in the shape of a triangle, with base leg being a beach and the two legs of rock meeting a half mile out in ocean. In the center of the triangle is an oyster farm! I am sure you can see where this is going…SEAFOOD!!! Fresh seafood! There just happens to be a handful of restaurants right on the wharf.

After getting set up we had to take a tour. We drove out towards the mouth of the harbor, seeing the jetties, as well as the beach. Then we hit the dunes. Huge dunes with lots of pine trees. We drove out into them without airing down as I knew we would be back on the pavement and did not think to throw the co2 tank in the jeep before leaving the coach, so we were very limited to what we could climb. We had to have some fun though, so we picked out a couple smaller hills and made a few runs. Tomorrow we will come a little better prepared.

Back at the RV, I decided to do some cleaning on the coach. We had taken out more bugs with the front of the rig then a cave full of bats on clear night. I managed to get the drivers side and half the windshield done when the local security came and shut me down. It seems that even though I had taken the utmost care not to waste any water or to disturb a neighbor, IT WASN’T ALLOWED! I was told to read the rules I had been given at check in. Then was even shown were it was written, without having to ask. I finished the windshield in the midst of the admonishment, said my goodbyes, then went inside and made a drink. Ahhhh….RV life…I love it.

We asked the kids if they wanted to go for seafood and that went over about as well as the rv washing. Ok then, you stay here, have your Spaghetti O’s and mom and I will go for out something good. So off we went to hit one of the local joints for a taste. Renee and I both decided on some fried platters, which is unusual as we generally prefer our seafood not dunked in oil. Watching a few different meals being served around us put us on the path to the golden brown gates of deep fried nirvana. We had fresh “triangle” oysters, calamari, ling cod, prawns, clams, scallops and all the trimmings. We waddled out swearing not to do that again…until tomorrow night!

Leah June 22: To the Oregon Coast

2007-06-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today was another travel day. We drove for 3 to 4 hours. When we finally got to our campsite we set up. After we finished setting up we went to the Oregon Dunes. Dad didn’t air out the tires so we didn’t do much.

Then we wnet to the beach. The sand felt so warm. When we got down to the water I ran right into it. It was FREEZING!

Mom and Dad decided to go out for dinner so Matt and I stayed at the RV because we didn’t want seafood! We watched TV until bedtime

Matt June 27: A Day at the Ten Falls

2007-06-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

Today we hiked the last loop of the trail of Ten Falls. We also saw the last six wateralls. We saw Winter Falls again today. Second we saw the Middle North Falls. this one we got to go under, and we went closer thatn we did yesterday. This fall was 106 feet tall. Next we went to the Drake Falls. The Drake Falls are the shortest out of all ten. It is only 27 ft! Fourth we went to the Double Falls. This was the tallest 178 ft., and one of my favorite falls. After that we went to the Lower North Falls. They are the second shortest, going to about 30 feet. Then we went to the Lower South Falls. They are 93 feet tall. We also got to go behind this 93 foot fall.
Last but not least we went to the South Falls another one of my favorites. They added up to 177 feet only one foot shorter than the Double Falls. After that we went to the Motor Home.

Renee June 27: Who Doesn’t Love a Waterfall, Part 2

2007-06-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

We awoke to a slight problem. After a phone call to my family who was intending to meet us in Portland the following day, Craig realized that we had booked our 9-day stay in Portland at an RV Resort located in Washington State, rather than in Portland, Oregon. The present campsite was going to be some 40 miles north of where we needed to be. Who’d of thought these parks could name themselves nearly the same thing, only 40 miles apart. Quite a conundrum, because now we really need to move sites, but we need 9 days and over a holiday weekend! We put the hike on hold, while Craig drove the 15 miles to the nearest town of Silverton in order to get some cell service to make other arrangements. After a few calls he was miraculously able to secure a location, cancel our other reservation with a penalty, I’m sure, and then be able to make it back to the campsite to join the three of us on our alternate plan, which was a mountain bike ride on the parks seemingly never-ending trails.

