No, I didn't get sucked up into the void where socks go when they don't come back from the laundry. I simply lost my blogging mojo somewhere in California. After awhile it just felt like too much water under the bridge to try to catch up, so I didn't. Here's a quick recap of where we went after May 14
Redwoods National Forest: Really big trees and very green.
Oregon Dunes: Having a quad or dune buggy would have been fun, but walking up and running down was fun too.
Silverton Or: Near Salem. Went there to pick up my new drop spindle from Jenkins woodworking. Great spindle and they even gave Erin one, because she was interested. Oregon botanical gardens were great as well.
Portland Or: Pike's market. I almost got hit with a halibut.
Mt. St. Helens: Wow, what destruction! The scars are evident 31 years later.
Bellingham Washington: Ski to Sea Race. Stayed with the Laird's, whom we had met at Koinonia farms. First time while on the trip that we spent any amount of time in a single family dwelling not on wheels.
Pender Island, BC: to visit Ken, Doug's high school bestie. Took the BC ferries across the straight, played in tide pools.
Butchart gardens on Vancouver Island: Beautiful
Carlton Wa: Drove across the Cascade mountains. Did some hiking up into the snow line. Hiking in the snow wearing shorts and a tank top is fun!
Okanogan Valley, BC: Gorgeous. Would have liked to spend more time here.
Lake Louise, AB: Fall Down Gorgeous! Did some great hikes, saw lot's of wide life, including Grizzly bears.
Banff: More touristy than Lake Louise. Did some hiking/biking here. While we had our bikes with us, we didn't use them as much as I thought we would. I think the flat-lander in us was intimidated by the hills. We should have done more trail riding, it was fun!
Drumheller, AB: The Royal Tyrell Dinosaur museum was great. Affordable and big!
Calgary AB: Visited with cousins that I hadn't seen in at least 15 years!
Rosthern, SK: Doug's home stomping grounds. Visited the place he grew up, explored to see what had changed, visited with old friends.
Altona Mb: We spent the last 5 weeks at my parents We parked the trailer and moved into the house. It was a nice transition. We spent time at the old cabin, went camping (tent, not trailer), fishing, football game, lot's of family dinners and lot's of great time together.
We arrived home on the 24th of July and we're slowly getting re-acclimated to being in one spot. Doug and I are both back to work, and the girls are back to school next week. It's good to be home, but I do miss the adventure of the road.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jelly Belly Factory
We left the Yosemite area on much better roads than the way we arrived. Let's just say the GPS doesn't always know best! Once we got out of the mountains we entered farm country and the roses were simply gorgeous. There were literally fences of roses. Unfortunately we didn't stop to take any pictures. We also began to encounter grape vines... lot's and lot's of grape vines. We stopped at an RV park near San Juan Bautista. The next morning we lazed around a bit and then headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had read on the website to expect to spend 2-3 hours. They were wrong. We arrived around 12 and stayed till they closed at 6. It was the best aquarium I've ever been too. The displays were so full that you could stare at them for a long time and still not see all the life that was in them. They also had lot's of hands-on displays. We even got to touch a bat ray. We ended up going out for dinner as we were all to hungry to drive the 30 miles home and then cook a meal.
The next day we headed north. Andrea had seen that the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield had free tours and was really interested in going. So we indulged her and took a tour and got some free samples. It was actually really enjoyable! We ended up buying a bag of "belly flops" that we've been enjoying along the road. We parked in Rohnert Park, about 30 miles north of San Francisco for the next 3 days.
