Master of the Obvious...STRIKES AGAIN!!!

Day 19:

   Another night of camping done. The good news is that this campground had showers. This morning, for the first time in quite a spell, I showered!! The awesome thing, other then actually being clean, was that it actually had hot water. Most campground showers you just push a button and a luke-warm stream of water comes out..if you are lucky. It felt good. After leaving the campground, we traveled down the coast for a short while before heading east toward central valley. We made it to Lassen Volcanic National Park with ease. After getting our park map, we saw that there was hardly any roads and that most of the things in the park were a day's hike to get to. Not really wanting to do that, we saw as much as we could in the park while driving through. At the base of Lassen Pk. there was enough snow, that Nathan and I had a snowball fight! OK, we just threw a couple of snowballs at each other, but it still was fun to do so in September!

A stream that ran through the park. I know, obviously, right?

Nathan really enjoys taking pictures of wildflowers, and I can't blame him.

They are beautiful.

A meadow with Lassen Pk. in the background.

Nathan with a snowball at the base of Lassen Pk.

A giant snowdrift enjoying September.

Lassen Pk. reflected off of the lake.

 We decided that we didn't really need to stay in the park much longer, so we got a jump on the next days worth of driving. We got as far as Sacramento before we stopped and got a hotel. Tomorrow, we get to add another city to our list--San Francisco!

Tree Hugger's Delight. Only $10.99

Day 18:

   This morning, is our last (at least for this trip :D) in Grants Pass. We joined the church for some prayer and then were taken out to breakfast. We were spoiled with great food the entire time there! It was a wonderful morning connecting again with everyone there. After saying our goodbyes, we headed south. That sounds like we migrate. Doesn't it? We soon left Oregon and entered the state of California. Where, oh course, we were greeted by warning signs! We eventually made it to Redwood National Park. After several attempts, we found a one lane dirt road that led into the heart of the forest. And that is where our adventure began. From out of nowhere, an Ewok zoomed by, followed closely by two stormtroopers. We got into Nathan's red spacecraft and took up chase! We swerved left around a massive snowman and then raced for the Republic outpost....Wait a minute. There weren't any snowmen in Star Wars. *sigh* So much for that story. :D Actually, we stopped at a place called Stout Grove, were we hiked a short trail among some amazing trees. They are massive. I really am not sure quite how else to describe them. Behemoth. Towering. Big? No, that is too far of a stretch. They definitely are amazing.

A look up at a giant redwood. I was just used to show how big the tree was.

I just can't quite get my hands around it...

Nathan trying to do the same at a different tree.

Nathan at the base of that tree.

A common pose, me staring up at the giants around me.

Yet another example of how big these trees are.

 After leaving that grove of massive trees we continued down the little road where we were surrounded by them. At one point we came across a car parked on the side of the road. We could see that they had a flat. We stopped and asked if they needed help, and it turned out, they did. Apparently, they bent their jack, so we got out the one from Nate's car and got the spare on. While in the process of it, a car stopped and remarked how two guys from Iowa were perfect for the job. Something on that order. All set to go, they set out in search of a place to get their tire fixed and we continued our drive. Eventually, we came across a tree that had been cut out so that a car could drive through it. Naturally, we did so--twice!

Nathan trying to scratch his head using the tree???

The chariot makes it...and the crowd goes wild!!!!

 While in the Redwoods, I decided that Nathan's car wasn't full enough. So I got the biggest Redwood and managed to fit it in. It alternated riding shotgun and sitting in the back. I think it was most happy riding shotgun. Anyway, we drove a little further south before we stopped at a trail. At that point I was full of energy so I almost ran the trail. We didn't hike the entire thing; we just kind of adventured in for a quick look. Since we were closer to the coast now, fog was sitting in this area. The combination of giant trees, fog, and sunlight made for beautiful sights.

I told you it was beautiful...

I love that one.

If you turn your head to the side it looks like the sun is rising...sorta. :)

After that, we found what is called Big Tree, which must be big if it is called Big Tree in this forest! It turns out it was. 

304 ft. tall, 21.6 ft. diameter, 68 ft. circumference, and 1,500 years old.

Looking up at Big Tree

 Finishing up there, we left the park. Driving by the coast, we stopped to enjoy the ocean and we actually spotted a whale. We watched it for sometime before it finally started to head out to sea.

The whale taking in some fresh air. 

 Speaking of the ocean, just before we found a campground, we found elk. Not ordinary elk, these ones were on vacation. You may wonder how I know this and I shall tell you. Because, they were on the beach! So they must be! :D.

