Day 25

We decided to do something a little different on the day of our departure this time. I picked up Grammie and Laney and we all headed to see the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. At first I was concerned that we were arriving 40 minutes early for the museum but the gate ranger informed us the tide was out so we headed to Quarry Cove to see what we could find.












We climbed around the outside of the cove looking for things hiding in the crevices where we found lots of crabs and California mussels. There weren't many actual pools on this side so we headed to the cove next.

Grammie was already investigating and poking squishy things! Ryan and Laney played with a few hermit crabs and sea snails first. I spotted this heron looking for breakfast - probably for many of the same things we were looking for!

I spotted this guy in a deeper pool because the middle looked like a jalapeno slice. A program at one of Grammie's campgrounds talked about the tidepools so she told us this guy is green because he eats all the green kelp.  The tide line for high tide was probably 40-50 feet past us and it seemed to still be going out. I was interested to watch this guy to see how he changed. When I looked at the outer part of his body with all the shell pieces attached I noticed a few more around him that must have been just a little bit higher up in the water because they were closed. See the guy at the right? I dismissed him earlier because I thought he was a rock.

Grammie told us they suck in a lot of water and close up or flip upside down to survive the 6-12 hours they might be out of the water and in the sun. She confirmed this was true when she poked one and he spit water out at her!

We wanted to play around more in the tide pools but it was time for the museum to open so we made the trek back up the trail. Much like driving the coast I get in trouble for not looking where I'm going and checking out the view. We stopped here for a rest and to watch a few surfers braving the early morning cold.

Our first stop at the museum was the movie where we learned all about the history and difficult construction of the lighthouse back in the 1870s. Most of the supplies were delivered from San Francisco on ships that often met horrible weather or ship-breaking rocks. This was exactly the reason the lighthouse was being constructed. 

The interpretive center was one of the best we'd seen. There was so much information about the history of the area, the lighthouse keepers, and the lighthouse. Laney and I are still fascinated by the life the keepers and their families led while tirelessly maintaining the lights for the safety of the ships. Some families had to plan 6 months in advance for the supplies and tools they would need. I can barely handle planning a week in advance!

There was a life-size replica of the lens in the museum that flashed the pattern for this lighthouse - 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, 14 seconds off. I had no idea each lighthouse has a specific pattern but that completely makes sense for navigation! This fresnel lens was made in Paris and shipped over in the 250 pieces that made it up. It cost $11,000 back then - Wow!

The part of the museum my kids used to race to is now left untouched. I'm glad I took them when they were young because my tweens and teen scoffed at the idea of dress up and playing games the kids played back then. There was a dad dressing up with his kid though and I did catch Brayden using the stereoscope! Ryan did challenge me to a game of checkers but I'm guessing she wished she hadn't because I cremated her. She did really well at first so she knows she is getting better. 

All this and we hadn't even seen the lighthouse yet! All the tours were full but I wasn't as interested in climbing it as I was just seeing it. They'd torn down the lighthouse keeper's quarters back in the 80s and that's what interests us the most. And as fearless as she is, Ryan isn't too keen on climbing too high.  The lighthouse and the grounds were lovely.

We even were able to take some time and identify some of the birds in the area that we don't have at home. This rock was one of about seven that were completely covered in birds.  We saw cormorant, murre, pigeon guillemot, and of course gull. We tried to find an oyster catcher but no luck.

This lovely morning put us on the road late to Portland but after navigating some wicked downtown traffic we finally made it to a bookstore I've wanted to visit since college. The kids had been looking forward to visiting since the beginning of the trip and mean old mom only gave them about an hour to look around. That's perfectly okay though because we still ended up walking out with a bag full of books!

Our stop at the bookstore put us right on time to leave the city of Portland with the rest of the rush hour traffic. After inching along for about 45 minutes Google notified me of a quicker route. Yes please! I'm not sure if it was quicker necessarily but we were moving so it was definitely better. And it just so happened to be Oregon's historic scenic highway 30 that hugged the Columbia River Gorge. We had plans to stop all along this road the next day but we couldn't resist a waterfall called Horsetail Falls located right on the road!

We arrived at our site to a sign saying there was no water so once we were set up we headed straight to Grammie's spot to cook dinner.  We made plans for the next day and said our goodnights. Both our sites were situated next to train tracks and the interstate (Grammie's a little closer than mine) so we decided we weren't going to get much sleep this night.

Day 18

I had to drag the kids out of bed this morning - but they asked for it! First up was taking the roof cargo box off the top of the car. I'd researched some prime parking the night before and we'd had issues with garage parking before so I decided just to leave it on our picnic table!  Laney didn't even notice.

We were on the road eating breakfast in the car 15 minutes before I'd planned to leave so I was hopeful we would miss most of the morning yuck traffic. We were basically successful until we hit the city - hooray! We had noticed this cool wall reorganizer on the bridge the night before called a Road Zipper. It basically gobbled up the barrier wall in between the 6 lanes of traffic and spit it out in another position to shift the number of lanes to one side or the other - brilliant! I think we need this on our Pensacola Bay bridge some days for sure.





