tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073150047267101652024-03-13T14:39:39.172-07:00wanderlustWanderlust – in its original translation from German, this word meant “to enjoy the hike.” In English, we’ve borrowed this term and altered it a bit to mean a “desire to journey.”Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-35954405145262657942009-08-03T04:22:00.000-07:002009-08-03T04:36:30.442-07:00Into the Wild... and back again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLgZoz_zXuDDiOOCR_klu3zET4ptBtEN7duvD2sCNg1yBV2sh8LCW_hmOkOHIElC2tBxDnMTK2SH2J1BLBKWucOIMeE1KbVIQMn9X8FokkZOCnclYizG2s7T6SUxSi3b22MZvgiamzSI/s1600-h/IMG_0705.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLgZoz_zXuDDiOOCR_klu3zET4ptBtEN7duvD2sCNg1yBV2sh8LCW_hmOkOHIElC2tBxDnMTK2SH2J1BLBKWucOIMeE1KbVIQMn9X8FokkZOCnclYizG2s7T6SUxSi3b22MZvgiamzSI/s320/IMG_0705.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365697288282648226" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"The core of a man's spirit is in new experiences." --Alexander Supertramp</span></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-70404405769135457902009-07-28T04:05:00.000-07:002009-07-28T04:33:37.590-07:00National Parks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSG-ewewZd7tLBCrN8FfYg3OKCPcQOqf6KL7EKsFxjyoyT6TZSnntJ6U5d-kHwzmbXdXxnVuhuRnCppqkwMBZq8Erc0RQAodEYqchBeGnlGCK4iRMYm66pPiNkgDf_ogp0ey9ZL2_Bzs/s1600-h/IMG_0545.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSG-ewewZd7tLBCrN8FfYg3OKCPcQOqf6KL7EKsFxjyoyT6TZSnntJ6U5d-kHwzmbXdXxnVuhuRnCppqkwMBZq8Erc0RQAodEYqchBeGnlGCK4iRMYm66pPiNkgDf_ogp0ey9ZL2_Bzs/s320/IMG_0545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363470606691592850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQOzNiodx0wcQi-P7dvFGzXpLhrH27PuFQXUILmdfUiCTwzdUyYMuJu3YiqqqSbX0U01d2DgNVVkeaOb2AUa5B3Rqw7u9GOuNFqFAZ5SvlYkt57ceGQL3MkBMOck594uNRAhxKnIHLfQ/s1600-h/IMG_0686.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQOzNiodx0wcQi-P7dvFGzXpLhrH27PuFQXUILmdfUiCTwzdUyYMuJu3YiqqqSbX0U01d2DgNVVkeaOb2AUa5B3Rqw7u9GOuNFqFAZ5SvlYkt57ceGQL3MkBMOck594uNRAhxKnIHLfQ/s320/IMG_0686.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363470603348025474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhXZSDWEu6DbUXEj8Up7LYtqmRha9bxFhyphenhyphen8Ms1FejeS6Y9Q3EQ2p8njtsHf5pb2w-WdK5DRCsXWVuvEMHSwtznykH233PkgiBSWjT9t-LkR-3GXW4-YvlbJJha4WgMIUfeC-1h5KEvy8/s1600-h/IMG_0687.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhXZSDWEu6DbUXEj8Up7LYtqmRha9bxFhyphenhyphen8Ms1FejeS6Y9Q3EQ2p8njtsHf5pb2w-WdK5DRCsXWVuvEMHSwtznykH233PkgiBSWjT9t-LkR-3GXW4-YvlbJJha4WgMIUfeC-1h5KEvy8/s320/IMG_0687.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363470595507697010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzTOJZrTzZRM6rAITJL8qs2XqbyOZIUFOocoMiC-kuEQn23iiAN5Q5ok8BylszzCYivSv3THAY2Fg1z63OJe0iX34TkauP3f0MQrDHEpCfClMNyRw0MgQ-th2bNQjeI9xYdEGFBoOoUU/s1600-h/IMG_0534.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzTOJZrTzZRM6rAITJL8qs2XqbyOZIUFOocoMiC-kuEQn23iiAN5Q5ok8BylszzCYivSv3THAY2Fg1z63OJe0iX34TkauP3f0MQrDHEpCfClMNyRw0MgQ-th2bNQjeI9xYdEGFBoOoUU/s320/IMG_0534.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363470587329145506" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">National Parks</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I can’t not say enough good things about our national park system. The state and national parks in this country are truly fantastic. We have visited 15 national parks, including several of the big ones like Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower and the Grand Canyon, plus several less known places that are gems in their own right.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The effort, time, expertise, and money that go into preserving and protecting these beautiful areas while still making them safe and enjoyable for everyone, is amazing. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A big emphasis at many of the national park museums and visitor centers is on getting kids involved in nature. The book “Last Child in the Woods” is everywhere. All of the parks have regular Ranger Programs designed to educate children (and their parents) about the wild and wonderful things that exist in our world. With their natural curiosity, and the need to constantly move, touch and explore, I can’t think of a better place for kids to be than in our parks.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*The National Park Passport book is a family keepsake. We've had it stamped at every national park we have visited. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">* The doll is mine! ;-) </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-61615833152878534632009-07-27T16:56:00.001-07:002009-07-27T17:15:13.181-07:00Pictures from AZ and TX!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPLCcNCMemrezNztgZJUIapilbVqAnNA0-5q-cu5UT581UTUg-ib7LwxAxPNEwW8Ut4kuyT_C6-IzSHPn_67t69_AAhpI6EUvffKys8cwoZ2S6Tdd7JZBzMs_HJxu8vgNXEvijtOgGrI/s1600-h/IMG_0633.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPLCcNCMemrezNztgZJUIapilbVqAnNA0-5q-cu5UT581UTUg-ib7LwxAxPNEwW8Ut4kuyT_C6-IzSHPn_67t69_AAhpI6EUvffKys8cwoZ2S6Tdd7JZBzMs_HJxu8vgNXEvijtOgGrI/s320/IMG_0633.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296394729717522" /></a>Pictures from the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, and a Texas-style roadside attraction!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUf5aRMn3QiB6e6FEIJo_tyiiKY91X3MOHcVUDCJ-xnwEbRrt2eQ8FeacVa6JQg4RNcFDTQTNlXzv96PKsCnlLjMtljjS51GDcNCCD8SAgody4A4BXD5iYIVScuIYpgzd8-upblZSaW0/s1600-h/IMG_0634.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUf5aRMn3QiB6e6FEIJo_tyiiKY91X3MOHcVUDCJ-xnwEbRrt2eQ8FeacVa6JQg4RNcFDTQTNlXzv96PKsCnlLjMtljjS51GDcNCCD8SAgody4A4BXD5iYIVScuIYpgzd8-upblZSaW0/s320/IMG_0634.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296383242937410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UfUg-sztE1cXy785YykcAj80i5oWxZWiIMG1ohT1L-IpaCRDpaa7zLsUQkQ4MJqwhHEeXJHiCGXaZrcHYmhTXPEtbZo9gQwN_7spyxMQ3ajhnzD9uYuvKs6I11L__0vh0guEGaioHqw/s1600-h/IMG_0651.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UfUg-sztE1cXy785YykcAj80i5oWxZWiIMG1ohT1L-IpaCRDpaa7zLsUQkQ4MJqwhHEeXJHiCGXaZrcHYmhTXPEtbZo9gQwN_7spyxMQ3ajhnzD9uYuvKs6I11L__0vh0guEGaioHqw/s320/IMG_0651.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296381278944034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMLJAejjsg35R_8fT5Kgb9sWm1Gi9DWiO7dx2_0d_vvC6ySMrM3veixoWhMMtyLmV0ZCGrRJBazDHjiTJNkG3FRpA5uMsy9fjpXDcUAOhu4VYEOd-ubIbrjG2-Crz1cJxNWwfVLkkoDs/s1600-h/IMG_0659.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMLJAejjsg35R_8fT5Kgb9sWm1Gi9DWiO7dx2_0d_vvC6ySMrM3veixoWhMMtyLmV0ZCGrRJBazDHjiTJNkG3FRpA5uMsy9fjpXDcUAOhu4VYEOd-ubIbrjG2-Crz1cJxNWwfVLkkoDs/s320/IMG_0659.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296375561892482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_7AcnFDank-xWQBG2aeQanPZW3tAUi7TvQIK66psmA3n1DI6bH008qGgmpF7ds4Fr52E_CzxIT7uoMGwbYygnBqv9VPb46rHMIoJHq-Am9LfpASD54EVNIfUXxSzVHUEjP3Ywo1sb8M/s1600-h/IMG_0657.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_7AcnFDank-xWQBG2aeQanPZW3tAUi7TvQIK66psmA3n1DI6bH008qGgmpF7ds4Fr52E_CzxIT7uoMGwbYygnBqv9VPb46rHMIoJHq-Am9LfpASD54EVNIfUXxSzVHUEjP3Ywo1sb8M/s320/IMG_0657.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296366258357618" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-35921914197848014642009-07-27T16:41:00.001-07:002009-07-27T16:55:43.093-07:00New pix<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAjcYOkcAMAvieFJsCWNy7gaJPdsLpLTuTse6iawzNvo_UXpYqrfZpIKKclMaqP87IK4OJYU9kbYIdaQ4ixXZoth9fxkULo3ey3JGp21W3bWwHGRpmcvLsw9STn0Pc1t3Nh6QoQUM5XI/s1600-h/IMG_0672.