The next day we headed north. Andrea had seen that the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield had free tours and was really interested in going. So we indulged her and took a tour and got some free samples. It was actually really enjoyable! We ended up buying a bag of "belly flops" that we've been enjoying along the road. We parked in Rohnert Park, about 30 miles north of San Francisco for the next 3 days.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hoover Dam, Seqoia National Park and Yosemite
Upon leaving Zion we headed to Las Vegas. Talk about a contrast! Our primary purpose was to visit the Hoover Dam, but we opted to decrease our time pulling the trailer and parked at a park in the city. This travel day happened to fall on my birthday and I really wanted a place with a hot tub, so my wish was granted! I also wanted steak for dinner so we went out to a buffet at the casino/resort that we stayed at. It was an exercise in gluttony. So much food it felt wrong. We enjoyed a nice swim and headed to the Hoover dam the next day. Doug was the one who had the most interest in the dam, but we all ended up being glad we went. The engineering was incredible! The one thing we noticed though was the amount of trash laying about. The national parks were so clean that this really contrasted in a negative way.
When we got back into the city we decided to take a drive down the miracle mile. I can now say "been there, done that" and I never need to go back again. After seeing the rolling billboards for the naked girl shows we decided fairly quickly that it was time to go home.
We did a long driving day the next day and made our way to Three Rivers, Ca. This was just a few miles from the entrance to Sequoia National Park. We made our way to the groves of the giant Sequoia's the next day. Wow, they're huge! There was still quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations so a lot of the trails were still closed. We did do a nice hike along a closed road to Moro Rock.
Yosemite was next on our places to see. We stayed at a nice campground that was about 25 miles from the park. We couldn't get reservations in the park. We surprised to find that the hikes/visitors center etc were another 25 miles into the park. The 50 miles were along curving mountainous roads. The drive took 1.5 hours. When we finally got to the park we were astounded by the waterfalls. The snow melt has enlarged the rivers and falls phenomenally. Bridalveil falls, Yosemite falls were huge and beautiful! We wandered around the first day and did a few short hikes. We also saw a film featuring climber Ron Kauk and had a chance to talk with him after the movie.
The next day we did a strenuous hike up Vernal and Nevada falls. We walked the Mist trail alongside Vernal falls and got soaked! The total hike was about 7.5 miles, with about 2000 feet of elevation change. It was challenging but fun.
When we got back into the city we decided to take a drive down the miracle mile. I can now say "been there, done that" and I never need to go back again. After seeing the rolling billboards for the naked girl shows we decided fairly quickly that it was time to go home.
We did a long driving day the next day and made our way to Three Rivers, Ca. This was just a few miles from the entrance to Sequoia National Park. We made our way to the groves of the giant Sequoia's the next day. Wow, they're huge! There was still quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations so a lot of the trails were still closed. We did do a nice hike along a closed road to Moro Rock.
Yosemite was next on our places to see. We stayed at a nice campground that was about 25 miles from the park. We couldn't get reservations in the park. We surprised to find that the hikes/visitors center etc were another 25 miles into the park. The 50 miles were along curving mountainous roads. The drive took 1.5 hours. When we finally got to the park we were astounded by the waterfalls. The snow melt has enlarged the rivers and falls phenomenally. Bridalveil falls, Yosemite falls were huge and beautiful! We wandered around the first day and did a few short hikes. We also saw a film featuring climber Ron Kauk and had a chance to talk with him after the movie.
The next day we did a strenuous hike up Vernal and Nevada falls. We walked the Mist trail alongside Vernal falls and got soaked! The total hike was about 7.5 miles, with about 2000 feet of elevation change. It was challenging but fun.
Canyon Impressions
In an effort to catch up in the blogging world and prevent repetition I'm going to discuss all the canyoning we've done in one long post. These canyons include 1. Grand Canyon 2. Monument Valley 3. Natural Bridges 4. Canyonlands 5. Arches 6. Bryce and 7. Zion. All of these are either national parks or national monuments.
After leaving Hopi Mission School we headed West, to the Grand Canyon. We almost decided to skip Grand Canyon seeing as how it really wasn't on our way anywhere, and after all, it must be hyped up, right? Wrong!!! It's called the Grand Canyon for a reason. It was truly breathtaking in it's immensity. The geology was fascinating and the views panoramic. We stayed 3 nights. We did one long hike, down to Skeleton point. It was 6 miles round-trip, with a total elevation change of 2000 feet. We were tired by the time we got back to the rim! The girls both said they'd do it again though.
