tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51761055674333379252024-03-13T12:39:24.447-05:00THE ADVENTURES OF TEAM DANGERFeaturing Black Belt Alex, Lightening Ryan, Danger Daddy and Safety Mommy, Pfc. Safety Mommy rarely does dangerous things, but will ALWAYS be a member of our teamAnnalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.comBlogger587125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-87518731385824674672015-03-02T16:07:00.000-06:002024-01-27T15:47:47.078-06:00My Travel Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was year two of my smaller Travel Tree. I put it up in my reading room (formerly the dining room we never used), and it contains all my ornaments from my travels. Along with a few I can't resist grabbing at World Market or Pier 1 or Pottery Barn.<br />
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Its been a habit of mine since I was in college to always pick an ornament as a souvenir when I go on a trip. So I've happily accumulated quite a few over the years. Here's a closer look at this year's additions:<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-37506058340654066732015-02-27T14:22:00.003-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.974-06:00Christmas VillageSo its a bit late. But here is how our village assembly crew (Ryan, my mom, and myself) set up my inheritance snow village this year.<br />
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Downtown was over here.<br />
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The suburbs and countryside were over here.<br />
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And the ski resort was over on this mountainside.<br />
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And underneath my Travel Tree, we placed the train and train station.<br />
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(ignore the boxes and bags - I didn't think to take pictures until we were right about to pack it up)<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-32273304966903866002015-02-06T16:50:00.002-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.965-06:00Alex's Stonehenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alex had to create a diorama for school on a "phenomena." This Anglophile Mama was pretty stoked when he picked Stonehenge to research and recreate.<br />
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After much familial debate, he decided to make his model of Stonehenge when it was completed, rather than how it looks now.<br />
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Carl helped him cut and saw the wood to make a lot of little pieces.</div>
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I was in charge of finding our grass and paint color for the stones.<br />
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I also gave myself the job of finding some small sheep to include.<br />
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Stonehenge <i>needs</i> sheep, as my photo from 2012 demonstrates.<br />
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Unlike the Science Fair project (which I loathe), this was one homework assignment I can get on board with. Especially when it involves me thinking of England.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-32697278359198669722015-02-05T12:00:00.003-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.966-06:00Lost Maples State ParkOn our way home from Concan after Thanksgiving, we took a long route home and went to Lost Maples State Park.<br />
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I don't believe I had ever been there before, which is a shame, because it was SPECTACULAR. The only thing that made me sad about our visit was that we were probably about a week past the leaves prime time, so I've made a note to monitor it more carefully in future years and try and time it better.<br />
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Take a look at the beauty we saw.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-19570757645016604592015-02-04T16:10:00.004-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.937-06:00Thanksgiving in Concan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent Thanksgiving once again with my family in Concan. I didn't take many pictures of the weekend's activities, per se, but I did drag the boys out to the river while we were dressed up for Turkey Day for a few pictures.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-10006618985462868462015-02-03T12:47:00.000-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.916-06:00Jack on the Shelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is only my third year with Jack in the family, but I am already kind of done with it.<br />
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Thank goodness Carl really stepped it up this year, because by Night 2, I had forgotten Jack.<br />
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And that happened many times throughout the month of December.<br />
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Some days were easy, like when I found these ornaments at Hallmark by chance, and the idea fell into my lap.</div>
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Oh, and those of you who start the Elf with thanksgiving - ya'll are cray-cray, because why, WHY do that to yourself? Its bad enough coming up with 24 days starting on December 1.</div>
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Anyways... see if you can figure out which days were planned by Danger Daddy versus Safety Mommy.</div>
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If you guessed Carl for this night... give yourself an apple.</div>
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Whereas my nights...<br />
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Were a bit lower-key.<br />
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Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-7195607208294314502015-01-28T16:18:00.000-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.906-06:00Meeting his Idol at age 8As I get back into blogging right ahead of Ryan's ninth birthday, I found this post in my draft folder that I never actually posted. So...<br />
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Ryan pretty much had the best week ever this summer when he spent a week at the San Antonio Spurs summer camp. We lucked into a spot during Tony Parker's week - he's Ryan's favorite player, BY FAR, and he spent all summer long waiting for this week to come.<br />
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When we signed him up for the Spurs Camp week featuring Tony Parker, I wasn't sure what to expect. I mean, Tony is one guy, and the camp sold out of its spots within a few hours of being open for registration, so I figured there would be a lot of kids, and possibly not much interaction with Tony himself.<br />
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I was right about the lot of kids estimate.<br />
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But happily, there was a LOT of Tony to come during the week! He showed up three of the five days, and spent a LOT of time with the kids. Here is Ryan getting his jersey signed by Tony, and, as Ryan put it, "getting touched by Tony Parker."<br />
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He even got to PLAY BASKETBALL with TONY PARKER, and Ryan pretty much felt like he had died and gone to heaven. And I know, Tony was taking it easy on him, but Ryan scored while playing against Tony.<br />
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Ryan came home with a signed jersey, a picture with the 2014 NBA Championship Trophy, and a lifetime of memories of the greatest week of his life.<br />
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Not bad for an eight year old. ;)<br />
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I'm very thankful my mom and aunt were able to make Ryan's dreams come true with this camp - Ryan spent the week with Mom at my aunt's house in San Antonio so that he could attend the camp during the day. Love my village helping raise these boys!Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-84221575793631554252015-01-27T16:00:00.000-06:002024-01-27T15:47:47.073-06:00Dressing up for the wedding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since its so rare to have the boys dressed up so nicely, we took some quick photos of them in their wedding clothes. The picked out their own clothes themselves. Alex also wanted a jacket to wear, but I had heard that none of the other boy cousins were wearing jackets, and talked him down to just the tie. My little formal kid!<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-9819819991256873392015-01-26T15:53:00.000-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.916-06:00Auntie Cher-O's Wedding Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My aunt was also married in October. She recently reconnected with an old high school friend, and they quickly fell in love.<br />
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Rehearsal dinner at the house of the groom's niece.<br />
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And then the wedding day.<br />
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Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-67807737183568306192014-11-24T14:01:00.004-06:002024-01-27T15:47:47.044-06:00Halloween 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For Halloween this year, Ryan went as Captain America (in his Winter Soldier costume). And Alex was ... I don't know ... some sort of Army Ranger / Call of Duty knock-off.<br />
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I was annoyed and disappointed with costumes for my eldest. Apparently, he has outgrown pretty much all boys costume options, and they only sell five costumes in all of Austin that are a boys "XL" size. All military themed. There are no tween/teen boys sizes. When your son outgrows the Boys Large sizes, the next step up is men's costumes.<br />
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And men's costumes aren't generally appropriate for 11 year old boys.<br />
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Sigh. Big SIGH.<br />