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAjcYOkcAMAvieFJsCWNy7gaJPdsLpLTuTse6iawzNvo_UXpYqrfZpIKKclMaqP87IK4OJYU9kbYIdaQ4ixXZoth9fxkULo3ey3JGp21W3bWwHGRpmcvLsw9STn0Pc1t3Nh6QoQUM5XI/s320/IMG_0672.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363292359154976802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclMv_wpJDKJxDc_JjA5b3lXA8GSUH3aUWhvFmn_pFR0qqOb4YHg06ymXu6oJP9bNNZ3nGUutGU3B5VJxt7UognvkA2cgNNgSbBTfiWyGi_9v3qKvhp1T2C7-p0ZCmOxikDyGnze9LNMU/s1600-h/IMG_0677.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclMv_wpJDKJxDc_JjA5b3lXA8GSUH3aUWhvFmn_pFR0qqOb4YHg06ymXu6oJP9bNNZ3nGUutGU3B5VJxt7UognvkA2cgNNgSbBTfiWyGi_9v3qKvhp1T2C7-p0ZCmOxikDyGnze9LNMU/s320/IMG_0677.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363292350583129682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1kq2AWF-F5WN-wU8rPBIO0SF4NyUio43njp-lbKlOExV3ggTLnVPn2jwhLj7_zUvqtVU1rvDXs4l55X_Gm8zHKvZSI3NwqzrvQP45_5Gpy3rmQtxW0ms7ZPNW9iWKf9b1nOqf4WXesE/s1600-h/IMG_0678.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1kq2AWF-F5WN-wU8rPBIO0SF4NyUio43njp-lbKlOExV3ggTLnVPn2jwhLj7_zUvqtVU1rvDXs4l55X_Gm8zHKvZSI3NwqzrvQP45_5Gpy3rmQtxW0ms7ZPNW9iWKf9b1nOqf4WXesE/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363292344050277138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTLMrHBg4HRr2bC6QuopaP9FeHPF-bfV3kSKuNCZZpMZ6nd8SfT0WbWsQrRDuHmVb8qJL5R3pUr1UIgXE0XT-KqrrxZwI_zB5l2ipH-_GNOtjc211_KnPxb8uOH8sCfHD6DjBEaKYNm4/s1600-h/IMG_0670.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTLMrHBg4HRr2bC6QuopaP9FeHPF-bfV3kSKuNCZZpMZ6nd8SfT0WbWsQrRDuHmVb8qJL5R3pUr1UIgXE0XT-KqrrxZwI_zB5l2ipH-_GNOtjc211_KnPxb8uOH8sCfHD6DjBEaKYNm4/s320/IMG_0670.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363292340564908834" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-25302743146809149172009-07-27T16:07:00.000-07:002009-07-27T16:22:39.150-07:00Back in the Green!<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We’re in Arkansas!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Once we made it east of Oklahoma City, things really started to green up. The hot, dry southwest is beautiful but it’s just, well, hot and dry. I don’t think we saw “woods” at all in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (am I missing any?), oh, and parts of Oklahoma. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Fortunately, we have been able to spend the last few nights in some lovely state parks. With trails to hike, lakes to swim in, campfires and nature programs, it’s going to be hard to get back to the real world. Although as I am writing this, I realize that much of what I love about the parks is what I love about our neighborhood. It’s even hot and humid here! Just like home!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And speaking of green… I have not seen a recycling bin since California. You should see my car.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-92204026227810044112009-07-24T05:38:00.000-07:002009-07-24T05:42:53.053-07:00It was going so well....<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was going so well….</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. The morning after the Grand Canyon day started off really well. We got the camper packed and closed up; Garrett raised the hitch and I backed the truck up to the hitch. I got it lined up on the first try, by the way. But then the hitch made a funny noise. And it looked kind of awkward… was it up too high?? I checked in the office to see if anyone could help me, and the one old guy I found said he didn’t know anything about electric hitches. I called Lloyd. He said according to the manufacturer, the hitch could not be overextended. Well, had they really tested that? Like tested it with a 12 year old and his mother?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lloyd called me back with a plan to override the electric hitch and do it manually. Of course this required tools I did not have so I did what I could with my pocket knife and finally found a couple of guys with the right tools. I soon had a team of guys helping me with the hitch and we got it working! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. We found a very nice campground in New Mexico, got set up, had a nice dinner, and went for a swim. It had been a hot day, but the evening was beautiful. Clear, sunny and breezy. On the way back from the pool, I noticed water dripping from the back of the camper. I thought I turned the a/c off? I walked up to the camper, opened the door and the first thing I notice is that the floor was soaking wet. It took about 10 seconds to realize the camper was full of water! The bathroom shower was overflowing and the bathroom sink faucet was on and water was everywhere! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I turned off the sink, but I wasn’t sure what happened or what to do with all the water. So we grabbed towel, sheets, anything we could find to mop up the water. Then I realized that the water tanks must be full.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Note: Many campsites have electricity, water, and sewers at the site. Nicholas and I had a couple of mishaps with the sewer stuff so we usually go for a campsite with just water and electricity and use the campground dumping station for empting the holding tanks when we leave. The campsite we were at did not have sewers at the site. That would have made things much easier.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once we got a lot of the water up, we needed to empty the holding tanks. That, of course, meant we needed to drive to the dumping station. In order to</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> drive</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> we had to hitch, close up the beds, bring the slide in, and unhook the water and electricity. It was 10:00 and dark. But we did it. We did it and drove to the dumping station, emptied the holding tank, drove back to the campsite and set everything back up. Then I started doing laundry. Five loads.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The kids were amazing helpers with all of this. They were excited to help, and dare I say, almost giddy. “Are you going to put this on the blog? What are you going to call it? How about sewer catastrophe? Are we going to have to get a new camper? ARE YOU GOING TO TELL DAD????”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We never really figured out how the whole thing happened. Seems “nobody” was in the bathroom before we went to the pool. We left all the fans running on full power overnight and I think that really helped. The place was pretty dry in the morning and with the hot, dry days ahead of us, I think the camper will be fine.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Because things happen in 3’s… The last thing is actually very minor, just “cosmetic” really. And when you are standing a few feet away from the camper, you can hardly tell.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-40512343077017854972009-07-22T07:26:00.000-07:002009-07-22T07:30:26.094-07:00The Trip Home<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Trip Home</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have often joked that I spent so much time planning this trip, that by the time I tried to plan anything beyond CA, I was mentally done. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We’ll be home when we get there. Let’s see where the road takes us. We’ll be home when we run out of money.