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Last weekend we went to Seaquest State Park for a group camping trip. There was a group of 5 yurts together and we had connections with each of the families in the yurts. We hung around the fire and shared meals while the kids enjoyed 2 days straight of uninterrupted playtime (much of it outside in nature nonetheless) very nice experience that I hope to repeat sometime again soon. A sampling of photos:
Silly Kids
More Silly Kids
Happy Kids
Pretty Pretty
Little Helicoptor pilot
Don't jump!
Family Shot
Today we decided to officially give up on the Disney plan for this year (which is ok by me 'cuz I wanted to put it off for awhile anyway). IF we do adopt this baby, I don't want to go there with a 3 mos. old. Plus, we're going to need to save everything we can to pay for the adoption expenses. We do have 2 small trips planned for this winter/spring and 2 camping (yurting) trips planned for this summer, but I'm afraid the yurt trips will probably have to be canceled as well.
This is all really ok with me because I'd like to save our credits up for 2009 when we celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary--wow! Time flies...
Anyway, we'd like to go on a big trip for our 10 year and I was afraid going to Disney in 2008 wouldn't leave us enough credits/$$ to go anywhere good. But, now it looks like we will get a cool trip and I think we've unofficially decided on .............. Mexico! Here's the place we're thinking of. I'd like to get off the beaten track and explore a bit, so if it looks doable we'll probably do a week at the touristy spot and then another week elsewhere.
Now all we have to figure out is how to get any anniversary-celebrating time on a vacation with kiddos. Considering bringing someone with us so we can have at least one date, but haven't really decided yet. We've got a year and a half to figure it out so we'll see what happens...
- Mood:
happy
Day one:
The drive is just over 5 hours and we got off to a late start because we had so many things to take care of at home before we left :( The worst part about this trip was definitely the fact that it came 4 days after another trip. So I had a ton of things to take care of (including 50+ lbs of tomatoes to can) between the 2 trips.
We stopped at Salt creek falls, which is just about half way. There is a very nice (short) trail to the waterfall's head and a longer trail down to the bottom of the falls. Because of the rain, we didn't go all the way down, but we did enjoy the view at the top of the falls.
Salt Creek
Salt Creek Falls
Silly & I on the trail
After our stops, it was pretty late when we got to Klamath Falls, and dark when we got to our room. We stayed at the Running Y ranch, care of our Worldmark credits. I have to say that we're really enjoying the timeshare thing. It makes planning vacations so much easier and by covering a big chunk of the cost, we're so much more likely to go on vacation. Plus, the resorts are always nice. It's like staying in a condo--usually with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. Unlike a hotel, they only clean up after you leave so you don't have strangers in your room, going through your stuff everyday. Here are some pics of the room:
Kitchen, fully stocked (the wallpaper seemed less obnoxious in person)
Dining room, with a full size table and balcony off the side with a grill
Living room, pretty comfy
Day two:
Day 2 was a laid-back day. After all the driving the day before we just wanted to chill out and get settled. The weather was decent for this time of year, a bit cool but sunny. We explored downtown Klamath falls and did some grocery shopping. We really enjoyed Nibley's restaurant/bakery and would highly recommend it to anyone in the area (take home some fresh baked bread!). We also liked Young at Heart toys downtown. They had some great stuff, including an awesome selection of Haba games.
When we got back to the resort we did a bit of exploring. Went to lake and saw some deer. I would have liked to bike/horseride around the resort, but were trying to vacation on limited funds (sigh).
Here are some pics of the view from the resort:
Klamath Lake from up high
Klamath Lake up close and personal
Daddy & Silly at the lake
A Slough to the west
A turtle in our path
Deer everywhere!
More views from above
Daddy & Silly also had fun playing at the pretty man-made water feature near the entrance of the resort
Silly was disappointed that there weren't any ducks in the ponds
Day 2 was a laid-back day. After all the driving the day before we just wanted to chill out and get settled. The weather was decent for this time of year, a bit cool but sunny. We explored downtown Klamath falls and did some grocery shopping. We really enjoyed Nibley's restaurant/bakery and would highly recommend it to anyone in the area (take home some fresh baked bread!). We also liked Young at Heart toys downtown. They had some great stuff, including an awesome selection of Haba games.
When we got back to the resort we did a bit of exploring. Went to lake and saw some deer. I would have liked to bike/horseride around the resort, but were trying to vacation on limited funds (sigh).
Here are some pics of the view from the resort:
Klamath Lake from up high
Klamath Lake up close and personal
Daddy & Silly at the lake
A Slough to the west
A turtle in our path
Deer everywhere!
More views from above
Daddy & Silly also had fun playing at the pretty man-made water feature near the entrance of the resort
Silly was disappointed that there weren't any ducks in the ponds
Day three:
Day 3 had the best weather forecast of the week (67 & sunny) so I thought we'd better take advantage of it and visit Crater Lake. I was nervous about snow on the mountain and the ranger said that the rim drive had been closed the day before but was open for us. They were expecting snow the next day as well, so we made it just in time (oh the trials of traveling in the off season!). The Lake was beautiful, of course, and Lilly had fun playing in the snow. I picked up some great nature/activity books to keep her occupied in the car as it was about an hour from the resort.