After a willies-inducing climb up a San Francisco 3 block-long
hill and back down we made it to our parking spot with plenty of time to make it to one of the first buses for our tour. Our short walk along Fisherman's Wharf was pretty quiet since it was so early.


We only had one day to experience the city so I thought this might be the quickest way to do that with the least amount of stress for me! The kids had enjoyed the other time we'd ridden the double-decker buses and this ride was no different!














We all plugged in our headphones and listened to our guide who pointed out all the interesting buildings and relayed the history of the city. He talked really fast - even for us - so we had to really pay attention.

Taking photos is always a little tricky in a city with lighting issues and obstructions so it is a little nicer to be on the upper deck of a bus. Still, I only like the tops of the buildings without all the distractions of the street.

I spotted a park I'd planned to drive to if needed at one of our stops so we hopped off at beautiful City Hall. I love this little bit of green space in the middle of the city.  After a snack, my playground-snob kids jumped on all this different equipment for awhile. They think they've seen every playground configuration having been to so many parks and campgrounds all over the country but this one was definitely different!

Brayden was only halfway playing as he just too cool to be a kid anymore until we got to the swing! They all had a great time swinging as high as possible without falling out while the others jumped and pushed as hard as they could. 

And of course Ryan loved this place. I think she will be a kid for as long as she can possibly squeeze it in.  And of course I'm fine with that because I'm not sure I've ever completely grown up! We could never have a slide like this in Florida with the heat and it was so fast! We had to tear her away after an 27 times going down to get back on the bus. 

Our next stop was Haight Ashbury. Ever since our very first trip people have called me a hippie. I will admit we do eat differently, are outside markedly more than most, and put little value in screen time but I'm definitely not a hippie in the 60s sense of the word. Maybe a wanderer? A nomad? Dave and I have been making some changes that will only encourage this exponentially over the next 10 years!

We enjoyed all the shops thinking how nice it would be to shop at these vintage clothing stores when the girls needed an outfit for the themed parties and camps they go to. A definite favorite was the quaint little bookstore wedged in between smoke shops and thrift stores. Two of my kids were finishing up books daily so they jumped at the opportunity to go in. We only walked out with 2 books though since I'd be carrying them in my backpack all day. 

We opted to move our picnic lunch from Golden Gate Park to the north vista at the Golden Gate bridge to enjoy that view instead. It was wickedly windy of course so we sat behind a wall and people-watched while we ate. It always amazes me how many different languages we hear being spoken when we travel.  On the way into the city we saw we would be playing an $8 toll to use the bridge and we learned from our guide this bridge has an income of over a million dollars EVERY DAY!

We walked a good portion of the bridge before turning around. It was quite cold but also pretty stressful with all the bikes and people. Next time we'll have to just drive to the other view point that is much more quiet. We did enjoy the different view of Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the downtown skyline! A few years ago we found out Angel Island is the route the Bloomberg family likely took to come into the U.S. The girls had  also learned a little bit about it this year in one of their classes.

Our next stop was the very famous Lombard Street. The bus dropped us at the bottom of a very steep hill we needed to hike up in order to see the curvy street. Brayden was now thankful he'd gone to soccer conditioning before we left because it was pretty much a breeze for him!  The girls and I chugged along and made it to the top needing to get our breath back.

The kids were amazed at the line of cars waiting to drive down the street! They enjoyed watching them navigate the hairpin turns while we walked down the steps. We learned on the bus the reason for the curvy street was to change the incline from 27 degrees to 16 degrees because people wanted cars on this street. It actually used to be a two-way street of eight hairpin turns! It wasn't a popular tourist destination until one of the home owners on the street decided to plant hydrangeas along all the curves. I can't imagine living on this street with the amount of traffic and pedestrians!

I was ready to leave the bus time table and commotion and explore the rest on our own. Of course we had to walk to Ghiradelli Square and enjoy some chocolate. The kids were thrilled to be handed a couple pieces when we walked through the shops even if it wasn't their favorite flavor!  It was also time for a snack so we decided on the Crissy Field cookie bits sundae. Ryan isn't actually enjoying her bite that much she was just mad I wanted her to wait for me to take a picture! We may have also bought a box to share with Grammie.

On our way through the shops Laney spotted a pusheen cat store. One of her obsessions is cats, especially these guys. She couldn't believe there was a whole store! I could already see her birthday list getting longer. 

Our last walk was back down Fisherman's Wharf to Pier 39. There weren't many harbor seals hanging out but we got to see a few. I handed Ryan the camera to capture them. Her favorite is always the babies and swimming seals.

The kids called Dave as I navigated the traffic through the city back to our campground. Our plan worked to get in and out of the city early so the drive wasn't stressful or stopped much at all. 

Laney cooked dinner while the other two whittled some sticks for marshmallows. They are always ready for a fire! Laney even had a mooching helper for a little while!