</span></i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Well I talked to Lloyd a little while ago, and he had just checked my bank account. Seems I’ll be home tomorrow. </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh wait! Since I’m still in AZ, it might take longer. Let’s see how far that last $300 gets me…</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-62871182865777707102009-07-22T07:05:00.000-07:002009-07-22T07:24:56.590-07:00Grand Canyon, AZ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52QRG6q4tWeei4Kj2LnYvucs95RP-SsZl8D0mK3Q9G6xm1Z0gST2XFtAPlB3a5WjFIHVvnEC5RIbwNs6NtlpQb9uLmwCNHvkJ8eoY8AMS2dTZiin_ihuit4oRs3WEPFifyRFpjvAZzbw/s1600-h/IMG_0616.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52QRG6q4tWeei4Kj2LnYvucs95RP-SsZl8D0mK3Q9G6xm1Z0gST2XFtAPlB3a5WjFIHVvnEC5RIbwNs6NtlpQb9uLmwCNHvkJ8eoY8AMS2dTZiin_ihuit4oRs3WEPFifyRFpjvAZzbw/s320/IMG_0616.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361290068037774898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOSbOfQq7Woclo3lH1UTCRO-N5145CBuwIzCm64Bs_zc7gb6JNhpIEjy5OttpcuEHMGi9kSbaNi90qIUUM0OU60jqG2dAzsHBzmu3O2c1nmU2IO9BuEFNeuuts5pEPZ0xEjTyRZSBOlA/s1600-h/IMG_0607.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOSbOfQq7Woclo3lH1UTCRO-N5145CBuwIzCm64Bs_zc7gb6JNhpIEjy5OttpcuEHMGi9kSbaNi90qIUUM0OU60jqG2dAzsHBzmu3O2c1nmU2IO9BuEFNeuuts5pEPZ0xEjTyRZSBOlA/s320/IMG_0607.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361290064297118370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMRCNl-J22TUgRM26eTey_uJ9HHTKzHvvwLYdsQsmaL3QXhZDFWN3qrl-ON4MECd_E2QjAiLnq7nZ4EuOHLsQuv0cMvfcf9NXurfTSaB01fM7Ozm3y_PIOTzFWyC3SKzyryhORKEB7PU/s1600-h/IMG_0598.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMRCNl-J22TUgRM26eTey_uJ9HHTKzHvvwLYdsQsmaL3QXhZDFWN3qrl-ON4MECd_E2QjAiLnq7nZ4EuOHLsQuv0cMvfcf9NXurfTSaB01fM7Ozm3y_PIOTzFWyC3SKzyryhORKEB7PU/s320/IMG_0598.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361290055394404258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQIoDOtKWTF0_D61TgqY6sMWXlakb7nT3oZBqH_YU1V7XT1V7fYEaTKdadnVPGRW-HU6cMlHW48EruZoSzXHVXQdk_CSrrxLXVxQTY15SXY7iGl-FahXcELSKV9X4B6AAdfJelDUYTe8/s1600-h/IMG_0586.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQIoDOtKWTF0_D61TgqY6sMWXlakb7nT3oZBqH_YU1V7XT1V7fYEaTKdadnVPGRW-HU6cMlHW48EruZoSzXHVXQdk_CSrrxLXVxQTY15SXY7iGl-FahXcELSKV9X4B6AAdfJelDUYTe8/s320/IMG_0586.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361290051036490258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEzJJ8LGL0h1QQQ7gn4v_pHQAwOkG5AipQDjPgFG7x2METdotheKn4PpiVZZcks-doUQhkeprcw41o-4OV9gpwa3T7pOeQ0DmhJSZfJ85uflKxqk0vZfxPl2uREsPqek4W9Ydt0QJmJ4/s1600-h/IMG_0582.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEzJJ8LGL0h1QQQ7gn4v_pHQAwOkG5AipQDjPgFG7x2METdotheKn4PpiVZZcks-doUQhkeprcw41o-4OV9gpwa3T7pOeQ0DmhJSZfJ85uflKxqk0vZfxPl2uREsPqek4W9Ydt0QJmJ4/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361290041329268834" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Grand Canyon, AZ</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">W</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">oved visiting one of the seven wonders of the natural world!</span></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon from Williams was just about an hour. But it was a very pretty drive and we were all very excited about going so the time just flew by. We stopped by one of the many observation areas and decided to park there for the day and take a shuttle around the area. Our first stop was the Bright Angle trailhead. This is the hike Lloyd and I had done years ago, and I thought the kids would really enjoy it. It’s a fairly steep climb and the views of the canyon are stunning! We saw lots of people going down on mules, and when a mule passes, you have to hug the side of the rocks to give the mules room to pass. While it’s a nicely maintained trail, when a mule passes, it pretty much takes up the trail!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We hike a mile and ½ down and stopped for a snack and water. Garrett and I were up for going further, but Nicholas was afraid going back would “take too long” (what time schedule he was on is a mystery to me) so we started heading back up the canyon. Let me tell you, going up is MUCH HARDER than going down!! The weather was slightly cool and a bit overcast on the way down. On the way up, it got sunny and hot! We were dripping with sweat! And then… a thunderstorm. The temp dropped 20 degrees, we froze and got even wetter (if that’s possible). But we made it to the top and with the little energy we had left, we made our way back to the shuttle bus.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Unfortunately, we weren’t paying much attention to the stops and we got off at the wrong place. After a short 2 -mile hike along the rim, we made it back to the car for lunch. Peanut butter and jelly has never tasted so good!!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">With renewed energy, we hiked back to a ranger station to attend a program about California Condors (giant, nearly-extinct vultures). The kids really enjoyed it. I think I fell asleep on a rock for most of it. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The coolest part was probably talking to the hikers who were hiking back up the Bright Angle Trail after doing the full canyon hike. It’s basically 10 miles down to the Colorado River. At the bottom is the Phantom Ranch and a walking bridge across the river. Some people had gone down on mules, some just hiked, and some went down yesterday and came back up today! That’s twenty strenuous miles in 2 days! We are soooo doing this next time!!!!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, fantasy;font-size:16px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">IMAX</span></b></span><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">: While Lloyd was with us, we saw the IMAX Grand Canyon movie (narrated by Robert Redford with music by the Dave Matthews Band) about rafting the Colorado River and taking care of our water resources. This was the most we saw of the Colorado because we just couldn’t see it from any of the overlooks we visited. Maybe it was the cloud cover, or maybe we just didn’t hit the right place. Yet one more reason to come back here!</span></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-73979799565428531832009-07-21T06:43:00.000-07:002009-07-21T06:57:27.305-07:00Williams, AZ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7m8gxaeKoJP8QYe55TIi18-qHgqya4o1dXA5WzX0vlc7QEWUvXfEGG7MYqGlyoltlvXJoNkxwTAckEl3NW0XUM8fNBKSEjsfpnMwO_QgxjzbViTvL8GQO6QxrOt-LFuxydi1SNvNRjM/s1600-h/IMG_0556.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7m8gxaeKoJP8QYe55TIi18-qHgqya4o1dXA5WzX0vlc7QEWUvXfEGG7MYqGlyoltlvXJoNkxwTAckEl3NW0XUM8fNBKSEjsfpnMwO_QgxjzbViTvL8GQO6QxrOt-LFuxydi1SNvNRjM/s320/IMG_0556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360911498514527154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8UXMtD11LQo9soBm1GkbP8yMslKIuGHPsuB1kRYI7tIV8l-RzQZiubmkqLEsuab6h3NWlSufNjh1_l7vZ_gOR0kO4LN6HUrnlQlBUfaS7G0pkq1yLFQtN4RixWn39X0T64StxtdqOT8/s1600-h/IMG_0552.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8UXMtD11LQo9soBm1GkbP8yMslKIuGHPsuB1kRYI7tIV8l-RzQZiubmkqLEsuab6h3NWlSufNjh1_l7vZ_gOR0kO4LN6HUrnlQlBUfaS7G0pkq1yLFQtN4RixWn39X0T64StxtdqOT8/s320/IMG_0552.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360911494461055330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTLMheIvwV-j8E7vP22QA81u7IqGQXUjU0hEXhFrmimf1Hzla6dP0l2zrJ4M6WBbMuuqkM381mJZR3LI1ncSTJWcjDKT1LYY-CsUFY1pCiTQwziHTERt6KI_VeGWQbIG1rL2oROj_1sQ/s1600-h/IMG_0551.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTLMheIvwV-j8E7vP22QA81u7IqGQXUjU0hEXhFrmimf1Hzla6dP0l2zrJ4M6WBbMuuqkM381mJZR3LI1ncSTJWcjDKT1LYY-CsUFY1pCiTQwziHTERt6KI_VeGWQbIG1rL2oROj_1sQ/s320/IMG_0551.