So we set out for this promoted 4 mile loop bike loop, thinking it will be relatively pleasant meandering through pretty little woods and flowers, it is just a state park after all. Well, not nearly so. We set out to find the trail head, end up missing the beginning but we head up the road as we know where it crosses the main road. We locate the trail and turn on. That was the end of any flat and pleasant-paced trail we were going to see this morning! We immediately begin a climb that taunts us and tantalizes us around every corner, making it look like we were cresting the final rise. Well, whoever said that mirages happen only in the desert in very hot conditions has missed a little fluke of nature here. We went up, made a turn and went and up, and made a turn and went up…

With thighs quivering and lungs frothing, we think we see the top, but we’re too afraid to hope. But that’s when it happened; we hit the downhill and did we have a great ride! But this didn’t seem like it was all. We then hit the loop trail where we make a large, circular return to the present trail. We end up heading up more hills, but we now know there is a terminus for this crazy endeavor. We come to a steep downhill that is fast, furious, and curvy! We are presently in the shady,treed area as we speed down this course. We then break out into the glorious meadow just bursting with wildflowers; but no, we don’t have anytime to dally because we hit another “S” curve and we’re in shadows again. Before we know it we slam on the breaks because we nearly pass the beginning of the loop. We leave the curious roller coaster ride to head back up the hills we had rejoiced just minutes before, but also knowing we will have a doozy of a ride at the end. So back to the huffing and puffing, actually panting and heaving for a moderate space until we hit the big ride down to the beginning of the trail. Boy, was that a thriller! Sorry, not pictures, who has time to snap pics on a ride like that!?

But now we are concerned because we still have a 4 mile hike today and I am determined as that sun rising every morning that I am going to see all of the 10 waterfalls and I am taking the family, even if it kills us! So we head back to the RV, pack up water, lace up the hiking boots and set out, much to the chagrin of two children. I think they thought the ride was in lieu of the hike. Nothing doing!

Craig stashes a bike at one end and comes back to pick us up in the jeep in order to start where we ended yesterday, at Winter Falls. The kids are relieved that we start with a downhill hike as Dad has convinced them, if we follow the waterfalls downstream it will mean we hike downhill for a majority of the hike. I, of course, am thinking that there is a ledge somewhere on the other end of this downhill hike that the water falls from (hence the name) that will likely require a hike up to…but I don’t say anything for concern that saying something to this effect may sabotage the peace I am working to achieve on this hike for as long as possible. Sometimes it is best to refrain from full disclosure until a more opportune moment. Ok, I was procrastinating, but can you blame me?

So we arrive at Winter Falls after not much ado and we were pleasantly surprised that it was running a bit heavier that yesterday. Apparently it rained overnight? Or snowed?! We decided to forego a repetitive picture as we were anxious to move on.

So off to our next sight, the Middle North Falls. This one was a beauty; wide at the top, appearing to be a cascade, but as we worked our way closer, we noticed the short, separate trail that led us behind the falls, so close that we could feel the spray, thin enough that we could see through it, and a beautiful pool at the bottom that glistened in the sunlight.

On to falls number 2 for today, Drake falls. The smallest falls on this incredible trail presented as a long cascade and was named for pioneer photographer June Drake, whose photos of the falls brought prominence to the Silver Falls area, eventually leading to its induction into the Oregon State Parks system.

We headed on doggedly to Double Falls, which sits in its own valley, meaning we needed to take yet another side trail much to the chagrin of Leah and Matt. But we assured them that this would be short as we could hear the falls from the main trail. They grudgingly agreed to go and it was worth the extra 800 feet in trail. It is billed as the tallest waterfall in the park, but fall as a double drop, meaning from 2 consecutive ledges. It is a sheer fall but close to the under rocks, eventually crashing onto boulders near its bottom to form a relatively shallow pool with stepping stones that we traversed for some pictures and to feel its spray.

We rejoined the main trail and made it to the Lower North Falls fairly quickly. This waterfall has a relatively short cascade-type drop but has a wide mouth and heavy outpouring. We hit the point at which we were going to have to do a longer stint of hiking before we reaching the next falls. So we ramped up the conversation, started making up names for plants, did much more cajoling, but the wear and tear of the bike ride earlier in the morning was taking its toll on all 4 of us.

We finally arrived at the second to the last waterfall, and not a moment too soon. We were rewarded by a beautiful shear fall that also had a path behind it. We took it and enjoyed the view out through the falls. I can’t get enough of this!

This is a picture taken through the Lower South Waterfall.