Crater Lake, oh so blue!
Daddy & Silly with Wizard Island in the background
Look at that snow!
Making snowballs to throw at Daddy
Day 3 had the best weather forecast of the week (67 & sunny) so I thought we'd better take advantage of it and visit Crater Lake. I was nervous about snow on the mountain and the ranger said that the rim drive had been closed the day before but was open for us. They were expecting snow the next day as well, so we made it just in time (oh the trials of traveling in the off season!). The Lake was beautiful, of course, and Lilly had fun playing in the snow. I picked up some great nature/activity books to keep her occupied in the car as it was about an hour from the resort.
Crater Lake, oh so blue!
Daddy & Silly with Wizard Island in the background
Look at that snow!
Making snowballs to throw at Daddy
Day Four:
Day four was our official "relaxation day" I like to plan our trips so that we rotate busier days with laid-back ones so that we get some rest on our vacations. We spent lots of time in the pool/hot tub/sauna, watched some movies, played video games and ate some junk. We also visited Moore park where we went on a nice little walk and played on a terrific playground, which we didn't get any pictures of. It was a really nice day.
Silly in the kiddy pool
Daddy too, hee hee! He'll make me take these down if he sees I posted a pic of him in a swimsuit ;)
View from the pool patio--wow!
The golf course also looked nice--almost made me want to take up golf ;)
Day four was our official "relaxation day" I like to plan our trips so that we rotate busier days with laid-back ones so that we get some rest on our vacations. We spent lots of time in the pool/hot tub/sauna, watched some movies, played video games and ate some junk. We also visited Moore park where we went on a nice little walk and played on a terrific playground, which we didn't get any pictures of. It was a really nice day.
Silly in the kiddy pool
Daddy too, hee hee! He'll make me take these down if he sees I posted a pic of him in a swimsuit ;)
View from the pool patio--wow!
The golf course also looked nice--almost made me want to take up golf ;)
Day five:
On our fifth day there we woke up to snow! It was only a light snow and the forecast said it was going to warm up, but I was worried nonetheless. As expected it turned to rain and was sunny before noon. We had planned to visit the Lava Beds National Monument in California, but ended up getting off to a late start due to the weather. We also stopped at the Tule Lake wildlife refuge to look around. It was after 1 when we got to the visitor center and 2 by the time we checked out our flashlights and got a map of the caves. The Monument was awesome. We went to 4 caves (Mushpot, Skull, Valentine and Big Painted Rock), only 1 of which we had to hike to, and saw some awesome sights. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time. We had to rush back to the visitor center to return our flashlights on time and wished that we had gotten an earlier start to the day.
Mommy & Silly at Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge
Clouds over the lake
Finally made it to the visitor center!
My little caver and her Daddy, ready to explore
Inside Valentine cave, pretty smooth here
Inside looking out
Hiking to Big Painted Rock cave, listening to Silly whine the whole time
I have to climb down what?!? (this was actually the easier section)
Looking into Skull Cave
Hiking out of Skull Cave
Lava Beds on the drive out
On our fifth day there we woke up to snow! It was only a light snow and the forecast said it was going to warm up, but I was worried nonetheless. As expected it turned to rain and was sunny before noon. We had planned to visit the Lava Beds National Monument in California, but ended up getting off to a late start due to the weather. We also stopped at the Tule Lake wildlife refuge to look around. It was after 1 when we got to the visitor center and 2 by the time we checked out our flashlights and got a map of the caves. The Monument was awesome. We went to 4 caves (Mushpot, Skull, Valentine and Big Painted Rock), only 1 of which we had to hike to, and saw some awesome sights. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time. We had to rush back to the visitor center to return our flashlights on time and wished that we had gotten an earlier start to the day.
Mommy & Silly at Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge
Clouds over the lake
Finally made it to the visitor center!
My little caver and her Daddy, ready to explore
Inside Valentine cave, pretty smooth here
Inside looking out
Hiking to Big Painted Rock cave, listening to Silly whine the whole time
I have to climb down what?!? (this was actually the easier section)
Looking into Skull Cave
Hiking out of Skull Cave
Lava Beds on the drive out
Day Six:
Day 6, sadly, was check out day. We were all disappointed that our trip had come to an end and none of us were looking forward to the drive home. I was worried about snow in the mountain pass. There was a little, but the roads were clear. We splurged on breakfast at the lodge, packed up and hit the road. We drove through Collier Logging museum, but didn't feel much like stopping. Silly slept most of the way and woke up outside of Springfield in a bad mood. We decided to stop in Eugene for lunch and to stretch our legs.