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360911482425848770" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Gateway to the Grand Canyon!</span></b></span><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After driving over 300 miles on Hwy. 40, in temperatures that were as high 109, it is soooooo good to be here! The campground is very nice and clean, and we have WiFi!! And it’s only in the 60’s!!! I was afraid our cool days were behind us and I was dreading long hot days in the car and stuffy evenings in the camper.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Williams is a really neat little town. Lots of “Route 66” theme shops and old fashion restaurants, and the best pie ever! I wasn’t sure if I would really find the restaurant where Lloyd and I had pie several years ago when we did the Grand Canyon trip with Highlights, but we found it! The kids LOVED it! We are going back before we leave, even if it’s for breakfast!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> We are heading to the Grand Canyon as soon as the kids are up!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-61532552051559221362009-07-21T06:29:00.001-07:002009-07-21T06:43:04.926-07:00Sequoia Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvFeUntz9wyJq1xDXioQoCjKmimMhh5ycDo8k3-EICG7y9SRZhGDlA_-7-LYPqGbSrHsWVVqP1KTtUhnIv0e94LOtZeVMObEuqUVLvsc0VZjnEtPVtinM5oV59C6QLQBRJogDbTjUn9s/s1600-h/IMG_0516.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvFeUntz9wyJq1xDXioQoCjKmimMhh5ycDo8k3-EICG7y9SRZhGDlA_-7-LYPqGbSrHsWVVqP1KTtUhnIv0e94LOtZeVMObEuqUVLvsc0VZjnEtPVtinM5oV59C6QLQBRJogDbTjUn9s/s320/IMG_0516.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360907962677814450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjveSqVYYm7A5Q2OESYhnG9wxqIGpipU4QxgikwCucd1kJwTrpmPo8wSY53q1l6iQt7Bh3P5hAjzceTFieRDMt5Z6vzuvJoAvhQhrkX7WcR9jieWa9u9JD6hpO-VEp1gE-sA5HjPNR3xA/s1600-h/IMG_0408.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjveSqVYYm7A5Q2OESYhnG9wxqIGpipU4QxgikwCucd1kJwTrpmPo8wSY53q1l6iQt7Bh3P5hAjzceTFieRDMt5Z6vzuvJoAvhQhrkX7WcR9jieWa9u9JD6hpO-VEp1gE-sA5HjPNR3xA/s320/IMG_0408.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360907950840191282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGByse1lJYaOjajeKucv-PHcaxOwOWrdj1erfF4V2wReRzQdJwCufOnjSlHB5qRbOlQAD9pHzbYJUW5a138FLj-7NsFp0l-5i7yYIzea5vQHZyAwZqgBl1l7hwA4QQ3ZTWMolj7YUGNc4/s1600-h/IMG_0414.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGByse1lJYaOjajeKucv-PHcaxOwOWrdj1erfF4V2wReRzQdJwCufOnjSlHB5qRbOlQAD9pHzbYJUW5a138FLj-7NsFp0l-5i7yYIzea5vQHZyAwZqgBl1l7hwA4QQ3ZTWMolj7YUGNc4/s320/IMG_0414.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360907943004740098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkex29ZNYEXdsp0BH6mHo-ysbuNyMZjBQhcTpuRMrabgyEO63_ZkpUTjLvKapMYorye-SA9BricAZgXjpl4WnY8qdOiNEmg0XAdrBXmNdeoeXPhV0BgaR9KvyC1RZGdD8vi1OaEXHNle0/s1600-h/IMG_0511.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkex29ZNYEXdsp0BH6mHo-ysbuNyMZjBQhcTpuRMrabgyEO63_ZkpUTjLvKapMYorye-SA9BricAZgXjpl4WnY8qdOiNEmg0XAdrBXmNdeoeXPhV0BgaR9KvyC1RZGdD8vi1OaEXHNle0/s320/IMG_0511.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360907937934316642" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-76478982684529645362009-07-20T21:15:00.000-07:002009-07-20T21:40:57.214-07:00Sequoia National Park, CA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPkWXSHz1pCfutzWYLZIWFBGAZcZ_ACWIgGaZzV3H7emK_iFJKSjcXAgisudRVh_XehHtGAxCF-LIpYQnyCXW6mM2qHyd7pxuC9GCBmlMlYgt1h50Gdh6bu9u69e71JLM8Vb7A4a5JYg/s1600-h/IMG_0476.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPkWXSHz1pCfutzWYLZIWFBGAZcZ_ACWIgGaZzV3H7emK_iFJKSjcXAgisudRVh_XehHtGAxCF-LIpYQnyCXW6mM2qHyd7pxuC9GCBmlMlYgt1h50Gdh6bu9u69e71JLM8Vb7A4a5JYg/s320/IMG_0476.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360768680259654802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRkM_JgcY5hIy2F-tY19yZqMxQB_5dqEGqZofctUx3ziMWcnyIyP4jz7ExhhjpsyJmYrpDBFmMxxK3wW-MqXC5nmN97Lg_p01IdB9v9zRCEGvKi38mwqhoVNimoLr__9EThLm6FjtEpg/s1600-h/IMG_0490.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRkM_JgcY5hIy2F-tY19yZqMxQB_5dqEGqZofctUx3ziMWcnyIyP4jz7ExhhjpsyJmYrpDBFmMxxK3wW-MqXC5nmN97Lg_p01IdB9v9zRCEGvKi38mwqhoVNimoLr__9EThLm6FjtEpg/s320/IMG_0490.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360768673203896594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNRXvBamvfMJz7IXLuEB-6FyNNdEijwp16SLZTBsO1EI02rh2pn07XquPvHn3ohxTBFOancYusSNrDPqefru5NV973ndWkSBjVQQEu08EwF6XwsG42z9YKNEGeUU4mqHGLRO03TG6GAY/s1600-h/IMG_0505.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNRXvBamvfMJz7IXLuEB-6FyNNdEijwp16SLZTBsO1EI02rh2pn07XquPvHn3ohxTBFOancYusSNrDPqefru5NV973ndWkSBjVQQEu08EwF6XwsG42z9YKNEGeUU4mqHGLRO03TG6GAY/s320/IMG_0505.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360768665537281602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPRTH5XDIPIkQhVYd5S_7B7oWDlT5vc2OX9wiQdydAhS2-MGdA49uR6dBnq1BK_jf9mFHyPLTmA4F6GaLx1Aghsvg7eqX8sagXzAM9xpNdHFq6oOonj2K0wB1GiBscnyac2JI5a-JG6o/s1600-h/IMG_0540.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPRTH5XDIPIkQhVYd5S_7B7oWDlT5vc2OX9wiQdydAhS2-MGdA49uR6dBnq1BK_jf9mFHyPLTmA4F6GaLx1Aghsvg7eqX8sagXzAM9xpNdHFq6oOonj2K0wB1GiBscnyac2JI5a-JG6o/s320/IMG_0540.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360768661185258322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaebjTkI5dwSRAoVNXXpU84e73Pmr6WbnfsNDXhxFIzMhQet5TOCRwddHa4lsf4jRQaSfOptV76batXjxzGqifVAtbw6mgilGc7cht09iWRDopcBlXC_2VA6eYQNPYYfRVM3BPmxplzD0/s1600-h/IMG_0547.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaebjTkI5dwSRAoVNXXpU84e73Pmr6WbnfsNDXhxFIzMhQet5TOCRwddHa4lsf4jRQaSfOptV76batXjxzGqifVAtbw6mgilGc7cht09iWRDopcBlXC_2VA6eYQNPYYfRVM3BPmxplzD0/s320/IMG_0547.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360768652766877250" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sequoia National Park, CA</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We did a lot of hiking in the Sequoia National Park. The biggest difference, I think, between the Redwood Forest and Sequoia is that the Redwood Groves are very dense with Redwood Trees and giant ferns. The Sequoia forest, on the other hand, is more of a traditional forest with lots of different kinds of trees growing along with the Giant Sequoias. Both parks are equally beautiful, but in different ways.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sequoia also has enormous mountains (more scary driving!) gorgeous wildflowers (even Garrett with his stuffy nose mentioned how nice it smelled in the woods) and several rivers and streams with great rocks for climbing and swimming. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After several long hikes (one rather strenuous), a cave tour and a several hours spent exploring the woods, we were all beat. We had planned to drive to Kings Canyon late in the day, but it was hot, and G and N both fell asleep in the car after our last hike so we called it a day. Plus, I didn’t want to be driving back to camp after dark.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Camping: We camped in a little campground about 13 miles from Sequoia. That’s 13 miles of curvy, mountainous driving, so it took about 30+ minutes to get to the park and then another 30 minutes, once inside the park, to get to the hiking trails and giant trees. While towing a camper on those mountain roads would not have been fun, it would have been nice to stay in the park. That would also have meant no electricity or water hook ups but that would have been fine. The temperatures in the foothills (at our campground) were around 105 (115 at one point) and the high temps up in the mountains were only in the low 80’s, and much cooler at night. There is just something about camping in the woods that you just don't get at a commercial campground. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Our weekend at Sequoia happened to be the National Park Service “stimulate the economy” weekend—no park entrance fees (usually $20), so the park was busy! We hadn’t planned to be here for this weekend, it just worked out that way.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-28763204660533289792009-07-20T21:03:00.001-07:002009-07-20T21:13:39.755-07:00China Town<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdAYKqMyWo8BLzBHSQZpOm6J4vbvCjOsEMBqY2-ynha9LKih2GSNLKduXFKjw3EVLbsLLSTAStwf8h_6-g34wk1sRjssRDjoBGFbb2Jy76GlZpVVrR8cJ4PYpOZycGUA49bZTg-MMwwA/s1600-h/IMG_0378.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdAYKqMyWo8BLzBHSQZpOm6J4vbvCjOsEMBqY2-ynha9LKih2GSNLKduXFKjw3EVLbsLLSTAStwf8h_6-g34wk1sRjssRDjoBGFbb2Jy76GlZpVVrR8cJ4PYpOZycGUA49bZTg-MMwwA/s320/IMG_0378.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360761696119407058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjlHXh9dmwY8HCPQkxe_-eTGHF4yoo6JjYf8lJuGMVqgfnecUHszOd3JV22z9xR1zxHoaEJArWcDhgGBkPnXbq7-Emlsji08mH8tC5-6TmZR0ThgXh3udV30zxPOUvM71aAOjhv3oTYI/s1600-h/IMG_0362.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5sEgX088TEIrjE3e2eHzZps8molMhKyuP0rrEl-YuTjgy12aAjg0sdtqI_16G4157nz_n-2JHxgwb9DQ-gu4hRjhZZN0xt7PZwuZ7c9215Ix-ePi4clGZwO1yyANy7AEG4lpTv5LoZg/s320/IMG_0375.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360761676233281666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV1-PrOjef2ZT_X_ezvh_9g1pKGof1M5JKOq0rU6vDzVpxBCWqHGvwkxl9dJ9XypqHuZGsn6wLd0Hv6kc7ubZN_AvE8xNZfWW79BuqHW8QcN0Pyx9ID9mkixumhGkVTcsl0ICqQYux4Q/s1600-h/IMG_0376.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV1-PrOjef2ZT_X_ezvh_9g1pKGof1M5JKOq0rU6vDzVpxBCWqHGvwkxl9dJ9XypqHuZGsn6wLd0Hv6kc7ubZN_AvE8xNZfWW79BuqHW8QcN0Pyx9ID9mkixumhGkVTcsl0ICqQYux4Q/s320/IMG_0376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360761673364009890" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-72313468795544701682009-07-20T20:52:00.000-07:002009-07-20T21:02:42.950-07:00San Francisco Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSOwQSS6S0p2ggE7gibMuEVgbxhyphenhyphenwhQUodQ2SPE0qxHLk65LtlSOAwXmRyRLnn7GHbieSarx-4qVCLXB9Ci9UeRZayfL_punDrqYnZTRPjXY2KX-vzyzHIceq0kr9Wv52fJaMO1abp1A/s1600-h/IMG_0326.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzAzEA1nN39Xeqt_X6fy12n_yVoVg23bsDvDbin3I7oGEE6diN8pl-72uay86HpN3EEjjJmwFTwOgbaL4QJ7GvomvY83JnPf94r82syBrHUFMV_1Og5RvZuSt9To85rw_UgldRgioMNQ/s320/IMG_0379.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360758778167672850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1o6-20UloJtNm8DgDATbNwKOCvuQGk2z_Ra2O0KexjB0dec_ePrAuWV6GAx_OllXZNWyopyi8fuhc_V9D2T_wCL53IXFy__Q__fWycqSaTAswgFR2mXynvZ0nmB1259ohld721oPrg8/s1600-h/IMG_0300.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1o6-20UloJtNm8DgDATbNwKOCvuQGk2z_Ra2O0KexjB0dec_ePrAuWV6GAx_OllXZNWyopyi8fuhc_V9D2T_wCL53IXFy__Q__fWycqSaTAswgFR2mXynvZ0nmB1259ohld721oPrg8/s320/IMG_0300.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360758765187829218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSowAiYW53IsRrZmDS5Ivn_0BDr4KnZo-qPyKb0F2Ngpe1L132XkLbiVefZaprURLtCrPwR_-Pc2c0RDxVAEDjWRzbv2gRK2MyGLsV7u5m1AqqDaOw37YCm1QBjzQJmfjd8pOI-S8CMp8/s1600-h/IMG_0293.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSowAiYW53IsRrZmDS5Ivn_0BDr4KnZo-qPyKb0F2Ngpe1L132XkLbiVefZaprURLtCrPwR_-Pc2c0RDxVAEDjWRzbv2gRK2MyGLsV7u5m1AqqDaOw37YCm1QBjzQJmfjd8pOI-S8CMp8/s320/IMG_0293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360758757858715698" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-77774887191363349672009-07-20T20:21:00.000-07:002009-07-20T20:52:04.928-07:00San Francisco, CA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPx-sZ-AiI_9RQ4lSNO2GBXFSU8vovJ-QMx5ukXLJACaYH8XPzcXH1ebZhyar4mXoGClAOuYq5ic776vFFrwQkagzuXCB2E93tMbnYJrlyMsg7vZZHQFbCV_NMmbRkpnLXiCupjOlxnG4/s1600-h/IMG_0385.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPx-sZ-AiI_9RQ4lSNO2GBXFSU8vovJ-QMx5ukXLJACaYH8XPzcXH1ebZhyar4mXoGClAOuYq5ic776vFFrwQkagzuXCB2E93tMbnYJrlyMsg7vZZHQFbCV_NMmbRkpnLXiCupjOlxnG4/s320/IMG_0385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360756139428037698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFonrNIeV5BOgFjpZqJlRVzAYvV_F2rFbEJnVoDhdigsoGiNBjOAFz301kmXuSa65SUKP8zQlR0BIlzlLfBqj0rnBUhDgigvUnWdvx7Vrj368kMIqDkuMAANXJNukw_K7jg2ionrQPwwY/s1600-h/IMG_0265.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFonrNIeV5BOgFjpZqJlRVzAYvV_F2rFbEJnVoDhdigsoGiNBjOAFz301kmXuSa65SUKP8zQlR0BIlzlLfBqj0rnBUhDgigvUnWdvx7Vrj368kMIqDkuMAANXJNukw_K7jg2ionrQPwwY/s320/IMG_0265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360756130745234514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONarbHFvwKfaKq_s_PxFPtlT_DR2Y377GTUc2HliY9cWqnQFDhtufYfM_uIVPOxO0zlwbU82gAXnLgrJZgDBpxIAgY-K-kissvLNJa8GMkA9uQqF4-z0j-FmTJ38AD69JDIoru0aRYs4/s1600-h/IMG_0281.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONarbHFvwKfaKq_s_PxFPtlT_DR2Y377GTUc2HliY9cWqnQFDhtufYfM_uIVPOxO0zlwbU82gAXnLgrJZgDBpxIAgY-K-kissvLNJa8GMkA9uQqF4-z0j-FmTJ38AD69JDIoru0aRYs4/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360756125211863506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoj72a8BhjlSSQsUYmT5WDKHpJWDAcV0ye_bXtgGvM_1dJxu1b6dq6l02FhJqSNQV7ulai2nQDkcXDohrOuRPUuKCmqK7xSdl784vz_Q7kvsENNBP-3k096mZsDt7pTaqfxiB29-IWNw/s1600-h/IMG_0261.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoj72a8BhjlSSQsUYmT5WDKHpJWDAcV0ye_bXtgGvM_1dJxu1b6dq6l02FhJqSNQV7ulai2nQDkcXDohrOuRPUuKCmqK7xSdl784vz_Q7kvsENNBP-3k096mZsDt7pTaqfxiB29-IWNw/s320/IMG_0261.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360756120214797202" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What a wonderful day!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We arrived in San Francisco just after 8am and made our first stop (after the parking garage) the Boudin Bakery. On Thursday mornings they offer a special one-hour tour led by a master baker. While they offer several tours throughout the week (for a small fee), the Thursday morning tour is unique because it also includes a breakfast reception.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The kids thought the whole bread-making process was fascinating and they loved watching all the bakers take piles of flour and dough balls of various sizes and shape them into everything from baguettes to tiny alligators, birds, and crabs. We were also impressed by the enormous baking equipment. The mixers were like gigantic Kitchen Aids mixers and cost $250,000 a piece. The flour silo holds 16,000 pounds of flour and gets refilled weekly. The bakery makes 10,000 loaves of sour dough bread a day! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There is a San Francisco history/ sourdough history museum included with the tour. Not only did we learn that the sourdough starter used today is an “ancestor” of the starter used back in 1840, but we learned a lot about the general history of San Francisco. It was all very interesting.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And as I mentioned earlier, there was a very nice breakfast reception with the bakers. For $3 a piece for the kids and $6 for me, we had the bakery and museum tour, and had a fantastic breakfast! The reception included coffee, tea, juice and milk, and the most delicious muffins, Danish, cookies and pastries you could imagine! I am normally not a “Danish” person (they always taste stale to me) but these were loaded with fresh blueberries or chocolate and were absolutely delicious! With every bite Nicholas took (and he tried everything) he announced it was the best muffin/cookie/pastry he has ever eaten!