And another from the other side.
But we had spied a problem looming ahead, actually directly across. Once we traversed the trail behind the waterfall, we saw the stairs, a whole lot of them. I think Matt counted 187 of them on the way out, up of course. Now, my foresight is coming to light. But I am even more concerned now because I know we have the second biggest waterfall coming up and we’re not out yet! Even I am getting tired at this time. Craig is to be commended for doing his utmost to humor us, but all he is receiving now for all his efforts is terse one-word replies, and multi-syllabic complaints. Holes no longer interest us, running water no longer interests us and game trails hold not a whiff of curiosity either.

We finally hear the unmistakable rush of water, lots of it, in large quantities. We finally come into view of this incredible outpouring of water from what seems like a broken pipe that supplies all of the western hemisphere. We have arrived at North Falls, the final waterfall of our hike.

We look at it with tears in our eyes; tears for how gigantic it is and tears because it is situated at the end of the canyon in a bowl-like encasement and the only way out is up. No steps, just up a moderate-grade hill, seemingly without end. So we slowly traverse our last behind-the-waterfall trail and we honestly looked like little ants in this canyon, compared to this gusher. We examined the water chimneys behind the fall. Water chimneys are faults in the rock behind waterfalls that have a tendency to collect water, thereby further stressing the fault, resulting in rock falling away, creating bigger faults. These were actually the size on small alcoves or caves that could fit a few family members, if they weren’t to tired to enter, which we were, so we didn’t! We made our way behind the beautiful waterfall and around and up the last trail. You would think we were hiking the Grand Canyon’s final ascent on Bright Angel, the way we were walking.
But we made it, we meandered through the beautiful paths to the first picnic table we could find and promptly sat down grateful we still could do so with a little dignity, not much, but a little. Craig the gallant man that he is head for where is bike is stashed and heads out to retrieve the Jeep. We really love him for that! When he returned, we stopped at the swimming hole, so Leah and Matt could cool off and rejuvenate in the cold water. We returned to the RV, had a quick dinner and after a quick ranger talk on owls, we crashed for the night. No fire, no marshmallows, just horizontal beds. We were bushed!

Leah June 27: The End of the Trail

2007-06-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today was ll about feet. First we went on a bike ride. Then we finished the trail of the ten falls.
the bike trail was 4 miles long, but ended up being 6, actually. It went up and down, up and down. The first part was all up. It was torcherous. When we finally got to a part that went down I coasted the whole way. The way back was pretty easy because it was down the whole way.

When we locked our bikes up we sat around for a while. While we wer sitting around we had lunch. Then we finished the Trail of the Ten Falls hike. It took a long tie to finish. My favorite falls was South Falls. It is a 177 feet water fall that you can walk behind. The trail was 7 miles total and we walked 3 1/2 miles each day. Dad rode the bike to get the jeep so that we didn't have to walk so far.

Once Dad got back with the jeep we drove back to the RV. We had dinner and went to the Ranger talk. It was about the Owl. We learned that the owl has many different species and each type has a different call.

Craig June 21st: Water, Water Everywhere...

2007-06-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

The morning started with the dripping sound of a fresh cup of coffee being brewed. The problem was when the coffee was finished the dripping sound wasn't. That sound is not music to an Rv'ers ears.

A quick look around did not show anything being wet. I checked under the sinks and all was dry. Time to go outside. Walking around the outside showed a huge amount of water underneath. This can't be good. But where is the water coming from? I opened the basement doors and found a steady stream of water coming from some hidden source above the floor. OK, time to stop the flow, so I turn the valve at the pedestal off. The flow stops, which is good, but I still don't know where the leak is. It appears the water is coming out of a crack in the floor that is below the fridge. Back inside to investigate. Hmmm, dry all around the fridge. The bathroom is adjacent to the fridge, so I check there again. Nothing wet around or under the sink. The floor around the tiolet looks dry and is, but I stick my hand around the back and find the wetness.

A quick check of the connections shows everything tight, but still wet. The toilet in this rv has some electric valves which I know I will never find in a small town. Gosh, I hope its not one of those. I feel around the best I can, but even after turning the water back on I can't find the exact source. Time to pull the toilet out. Great, just what I want to do. This goes pretty quick in even in the confines of the small bathroom. As I move the toilet off the drain, the source of the leak is now clear. As I had not turned the water back off before moving the toilet, the fitting that was leaking, completely lets go. Water shoots at full pressure from the supply line. That was smart... Luckily there is a valve right at the toilet, so I quickly shut it off.

