Day 37

It was very cold overnight so we woke the girls up with hot chocolate in their sleeping bags. Dave cooked a tall stack of french toast while I put together sandwiches for our hike today.  After the girls prepared all our backpacks for the hike they had just a few minutes to practice their log rolling.

We had a schedule to keep today so once we picked up Grammie we headed straight to the visitors center to watch the park's movie. With our long day we were thinking we wouldn't be able to fit it in any other time. I didn't know that much about Crater Lake except the island in the middle was a volcano. I found out the whole mountain - Mt Mazama - was a giant volcano that erupted and collapsed to leave this huge crater. The island  cinder cine in the middle was formed with later eruptions similar to the lava dome in the center of Mt. St. Helens.

The lake was the most impressive part holding some of the most pure water in the world. It is the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,934 feet and has exceptional water clarity with scientists recording sight more than 100 feet deep. The lake has no streams flowing in or out.

Next we parked at the Cleetwood Trailhead to hike down to our boat that would take us to Wizard Island, named because of its sorcerer hat shape. The hike was only 1 mile but there was a 700-ft elevation change. The walk down to the water was very easy with switchbacks all the way down which meant it was going to be a strenuous hike up!  I couldn't get over how blue the water was and how clear! These pictures don't even begin to capture how beautiful blue it was.

Once we reached the bottom we had some time to look around the area. There was a large amount of people on the trail and I saw now most were coming down to jump off Jumping Rock and swim in the frigid water. I'm all for jumping off a rock and swimming but I think I'll save it for warm water. Ryan said she might try it after the hike.

All down the trail and scurrying around the dock were these adorable little guys trying to make friends with us. I was shocked with the park ranger said they have food for sale for them. Then he said the only problem is they carried the plague and I got the sarcasm. They are so cute though you just want to make them yours!







The shuttle to the island was quick and gave us cool views of the layers of rocks inside what was the mountain. The kids grabbed a quick snack and we started up the trail to the top. This was also a 700-ft elevation gain in a mile - tough work for all of us! The views were spectacular of the water all around us.

With so many rocks around from the volcano we found tons of heart rocks. I kept a red one but the kids wanted to make sure I got pictures of the ones they found. 

I noticed on the boat as we were getting close to the island many of the tree trunks appeared completely bright green. As we were hiking up the trail and were closer we couldn't help but notice the florescent green Wolf Moss on the trees. If the moss had fallen to the ground it especially stood out on the gray rocks.

Once we made it to the top the kids found a shady spot while I explored with the camera. The sun was hot but it seemed as you slipped into the shady the temperature instantly dropped about 20 degrees. It wasn't too long before Dave made it with our lunch. He was the lucky one with a big enough backpack to carry everything.  Grammie wasn't too far behind him and we were all quiet looking around at the view. 

The girls decided to go down into the crater of the cinder cone with me and the rest hiked around the rim. The trail was steep and gravel-y so we slipped and slid quite a bit the whole way down.  See us down there at the bottom!?

Grammie was quite a bit ahead of us this time as we all met back up at the trail to head back down. This way was much easier and we were able to really check out the view. The kids talked about their plans for the house once we got home as well as a potential zombie apocalypse. Several of the families of their friends made the list of ones they would like to be sure to live in a compound with.

We made it down to the Fumerole Bay trail split and almost decided to go see the bay but a guy coming up the trail discouraged us.

We had about 40 minutes until the shuttle boat came back so we decided to enjoy the water at the dock instead. We all stuck our tired feet in and enjoyed the cold water and the beautiful view. The cold water instantly cooled our entire bodies! We even drank our fill of the pure water. It was refreshing and delicious!  Dave talked Ryan into walking into the water around the bend because she wanted to go swimming.  She was all smiles as she wobbled around on the rock bottom.

Our boat arrived as scheduled and we were headed back to the dock before too long. There was a bit of a traffic jam of boats where we were to get off so our captain took us to see the "Old Man of the Lake".  This 30-foot tree has been bobbing up and down in the lake for more than 120 years. The water was so clear today we could see the roots of the tree down in the water. This tree travels all around the lake daily depending on the weather. The week before it had been hanging out at Wizard Island.              

The hike back up to the parking area was tougher than the Wizard Island hike. The switchbacks were helpful but grueling with little time for recovery. By the end we all just had our heads down waiting for the clearing in the trees to signal we were at the end. 