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At one point during the reception Master Baker Ramon gave everyone a sourdough loaf in the shape of a sea creature. Then one of the other bakers brought us a bakery box to fill up with the leftover pastries!!! Did I mention that I only spent $12 on this event?! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After the bakery tour we walked around Fisherman’s Warf and I bought us each an $11 day-use transportation pass. Now we could take any mode of public transportation with the one ticket. We took four buses, two shuttles, and 2 cable cars. The cable cars (and I kept calling them trolleys) are $5 a person, each trip. The day pass was a very good deal.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The next thing we wanted to see was the Golden Gate Bridge. We took a bus. We could have taken the bus over the bridge, but I thought it would be more fun to get off on the north side and walk. So we did. We walked the Golden Gate Bridge. Two miles over and two miles back. The kids thought it was a crazy thing to do, and Garrett did ask why would we do such a thing and really, the best answer I could come up, is because we could. And we had a ball! We took a zillion pictures, looked for seals in the water, watched the boats, tried to find the city (and Alcatraz) in all the fog, worked up a sweat in 60 degree weather, and enjoyed it immensley.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We then took a shuttle around Golden Gate Park and then went back to Fisherman’s Warf. We stopped in Giradelli’s and sampled some chocolate (still full from breakfast) and wandered around a few shops. Finally worked up an appetite for lunch and found a great little pizza place. A medium pizza and 2 sodas cost $20. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We then hopped a cable car and headed downtown. Along the way we stopped in China Town and that was a blast! I loved watching the kids look in the windows of the food shops! I think Nicholas could very easily become a vegetarian! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We wrapped up our San Francisco day by taking a few last minute pictures, purchasing a few postcards, and learning how to use a credit card in the parking garage. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I suppose I shouldn’t </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">brag</span></i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> so much about being so thrifty with our day. But it was really a fun challenge to spend the day exploring the city, seeing everything we wanted to see, doing stuff we have never done before, and doing it all so cheaply! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Perhaps the best part for me was exploring the city with Garrett and Nicholas in a way I would never have done with other adults. I just don’t know many people who would have wanted to spend so much time visiting Spy Shops. Or who would have, for the first time ever, broke down and sang country music songs with me with the windows down and the sunroof open as we sat thru light after light trying to get out of the city after a very full day. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-47237551332470943362009-07-15T06:32:00.000-07:002009-07-15T06:44:30.342-07:00Resort Living<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFcoxS14rw157MK4gwj5AMqBvI1RwUppQ6cKRRng-5J7xxgnKgJZZaaBix_hq7O7o3Xd_YqyutmZ64YvngS9fkmvaFIrGf8rcQSDQwG0xsUyOSnPPVyJ0zmIzUNYf4kmbJ01DAB5Dx9c/s1600-h/IMG_0245.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFcoxS14rw157MK4gwj5AMqBvI1RwUppQ6cKRRng-5J7xxgnKgJZZaaBix_hq7O7o3Xd_YqyutmZ64YvngS9fkmvaFIrGf8rcQSDQwG0xsUyOSnPPVyJ0zmIzUNYf4kmbJ01DAB5Dx9c/s320/IMG_0245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358681148398446770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF3O5oc0L4r1UGA5dEtHlzpv8QjISCtKUEgNkxJtpKLNrRGFxfn3DHRhizIQZqg-kooyZq4m7Vo79dYK7k8yiYZ8u7fiA-f4BGsirUSLHrHWk6zCGh-b8mKGdnk5mHg7HwXDECy_Sp18/s1600-h/IMG_0251.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF3O5oc0L4r1UGA5dEtHlzpv8QjISCtKUEgNkxJtpKLNrRGFxfn3DHRhizIQZqg-kooyZq4m7Vo79dYK7k8yiYZ8u7fiA-f4BGsirUSLHrHWk6zCGh-b8mKGdnk5mHg7HwXDECy_Sp18/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358681140331700450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS0ze6kw6udIOGVNT4D4yV3xBOvkhQqbeLtF_QVCqOskw7HZUlsSu2iuEdSydagP4Gn1df9PgMoJ7Xcl3H9X7nFHsslNUs2dtKD4JpE6nxa4a6fgoG8_hxSNDr-NINtgXSvvQzsIYT-A/s1600-h/IMG_0254.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS0ze6kw6udIOGVNT4D4yV3xBOvkhQqbeLtF_QVCqOskw7HZUlsSu2iuEdSydagP4Gn1df9PgMoJ7Xcl3H9X7nFHsslNUs2dtKD4JpE6nxa4a6fgoG8_hxSNDr-NINtgXSvvQzsIYT-A/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358681131780253730" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, fantasy; ">After visiting the Redwood Forest we headed south to Red Bluff, CA. Our original plan was to spend two nights in Crescent Beach, but the town and the RV park were both really run down so we found an “RV Resort” on the internet in a town close to where we wanted to be.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Durango RV Resort is something else! It’s huge and has all the “extras” we were looking for… a swimming pool, a laundry room, high speed internet (for real!!) and nice, level pull-thru camper sites. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A guide escorts you to your spot on a golf cart. Trash gets picked up at your site each morning at 10:00. The bathrooms have corian countertops and 3 different kids of hand soap!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It was really nice to be able to get internet connection in the camper, and even out by the pool. I have been known to sit on the folding table in the laundry room of a KOA, with the computer facing the office, just to check email.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We spent lots of time by the pool, and while the days have been hot, the evenings have been really nice. Between the pool and the beautiful lodge, and hanging out by the fire pit with other campers, we have really enjoyed this place. The only downside is that it is right next to the highway and the trucks run 24/7 here. It has been a nice resort stop, but I am ready to get back to state park camping! </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-45931321402970691312009-07-15T05:59:00.000-07:002009-07-15T06:09:25.022-07:00The Boy Scout Tree Trail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0q6Z_Ug0gLCMFrve9UyTLa8TMkwjqvytqm53YxfpLVP4XK0h3OCdmhePDm57pR7MU91YjZJe79CrVwhY7WEogPB_Q-LHDe4pYEwUkZwjjGczulhvl5WXZXW8NueJaOe2UtOVq9dD22I/s1600-h/IMG_0205.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0q6Z_Ug0gLCMFrve9UyTLa8TMkwjqvytqm53YxfpLVP4XK0h3OCdmhePDm57pR7MU91YjZJe79CrVwhY7WEogPB_Q-LHDe4pYEwUkZwjjGczulhvl5WXZXW8NueJaOe2UtOVq9dD22I/s320/IMG_0205.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358673039932541602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0_2RR1E-ZR_IYvQWAFQiTRJyvlsIVYuzPYzmqoRCYtZshV02zxLCvk_hRhWpnSssteeAktXCMxvN56WmhRZ6-oA4K1d7Ix9RNZZgRg-ap7XLUhFvN04YG15JskJGd2K-2OX5c9vQo1o/s1600-h/IMG_0230.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0_2RR1E-ZR_IYvQWAFQiTRJyvlsIVYuzPYzmqoRCYtZshV02zxLCvk_hRhWpnSssteeAktXCMxvN56WmhRZ6-oA4K1d7Ix9RNZZgRg-ap7XLUhFvN04YG15JskJGd2K-2OX5c9vQo1o/s320/IMG_0230.