Elk enjoying the beach.

  After all of that, we found a campground for the night. The funny thing is that when we went to get a site, we walked up to the window and the guy said, "I've been waiting for you all day." When we did the drive thru tree, the lady there said the same thing! They either are fans of my blog...*scratch head*...or it is something that they say in that neck of the woods! After getting a site I gathered some more firewood and we settled in for the evening.

End day 18.

SOS...we may be kidnapped :D

Day 17:

  Today we broke out our best clothes that we packed and joined the Grants Pass church for sunday service. It felt good to be back in service. Ed brought a wonderful word on how we need to quit thinking with our natural minds, and instead, have the mind of Christ. After the word was brought, we were brought up onto the platform and blessed. After service we joined some of the people and had coffee and bread. It was a lot of fun getting a chance to meet all of them. Sadly, a good chunk of the congregation was gone for the weekend, but it was still good to meet the ones we did. Hearing about my novels, many people were interested in reading them. Many people blessed me to find the right agent and publisher and were very encouraging. By about noon most of the people had left and Nathan and I were going go into Grants Pass to have lunch and see the town. As we were exiting the church, we were invited to join two other older couples have lunch at a restaurant in town. We excepted and got a chance to visit with them more. The people here really are wonderful. Everyone here is trying to convince us that we should just stay!:D Anyway, after lunch we came back to our tent and caught up some more on internet usage. And then, this evening, we joined the Forbes again for dinner at Kim and Trevon Whitney's (people we know from when they have come to Iowa) house. That time was wonderful. Good food, fun stories, and lots of laughter!! We are now finally back in our tent ready for another nights sleep. Tomorrow, sadly, we will leave here. However, we will start our adventure in California...

End day 17.

Strumming my six-string...

Day 16:

   Today we left Crater Lake behind and headed southwest to Grants Pass, Oregon. We got settled into our tent on the church property and got to relax that afternoon. Finally, with no one else around, I got a chance to strum my guitar. That felt good! We connected with Ed and Dotty Forbes later that afternoon and they took us out and showed us around the area. If you are ever interested in this part of Oregon, talk to Ed. He told us a lot of very interesting things. After getting a brief tour we met with Bob and Jan Johnson, and we all had dinner together. It was a lot of fun to see and talk with them again. After dinner, we came back and did a few things on the computer than settled into our tent for the night.

End day 16.

P.S. If you don't know, the Forbes and Johnsons are friends from Iowa that we have known for a long time, who have now moved to Oregon.

Attack of the hammer...

Day 15:

   Since we have all day to see the park, we were able to sleep in a bit this morning, which is refreshing, Although, I must say, I have gotten used to waking up at 6:30 almost every morning and taking down the tent. The cool morning air sure gets the eyes wide quickly!!! Today we left our campsite and drove a little ways to a place called Sun Notch. There is a short trail that we took that lead to the precipice of the crater where we could view the pristine waters of the lake.

Looking out from Sun Notch at Wizard Island (that darker mountain).

A look at the amazing blue water and the shoreline of Sun Notch.

 From there, we drove a little bit further to a lookout that views a rock formation called Phantom Ship. The rocks out in the water vaguely look like a square-rigged vessel.

Phantom ship sailing the lake. :D

 We continued our drive around the crater until we reached Cleetwood Trailhead. At this trail you can board a boat that takes you on a tour of the lake. You can also be dropped off at Wizard Island for the day where you can hike to the summit. We didn't do the boat ride, but we did hike down to the docks and got to be right next to the lake. It is absolutely amazing how blue the water is! It looks so inviting, although, touching the water, it was a chilly.

Me by the lake's edge.

 After spending about a half hour at the water's edge we decided to start back up the trail. Like some of the other trails we were on, this one had a warning sign at the beginning stating that it was a difficult hike back to the top and would take about 40 minutes to go 1.1 miles with a 700 foot elevation change. They compared it to climbing a 75 story building. Hiking up steep trails isn't the most fun thing in the world, but I try to get some enjoyment out of it by seeing how fast we can do it. Amazingly, we did it in just under 18 minutes!!!! The funny thing is, it normally takes us longer to go up, but this time we were faster going up than down! Anyway, after that we finished driving around the crater and back to our camp. Since it was still early in the day and we had one more night there, we decided we would take advantage of the laundry facilites. Once, we finally got back to our campsite--with clean clothes--I set to the task of getting as much firewood as possible. Luckily for me, there was a couple of large, fallen trees that had started to rot. With the claw end of a hammer, I set about ripping as much would off as I could. By the time I was done, I had a HUGE stack to be burned. The funny thing is, every time we needed to put some more wood on the fire, I would go out and get more. Not from my stack, but from the fallen trees. Eventually, I thought we had enough and stopped. We burned through 2/3 of it that night and saved the rest for the next morning.