Ok, problem found. The fitting that broke is obviously a specialty piece. I have high hopes though, as on the way into town I had spotted a large RV store. With piece in hand I head to the store. The parts counter guy looks up the part and says he can have it for me in about 2 weeks. Hmmm…. Plan B.

Plan B is to cobble something together that might work. I had passed a plumbing supply store on my way the RV store, hopefully they would have something. They did not have the greatest selection but I found enough stuff to make it work.

After arriving back at the RV park I reassembled everything and we were back in business. What a relief. I was worried this would end up taking all day, but finished the repair by 11:00. We had made reservations for a Jet boat ride later in the afternoon and I sure didn’t want to miss that.

Hellgate Jet Boats had some room for us and we arrived at about 1:30, just when it was starting to get hot. Hot up here is in the mid 80’s. We happily joined about 30 other people for our 2 hour cruise.

We set out heading down river, pausing occasionally to hear a story from our boat pilot or to view some of the beautiful riverside parks and residences. In between stories we were entertained by the performance of the the boat. These boats are moved along by 3 engines at a speed of about 55 mph. They are capable of operating in only about 7” of water. When you look out of the boat and see rocks just inches under water it sure is unnerving at first.

One of the highlights is the 360* spin the boats perform. Check out this link for a demo http://www.hellgate.com/Page.asp?NavID=46 It was a blast. We also saw lots of wildlife along the way including deer, osprey and bald eagles.

What a great way to spend the afternoon. We all had a blast.

After all that fun it was time to relax back at the RV. Again the nice breeze was blowing across the river keeping us cool. Renee broke out a bottle of wine and we kicked back while the kids played a game of Othello on the picnic table.

Leah June 21st: The First Day of Summer

2007-06-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today was awsome. We went on the Hellgate Jet Boat Excursion. It was a 2-hour trip. I didn't get soaked but the people behind us did. Almost evertime the driver stopped, we got sprayed. He also did "swirlarounds". We went to the beginning of Hellgate Canyon, then we turned back.

When we got back to the RV, we played 3 games of Othello. Mom won 2 games, I won 1. Then we made dinner. We watched Twitches before going to bed.

Matt June 21st: ...And We're Off!

2007-06-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a jet boat tour. The boat was huge! As we were riding in the boat the driver stopped very fast water went crashing into the boat. The people in the second row got soaked! We were in the first row.
There were rapids everywhere! We were headed straight twords a hole! We went in to the hole and everyone got wet. We turn around at Hell's Gate Canyon. In the canyon people filmed movies there. We came up to another boat and he bumped us. Our driver asked the other driver if he wanted to race. He acceped. As we were reacing our driver got revenge and bumed him back. We didn't race for very long. Our driver stopped and showed us some houses. Then we went back to the dock and we went to the RV.

Craig, June 20, Oregon!

2007-06-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

So long California! On to something new. We got the bus rolling, said goodbye to the wet redwood coast and headed northwest with Grants Pass Or. as our ultimate destination by the end of the day. But not before stopping along the way for a little spelunking!

Ever since our visit to Karchner Caverns in southern AZ. we have become enamored with crawling around underground. Oregon Caves National Monument was somewhat on the way, so naturally we could not resist.

Turning off of SR 199 we found a visitors center with signs saying “cave information”. We really didn’t have much info on Oregon Caves NM. so we stopped. Good thing too. The info gal warned us not to drive the motorhome up the road. It would be fine if we just left it in the parking lot for the day. She said the road going up into the mountains where the cave is located are is pretty tight. She wasn’t kidding. We probably could have made it, but it would have been tough. As it was, Renee and the kids were feeling a little woozy after all the twists and turns.

After the 45 minute trip in, we hit the ticket counter just ahead of a very obnoxious women and her family. You know the type, you hear her before you see her and what you hear is irritating not only you, but everyone in the general vicinity. Renee and I turned to each other with panic in our eyes and said “oh no, she is going to be on our tour. Each tour was two hours long! We were told they only had three spots available on the next tour (1:45pm) through the cave, so we would have to take the 2:00pm tour. Thankfully, she numbered three, including her kid and husband and was able to take the earlier tour! We gave each other telepathic high five! Thankful for the bullet we dodged, whew.