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I'm either going to have to make something next year (not what I do) or else he'll become one of those kids I loathe seeing on October 31 - those tween boys in no costumes holding a pillow case open to me, and expecting me to put candy inside the pillow case. I've always been annoyed at these boys who can't even bother to put on a costume, and silently rebelled by giving them the crappy candy, and not the good stuff. And this year, it dawned on me. It's not their fault. They have no choice. There are NO COSTUMES for them to buy.<br />
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So for all those tween boys who are costume-less and whom I have wronged through the years based on false assumptions, I apologize.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-1078173858762616962014-11-12T11:05:00.002-06:002024-01-27T15:47:46.889-06:00Wedding on the Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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October was the month of family weddings for us. First up, my uncle Bobby and Nanette. They wanted a small, intimate wedding of just immediate family at the beach, and opted for Port Aransas.<br />
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He rented two wonderful homes for us to stay in - this was the biggest one, and the one where Ryan and I were lucky enough to rate a room (Carl and Alex were off camping at Webelo Woods, a big event for graduating Cub Scouts, or so I am told. Yep, still annoyed)<br />
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We were all told to wear white. Easier said than done, especially for little boys. But I think we did okay.<br />
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And I think the photos came out beautifully.<br />
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And speaking of photos, I volunteered to be their photographer when I found out they hadn't hired anyone. (I just don't get this... I L*O*V*E photos, so much I often want to hire someone just for my own normal parties, To each one's own, though.)<br />
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They did, however, get a beautiful cake.<br />
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Beach themed, and all.<br />
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We had a whole weekend of celebrating, starting with a clam bake for the rehearsal dinner.<br />
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Saturday morning, Ryan and I spent down at the beach.<br />
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Along with some fun ATV rides.<br />
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The day was just beautiful, and the weather could not have been more perfect.<br />
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Nanette has two sons, 16 and 13, and my boys just love their new cousins. (So, technically, they are my new cousins, and first step-cousins, once removed, for my children, but clearly they are playmates for my munchkins. It all makes *somewhat* sense when you think about it. My mom, the eldest, is nine years older than her brother, the youngest, and he is nine years older than his new wife, who is nine years older than me.)<br />
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I was able to get some great photos, so here are a few more of my favorites.<br />
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We asked the minister to take a group photo of all of us, and I have to say, he did a pretty decent job.<br />
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And to end... the new happy family...<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-43545352768114225712014-10-21T10:45:00.001-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.986-06:00No longer my little pumpkins<div class="" style="clear: both;">
For Ryan's first Halloween, I couldn't resist having my own little pumpkin patch. </div>
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Through the years, we've parted with the smaller infant costume Ryan wore, but I've hung on to the 3T Alex wore. </div>
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And amazingly, it still (somewhat) fits them, Here they are at various points this year, worn while helping decorate for the funnest holiday of the year.</div>
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Okay, <i>maybe </i>this will be Alex's last time wearing it.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-25702860631766031062014-10-20T13:23:00.001-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.951-06:00Husbands are very handy... when one accidentally deletes all photos one took of one's family member's wedding when one was the official photographer for a small, intimate beach affair.<br />
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Thank you Carl for saving me from 1) a heart attack; 2) my uncle from killing me; 3) my new aunt from killing me; and 4) all of the above.<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-33632120606151035952014-10-13T10:25:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.967-06:00Portland or BustWe spent the last day of our time in the Pacific Northwest visiting Portland. (Well, the last day until our 5pm flight home, that is.)<br />
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Portland looks like a really fun, great, hip city.<br />
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One I would love to visit for a girls' weekend, or a couples' getaway.<br />
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But with my kids in tow... um, no. Portland was a bit of a bust.<br />
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We started with Powell's Bookstore, the largest independent bookstore in the country, and a Big Sister to our local Book People.<br />
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Powell's was cool, but I didn't have a chance to really explore any of it beyond the children's section.<br />
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I had planned a walking tour of downtown Portland, but that didn't work out so well. There are homeless people everywhere, and we encountered two people in particular who put us on alert with their loud ramblings and screechings walking behind us. Carl and I soon decided the walking tour would soon end.<br />
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Next on my list, Voodoo Doughnuts, which is supposed to be world-famous, and The Best Ever.<br />
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But... we waited in this line for 20 minutes, and then some guy came out to someone at what looked like the front of the line and announced he had a 30 minute wait at that point. I'm sorry, but no donut is worth what was looking like a two hour wait. Even one covered in m&ms (the Marshall Mathers donut).<br />
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So we tried the Saturday Farmer's Market - a market that reguarly makes the Top 10 best markets in the world, and which I had planned my PNW trip around to make sure we hit Portland on a Saturday.<br />
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And it was stunning.<br />
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With cheeses, and fruits, and lavenders.<br />
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But, alas, no bottled water or kids' drinks to be found (Ryan was "dying" of thirst at this point). The kids were not feeling the farmer's market love, and even I had to admit that it was slightly torturous seeing all these great things we couldn't buy and bring back with us since we were about to fly home.<br />
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So, next on my list - the aerial tram. A friend of mine from high school who works in transportation helped bring this tram to Portland, and she recommended it to me when I asked about things to do with kids in Portland.<br />
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I have to admit, the tram was pretty cool - it carries people up from the bottom of Portland to the top, and the boys really liked this.<br />
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We also had some great views.<br />
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Added bonus - we could finally see Mount Hood!<br />
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And, Mount Saint Helens!<br />
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And at the top of the train ride is a hospital, with some really nice outside platforms.<br />
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But truth be told, the best views of the day were on our ride home.<br />
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-hood-hood-river-and-fruit-loop.html">Mount Hood and Hood River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/columbia-river-gorge.html">Columbia River Gorge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-saint-helens.html">Mount Saint Helens National Mounument</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/10/mount-rainier.html">Mount Rainier National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-end-of-road-lewis-and-clark-and.html">The End of the Road: Lewis and Clark, and Cannon Beach</a></li>
<li>Portland or Bust</li>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-67972859162187904382014-10-09T14:16:00.001-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.045-06:00The End of the Road: Lewis and Clark, and Cannon Beach<br />
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Since we ended up spending unexpected time in the morning at Mount Rainier to make use of the sunlight, my plans for a day along the northern beaches of Oregon was shorted. So we hit what I considered the highlights for our family.<br />
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First, the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. The boys were pumped to get more Junior Ranger badges, and they both have a fascination with Lewis and Clark.<br />
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We had seen a bit of Lewis and Clark's journey last summer at Harper's Ferry, in West Virginia. That was at the start of their journey. In Oregon, we visited the ending part of their 2.5 year voyage across America, in Fort Clatsop.<br />
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They have a fascinating museum at the Visitor's Center, and a great movie to watch. Outside, their are replicas of the forts they built and lived in to wait out the winter before heading back east.<br />