From the Grand Canyon we made our way North East towards Moab and Arches National Park. On the way there we drove through monument valley. Talk about an alien looking environment! You'd have a flat plain, then bloob, there's a pedestal of stone. We didn't get any pictures but I'd like to drive through again. We spent a couple of nights at Bluff, Utah and day tripped to Natural Bridges National Monument. We did a relatively short hike down into the canyon to find these big bridges carved out of limestone. This hike had some ladders and steep areas which the girls loved.
Arches National Park is one of the front-runners in my list of favorites so far. The limestone is layered on top on an unstable salt layer (the Paradox layer) that has allowed the limestone to tilt and fracture into fins. These fins erode and form into arches. We did a ranger-led tour through an area called the Fiery Furnace which was really cool! This is definitely a place I'd like to come back to.
Next on the list was Bryce National Park. We'd heard lot's of great things about Bryce and were looking forward to our visit. The rock formations are called Hoodoo's and there are a lot of them. The weather while were there was cold! Sub freezing temps at night. The first day was 50ish when we started a short hike, and 40's when we were done, as well as being very windy. The next day was better. We did a 6 mile hike in the hoodoos, including a 1400 ft elevation change. It was good, but we found that the hike was not particularly exciting. The scenery became predictable. But I'm still glad we went.
Zion Nation Park was the last stop in Utah. I loved Zion! We were able to get reservations in the park with hookups. It was really nice to be in the park and not have to commute in. The downside was that the campground was infested with tent caterpillars which freaked Erin out. We did a great hike called Angels landing. The last half mile was up a narrow, steep trail. At times you had to use the chains provided to help you up. The narrowest part of the trail was about 6 feet to the 1200 foot drop on either side. The girls did great! We did a couple of short hikes the next day since all of us had sore legs!
To see pictures check out my flickr page!
After leaving Hopi Mission School we headed West, to the Grand Canyon. We almost decided to skip Grand Canyon seeing as how it really wasn't on our way anywhere, and after all, it must be hyped up, right? Wrong!!! It's called the Grand Canyon for a reason. It was truly breathtaking in it's immensity. The geology was fascinating and the views panoramic. We stayed 3 nights. We did one long hike, down to Skeleton point. It was 6 miles round-trip, with a total elevation change of 2000 feet. We were tired by the time we got back to the rim! The girls both said they'd do it again though.
From the Grand Canyon we made our way North East towards Moab and Arches National Park. On the way there we drove through monument valley. Talk about an alien looking environment! You'd have a flat plain, then bloob, there's a pedestal of stone. We didn't get any pictures but I'd like to drive through again. We spent a couple of nights at Bluff, Utah and day tripped to Natural Bridges National Monument. We did a relatively short hike down into the canyon to find these big bridges carved out of limestone. This hike had some ladders and steep areas which the girls loved.
Arches National Park is one of the front-runners in my list of favorites so far. The limestone is layered on top on an unstable salt layer (the Paradox layer) that has allowed the limestone to tilt and fracture into fins. These fins erode and form into arches. We did a ranger-led tour through an area called the Fiery Furnace which was really cool! This is definitely a place I'd like to come back to.
Next on the list was Bryce National Park. We'd heard lot's of great things about Bryce and were looking forward to our visit. The rock formations are called Hoodoo's and there are a lot of them. The weather while were there was cold! Sub freezing temps at night. The first day was 50ish when we started a short hike, and 40's when we were done, as well as being very windy. The next day was better. We did a 6 mile hike in the hoodoos, including a 1400 ft elevation change. It was good, but we found that the hike was not particularly exciting. The scenery became predictable. But I'm still glad we went.
Zion Nation Park was the last stop in Utah. I loved Zion! We were able to get reservations in the park with hookups. It was really nice to be in the park and not have to commute in. The downside was that the campground was infested with tent caterpillars which freaked Erin out. We did a great hike called Angels landing. The last half mile was up a narrow, steep trail. At times you had to use the chains provided to help you up. The narrowest part of the trail was about 6 feet to the 1200 foot drop on either side. The girls did great! We did a couple of short hikes the next day since all of us had sore legs!