The cave tour started with our Ranger/tour guide being very canned and distant. He never really put any personality into it at all. Luckily, the cave was very interesting. It was very cool and moist. Many types of formations can be seen here. Soda straws, columns, bacon and other speliotherms abound.

Many of the formations were damaged by prior viewers of the cave. This cave has been around for over a hundred years and the early tours actually encouraged people to take a souvenir home with them. All along the main path you can see evidence of people breaking off the delicate soda straws. You can even see in this picture where a geology professor and his entire class signed their names on this "flow stone" wall. Many are still highly legible and you can see dates from the 1940’s before this practice was stopped.

While the cave has had it’s share of stewardship issues in the past, the park service has stepped up and now takes great pains to keep it from further deterioration. The tour route has been recently reconstructed. Removing asphalt that fouled the water and replacing it with concrete and other materials that have less of an impact on the cave are part of the work performed. We came across volunteers picking lint with tweezers off the rocks along the tour route. It seems that lint promotes the growth of algae and bacteria, which in turn attract outside insects into the cave, altering it’s natural state.

We finished the cave tour and opted for a short hike up the mountain above the cave. We were rewarded with some extraordinary views of the surrounding Siskiyou Forest and the Illinois Valley.

After walking for the last 3 hours without anything to drink, we went into the "Chateau" for some refreshment. The Chateau is a well preserved, turn of the century hotel, that is still operational.

We drove back down the valley to the rv and loaded up for the final drive to Grants Pass. We arrived at the campground and set up. Our site was located right on the bank of the Rogue River just above a small beach. The temp was maybe 83*, with a nice breeze! Gorgeous!

Leah June 20th: Oregon Caves

2007-06-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a travel day. We traveled for a long time befor we got to our campsite. We stopped at the Oregon Caves. It was a hour and a half trip. We saw stalagtites, stalagmites, soda straws, and popcorn formations. The lowest point in the caves was 240 feet below the ground.

After the caves we hiked up to the top of the mountain that the caves were in. It was a 0.7 mile hike. After we got to the bottom we went into the Chateau to get milkshakes.

Then we drove to the campsite and got a riverside site. We went to dinner at the El Patron Mexican Restraunt.

Matt, June 20, Oregon Caves

2007-06-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today we drove into Oregon. It was a short driving day. Before we got to the campground we stopped at the Oregon Caves. At the caves we went into the cave. The temperature inside the cave was 42*F. The Cave even had running water in it. Our tour gide even told us the story of how the cave was found.

Here it is: On 1874 a man named Elijah Davidson was hunting in the woods with his dog Bruno. One day Elijah's dog Bruno tracked a black bear. They tracked the bear into the cave and Elijah's light burned out and Bruno ran off and left Elijah in the dark. Elijah went on but didn't find his dog. So he hiked out and went to sleep. He awoke in the morning to something licking his face. It was Bruno! Elijah found the bear sleeping outside the cave and he shot it. Thats how the Oregon caves were found.

In the cave we were about 3/4 of the way out. The gide told us that people found jagwar bones in the cave! Just ahead ther was also bear bones. Then we hiked out of the cave and went down to the coffe shop and got milk shakes. Then we drove back to the RV. After we got there we drove to the campsite in Grants Pass.

Renee, June 19th: Another hike in the park

2007-06-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

We went to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State park today to explore the northern part of the forest. The drive in was dark and magical. We found this tree with an alcove that we just couldn't resist for a family picture!

Or this one!
We took the Stout Tree Grove Loop Trail, found the river along the way, in which some crazy people actually waded out and went swimming. It was COLD water! We found our way back onto the trail and headed out towards the Riverside trail. Once we arrived at the sign, it informed us that it was closed because the bridge was out. Well, that is not going to stop us...Us or the other hikers meandering about the forest. So we forged the creek, hopping stones all the way across and picking up the trail on the other side. By the looks of the remains of the bridge and the subsequent trail, the bridge must have been out for a long time and the trail was considerably less travelled, but that made it all the more fun. We paralleled the river most the way and disappointingly ended up at a parking lot. So we returned the way we came, though this time crossing the creek via a fallen tree log.