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We took a picture of Alex with the Sacajawea statute, to go with his one of <a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-7-jamestown-big-boat-scavenger-hunt.html">he and Pocahontas in Jamestown. </a><br />
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And then we drove to Cannon Beach, to see its famous Haystack Rock.<br />
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My original itinerary had us spending several days in this area. Our final cut had us spending a day here, and then we ended up cutting it down to only a few hours to make room for sunny Mount Rainier. The right choice to make, but I'm glad we didn't cut it entirely.<br />
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It was a fantastic place to get out and stretch our legs after driving for a few hours.<br />
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To just run around and feel the sand and water under our toes.<br />
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Haystack Rock in particular is famous, and is seen in several movies, like <i>Goonies, 1941</i>, and <i>Kindergarten Cop</i>. It was lovely, but I'm not sure the ones we saw along the southern coast of Oregon weren't equally spectacular.<br />
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Hyatsack Rock is also home to some well-known tide pools.<br />
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The boys had never really seen any tide pools before, so this was a cool experience.<br />
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I had heard that the pools were home to lots of star fish. We didn't see any starfish, and the marine ranger I spoke with said that the starfish are significantly reduced this year, up and down the Pacific coast, and no one knows why. This made me sad, wondering what we were doing to our environment to hurt the starfish.<br />
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The ranger encouraged us to touch these little anemones, but only when they were completely submerged in water. The boys loved doing this!<br />
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As you can see, the beach was still pretty empty, other than these beach cyclers, and a few other folks at the tidepools. (<a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Again, why are Oregon beaches populated by so few people? I don't get it.</a>)<br />
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But that was A-OK with us to have the time to just be alone in this beautiful place.<br />
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Our most significant time at Cannon Beach, however, involved this baby seagull. He seemed a little lost, and Alex promptly fell in love with him.<br />
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You can see the two of them bonding together in the water here.<br />
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Alex spent close to 30 minutes walking around with the bird, and at one point, he decided to go into the water. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, but I had Alex leave him alone and let him be.<br />
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Sadly, a big grown-up seagull started hovering above him in the water. It looked like he was hurting the baby, but we couldn't tell if he was deliberately hurting him, or trying to help him. When the baby finally came back to land, he was all bloodied, and looked really bad. We got one of the beach rangers from the tidepools to come over, and he explained to us that seagulls are very territorial. And that they are known to attack and eat their young. This news saddened us to no end, but we were really glad that the ranger was able to go get some blankets and a crate and he was going to take him to a marine life rehabilitation center, where, hopefully the baby would get better and be able to come back home to Cannon Beach as an adult. The ranger was clever enough to not emphasize the "hopefully" part of his story so as far as my kids are concerned, we saved a baby seagull that day.<br />
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-hood-hood-river-and-fruit-loop.html">Mount Hood and Hood River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/columbia-river-gorge.html">Columbia River Gorge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-saint-helens.html">Mount Saint Helens National Mounument</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/10/mount-rainier.html">Mount Rainier National Park</a></li>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-27276500227136336692014-10-07T16:54:00.001-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.955-06:00Mount Rainier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZM6hGWR8rY/VAStqWC8ntI/AAAAAAAAS2Q/zWG-4Gkj1dA/s1600/IMG_9043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZM6hGWR8rY/VAStqWC8ntI/AAAAAAAAS2Q/zWG-4Gkj1dA/s1600/IMG_9043.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I can't say enough wonderful things about Mount Rainier National Park.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHMg2opoXC4/VASs5zEAvcI/AAAAAAAASzM/KgqDU2kRbeI/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHMg2opoXC4/VASs5zEAvcI/AAAAAAAASzM/KgqDU2kRbeI/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a>We had mostly bad weather for the majority of our time there. I was really disappointed, as the views I had been promised on the internet and in travel books were spectacular. The forecast was for great weather to appear on the day we were to leave. After talking things over with Carl, we decided to stay longer on our departure day, wake up early, and get a good 3-4 hours of sunlight views in before heading back to Oregon. Soooo glad we did it, because the views were, in a word, incomparable.<br />
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We loved our <a href="http://www.wildwoodatmtrainier.com/">rental house</a> in Ashford. The proximity to the park, the space, the hot tub, the decks, the back yard. Heaven.<br />
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There's a mountain beyond those trees, but who would know it?<br />
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The Nisqually River was raging out of control - I've never seen anything move that fast before. One of the rangers told me that when it rains, the river becomes a real force of nature. No kidding.<br />
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It was a beautiful location, and a fun hike down from the road, even if we were freezing. (Almost literally... it was 42F degrees).<br />
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This bridge was so cool, and the boys wanted nothing more than to cross it. But without a second railing, and on a rainy, slippery day? No way, jose.<br />
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As it was, I'm amazed I remained calm enough to take the pictures, as my safety side was screaming out of control.<br />
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With the bad weather, we were still able to see several of the beautiful waterfalls Mount Rainier has.<br />
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Narada Falls was incredible. It was a close contender for my favorite, although it was a long, steep hike down to the base of the waterfalls, and then once you are there, the spray from the falls was like Niagra Falls-intense. Which might have been welcome on a different day, but we were cold this day.<br />
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Here was a view of Narada form the top of the waterfall.<br />
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And mid-way down.<br />
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And at the end.<br />
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This photo shows the slick path we hiked down to get to the base of the waterfall to the left, and it also offered us our first glimpse of the mountain. The sky was thinking of clearing up a little bit, and would tease us with periodic views of parts of the mountain.<br />
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This waterfall we spotted off the road while we were driving back from Paradise (an area of the park where the visitor center is located).<br />
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We saw so many waterfalls in Mount Rainier, I can't even list them all.<br />
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Ryan was really fond of looking for them, and wanted his picture with all of them.<br />
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No matter how small they were.<br />
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We especially loved the still-frozen waterfalls.<br />
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And when we would just find big patches of snow that hadn't melted yet.<br />
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Bonus points for big patches of snow WITH multiple small waterfalls in the background.<br />
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And what is the fun of Texans finding snow in July without a snowball fight?<br />
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But my favorite waterfall was Christine Falls.<br />
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It was a double decker waterfall, which you could see from both sides of the main road.<br />
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And it looks completely different, depending on which side (and height) you are standing on.<br />
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In my opinion, the view is definitely the best when you climb down a bit to get the full effect of its beauty, with the bridge you drive on.<br />
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So glad we climbed down!<br />
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Now, contrast our first experience with the park's view on Thursday ...<br />
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With what we woke up to on Friday...<br />
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Sooooooo glad we re-arranged our schedule to give us this morning in sunny Mount Rainier!<br />
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Just driving through the trees, and seeing the sunlight shining through, we knew we were in store for something magical.<br />