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358673036524686722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjma20ZmIwlci13iSo0eP3qrbx0Q4CN-5igHXGfO11pe0OsdKGeFnuSByd745nxtW-YbBmgb8xcExHjoHOqxE8OUR2hVgMe-_BiGo-IjWfTCcsTlzNuEoxjsBnkk0MROwE3rjEHKlIaTq8/s1600-h/_Boy+Scout+Tree-00809780.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjma20ZmIwlci13iSo0eP3qrbx0Q4CN-5igHXGfO11pe0OsdKGeFnuSByd745nxtW-YbBmgb8xcExHjoHOqxE8OUR2hVgMe-_BiGo-IjWfTCcsTlzNuEoxjsBnkk0MROwE3rjEHKlIaTq8/s320/_Boy+Scout+Tree-00809780.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358673029974475010" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Boy Scout Tree Trail</span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">On our second day in the Redwood Forest, we hiked the Boy Scout Tree Trail. The drive to the trailhead was on a small, mountain road. Sometimes the redwoods were so close together that I didn't think our car would fit between them! The drive was very peaceful and beautiful. We got an early start and didn’t see another hiker until we were on our way back! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The trail is 2.8 miles long. At the trailhead, there were a few arguments about the fact that if it was 2.8 miles out, that means it would be 2.8 miles back. Someone thought it might be a loop trail, but I said if it doesn’t say “loop” it’s probably not a loop. After a bit of complaining, we all headed out and even made it past the Boy Scout Tree, all the way to the only waterfall in the Redwood Forest.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The trail would probably be considered a “moderate” hike and it was absolutely beautiful. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-49657085224858737032009-07-15T05:51:00.000-07:002009-07-15T05:58:35.084-07:00California Redwoods<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfPsXjHlhoxHHBOim47h1Q1DM1k0fFVl4XvgQNmYTGUwIuXRE3lTaxLuEFwcc2NVhQT2lDXMil6JGTLDKq-wNlRc5XMsZJwOy5MxT6OFQA64Nwrq5YtlNB9CKOWLiVfQKVBGnvS6U0e8/s1600-h/IMG_0182.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfPsXjHlhoxHHBOim47h1Q1DM1k0fFVl4XvgQNmYTGUwIuXRE3lTaxLuEFwcc2NVhQT2lDXMil6JGTLDKq-wNlRc5XMsZJwOy5MxT6OFQA64Nwrq5YtlNB9CKOWLiVfQKVBGnvS6U0e8/s320/IMG_0182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358670388136750130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywN0wl8YRnrFc88_H0axDl9ZJm4ahXREzXypB4fWdNDv7ilUIGGTlxhMjEUH1XxIaFa5qhTsUJZ_9gfg4wsCcPs8oMACfT349X8Lwn7nbjaKsTVKqeTsbBhBRyFaTsnMoH1TluJ-sRuc/s1600-h/IMG_0192.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywN0wl8YRnrFc88_H0axDl9ZJm4ahXREzXypB4fWdNDv7ilUIGGTlxhMjEUH1XxIaFa5qhTsUJZ_9gfg4wsCcPs8oMACfT349X8Lwn7nbjaKsTVKqeTsbBhBRyFaTsnMoH1TluJ-sRuc/s320/IMG_0192.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358670382734399618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPPwbs9etW-zZYYhyphenhyphenrV0CkW8Rg6lLSpfRV1ugy0KRY2_Pk02DSgTXQJ-6iFordfaB66YmzM7RfWw_MGuiXN3o2vd0Xun60ppb0a-ZFtTbvXkYbvxuh1d-_oCwlUXBE-CFGVWm8WMaiQw/s1600-h/IMG_0168.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPPwbs9etW-zZYYhyphenhyphenrV0CkW8Rg6lLSpfRV1ugy0KRY2_Pk02DSgTXQJ-6iFordfaB66YmzM7RfWw_MGuiXN3o2vd0Xun60ppb0a-ZFtTbvXkYbvxuh1d-_oCwlUXBE-CFGVWm8WMaiQw/s320/IMG_0168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358670373474008546" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">California Redwoods</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Redwood Forests are really amazing! While we almost expected to see a monkey in the jungles of Oregon, a dinosaur walking among the Redwoods would have seemed perfectly natural!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-32220259599514055072009-07-15T05:46:00.000-07:002009-07-15T05:51:21.162-07:00California Dudes and a Good Samaritan<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, fantasy; font-size: small; font-weight: bold; ">California Dudes and a Good Samaritan</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From OR we headed to the Redwood Forests of CA. After our first day of touring the redwoods, as we were driving back to the campsite, we saw a couple of guys on the side of the road. They looked to be about 19 or 20, and they looked like they needed help. Lloyd pulled over and asked if we could help them and they said they lost their car keys and needed to call AAA. Lloyd pulls over and I hop out with my phone so they could make their call. Two of their other friends come walking up from the trail, wrapped in towels and shivering. It was about 60 degrees out and these guys had obviously been in the water. As the four of them are arguing and trying to call AAA, as well as someone’s dad, I got the whole story</span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. They had decided to go whitewater rafting down the redwood river on floats they bought at CVS! </span></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am not making this up!!! It was all I could do to not burst out laughing!</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They continued to pass the phone around, trying to call a parent, and one of the kids in frustration said the “f” word. His buddy slapped him on the back and said “Dude! You shouldn’t say that in front of a … Good Samaritan” The whole thing was just very comical!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After a few minutes, when they couldn’t reach anyone by phone, they decided to walk back towards town and I got back in my car and left. A few minutes later, one of the parents called my number and I told them where we left the boys. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-56529661573363684342009-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:002009-07-14T08:35:49.508-07:00Crater Lake National Park, OR<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iw1mZJ2pYWYzkXyNSFI0qMC5UxnR83UGJNZxiN57CAK-_KJpJM29F7mUDeaqw-zpGg4lf5dvxachCjsHDG4JggpQr8Mx447EQyT47g6iPs3JlRjd3Jw6_OdXqYbT8-XkSr_VLhV6BcE/s1600-h/IMG_0003.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iw1mZJ2pYWYzkXyNSFI0qMC5UxnR83UGJNZxiN57CAK-_KJpJM29F7mUDeaqw-zpGg4lf5dvxachCjsHDG4JggpQr8Mx447EQyT47g6iPs3JlRjd3Jw6_OdXqYbT8-XkSr_VLhV6BcE/s320/IMG_0003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358339122585733298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V632O9ZynNho3S1wO9ZD1S2MLLMbihwdODGfeav9XWIgq-BJsbxvQzFJdJOIKxJgma-KM0-iJK6K0M-B3MiwNmpaKwVjkFuwRuOVMbvU7eqWlhyphenhyphenznba9JnFpWnmtKSeXpWT9XFUgU9A/s1600-h/IMG_0038.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V632O9ZynNho3S1wO9ZD1S2MLLMbihwdODGfeav9XWIgq-BJsbxvQzFJdJOIKxJgma-KM0-iJK6K0M-B3MiwNmpaKwVjkFuwRuOVMbvU7eqWlhyphenhyphenznba9JnFpWnmtKSeXpWT9XFUgU9A/s320/IMG_0038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358339113731467314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgRdOaiLvtMHe7CQqKGDxkylMmvzFiqqxR0V_pUFAwV5LybaUim_MX42Yf0KlrQZd-LZkpNMxkWGSPQGo3Nk78ZwfFbUBDRhbrBPmfNBrDHdR7hV6wB6RbjuztoIkz29QWAWc61RHT8M/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgRdOaiLvtMHe7CQqKGDxkylMmvzFiqqxR0V_pUFAwV5LybaUim_MX42Yf0KlrQZd-LZkpNMxkWGSPQGo3Nk78ZwfFbUBDRhbrBPmfNBrDHdR7hV6wB6RbjuztoIkz29QWAWc61RHT8M/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358339101897300786" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, fantasy;font-size:small;">The ultimate floating lake!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, fantasy;font-size:small;">At one time this lake was actually a volcano. It erupted and collapsed into itself creating a caldera that eventually filled with rainwater and melted snow. The lake is now five miles wide and surrounded by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high. The lake is 1,943 feet deep and it’s the deepest lake in the US, and one of the deepest in the world.