To see pictures check out my flickr page!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter
Christ is Risen.... He is risen indeed!
I can't believe it's almost the end of April! Our travel time has flown so quickly. We've see and done so many things that I've always dreamed of. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend this time "away". I'm beginning to find myself turning my thoughts back towards home at times, thinking about how nice it will be to be in our house, with the space, and then I remind myself to cherish this time, being in this space, with the people I love, without the other distractions the "regular" life has to offer. I've been thinking about how to reintegrate, how to balance life after we get home. Thankfully I have a few more months to ponder these questions.
I've been struggling with talking about our experience at Hopi Mission School. I want to be able to say it was great, but if I'm honest, it wasn't. We were forewarned that the staff at HMS was severely over-extended and they wouldn't "be able to hold your hands". Now, we're not the kind of family that needs hand-holding. We're ready and willing to work when pointed to a task, and we can entertain ourselves. That being said, if it wouldn't have been for the other volunteers and the family we met at church we would have had no interaction with other people. There was essential no interaction with the staff at HMS beyond work assignments and that was disappointing.
The work we were given to do was also unpleasant and unrewarding. We shoveled out a burnt out building, scraped and reglazed windows, and did a little bit of painting. It felt like we didn't accomplish much, even though we worked full work weeks. The girls did get to interact a bit with the school kids at recess, but even there they didn't feel engaged with the kids. The weather was at times very unpleasant (sand/snow storms. The area is very isolated and felt desolate.
Bullheads (we called them Buttheads) Very painful if you step on them. I took one round around the trailer with my flip flops.
The upside was that we met Jim and Rox Miller and family at church on Sunday. They have 5 children, 3 of which were in the play age for the girls. They connected and enjoyed spending time together. We went on a hike to Coal Mine Canyon one day. It's a smallish canyon, with a seam of coal running through it. We enjoyed scrambling around the canyon. Andrea had an encounter with a snake that she will tell you about on her blog http://adventuresofafrukitty.blogspot.com/
I can't believe it's almost the end of April! Our travel time has flown so quickly. We've see and done so many things that I've always dreamed of. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend this time "away". I'm beginning to find myself turning my thoughts back towards home at times, thinking about how nice it will be to be in our house, with the space, and then I remind myself to cherish this time, being in this space, with the people I love, without the other distractions the "regular" life has to offer. I've been thinking about how to reintegrate, how to balance life after we get home. Thankfully I have a few more months to ponder these questions.
I've been struggling with talking about our experience at Hopi Mission School. I want to be able to say it was great, but if I'm honest, it wasn't. We were forewarned that the staff at HMS was severely over-extended and they wouldn't "be able to hold your hands". Now, we're not the kind of family that needs hand-holding. We're ready and willing to work when pointed to a task, and we can entertain ourselves. That being said, if it wouldn't have been for the other volunteers and the family we met at church we would have had no interaction with other people. There was essential no interaction with the staff at HMS beyond work assignments and that was disappointing.
The work we were given to do was also unpleasant and unrewarding. We shoveled out a burnt out building, scraped and reglazed windows, and did a little bit of painting. It felt like we didn't accomplish much, even though we worked full work weeks. The girls did get to interact a bit with the school kids at recess, but even there they didn't feel engaged with the kids. The weather was at times very unpleasant (sand/snow storms. The area is very isolated and felt desolate.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
It's been a while
I didn't realize that it has been almost a month. A fair bit has transpired since we left Yuma. Upon our departure we headed to Phoenix. We parked the trailer at the SOOP site, right beside Peter and Rheta Mae Wiebe's home. Peter was an interim President of H.C. so it was nice to have a contact. We were invited to a community movie night across the street which Doug and the girls took advantage of. I stayed home and did laundry and got some needed quiet time. The next day we connected with John Murray. He took us hiking, toured us around Phoenix and accompanied us to the Organ Stop Pizza Restaurant. The pizza was good, the Wurlitzer organ was entertaining.