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And it was.<br />
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Remember how Ryan was all excited about spotting waterfalls the day before? Well, today, it was all about the mountain views. He was even more into yelling "Mountain!" every time we would actually see a bit of the mountain. I love this child... Here was our first big glimpse of the mountain.<br />
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We were somewhere around 5000 feet elevation here - still a bit until we got to our hiking spot for the day.<br />
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"Mountain!!"<br />
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These are all so beautiful, I'm just going to let the pictures stand for themselves.<br />
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They don't call this "Paradise" for nothing...<br />
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<br />
<ul></ul>
<ul style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-hood-hood-river-and-fruit-loop.html">Mount Hood and Hood River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/columbia-river-gorge.html">Columbia River Gorge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-saint-helens.html">Mount Saint Helens National Mounument</a></li>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-51624273840430173352014-09-12T14:59:00.002-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.010-06:00Mount Saint Helens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3qllqSiBM9c/VASrJwvwyDI/AAAAAAAASu4/_DYeDCreijM/s1600/IMG_3011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3qllqSiBM9c/VASrJwvwyDI/AAAAAAAASu4/_DYeDCreijM/s1600/IMG_3011.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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After leaving the Columbia River Gorge, we drove up into Washington state and headed towards Mount St Helens. The drive itself was pretty disappointing. First of all, there was no "Welcome to Washington" sign. What?? How am I supposed to make a collage in the future of the kids entering all 50 states?? I even googled this, thinking we might re-cross the Columbia River for a photo op, but apparently other visitors are also frustrated. And then there was the weather - it was POURING rain, and we could barely see the cars in front of us, let alone any scenery. So I fretted for the most part of the next 1.5 hour drive about what to do. We were headed to Mount St. Helens, the volcano that famously erupted back in 1980, where the main reason to go is for the vistas of the devastation caused by the lava flows. At the cutoff from I-5 to begin the hour long one-way drive to the volcano, we pondered what to do over lunch at Burger King (yes, this was a *great* day so far). Since the visitor center run by the NPS got some rave reviews, we decided to go for it. That, and we read that you never know what will happen with mountains, so we could drive up and get lucky.<br />
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So we went. And got excited to see signs like these.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xu40SR1l0E/VASrBnctWLI/AAAAAAAAStw/OUCYykxipKk/s1600/20140723_135348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xu40SR1l0E/VASrBnctWLI/AAAAAAAAStw/OUCYykxipKk/s1600/20140723_135348.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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We geocahced a few times.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45-lGZJIuzg/VASrxLSUb6I/AAAAAAAASvs/MHn5-XaGJKs/s1600/20140723_141201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45-lGZJIuzg/VASrxLSUb6I/AAAAAAAASvs/MHn5-XaGJKs/s1600/20140723_141201.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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And got to the top to see fog, clouds, and rain. I had the boys pose with the interactive volcano inside the Visitor's Center, joking that they did get to see it, after all.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G54Up-nzL9A/VASr3hzW2QI/AAAAAAAASxA/UEkIDGxAbTQ/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G54Up-nzL9A/VASr3hzW2QI/AAAAAAAASxA/UEkIDGxAbTQ/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We watched a movie about the eruption, attended a Junior Ranger program, and learned a lot about that fateful day. The boys were fascinated, Carl was happy (this was his "must-see" addition to our trip), and even though we couldn't see the volcano, we felt the drive was worth it.<br />
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And then... during the junior ranger talk... a miracle happened. She pointed out that you could just start to see the right side of the mountain where the avalanche occurred (the sudden melting of the glaciers with the explosion caused an avalanche of water and mud and trees that caused more damage than the lava), and sure enough, there was the start of a mountain view.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w-uH1vffqO4/VASr3yGptUI/AAAAAAAASxE/C1nhpZjq3wo/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w-uH1vffqO4/VASr3yGptUI/AAAAAAAASxE/C1nhpZjq3wo/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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As the talk progressed, the sky cleared even more,<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2Ftvk-1cmQ/VASrzFF6PwI/AAAAAAAASwI/m5kke9GlceM/s1600/20140723_151144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2Ftvk-1cmQ/VASrzFF6PwI/AAAAAAAASwI/m5kke9GlceM/s1600/20140723_151144.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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And by the time we were outside...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZYnaNKLt0U/VASrFNelDbI/AAAAAAAASuQ/RXhp5Xb3Yxc/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZYnaNKLt0U/VASrFNelDbI/AAAAAAAASuQ/RXhp5Xb3Yxc/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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wow...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHa7sYSUio4/VASrBWhCZkI/AAAAAAAASto/_9wUImfhmzk/s1600/20140723_151740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHa7sYSUio4/VASrBWhCZkI/AAAAAAAASto/_9wUImfhmzk/s1600/20140723_151740.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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There it was.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOnitf6RYh8/VASrJX9mZDI/AAAAAAAASu0/GwQLRlJaRjU/s1600/IMG_3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOnitf6RYh8/VASrJX9mZDI/AAAAAAAASu0/GwQLRlJaRjU/s1600/IMG_3009.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a>Mount Saint Helens.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbTPMULKA10/VASrBpnNjII/AAAAAAAASts/MbQv1VM0NfM/s1600/20140723_152004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbTPMULKA10/VASrBpnNjII/AAAAAAAASts/MbQv1VM0NfM/s1600/20140723_152004.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can see the lava rivers, the regrowth, the mountain.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L-KldbbDfIY/VASrN3h46uI/AAAAAAAASvI/e6AAf5ya6aE/s1600/IMG_8978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L-KldbbDfIY/VASrN3h46uI/AAAAAAAASvI/e6AAf5ya6aE/s1600/IMG_8978.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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The mountain.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHrz30qXBsE/VASr1-UHmSI/AAAAAAAASwo/f3f2YxKu4Yk/s1600/20140723_152009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHrz30qXBsE/VASr1-UHmSI/AAAAAAAASwo/f3f2YxKu4Yk/s1600/20140723_152009.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were so very, very pleased.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J-3z2yci1PE/VASrD3ciRzI/AAAAAAAASuA/D8d2po3iIdo/s1600/20140723_153212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J-3z2yci1PE/VASrD3ciRzI/AAAAAAAASuA/D8d2po3iIdo/s1600/20140723_153212.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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And a little awestruck over our luck. Fifteen minutes after this picture was taken, the clouds were back, and our views were gone.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHMjMuS3PQA/VASrOeOXiyI/AAAAAAAASvM/3r-vI33m2EQ/s1600/IMG_8980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHMjMuS3PQA/VASrOeOXiyI/AAAAAAAASvM/3r-vI33m2EQ/s1600/IMG_8980.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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We still had a good 1.5 hour drive to reach our lodging for the night, just outside Mount Rainier National Park. The two mountains are only 35 miles away from each other, but you can't drive as the crow flies, so it takes a while. We didn't mind this last bit of the drive, though. We had seen our volcano.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mNKF61M2FIE/VASrGh35C8I/AAAAAAAASug/HghsBPfqW2g/s1600/IMG_3008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mNKF61M2FIE/VASrGh35C8I/AAAAAAAASug/HghsBPfqW2g/s1600/IMG_3008.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And a double rainbow to end the day doesn't hurt, either. Just another little sign that someone up there likes us.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_06bwiaM4A/VASrJXpyWWI/AAAAAAAASuw/PJmMzHPtTGA/s1600/IMG_3013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_06bwiaM4A/VASrJXpyWWI/AAAAAAAASuw/PJmMzHPtTGA/s1600/IMG_3013.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-hood-hood-river-and-fruit-loop.html">Mount Hood/Hood River, and the Fruit Loop</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/columbia-river-gorge.html">Columbia River Gorge</a></li>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-63941270087236037802014-09-11T15:23:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.039-06:00Columbia River Gorge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The Columbia River Gorge, and its seventy-plus waterfalls, was high on list of places to visit. its centerpiece waterfall, </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Multnomah Falls is one of the world's most famous, and at 620 feet total, its the tallest in the state of Oregon, and the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the United States.