We then decided to follow the coastal road to take in some of the scenic viewpoints, one of which was up a less-travelled winding road, dead-ending on cliffs as much as 640 feet above water level.
It is at one of these that Leah spotted a gray whale surfacing. All the signs posted stated that the Gray whale does in fact come close enough inland to be seen in these areas in the Spring and Fall months and we, being critics didn't quite take Leah's sighting as fact. However, we were resolutely corrected as we continued to watch and ended up spotting a whole pod of whales playing in the surf just 100 yards out from shore. We noted their water spouting and dark backs darting just above the surface. Unfortunately, no cameras in our possession were quick enough to catch the incredible mammals for posterity.

We returned to the RV via a quick nod to Paul Bunyan and Babe along the roadside. (Tourist trap http://www.treesofmystery.net/ we did not stop at) We were tired of driving and were looking forward to relaxing and taking in some of the amenities at the RV resort.

Leah, June 19th: Hiking the Redwoods

2007-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

We hike in the Redwoods today. We hiked the Stout Grove Trail. I finished before everyone else.
Then we went to the info. center and got some patches and postcards. Then we watched a 12 minute movie on the Redwoods. When we got back to the RV, Dad, Matt, and I went down to the river. We explored around the river. After dinner I played with Sadie. Then I came back to the RV and made more hot chocolate. Then I went to bed.

Matthew, June 19th: A Fun Day

2007-06-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today, we hiked, looked at some scenic views, and explored the woods next to the campground. First we hiked the Stout Grove Trail. We saw a lot of fallen trees. We even climbed on some.
There was also a trail that was only 0.2 miles from where we were so we followed the trail. It was called the Hiouchi trail, it led to a river. The water was cold, but it felt good. We hiked back onto the Stout Grove Trail, and back to the jeep.

Then we went to some scenic views of the beach. The first scenic view was a beach. Next, we went to another view. Then Leah spotted a whale! As we were about to leave my Mom spotted a group of whales. Then we left.

When we got back Leah, My Dad, and I went to the game room and played ping pong for a little while and went to the forest next to the campground. First, we explored the river. My Dad saw some thing pop out of the water! We don't know what it was, but my Dad thought it was a seal. So we explored some more. We came across a sign that said no trespassing, but we ignored it. We went on and found a hideout. There were chairs, a tarp, and a boat. Just as we were about to leave, my Dad spotted another trail. It went a long ways, but then it caqme to a farm! We ran away as fast as we could and went back to the campground.

Renee June 18th: Oh, for all the big trees

2007-06-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

We were on the road again, leaving for the Redwoods and Klamath, CA. We did not know that the Redwood National Park was also connected to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, both of which were free admission. The park(s) stretches along the coast in a long, but thin area and we were to be staying in the middle of it all, along the Klamath River. To save overlapping driving distances, we made a stop at the Visitor's center and dropped off the motor home, in order to avoid parking issues.

We continued on to Lady Bird Johnson Grove, so named for the first lady that was present and participated in the Park's dedication ceremony in 1969. What incredible heights the trees soared.
So dramatically that it is impossible to do them justice in a photo. But that didn't stop us from trying!

I personally was enthralled by the greenery and pretty forest flowers thriving under the canopy in this great forest.

Ferns and Rhododendrons, not to mention many other surprises in the dappled sunlight.

We finished our trail and headed back to the RV and the beach to encounter or first touch of the Pacific ocean on this trip. Definitely not the warmth of the San Diego beaches of last summer, but it is the same ocean and the temp was not all that bad.

We made for camp and set up, realizing from the outdoor temps that we were going to need extra blankets in this location... Sorry, all you Arizonans, don't meant to rub it in. But I hope we packed enough warm clothes for this trip as we are only going to be going further north.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove

2007-06-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today we drove into the Redwoods. We stopped at the visitors center to get some info on some trails. We did a loop trail called Lady Bird Johnson Grove. It took a while to finish.
We saw some cool bugs, we thing they were some type of centipedes.

Then we drove to the RV Park. We had diner then me, Matt and Mom played volleyball. A girl named Sadie asked if she could play. We said yes and we played until she had to go back to her RV. then I made some hot chocolate for Matthew and myself, because is was getting so cold.