The next day we headed to Sedona. We spent the next day scrambling around the red rocks of Sedona. We hiked up Cathedral Rock. We also hiked to Devils Bridge. We calculated that we hiked about 8 miles that day. Erin decided to try hiking in her flip flops on the second hike. It was fairly obvious after the first mile that flip flops were not a good choice. Natural consequences are the best teachers. We decided at that point that all of the females in the family needed some good hiking boots. It was a tiring but fun day! After Sedona we were off to Hopi Mission School.
The next day we headed to Sedona. We spent the next day scrambling around the red rocks of Sedona. We hiked up Cathedral Rock. We also hiked to Devils Bridge. We calculated that we hiked about 8 miles that day. Erin decided to try hiking in her flip flops on the second hike. It was fairly obvious after the first mile that flip flops were not a good choice. Natural consequences are the best teachers. We decided at that point that all of the females in the family needed some good hiking boots. It was a tiring but fun day! After Sedona we were off to Hopi Mission School.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Yuma
We arrived at Yuma and met up with Mom and Dad on the way into our campsite. The girls were so excited to see them, as were Doug and I. We initially planned on staying a week, but ended up staying 11 days. We did a number of day trips. and also spent lots of time just hanging out as a family. We spent time at an orange orchard and picked a bunch of grapefruits and oranges.... so good! It was lots of fun!
We also went on a hike to Palm Canyon. It is the home of the only Palm Trees native to Arizona. It was a half mile hike over some fairly rugged terrain. I was thrilled that Mom not only attempted the hike, but successfully completed it too and fro. Yuma weather definitely treats mom well. Doug, Dad and Erin hiked up the canyon to the trees. There was some climbing involved and Erin loved it! Andrea and I stayed behind and kept mom company and took some fun pictures. Check out flickr for the most recent pictures.
Andrea and mom worked on a messenger bag together. Andrea pieced the flap and with help, sewed the bag. It turned out really well.
Castle Dome is a local landmark and part of a chain of mountains in the area. Apparently there is a trail up the mountain that we'd love to have climbed, but were uncertain of where the trail head was. Apparently it's a fairly rigorous hike, but I think we could have handled it. Instead we went to the castle dome ghost town. The area we were in was home to over 300 silver and lead mines. The old cabins and other buildings from the area were gathered and fixed up. It was a great way of seeing how life was 100 years ago. We also climbed one of the foot hills and enjoyed seeing the desert from an elevation.
Saturday, we went to an airshow at the local Marine base. The flying was cool. Doug had never been to an airshow, so he particularly enjoyed the day. The girls also spent a bunch of time in the pool and enjoyed it.
We also went on a hike to Palm Canyon. It is the home of the only Palm Trees native to Arizona. It was a half mile hike over some fairly rugged terrain. I was thrilled that Mom not only attempted the hike, but successfully completed it too and fro. Yuma weather definitely treats mom well. Doug, Dad and Erin hiked up the canyon to the trees. There was some climbing involved and Erin loved it! Andrea and I stayed behind and kept mom company and took some fun pictures. Check out flickr for the most recent pictures.
Andrea and mom worked on a messenger bag together. Andrea pieced the flap and with help, sewed the bag. It turned out really well.
Castle Dome is a local landmark and part of a chain of mountains in the area. Apparently there is a trail up the mountain that we'd love to have climbed, but were uncertain of where the trail head was. Apparently it's a fairly rigorous hike, but I think we could have handled it. Instead we went to the castle dome ghost town. The area we were in was home to over 300 silver and lead mines. The old cabins and other buildings from the area were gathered and fixed up. It was a great way of seeing how life was 100 years ago. We also climbed one of the foot hills and enjoyed seeing the desert from an elevation.
Saturday, we went to an airshow at the local Marine base. The flying was cool. Doug had never been to an airshow, so he particularly enjoyed the day. The girls also spent a bunch of time in the pool and enjoyed it.
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