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4kS1R0LkhDE/VASqMQGTjaI/AAAAAAAASsI/EWhg7acK-gE/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4kS1R0LkhDE/VASqMQGTjaI/AAAAAAAASsI/EWhg7acK-gE/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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It was also seen in one of my favorite movies, that was supposedly set in Washington, but was actually filmed primarily in Oregon (but shhhh.. don't tell Carl that's why I had to see it).</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EqKVlLE3WSI/VAjNnRBsBFI/AAAAAAAATKc/8vvVrCfnQyA/s1600/img.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EqKVlLE3WSI/VAjNnRBsBFI/AAAAAAAATKc/8vvVrCfnQyA/s1600/img.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was all set to enjoy seeing waterfall after waterfall on our drive this day, but, alas, the rain had different plans for me. I hopped out at Latourell Falls, but the rest of the family stayed in the car.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I_YftMUfEIU/VASqMumALoI/AAAAAAAASsM/nq-KjQg_njU/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I_YftMUfEIU/VASqMumALoI/AAAAAAAASsM/nq-KjQg_njU/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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We did all get out for the big one, Multonomah Falls, but I'm pretty sure the only reason they humored me was 1) Ryan saw a gift shop, 2) Alex had to go to the bathroom, and 3) I promised this would be the only waterfall.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-itSjGaVAH9I/VASqdi2QNII/AAAAAAAASs4/4gO3LdBM9DA/s1600/IMG_8970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-itSjGaVAH9I/VASqdi2QNII/AAAAAAAASs4/4gO3LdBM9DA/s1600/IMG_8970.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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This picture cracks me up because we all look so wet and miserable.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NcTu7tG13ok/VASqjEDqOzI/AAAAAAAAStQ/C-DPQ1YVIEo/s1600/IMG_8965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NcTu7tG13ok/VASqjEDqOzI/AAAAAAAAStQ/C-DPQ1YVIEo/s1600/IMG_8965.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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I loved seeing Multnomah Falls, rain and all. After all, its the cold, dark, wet spots where I'm most likely to encounter a certain vampire.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYalvkSA5A/VASqmI6FhYI/AAAAAAAAStc/j9xJ17F71YU/s1600/IMG_8977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYalvkSA5A/VASqmI6FhYI/AAAAAAAAStc/j9xJ17F71YU/s1600/IMG_8977.JPG" height="640" width="474" /></a></div>
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Bucket list accomplished!<br />
<br />
<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mount-hood-hood-river-and-fruit-loop.html">Mount Hood, Hood River, and the Fruit Loop</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-60571218016868145562014-09-09T10:43:00.002-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.028-06:00Mount Hood, Hood River, and the Fruit Loop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The fourth day of our trip was spent driving from Bend up Mount Hood and then down Mount Hood to the Hood River Valley.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AtyHOHeDdTs/VAEubCkKRFI/AAAAAAAASkY/bhsXJb7lqEo/s1600/IMG_2972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AtyHOHeDdTs/VAEubCkKRFI/AAAAAAAASkY/bhsXJb7lqEo/s1600/IMG_2972.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a>Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon, and the fourth highest mountain in the Cascade range that stretches from California up to Washington. It hosts year-round skiing, a famous lodge where the Shining was filmed with fantastic views, and summertime Alpine sledding. So OF COURSE we were there on a cloudy, rainy day. Here was our view up at Timberline Lodge, where we stopped for lunch.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QU5OytTkf5k/VAEuXpWkGdI/AAAAAAAASkE/oayUkDKU1II/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QU5OytTkf5k/VAEuXpWkGdI/AAAAAAAASkE/oayUkDKU1II/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just compare that to our view the evening before, outside of Bend, where we had stopped for the night. We had just spotted a buffalo, and its not everyday we see one of those, so we stopped the car and went to take a closer look. When I looked back and saw we had captured the mountains off in the distance, I just about cried. This was what my views were supposed to be like (but closer).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GXHpLLZb7sA/VAEujh3SUVI/AAAAAAAASlY/fGDxtR1MW-Q/s1600/IMG_8923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GXHpLLZb7sA/VAEujh3SUVI/AAAAAAAASlY/fGDxtR1MW-Q/s1600/IMG_8923.JPG" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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So because of the weather, we skipped Adventure Park, and just went to Timberline Lodge. Its a famous sort of hotel that a lot of guidebooks and travel folks say you should stop at. And it was pretty cool. But the practically freezing temperatures (in the 40s, and for Texans, that is below-freezing) and windy rain kept us from doing anything outside, even appreciating the snow.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMi9TpaLYos/VAExVfHLnaI/AAAAAAAASnM/4iPtbdH7RpQ/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMi9TpaLYos/VAExVfHLnaI/AAAAAAAASnM/4iPtbdH7RpQ/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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After lunch, I tried to keep an open mind about the rest of the day. I was excited to be going on the Hood River's famous "Fruit Loop," which takes you to all sorts of locally-owned wineries, fruit orchards where you can pick your own cherries, and a lavender farm. We did some geocaches, and passed some interesting places, like finding ourselves in the middle of the world.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s37dlvYIus4/VAEuRFulKnI/AAAAAAAASjQ/M_d4-SiUqlU/s1600/20140722_110515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s37dlvYIus4/VAEuRFulKnI/AAAAAAAASjQ/M_d4-SiUqlU/s1600/20140722_110515.jpg" height="640" width="386" /></a></div>
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By the time we were down in the valley, the rain had mostly stopped. It was drizzling off an on, but for the most part, we could still have fun. Except that the only way to pick the cherries is to climb a ladder, and you had to be 18 to climb the ladder. Way to build it up for Team Danger.<br />
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We drowned our sorrows at a wine tasting, and let the boys play on their tablets for a good half hour.<br />
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Then it was time to make our way to a lavender farm, where you can cut your own lavender.<br />
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The rain had stopped, thankfully, and it was lovely.<br />
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Over 70 varieties of lavender, and I loved getting to smell and cut all sorts of different varietals of my favorite herb.<br />
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The lavender helped keep our car smelling nice for the rest of the trip.<br />
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The boys weren't as in to the lavender picking as I was.<br />
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Carl definitely wasn't as in to the lavender picking as I was (he grudgingly came out of the car to take this picture).<br />
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And it was a lovely experience, and I came home with a nice souvenir bottle of Hood River Lavender lotion, but... I can't help it. My views were supposed to look <a href="http://mthoodterritory.wordpress.com/tag/infinity-loop/">like this</a> while we were in lavender heaven.<br />
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Also on the Fruit Loop: a llama farm and yarn shop.<br />
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The boys enjoyed the llama farm.<br />
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I think it was their favorite part of the Fruit Loop.<br />
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I wanted to stop at some more wineries or fruit farms, but then I remembered I was with Team Danger. The fact that I got Ryan to hop out of the car and snap this photo when we passed a particularly lovely vista is a miracle. He's smiling because he knows he's about five minutes away from the hotel.<br />
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So off to the hotel we went. Our hotel was right along the Columbia River, and the views were lovely. We loved looking across at Washington, a state we had never been to and which was SO CLOSE, and yet we still had to wait until tomorrow to cross over.<br />
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The restaurant inside the hotel was listed as one of the town's best spots, so we just camped in. <br />
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We were given fantastic spots outside, and despite the earlier rains and clouds, the view was incredible. (Yep, still bitter about earlier)<br />
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The boys swam for a long, long time, and the adults read on our kindles with a some new Oregon wine, enjoying watching the sun set. A great, relaxing evening.<br />
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The first part of our day was my least favorite time on our trip. But the end was so nice, it almost made up for it.<br />
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/crater-lake-national-park.html">Crater Lake National Park</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-58942871516041362152014-09-08T11:37:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.027-06:00Crater Lake National Park<a href="http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm">Crater Lake National Park</a> is one of those places I've dreamed of going to for decades. When I originally added Oregon to my Top 40 Travel Bucket List, Crater Lake was pretty much the reason I included Oregon. Would it live up to my really, really high expectations? Especially with Team Danger in tow?<br />
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Yes!!!<br />
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And, wow!!!<br />
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Crater Lake is a giant volcano (Mount Mazama) that erupted thousands of years ago, creating a giant caldera, and forming the deepest lake in the United States.<br />