Matt, June 18th: Driving along the coast

2007-06-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today was another driving day. We were driving along the coast. We drove for awhile and stopped at Redwooks National and State Park Visitor Center. After that we drove across the street and parked in the beach parking lot. We unhooked the jeep and drove to Lady bird Johnson Grove. I made a mistake and I called it Larry Bird Johnson Grove.
On the trail we saw redwook trees athat were probably two hundred feet tall. I'm not kidding.

We also saw trees that had fallen onto the trail. Then we hike out and drove to the RV. After we got there we went onto the beach and felt the water.

And we drove to the campground.

Renee, June 17: Time for some hiking

2007-06-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

After some long days in the RV, and a day of driving to explore Lassen Volcanic National Park, we were anxious to hit a trail. It was a toss-up as to whether we would take the Bumpass Hell hike to see fumeroles and mud pots or would we hike King's Creek to see lush mountain meadows, clear bubbling creeks, and a reported beauteous waterfall. The decision took all of 3 seconds. We had decided that we had had enough roiling mud pots and stinky fumeroles from last year's visit to Yellowstone. If readers are disappointed please refer back to Micek's Great Escape 2006 blog for those details!

So off to the waterfall we went. As always when on a hike longer than 100 yards, all true hikers know that you will inevitably run across unthinking tourists that do not heed the proper footwear/gear guidelines for rocky terrain and moderately strenuous hikes. Even though this hike was only a 3-mile hike, it was clearly billed in all the brochures as moderately strenuous and rocky. Yes, we encountered other people wearing flip-flops and even high-heeled flip flops heading down the trail. As the classic t-shirt line goes: I would really like to help you but I just can't fix stupid!"

We just went on our merry way; viewed the gorgeous falls, had a picnic lunch creekside, and returned through the snow to our Jeep. We returned to the RV and took a swim in the pool before calling it a day.

Leah, June 17th Lassen

2007-06-19T23:57:00.001-07:00

Today we hiked King's Creek Waterfall trail. We hiked for about 3 hours. I remembered to bring my camera on the hike. On the hike to the waterfall was easy. But the trip back to the car was very hard.

The waterfall was beautiful. After lunch on the trail Matt and I were playing in the snow. Afer Mom and Dad finished eating we continued to the car. I got very hot so I took snow and rubbed it over my face and ncek. When we got to the car Dad took us to get ice cream. While we were eating we saw 2 cute puppies named Pablo and Pierre. After we finished we drove back to the RV.

Matt, June 17th, King's Creek Hike

2007-06-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today, we went in to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We hike a 3 mile trail called King's Creek Water Fall Trail.

It was a long and hard trail. Going down was easy but, but going back up was hard. On the hike we saw medows, water falls, and snow. On our way up you would have a hard time breathing. Then we went back to the RV. When we got back we relaxed. Mom and Dad planed the rest of the trip and me and Leah played around.

Craig June 16, Cool Caves and The Long Way Around

2007-06-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in was tops on the list this morning. After a few short nights and lots of hours on the road, we were all ready for some shut eye. The camping spot was perfect, no noise, cold temperatures (I had to get up and close a window around 3:00am, YES!) and the mountain blocked the 4:45 sunrise until about 8:30. We were all refreshed and ready to go.

A few more hours on the road and we would reach our first destination of the day,. Subway Cave. The kids at first were confused and were wondering about where we were eating lunch until we explained it had nothing to do with a restaurant. We pulled into the parking lot and found we could get the whole motorhome and Jeep combination turned around without a problem. This is always a relief when your 65' long and are not able to back up.

The cave promised more of the cooler temps we are looking for. It was around 46* in the 1/3 of a mile cave. This cave is unique in that it is open at both ends. The indians believed it was home to an ape man. The cave has some spots where the idiots have shown thier lack of appreciation by spray painting some grafitti here and there. But overall a worthwhile stop.

Next we hit the Shingletown KOA and parked the bus. After a getting set up we headed up to Lassen National Park for a look around. The requisite stop at the visitors center gave us some ideas. We decided to drive from the north end of the park, out the southern end then head west before picking up a small highway that would lead us back up to Shingletown and the camp. This route would give us a chance to see the whole park and help us decide on which hike we would do tomorrow.