We all also enjoyed getting a chance to enjoy our campsite a little before and after dinner. This beautiful redwood tree is standing right next to my tent. I tried to capture their height but this picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Brayden and Ryan played a few made up games with a football and soccer ball. Laney and I walked down to a little library she'd spotted the day we arrived. That girl has an eagle eye for books!

We ended the night with a campfire and our first real s'mores. Laney got out one of her journals because the kids came up with some good ideas for how things are going to work when we return home. We will be in a new house jumping back into school before we know it!

Day 3

I have no idea what time the night finally cooled off a little bit but it was enough for us to all sleep without sweating profusely so that was good. The humidity was mostly gone so it was an improvement for sure. I was up before the sun to write and get things organized to drive to a spring I'd been wanting to visit since our first trip. The two kids with me were still sound asleep so I decided to do a quick hike on the nature trail across from the campsite.

The trail was short and had a view of a waterfall quite a bit away. The sun was just pup over the trees lighting everything up like this spiderweb! The spring below was beautiful and it was obvious people had plowed a trail down there to see it better or even swim in it. People weren't respecting this park in the least. I was very proud of myself to be able to identify a Texas persimmon - 4H study with kids paid off!


Brayden was up reading by the time I got back so I grabbed some muffins I'd pulled from the freezer when we left and headed to Grammie's RV to heat them up. By the time they started smelling good Laney and Brayden were knocking on the door trying to find me.

After our bellies were full we headed to the nearby Perdenales Falls trail to explore the rocks and water. You could tell the water was low but it worked for us with more access to all the rocks! There were signs everywhere about flash floods - I could only imagine how crazy this spot gets with one of those heavy pop-up summer storms.

Lola was first to get in the water - it was HOT!

The kids climbed all over trying to find a way to get to the waterfall. They found caves,  giant fish swimming upstream, and lots of fossils embedded in the rock.

We all ended up in the water with Lola to cool off. Laney especially loved the little minnows nibbling on her legs.








We were all hot by this time and ready to swim elsewhere since swimming wasn't allowed here. Lola went to take a nap while we hopped in the car and headed to Hamilton Pool Preserve. About 5 miles from the area we started seeing signs "reservations required". At first I thought it was for camping spots but I didn't remember there being a campground there. We kept seeing more of the same sign so I knew once we pulled in we weren't going to be able to go in today. The lady at the gate told us they were booked into August. Bummer. I'd read about this place but had never gone to the actual park website. We'll just have to leave it on the list for next time because it must be amazing!

The kids asked to head back into Austin for some bookstore time so we got back on the road. I was happy to drive and be out of the heat (at this point my car say 100). My kids devour books so a highly recommended bookstore called "Half Price Books" is a place for us for sure. It was overwhelming at first but the kids finally settled on a couple books each. Patrick also recommended we try his favorite legit Mexican restaurant too so Grammie treated us to an early dinner there. And oh, it was THAT good.

We enjoyed the quiet ride home with kids' noses in books - one of my favorite things. By the time we made it back to the campsite it was well over 100 so there was no question we would head back down to the water. We decided to follow the trail a little further today to a different spot. Within a few seconds the kids were submerged with instant relief on their faces. It felt like bathwater but it was cooler than the air!



We played with the currents awhile then headed down to a calmer pool. Grammie and I became skipping rock suppliers for the kids. I think the highest skips was 8 today! Laney even skipped rocks successfully a few times!

Ryan did handstands and tried out some new hairdos while Laney and I coaxed dragonflies to land on our fingers. Brayden was still searching for the perfect skipping rock. He tried to talk Ryan into swimming across the currents to the opposite shore but she ignored him until he stopped asking. They need each other to feel brave for sure.




Once our fingers were wrinkly again we headed back up the trail to change.








We noticed this strange bush on the way down so I thought someone might be able to identify it for us. A 3-4" yellow tubular flower with these strange green fruit/nuts. The stem is super soft and fuzzy too.

When we got back I saw I needed to readjust the car to be ready to leave in the morning. There's always something to do! I took a little time to edit pictures from the day - one of my least favorite things! It was hot too so once the gnats started buzzine around us I gave up and headed to the RV.

I needed to wash some dishes so it's one more luxury not to have to heat up water. If there are hookups I can just walk over to the RV and have instant super hot water there! I have no idea how, but two kids were still hungry so they ate while we talked about our next few days on the road. They are all long, but the will get us to the west coast faster.

It was getting darker so Ryan, Grammie, and I took Lola for a walk and our dishwater to the sink. It was the perfect time to run into a bunch of deer. We walked slowly and quietly as they noticed us then bolted away after trying to act like statues. When we were almost to the sink Ryan grabbed me as if she'd seen a bear! She pointed into the woods and there was an adorable fox just off the road - a first for us! She was excited to get back to the RV and tell the others after our report of seeing fawn the night before.

We played a game for about 15 minutes until I was ready to sleep. I took the rain fly off in an effort to let what little air there was circulate through our tent. We didn't even say goodnight and were all asleep within seconds.