We brought all the kids back to the campsite so Dave could unload all the things he'd brought for them. The girls spent some time looking at the characters he'd drawn for them and Brayden shuffled through the selection of books he'd brought. We also gave Dave the gifts we'd purchased during our travel stops. Everyone was all smiles again!

I gathered the ingredients for dinner and we walked over to Grammie's RV to cook. Even when you are cooking in an RV it seems everything takes twice as long so Dave took the girls over to the village area of our campground. Brayden wasn't feeling well so he retired to his loft bed in the RV.

The hot sauce we bought Dave definitely lived up to its name as being the hottest on earth. He put his usual 4-5 shakes into his serving of soup and regretted it almost instantly! I'm not sure he tasted much after that!

The Rim Drive of Crater Lake was on my must-do list so we headed out after cleaning up. Brayden stayed in the RV as he still wasn't feeling well and Lola was going to keep him company.

We decided on a couple definite spots we wanted to see - the first being the Phantom Ship. This is a 17-story rock formation in the middle of the lake that appears to be a floating pirate ship.  This formation was actually a small volcano that pre-dated Mount Mazama but was strong enough to withstand the eruption to remain in Crater Lake.

The sun was starting to set so after a quick picture we decided to visit our next spot very quickly and come back for the rest of the sunset. The Pinnacles was a fascinating set of spires jutting out from the rocks below. Laney commented that it looked like some of the formations we'd seen in many of the caves we'd visited.  We learned these formations had been created from gases trying to escape through a fumerole where they came into contact with volcanic ash instantly cementing it. Over time the softer rock around the structures eroded away leaving these cool spikes.
We stayed briefly to enjoy the view then hopped back in the car anxious not to miss the sunset.

By the time we got back to the overlook there was gorgeous color all around! We sat to enjoy and admire the changes but I was a little frustrated to only have one or two spots to photograph through the trees. I wanted to get higher!

We had one more stop on our list that we had decided would be dark by the time we got there after the sunset. I suggested we keep going up to get above the trees and once we got there we were so glad we did! The colors were breathtaking and we could keep our eyes off the view.  We were definitely above the treeline now!

Laney took a bunch of panoramic shots of the sunset as that was the only way you could capture the 180-degree view! 

This ended up being one of my favorite shots Dave took because the water ended up looking like clouds. 

This sunset was the perfect end to our stay at Crater Lake. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees while we were there so we were all ready to get deep into our sleeping bags.  Tomorrow we would be moving further down the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.

Day 24

I'm not sure what time the guy next to us got in but I do know it was very dark. I can usually go back to sleep pretty quickly when we're camping as long as it's not getting light out. And I realize we set up camp pretty quickly compared to others but oh man I was about to get up and help them so I could go back to sleep! I try very hard not to judge others as I haven't walked in their shoes tonight but it's so hard not to in moments like this!

I woke up next to birds and more birds once there was a bit of light. We had berries ripening all around us in the bushes so they were thoroughly enjoying their breakfast. It was super cold so I brought out my sleeping bag to get inside while I edited pictures from the day before.

We had plans for most of the day but the first one was homemade cheese biscuits! We arrived at Grammie's doorstep with empty bellies and a cantaloupe.

We packed up pretty quickly to get on the road to our adventure for the day at Oregon Dunes. This was our 4th giant dune area over the years - we'd climbed and run down, slid down, and surfed down. Today we would be riding ATVs all around them!

I'm not sure if it's the only state but in Oregon if kids under 16 are accompanied by an adult they can drive an ATV. The Oregon Dunes stretch for about 55 miles and we were able to ride around on a nice big section of them. After signing our ability to sue away about 6 times we watched a safety video and learned how to ride.  Before we knew it we were off!

I led us down a trail for about 15 minutes to the beach section. The speed limit there was 25 mph so we had fun racing around on the sand.

We all got cold pretty quickly so we decided to spend the rest of our time back on the dunes. There were little off trails just about everywhere we looked so we explored and figured out how to ride up the huge dunes!

The kids kept getting stuck in the softer sand and on the more sharp turns but they figured out how to reverse out or the unstuck kids would always come and help out. Love seeing that teamwork! Of course Ryan was a natural speed demon and could handle just about any hill. She actually said she wanted to race motorcycles!

Once our two hours were up we got back on the road to Beverly Beach State Park. Our campsite was very close to the beach so once we were set up we left Grammie and Laney a note then walked down to the ocean. This one was different because it was in Oregon!

The tide was way out and Brayden and Ryan were enjoying playing aorund in the tide stream. Cartwheels and handstands caused splashes and big smiles.