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Its also reputed to be the cleanest and bluest lake in the United States.<br />
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No boats are allowed on the lake other than the one run by the national park service, and it only has limited runs each day.<br />
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We were soooo excited to have our fist glimpse of snow here at Crater Lake.<br />
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That's right. Snow. In JULY.<br />
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My Texas family didn't know what to do with themselves. Besides a snowball fight, that is. With another family hailing from a southern state.<br />
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We had bought sandwiches for a picnic at the lake, and we found what I think had to be the best picnic spot EVER.<br />
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We didn't eat at the official picnic locations, because those tables didn't have views of the lake. I mean... why? Why would you want to eat there when you could be here?<br />
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That little island in the lake is known as Wizard's Island, which is its own volcano, cleverly forming a volcano inside a lake inside a volcano.<br />
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Our picnic here, with Carl and I sitting under a tree, and the boys on these rocks, looking out at this lake... wow... this will go down as one of my top memories of all time.<br />
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We drove the whole rim of the lake, which is 33 miles around. It takes a while, because there were waterfalls to see.<br />
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Falling rocks to avoid (and to wait in a non-moving line for 45 minutes while they cleared the roads from falling rocks.)<br />
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Visitor Centers for Junior Ranger programs.<br />
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And more unbelievable views to see. Look at those clouds!<br />
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Even the views of the <i><b>other </b></i>side of the road, away from Crater Lake, were spectacular.<br />
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Although just maybe they could have a few guard rails?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzQP3sKMxHs/VAEr5J7b09I/AAAAAAAASfI/rNPGPRSmX8A/s1600/IMG_8857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzQP3sKMxHs/VAEr5J7b09I/AAAAAAAASfI/rNPGPRSmX8A/s1600/IMG_8857.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>I'm so happy when reality exceeds my expectations, and it did here at Crater Lake.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjBJXBJX8VU/VAEs1dIBjuI/AAAAAAAAShw/vp-Vxigt3Oo/s1600/IMG_8895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjBJXBJX8VU/VAEs1dIBjuI/AAAAAAAAShw/vp-Vxigt3Oo/s1600/IMG_8895.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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What we didn't do - the boat ride. I was a bit nervous about the walk down and up to the lake, which they website warned you was only for the most physically fit, and that it takes several hours to go back up the steep climb (the rim is at an elevation of 8000 feet high, and the lake is at 6000 feet... that's a lot of feet). We also didn't do the official tour bus that gets good reviews. But it would have cost us around $80 for the four of us, and I just felt that money could be better spent elsewhere, and that the kids would be happier in their own car.<br />
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I wasn't able to get us a room for the night inside the park. Since most of the rim's drive is only open for 2-3 months a year due to snow, the times it is open the park is packed. Crater Lake is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so our lodging options for the night were few and far between. The drive to Bend was long, but only about 45 minutes further along our drive than my first available rooms, and I thought Bend looked like it was worth that extra drive (it was). If I ever plan another trip out to Crater Lake, I'll definitely do my best to book at the one year mark for rooms inside the park.<br />
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But even without staying in the park, and without doing the bot or bus tours, we still felt like we had a good chance to experience Crater Lake. Its a true wonder of the world.<br />
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<br />
<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-rogue-umpqua-scenic-byway.html">The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-50904677545351597542014-09-05T10:29:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.007-06:00The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway To get from Reedsport, Oregon to Crater Lake National Park, via our hotel stop for the night in Roseburg, we had to drive along Highway 138, more commonly known as the Umpqua River Scenic Byway and the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway. Try saying that name twice.<br />
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Its actually two different byways. The first byway goes from Reedsport to Roseburg, and we drove alongside the Umpqua River, seeing beautiful sights.<br />
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And a herd of Roosevelt elk.<br />
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The scenery was so unexpected on this last part of our drive for the night, a drive I was dreading after our dune buggy.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s1DZbfoD7r4/VAEp9zIDhSI/AAAAAAAASak/bIeCmq4oDKw/s1600/IMG_8792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s1DZbfoD7r4/VAEp9zIDhSI/AAAAAAAASak/bIeCmq4oDKw/s1600/IMG_8792.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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We had stopped for the night in Roseburg, and this was the view from our hotel balcony. Not bad for an under $100/night Holiday Inn!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLRWpbQxGrU/VAEqnJ_LpRI/AAAAAAAAScw/0gjG4fM7OoU/s1600/IMG_8802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLRWpbQxGrU/VAEqnJ_LpRI/AAAAAAAAScw/0gjG4fM7OoU/s1600/IMG_8802.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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The second byway, the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, starts in Roseburg and takes you out almost to Crater Lake.<br />
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Wow.<br />
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What a drive.<br />
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I've been on some beautiful roads before, but this might be the most beautiful of all.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSA5ztzctfU/VAEq6BsGC6I/AAAAAAAASdw/ENdnFLIIwQE/s1600/IMG_8826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSA5ztzctfU/VAEq6BsGC6I/AAAAAAAASdw/ENdnFLIIwQE/s1600/IMG_8826.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>We were just amazed.<br />
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The wildflowers were incredible - these stunningly vibrant pinks and purples, and it just got better and better with every turn. None of my wildflower pictures came out well since I took them out of a moving car window (Carl was anxious to get to Crater Lake). <br />
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You can also sorta see the wildflowers here.<br />
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And some here.<br />
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This river may have been my favorite section of the drive.<br />
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It was so... GREEN.<br />
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We loved this bridge (Tioga Bridge) we spotted, and decided we just had to pull over and check it out.<br />
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It was very cool, and even the boys were intrigued.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cYnjtdhSndE/VAEqIMKdC-I/AAAAAAAASbE/IDLChBhpzB4/s1600/IMG_8817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cYnjtdhSndE/VAEqIMKdC-I/AAAAAAAASbE/IDLChBhpzB4/s1600/IMG_8817.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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(They weren't quite as into the drive's beauty as the adults.)<br />
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Its apparently known as the "Road of Waterfalls," which doesn't surprise me. We must have passed signs for at least five different waterfalls. We didn't stop at them, though, which is sad, but we were all anxious to reach Crater Lake. If I had this trip to plan over again, I would have made sure I had lodging in Crater Lake for the night (we couldn't get a room) and spent more time on the drive to get there. Possibly even try whitewater rafting like we saw others doing.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-je3E4SyiM/VAEqaFMht9I/AAAAAAAASb4/JZOFwpbE35k/s1600/IMG_8829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-je3E4SyiM/VAEqaFMht9I/AAAAAAAASb4/JZOFwpbE35k/s1600/IMG_8829.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>A lot of people tried to talk me out of going to Crater Lake, claiming it was too far inland and too far out of our way and not worth the effort to get there. A few even sited the slow, difficult, winding roads you have to take to get there. I've rarely been so relieved I trusted my gut and ignored them, and found a way to work Crater Lake into our trip. It would have been a huge loss to have missed this drive.<br />