Daddy got off at the Gateway Mall exit and was excited to see that the $1.50 movie theater was still there. We decided to watch Ratatouille, which we'd already seen but really enjoyed. After the movie we agreed to let Silly visit the indoor play area at the mall. As much as I try to avoid the Mall, it was a pretty nice little playground. An hour and a half later we were ready for dinner and then hit the road again. We weren't home until after 10.
It made for a long day of travel, but it was nice to do something fun on our last day together. Plus, Silly fell asleep on the way home so bedtime was a snap.
Day 6, sadly, was check out day. We were all disappointed that our trip had come to an end and none of us were looking forward to the drive home. I was worried about snow in the mountain pass. There was a little, but the roads were clear. We splurged on breakfast at the lodge, packed up and hit the road. We drove through Collier Logging museum, but didn't feel much like stopping. Silly slept most of the way and woke up outside of Springfield in a bad mood. We decided to stop in Eugene for lunch and to stretch our legs.
Daddy got off at the Gateway Mall exit and was excited to see that the $1.50 movie theater was still there. We decided to watch Ratatouille, which we'd already seen but really enjoyed. After the movie we agreed to let Silly visit the indoor play area at the mall. As much as I try to avoid the Mall, it was a pretty nice little playground. An hour and a half later we were ready for dinner and then hit the road again. We weren't home until after 10.
It made for a long day of travel, but it was nice to do something fun on our last day together. Plus, Silly fell asleep on the way home so bedtime was a snap.
And that was it for our family trip. Daddy really wants to go to DisneyLand next year, but we'll see what happens. I am glad to be home, but have been feeling restless lately. Could just be a shift in the seasons, but I'm feeling ready for a change. It just doesn't seem right that we only get to spend a week together each year. It's only a little teaser--this is what life could be like if you actually got to spend quantity time as a family (sigh).
Silly volunteered to dress up as a sea star at the aquarium during the presentation
Check out the Sea Urchins they got to touch :)
Watching a diver clean the tank at the aquarium
Playing on the beach and watching some friends build a swimming pool ($.06 admission charge)
Whale watching with Grandma at Cape Foulweather
Sight-seeing at the Devil's Punchbowl
The second day of our recent camping expedition wasn't nearly as hellish as the rest of our trip. In fact, it was really nice. When we pulled into Beachside the night before, I was instantly disappointed by the lack of privacy. The site was large, and there were some trees, but it was mostly open between our sites and our neighbors. We stayed in site 23, which would have been nice if our neighbors were friends, but if we ever go again, I'd aim for site 33/34 or sites 1-11 (odd only), which seemed more private. The attraction of this campsite was definitely its phenomenal beach access. We were right there and it was a great beach--lots of soft light sand, very clean and wide so the water wasn't right on top of us. We didn't find a lot of shells, but did see some little crabs ;-). The first night we saw a beautiful sunset.
The next morning we started south down hwy 101. We stopped at Devil's churn and walked down to check it out.
We saw the Spouting Horn from a distance and were hoping to stop, but it just didn't work out. We also really wanted to check out the Cape Perpetua visitors center, but didn't get to that either.
We did go to the Sea Lion Caves, which was pretty interesting. You take an elevator 200 feet down into the world largest sea caves and get to observe the sea lions from a distance. I thought it was a little overpriced, but maybe just because Lilly was so scared that she screamed and clung to me until we resurfaced.
We did go to the Sea Lion Caves, which was pretty interesting. You take an elevator 200 feet down into the world largest sea caves and get to observe the sea lions from a distance. I thought it was a little overpriced, but maybe just because Lilly was so scared that she screamed and clung to me until we resurfaced.
We did get some good shots of Heceta Head Lighthouse with the sea lions in the foreground. But most of our shots are of Lilly and the sea lion statue--the only part she really enjoyed--where she wanted to stay and play all day.
Lilly
Lilly & Daddy
Lilly and Uncle Joel
Lilly
Lilly & Daddy
Lilly and Uncle Joel
There were so many things we wanted to stop and do, but we were all hungry and tired after the hike and trek into the caves, so we decided to head back to camp. After that, we decided to stay close to camp. What a day for playing on the beach. The sun was out, the sand was soft, the water didn't seem as cold as usual and whales were visible a little way out in the sea. I don't remember the last time we spent so many hours on the beach--I even got to take a nap :)
Burying uncle Joel behind a log
Building a sandcastle
Having a blast on the beach
My hairy legs in John's over sized sandals
Burying uncle Joel behind a log
Building a sandcastle
Having a blast on the beach
My hairy legs in John's over sized sandals
We ended the day with a traditional veggie-dog roast over the fire and made plans to enjoy the following morning on the beach, head out late up 101 and dinner in Lincoln city at one of our favorite restaurants, Dory's Cove. Before bed we joked about the awful trip down the day before and all agreed that we were glad we had come, after all. The sickly drive would surely be forgotten after such a wonderful trip. Alas, it was just not our fate. TBC...