Brayden said it was warm so they decided to see if they could swim in the ocean. That idea ended real quick!

Laney and Grammie joined us for awhile and all the kids ended up plaing in the wet sand. Sand art is probably one of Laney's favorite things since she was a toddler.

Once Grammie and Lola came back from a walk down the beach I declared it was time for kids showers with all the wet clothes and sandy everything. We joined Grammie later for a fire and planning for the next day. There are just way too many things to do and too little time to do it!

As we walked back to our site I noticed we'd completely missed the sunset. It was a wonderfully cloudy day too so it was probably awesome. There were still a tiny bit peeking out when we got back so at least I got a little color.

Day 15

We were up early to begin the first of our coastal drives north. We were going to try to meet up with Chris and kids at several spot to enjoy together. We were packed up and on the road by 8:30am - a record for this trip! My teenagers are really wanting to sleep in these days and I'm not sure how they do it with all the morning light and sounds in the woods!

Our first stop was Pismo Beach. We took some time to watch the surfers and walk through the quaint city to shop a little. The beach was beautiful and wonderfully chilly after our hot days on the road. The Bloomberg kids were aiming for surf shops so we poked in and out of all the shops with them.

Another 30 minutes down the road was Morro Beach. We enjoyed walking through the town and settled on Giovanni's Fish Market for lunch. We were obviously all enjoying this lovely weather as we posed in front of Morro Rock!

Our lunch was fresh, and delicious! We made a plan to try to meet back up for the rest of the drive up to Monterey. The traffic was getting heavy though but we were hopeful!  We bought a few more postcards before hopping back on the road.

Our next stop was Elephant Seal Beach. These guys were absolutely enormous! We loved watching and laughing as they vocalized, fought, and slinked up and down the beach. We were fascinated by how they moved and how content they were to lie in the sun.

According to the signage all these seals were molting males and juveniles. I'm sure some of what we were witnessing was some challenging behavior among the males but it looked mostly tame and playful.

Another behavior we thought was fun to watch was the sand-flipping.  Every few minutes some of the seals would flip sand on themselves with one of their flippers. They were becoming more and more buried as we were standing there. We learned researchers weren't sure what exactly they were doing either! They guess it might cool the seals or provide sunscreen. Some of the seals could flip sand all the way across to their neighbor!

The girls slowly got tired of me saying, "WOW! Look at that you guys!" around just about every turn. There was quite a bit of fog but the views were still spectacular. There were lots of coastal and inland trails of the highway that I will definitely have to return to one day.

We made a point to stop at the Bixby Bridge overlook.  I've always loved bridges - especially driving over them - so I enjoyed this spot for sure.  It stands 260 feet over a canyon and was built for a mere $200,000 in 1932. It's impressive for sure!

After about another hour on the road I was started to get tired so Grammie and I made the executive decision to postpone the famous 17-mile drive and head to our campground. It was another hour drive and we were so glad we did! The last 11 miles of the drive to Fremont Peak were harrowing turns up the mountain that I would have probably chickened out of in the dark.  

The other interesting thing I noticed was the temperature. Whenever we have climbed a mountain I pay special attention to the temperature to watch it drop. On this mountain the temperature only climbed as we climbed. By the time we got to the campground it was 10 degrees warmer than at the bottom. Very strange! As long as we had cool nights we're fine!

Once we found our spot I was amazed at the view we had from our little spot. I usually don't wish time away but I instantly couldn't wait for sunset!

As I cooked dinner I kept sneaking peeks up at the view. Grammie stayed with us until the sun dipped below the clouds then headed back to her site.  We ate dinner watching the colors change and talking about all the views of the day and smiling as all the people drove up to the viewing spot to see our view. That was when we realized we were staying in a park with an officer that had quite a bit of time on his hands! While I understand there are rules in the parks, this guy was relentless!  He came and talked to a couple watching the sunset telling them they either needed to pay the $6 day use fee or leave within 15 minutes. They said they would leave in a few minutes and he went down the road and hid waiting for their time to be up. Sure enough he came back in 15 minutes and told them they needed to leave. The couple seemed familiar with the process and said they were packing up.  I guess I should appreciate that he is patrolling and keeping my view from being packed with people?!

After a visit with Grammie the girls and I retired to our tent to play a few games before bed. I still couldn't get over the beautiful view out our tent windows. I filled up my water bottle for the morning and couldn't resist snapping one more picture!