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Oh ... remember our bridge? We couldn't believe it when we ate dinner at one point during the trip and the ketchup bottle Ryan was brought had this label. Too cool!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGBKnlJHFAY/VAEp2YhOOlI/AAAAAAAASaQ/InqSHsnfrIE/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGBKnlJHFAY/VAEp2YhOOlI/AAAAAAAASaQ/InqSHsnfrIE/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/riding-oregon-dunes.html">Riding the Oregon Dunes </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-20497406452978576052014-09-04T11:14:00.002-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.939-06:00Riding the Oregon Dunes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kgt-3YZEfHI/VAEeQ6O003I/AAAAAAAASSs/d9bBP7FZAIo/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kgt-3YZEfHI/VAEeQ6O003I/AAAAAAAASSs/d9bBP7FZAIo/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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After our jet boats, we had about a two hour drive north along 101 to reach the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where we had plans to rent an ATV and drive on the sand dunes.<br />
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We rented a four-seater vehicle, and designated Carl as our driver.<br />
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I was a bit worried about getting sand in our camera, so most of these photos were taken with my iPhone.<br />
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The dunes were beautiful.<br />
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Riding a sand dune buggy through them is definitely the way to view them.<br />
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We only rented the ATV for an hour, so we didn't have time to go all the way out to the beach (you need the two hour rental to do so).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yJfAKcSiaXc/VAEeqWdp96I/AAAAAAAAST8/2AXNfBIH-W0/s1600/IMG_8785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yJfAKcSiaXc/VAEeqWdp96I/AAAAAAAAST8/2AXNfBIH-W0/s1600/IMG_8785.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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But that was fine for us. Especially since only 3/4 of Team Danger was loving the ATV (and I wasn't the hold out).<br />
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Before we could rent the ATV, we had to sit though a fifteen minute video showing us how to properly drive/ride, and how to avoid death, dismemberment, tip-overs, suffocating, running out of gas, running out of time, and all sorts of unpleasantness. It made the lawyer in me squirm, it made Carl seriously doubt we would ever see our $500 deposit again, and apparently, it put the feat of death into Ryan. Alex, it just frustrated because he didn't understand why he was a back-seat passenger in a four seater ATV when there were clearly children smaller than him driving their OWN ATVs. And some of them were <i>girls</i>, to add insult to his injury. Our enjoyment of our sand dunes was marred by "Go faster!"s from Alex and "Slow Down!"s and "Let's go back!"s from Ryan. He looks kind of happy here, but that's because we were on our way back at this point.<br />
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All in all, the Oregon Dunes were a hit. Its an unusual natural landscape, and we experienced it the Team Danger way.<br />
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-beautiful-rogue-river.html">The Beautiful Rogue River</a></li>
<li>Riding the Oregon Dunes </li>
</ul>
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-18529729895221003472014-09-02T12:53:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:46.935-06:00The Beautiful Rogue River<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our first full day in Oregon (and our second official day of our family vacation) started with an amazing jet boat ride along the Rogue River.<br />
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As you leave Gold Beach, you head under this bridge along the Rogue River.<br />
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Where they snap this touristy photo we just had to purchase. I'm a sucker, I know.<br />
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The weather was funky. We started out the morning freezing, and wearing two jackets each.<br />
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Getting wet while it was cold didn't help matter much. Fortunately, they have blankets on the boats for you to use.<br />
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But when the sun was out, and we weren't moving as fast, we were roasting. I'd brought changes of clothes for the kids, and those shirts and shorts came in handy.<br />
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I can't tell you how much we loved the jet boat. Maybe these happy faces convey our joy?<br />
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This was so much fun!<br />
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And amazingly beautiful.<br />
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(yes, you'll hear those words from me a lot during this trip)<br />
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We went on the six hour ride, after debating a lot between the four hours and the eight hours.<br />
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The ride starts off nice and gentle, and you see all sorts of amazing wildlife.<br />
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Like bald eagles!<br />
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And bald eagle nests!<br />
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And bald eagles in flight!<br />
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And more bald eagles!<br />
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And more bald eagles in flight!<br />
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And other really cool birds and fowl the guide was excited to point out to us, but which I can't recall.<br />
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I am not a birding person... sorry.<br />
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The views were amazing, and these pictures don't really do it justice.<br />
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The trees were humongous, and you can kind of get an idea of their vast size when you see this picture of another jet boat that was exactly our size in comparison.<br />
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We went through a few smaller rapids before we stopped for a snack and bathroom break, but for the most part, this was a slower, relaxing ride.<br />
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The animals are out more in the morning (our boat departed at 8:15am, and after I understood about the animals out mostly in the morning, I grasped why I had to be at the docks by 7:45am). See how slow moving it was? Ryan was even able to stand up at one point.<br />
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But after our snack break, we put on the lifejackets, and it was time for the rapids.<br />
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This was by FAR Team Danger's favorite part of the boat ride, and the driver does a great job of spinning you around in circles to make sure everyone gets wet, too.<br />
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The boys LOVED this.<br />
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Loved, loved, LOVED the rapids. My rapids photos don't really show the rapids, because I was worried about my camera or phone when we would approach them and put it away. But you can kind of tell how fast we are moving here based on Alex's hair.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xCDZ0AWpcnU/VAEo55LYpgI/AAAAAAAASY4/8q7Bhy-hF2Q/s1600/IMG_8739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xCDZ0AWpcnU/VAEo55LYpgI/AAAAAAAASY4/8q7Bhy-hF2Q/s1600/IMG_8739.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>We had about an hour lunch break which came at a good time - there is only so much spinning and rapids one can do. It was a long hike up to our buffet lunch, but the views were worth it.<br />
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And then it was time for more rapids.<br />
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And more spinning.<br />
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The jet boats along Rogue River were a highlight of our trip, and I'm so glad we did it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6khc9GMVtjU/VAFIw03utjI/AAAAAAAASpU/DDbRmdlMOmw/s1600/IMG_2926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6khc9GMVtjU/VAFIw03utjI/AAAAAAAASpU/DDbRmdlMOmw/s1600/IMG_2926.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a>Five stars from Team Danger!<br />
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(Bald eagle also gives it two talons up)<br />
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<u>More about this Trip:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/southern-oregons-101-beaches.html">Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</a></li>
<li></li>
</ul>
Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-68467131917534053762014-08-30T14:48:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.046-06:00Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Highway 101 is known for its beautiful coastline.<br />
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So of course we had to stop and visit several beaches between the Redwoods and our destination for the evening, Gold Beach.<br />
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We passed so many beautiful beaches, we couldn't possibly see them all.<br />
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Maybe we got out at four at five or them?<br />
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I lost track.<br />
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I couldn't begin to find a favorite.<br />
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They were all so unique, so beautiful, so relaxing.<br />
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I especially loved how we pretty much always had the beaches to ourselves.<br />
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Where were the people?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1OnhGibeE2M/U_LONacXgAI/AAAAAAAAR8o/5ELfT6nBj_4/s1600/IMG_8504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1OnhGibeE2M/U_LONacXgAI/AAAAAAAAR8o/5ELfT6nBj_4/s1600/IMG_8504.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a> I mean, these beaches were amazing. Why weren't people flocking here in droves?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bkkfizQICo/U_LOfw6r7LI/AAAAAAAAR-A/7JsYk7y9PQE/s1600/IMG_8573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bkkfizQICo/U_LOfw6r7LI/AAAAAAAAR-A/7JsYk7y9PQE/s1600/IMG_8573.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I didn't get it at all.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5PBFpYuWeY/U_LPSWjnWDI/AAAAAAAASDE/JTv_edvWLm0/s1600/IMG_8420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5PBFpYuWeY/U_LPSWjnWDI/AAAAAAAASDE/JTv_edvWLm0/s1600/IMG_8420.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>Unless it was because the water was freeing?<br />