The drive through the park was great. It was late in the afternoon and the park was deserted. What a great change from the larger parks we have been to where the crowds detract from the experience. We were able to stop in the middle of the road without worry. The views were amazing from the road, which tops out at about 8500'. Snow, still in abundance at this height made for some fun resulting in cold hands and sandal clad feet.

We exited the park and headed west on SR36, our map showed us another state route that would serve as a shortcut through Manton and back to Shingletown. Well, the shortcut was not what we had hoped. It was very scenic, but very slow and winding. It took hours to get back.

Leah June 16, 2007 The Caves

2007-06-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on our way to Lassen Natl. Park we stopped at Subway Caves. Subway Caves us an underground cave. You start by climbing downa set of stairs then you walk around looking for signs that tell you about what part of the cave your in. But, it's completely dark so you have to bring your own flash lights. Once you get to the end of the cave you walk back to the parking lot. Then we drove to our new campsite. After we got set up we explored Lassen Natl. Park.

Matt, June 16th, Subway Cave

2007-06-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today, we travled to the campsite. Before we got there we went into a cave. It was called the Subway Cave. We spent about a half an hour in the cave. We got to see lava tubes. Lava Tubes are tunnels. The cave tempeture was a big difference. Most of the people that went into the cave wore shorts. One lady even wore a dress! My family and I wre the only people who wore pants. Also, we saw two tiny volcanos, grafitti on the walls, and a cave-in. We went out of the cave and drove to the campsite.

Craig; June 15, When are we going to get there?

2007-06-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

We moved rapidly across the Great Basin (Leah delighted in giving an impromptu geography lesson) in Nevada until we came across this overturned truck just off the road. This left us and 100 other people stopped in the middle of the desert with nothing to do but wait it out. The truck was actually off the road, but for whatever reason, the police were not letting any go around on the shoulder. After roasting in the 105* heat for awhile a few folks decided to find their own way around'

They proceeded to find a hole in the fence next to the road and create their own road until they reached this powerline road. Vehicles of every kind had had enough of the wait and were willing to brave this rough road to get out of the heat and get moving again. The funny part was, the police finally let us start going around the accident and would not let these folks back onto the road until the rest of the stopped cars had passed.

We pushed on through Reno and finally made camp after nightfall in a small town outside of Susanville in CA. This camp was quiet and cool. Finally, some relief from the desert heat.

Craig; June 14, Are we ready? Lets go!

2007-06-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today we loaded up the boat and pushed away from the dock. It was satisfying to know we were finally steaming along to our first destination, Lassen Volcanic NP in northern California.

The goal for today was to make it somewhere north of Las Vegas and sleep the night. We finally made beautiful Amargosa Valley around 2:00 AM. Never has a dirt parking lot held as much allure. We were tired.

We awoke to find Fort Amargosa bustling with business.

Prologue

2007-06-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Join with Craig, Renee, Leah(10) and Matt(9)as we travel in our motorhome, reporting on what we find along the way!

We had such a great time last year with our 2006 trip, http://miceksgreatescape.blogspot.com/, we really wanted to do it again. Life conspired to make it possible, but not with the certainty that allowed us to plan as far in advance as we had in 2006. On our 2006 Great Escape we pretty much had the itinerary confirmed by the end February. With kids activities, work concerns and other factors coming into play, we didn't settle on an actual departure date until about a week before.

While we have a good idea of where we are going, we don't know exactly when we will get there or where we will stay or who we will see. This is causing a fair degree of concern from my well organized wife, who can't believe we are going, without knowing if we have a place to stay or not. Those who know me, know that I often "fly by the seat of my pants", so, I am not really out of my element. Time will tell and hopefully we will have as good a time as last year.

Our highly uncertain itinerary puts us with a long drive from Phoenix, North through Nevada into Northwest California and up along the coast of Oregon and Washington. We will hit all the National Parks we can along the way,trying to get the maximum return from our $80 park pass investment, including Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, Olyimpic, North Cascade, Mt. Rainier and Crater Lake National Parks. We will also be visiting family and friends along the way.

I hope you have a good time following along with us as we experience all the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Feel free to post and leave us your thoughts!

Craig