There she blows!!!

Day 14:

  There is nothing like sleeping by the ocean. The constant sound of the surf as it breaks upon the shore is magnificent. What I think I am trying to say, is that I slept well. *scooby-doo giggle* After packing up our campsite, we headed back north along the coast to a place that we heard was good for tide pools. That morning around 9:15 was low tide. We decided that would be a fun thing to see. At the beach, we ventured out in search of sea creatures. After walking through ankle-deep water, we walked along the coast to various rock groups.  We saw lots of starfish of several different colors clinging to the rocks and some cool sea anemones--I think. See, it's times like these, that it would be nice to have a marine biologist with us! *cou-allison-gh* :D It was amazing to see them up close.

A super purple starfish at a starfish party!

A large starfish.

A sea anemone above water closes up.

More starfish mirrored in a tide pool.

A sea anemone open while underwater.

After spending about an hour at the tide pools, we continued south along the Pacific Coast Highway. Spotting a lighthouse, we stopped and got a chance to tour it.

A look at the lighthouse.

Looking up the staircase.

After climbing to the top and back down, we went outside to enjoy the coast. Not long after getting outside, we spotted a gray whale. It had been there for about twenty minutes before we came out and we watched it for about fifteen minutes before finally leaving it behind.

Gray whale surfacing.

There she blows.

The gray whales showing us its tail.

 We continued to drive along the coast to Reedsport where there was some awesome sand dunes.

Sand dunes along the coast. 

 From there, we left the coast and headed inland toward Crater Lake National Park. Along the way we finally got a chance to see bull elk clearly! What a site!

Elk anyone?

And he's off...

 Eventually, later that evening, we made it to Crater Lake. Wanting to get a campsite, we only took a brief look at the lake that night. However, we had all of the next day to view the park. That evening, I scavenged up some firewood and we had a nice fire to cook yummy soup!

End Day 14.

1 Book, 2 Books, 3 Books...687 Books....oops lost count...

Day 13:

   It was a funny thing last night. When I went to bed, I looked at the soft bed and then down to the floor and I honestly couldn't decide which one I should sleep on. Eventually, I decided I would try to sleep on the bed, and I ended up sleeping fine. The funny thing is, when at hotels, Nathan sleeps worse there than when camping. I guess he should have tried the floor. :D Anyway, so today we went into the city of Portland. Our first stop was to Powell City of Books, which is the world's largest bookstore. It takes up an entire block and is three stories tall!! In the hour time that we spent there, I managed to only walk through a few of the sections. I did find a few books that I really liked, as well as some for my sisters so, naturally, I had to get them. :D I think you could spend and entire day there browsing through the stacks of books or maybe try to count them (I believe they said there are over a million books). It is quite something. After pulling myself away from the store, we headed to Washington Park in the city where they have the famous rose garden. Nathan spent quite some time shooting pictures there.

A multi-colored rose that Nathan really liked.

Five words: Read sign then look below! :D

The rose the corresponds with the sign above.

"Black Magic" The darkest rose in the garden.

 Having seen all that we wanted to in Portland, we made for the Oregon coast. Our first stop along the way was to Fort  Clatsop. It was there that Lewis and Clark made camp for the winter after reaching the Pacific. The original fort is long gone, but a replica has been re-built in its place.

A view of inside the outer walls of the fort.

A look inside one of the quarters.

From there we headed down the coast to Cannon Beach where there is an amazing rock formation right off the coast. We spent some time walking the beach and into the water a bit (it was cold!!).

The surf crashing over a rock at Cannon Beach.

The famous Haystack with it reflecting off of the water.

Haystack through the mist of the sea.

 Our next order of business was to find a place to camp for the night. We drove a little further down the coast to Cape Lookout where we stopped for the night and set up camp. The campground sat right by the beach, so we walked to it to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, it was cloudy so we didn't get to see it well.

Sunset at Cape Lookout

 Cold from the cool, ocean air, we made a fire and enjoyed the evening.

End day 13.

Side note: I apologize for all the mistakes that are in the posts. I try to edit them, but I know I still have things that aren't right. If I spot any, I try to fix them as soon as possible. :D