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You'll notice Carl and I were smart enough to have our jackets on.<br />
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The kids were cold, too, but they'll never admit it.<br />
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Our time on these beaches might have been my favorite time of the whole trip.<br />
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As I watched the kids run around and play without a care in the world, I sat down a piece of driftwood, and thought to myself ... <i>This. </i><br />
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<i>This is what family travel is all about. </i><br />
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<i><br /></i>
<i>Getting away and creating amazing, unique memories that only the four of you share. </i><br />
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<i>Experiencing new places together, and finding the unexpected jobs in beautiful, empty beaches in Oregon.</i><br />
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For instance, we were fascinated by these creatures we saw, and not sure what they were. We talked about them a lot. It was only later, after we got home, t<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/19/us/california-sea-creatures/index.html?hpt=hp_c3">hat I found out they are called By the Wind Sailors</a>, and it is some sort of unknown current mystery as to why billions of these creatures are suddenly appearing for the first time along the beaches of Washington, Oregon, and now California. And I doubt that anyone of us will ever forget the time we encountered thousands of By the Wind Sailors on the beaches of Oregon. Ryan was fascinated with other beach finds, as well.<br />
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Wonderful, wonderful times.<br />
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Its also interesting to see the different skies and weather we encountered.<br />
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We drove in and out of fog and sunshine, cold and heat.<br />
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Welcome to the Pacific Northwest. ;)<br />
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Where you can experience all four seasons, in one day.<br />
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I'm sure it has something to do with us being from Texas, but anytime we can get our feet into the ocean, it's an amazing feeling.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BqnzS2ei8aE/U_LPcGPTj9I/AAAAAAAASDs/AL9GJ8SQz6c/s1600/IMG_8514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BqnzS2ei8aE/U_LPcGPTj9I/AAAAAAAASDs/AL9GJ8SQz6c/s1600/IMG_8514.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>The boys were over the moon to spot a whale.<br />
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Can you see it?<br />
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Carl and I still aren't certain it wasn't just a few well-placed rocks, but as far as the boys are concerned, we saw a whale.<br />
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It looks like a tail, right?<br />
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We geocached about five or six times on this drive, but we only found two (or three?) of them. It became something of a joke, because the Oregon geocaches were hard and we had to give up on so many of them, or else we would have never made it to Gold Beach for the night.<br />
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You also might notice Ryan went through about three costume changes during this drive, since he completely ignored my pleas to not get wet after declining to put his bathing suit on. He finally got smart by this beach. ;)<br />
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Since we were staying at a town called GOLD Beach, I felt we needed to be at the beach for a beautiful sunset. We drove out to this beach and prepared to be awed.<br />
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Unfortunately,as you can see below, the land curved in a lot, so we soon realized the sun was going to set over that jetty.<br />
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We ran back to our car and drove like mad out on to that jetty, so that we could find a good sunset viewpoint.<br />
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The water is just beyond these grassy marshes, but it doesn't really show with the sun's glare.<br />
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Still, it was beautiful.<br />
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And I simply<i> adore </i>the way these photos turned out.<br />
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It was also FREEZING out on the jetty, with the wind whipping around us. The temperatures were in the low fifties earlier in the day, and now that the sun was setting, whoa... we Texans didn't know how to handle this kind of cold. ;)<br />
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I gave Alex my jacket to wear, after promising him I wouldn't ever show anyone these pictures.<br />
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Sorry, Alex. Who knew this would be my favorite of the whole trip?<br />
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Our Gold Beach sunset.<br />
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A perfect end, to our perfect day.<br />
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Read More about this Trip!</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/summer-vacay-2014-pacific-northwest.html">Summer Vacation 2014: the Pacific Northwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/heading-north-to-willow-creek.html">Heading North to Willow Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theadventuresofteamdanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/californias-redwood-national-and-state.html">Redwood National and State Parks, California</a></li>
<li>Southern Oregon's 101 Beaches</li>
</ul>
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Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176105567433337925.post-80557219536984039002014-08-29T11:02:00.000-05:002024-01-27T15:47:47.067-06:00Heading North to Willow Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After my time spent with my brother's family, I had a long six-hour drive by myself to make up from the greater San Francisco area to Willow Creek to join Carl and the boys.<br />
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When I was plotting this trip, I had two routes as an option. Highway 101 is a famous, scenic drive would give me higher potential for views of the Pacific coastline - but it was estimated to be about an hour longer in length for me, not to mention I think I would have hit some rush-hour traffic going towards and around SF that way. Since I was doing this drive solo, I opted for the shorter, easier route, and the one that looked like it would be against the way all those commuters would be traveling.<br />
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And I'm so glad I did! It was stunningly beautiful, especially once I got off I-5 in Redding and hopped on Highway 299. First, I saw brown tourist signs in Redding for the Sundial Bridge.<br />
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Which was stunningly beautiful, and one of the more unique bridges I've seen. It actually tells time, with its giant sundial!<br />
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And then the rest of the drive... whoa... it was one breathtaking view after another.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.nps.gov/whis/index.htm">Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area</a> may have been my favorite.<br />
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I need to plan a way to go back and just spend some time there, because it was incredible.<br />
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Suffice it to say, my drive took a bit longer than expected because I was stopping the car so many times.<br />
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I spent well over seven hours on my drive. But the time flew by because I was enjoying myself so much. You just don't get scenery like this back in Texas every day.<br />
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Finally, I found my way to Carl's uncle's property, which had no address, I just had to count mileage and look for the "green gate." These landmarks also helped let me know I had found the correct green gate. Yay for little boys!<br />
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I was so happy to be reunited with my munchkins. Fourteen days apart was the longest we've ever been, and I missed these little rascals. They quickly updated me on everything they had been up to while they were gone. Like hunting for Big Foot and finding his foot prints...<br />
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Chopping wood and stacking it...<br />
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Building a flag pole for Uncle Louie...<br />
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Feeding the deer every night ...<br />
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Making smores in the firepit...<br />
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And just having a great time.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxAbAFdbQek/U-hRL5UGkQI/AAAAAAAARqk/xRWKnJ-KNvM/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxAbAFdbQek/U-hRL5UGkQI/AAAAAAAARqk/xRWKnJ-KNvM/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Carl and I feel very blessed that his family opened their doors to us to give the boys such a great experience this summer. How lucky they were to see vistas like this everyday for two weeks!<br />
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<br />Annalynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16383243403986219687noreply@blogger.com0