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One of the most amazing things about this lake is the color! I have never seen anything so blue! And it was also interesting to see a lake so contained by cliffs… no houses, no shops, no docks, no anything. Just a lake!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There isn’t even a way to hike down to the lake. Most of the area hikes are just around the rim. There is one boat, from the national park resort, that tours the lake several times a day. It seemed funny to see a tiny little boat tooling around on that great big lake.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-18429208580275353862009-07-14T08:04:00.000-07:002009-07-14T08:25:42.318-07:00Here we are at Sears in front of the Crater Lake backdrop.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTIkkr9sXeIQkaKAcpCFHOLZzzx4rBsEHDONUVdzG3hdXgdU1vNP-4pr78VwGkmYPguwNetQteesx7yLTJTbds82W89yHj2EBAUk3JjguJ2mAHGOZOu7JGdTlUWDHTEyyPfUtvqFHwyU/s1600-h/IMG_0012.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTIkkr9sXeIQkaKAcpCFHOLZzzx4rBsEHDONUVdzG3hdXgdU1vNP-4pr78VwGkmYPguwNetQteesx7yLTJTbds82W89yHj2EBAUk3JjguJ2mAHGOZOu7JGdTlUWDHTEyyPfUtvqFHwyU/s320/IMG_0012.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358337335066737666" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Just kidding! After Portland we headed to the Rogue River State Park. This was a nice state park and there were lots of other campers so G and N had lots of other kids to play with. From here we took a day trip to Crater Lake. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-89288902828655401492009-07-14T07:36:00.001-07:002009-07-14T07:45:16.595-07:00Japanese Garden Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS_0-b6LpsAi4Rq-m7hloAFdJHpG8V_NzZSAUdlbofF3jJTdkUffPomNFyXMDivzB9U1rgFKiMMeSMoLBBsS0wQhDPLfL3lUDzFYFKbHkfUNWET4pDUgsujKGwAWqQB607d-LsVQOGbo/s1600-h/IMG_1160.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS_0-b6LpsAi4Rq-m7hloAFdJHpG8V_NzZSAUdlbofF3jJTdkUffPomNFyXMDivzB9U1rgFKiMMeSMoLBBsS0wQhDPLfL3lUDzFYFKbHkfUNWET4pDUgsujKGwAWqQB607d-LsVQOGbo/s320/IMG_1160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358326878045148002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecMj2XnttY4bSlQbsaCfYlXMVOzeN9IOVVWzWIaer9d2HCY_O3HzKmOomVL4RsINWxBwf7pksQzczK7GFn9426gxgJrbodd-_M_ErIGMrvLcNjDjP3Euyhl_D8XmMzJ4JMB9XyfR8NuU/s1600-h/IMG_1173.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecMj2XnttY4bSlQbsaCfYlXMVOzeN9IOVVWzWIaer9d2HCY_O3HzKmOomVL4RsINWxBwf7pksQzczK7GFn9426gxgJrbodd-_M_ErIGMrvLcNjDjP3Euyhl_D8XmMzJ4JMB9XyfR8NuU/s320/IMG_1173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358326868210303618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0Eymy4W2kByTJGIU4USnfvSdD3Mat7mhBNbL67PIESIcyIFEEnNzhhPA_6hvoV6P5S7IWbPT6pm7OqhmS9kEWuQgh7ybuQDzBDOSeGo4bRueIgPN8PffkYzSpGW_YZDG38bSf1pdv4c/s1600-h/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0Eymy4W2kByTJGIU4USnfvSdD3Mat7mhBNbL67PIESIcyIFEEnNzhhPA_6hvoV6P5S7IWbPT6pm7OqhmS9kEWuQgh7ybuQDzBDOSeGo4bRueIgPN8PffkYzSpGW_YZDG38bSf1pdv4c/s320/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358326861141208098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99aZhY2J4aJMTj6Y584Wx1qF_HoSwZajaKRpKvAZjQEjACfNepHVUOh90NHKj4AXBR3TJslopDDPuTsEH9OYS0fy73OuTVMMtInARGqoBFwR9Qx9MZbPRyfz3RljixZp31CJFJ9UkQik/s1600-h/IMG_1157.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99aZhY2J4aJMTj6Y584Wx1qF_HoSwZajaKRpKvAZjQEjACfNepHVUOh90NHKj4AXBR3TJslopDDPuTsEH9OYS0fy73OuTVMMtInARGqoBFwR9Qx9MZbPRyfz3RljixZp31CJFJ9UkQik/s320/IMG_1157.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358326853564219218" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-42601793061356473502009-07-14T07:23:00.000-07:002009-07-14T07:35:58.733-07:00Portland, OR<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCnfzqbJv_C392nk88W8nWNjPhcsPW9UBULdPUHS1Tyx4RIvYhXk52tZ1_JR99Rl_YWNqyGAs39tOEfDNKgnhthMc1DSKI4DddX6cYdsAScF-A7bVM6fPdsLWoAk2Fb2hzuZNUDjyyis/s1600-h/IMG_1142.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCnfzqbJv_C392nk88W8nWNjPhcsPW9UBULdPUHS1Tyx4RIvYhXk52tZ1_JR99Rl_YWNqyGAs39tOEfDNKgnhthMc1DSKI4DddX6cYdsAScF-A7bVM6fPdsLWoAk2Fb2hzuZNUDjyyis/s320/IMG_1142.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358324522927687970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhN6wlLBORZytTV68o8Ojf-Pruq5l-VebzviJzbPZsei3meU1Q6soWBvz2UC6ALHEubBysFxJPnC76yoUE3qIH6i37lEzpSArKG3YAsHo5ShTuY2-wjMUPOsPDrSQHtb1CFP4mAp5T8U/s1600-h/IMG_1135.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhN6wlLBORZytTV68o8Ojf-Pruq5l-VebzviJzbPZsei3meU1Q6soWBvz2UC6ALHEubBysFxJPnC76yoUE3qIH6i37lEzpSArKG3YAsHo5ShTuY2-wjMUPOsPDrSQHtb1CFP4mAp5T8U/s320/IMG_1135.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358324520368825922" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">From beer and doughnuts to roses and zen, Portland really does have a little bit of everything! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Our second day in Portland was spent in Washington Park. This is a big downtown park with everything from gorgeous public gardens, to the Portland Zoo, to soccer fields and tennis courts. I think I was originally the only one excited about seeing the rose garden. It is the largest test garden for roses in the US, and it really is beautiful. I thought it would be fun for us to each find our “favorite” rose. Nicholas found a beautiful peach/orange rose called “Strike it rich”, Lloyd found a purple rose that smelled really nice, and I was surprised that it was a pure, sparkling white rose that got my attention. My favorite was called the Maria Shriver (which worked out well, because I really like her) and not only was it a beautiful white, but it smelled really nice. That was one of my requirements, the rose had to be beautiful and smell great! I tried to press Garrett to “pick a favorite” but he just wouldn’t. Something about “not being into roses”…</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After the rose garden we hiked up to the Japanese Garden. I read that this is one of the most authentic Japanese Gardens in the US. We were all very impressed with this one! The garden is divided in to areas by time period with an emphasis on natural elements, stone and water, and an occasional metal sculpture, like a crane, to represent long life. Many of the elements are arranged in groups of five for the five directions… north, south, east, west and centered. Oh, and what’s the difference between a rock and a stone? A stone is simply an intentionally placed rock. That’s what the tour guide told us!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There were two areas designed as large Zen gardens that were filled with small pebbles, a few large rocks (stones) and several swirl designs made with a special rake. Nicholas asked if we could turn our backyard into a Zen Garden. Lloyd told him we could but he wouldn’t be able to play out there anymore. He thought about it and then said that would be ok. He could just play guns at his friend Jake’s house. A peaceful, meditative garden / gun play…. At least he understands yin and yang.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Garrett also really enjoyed the Japanese garden. I think he liked the design so much that he may have even offered to help Lloyd make our yard a little more Zen like!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-71299765079633301412009-07-13T20:36:00.000-07:002009-07-13T20:46:27.421-07:00The Magic is the Hole<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVQlI-2JvTtHDM9PEcdusfyGcoG8GJZE-QcJ-Y0UN5ovNc3CEkGBESt8nCDuFBeW19YodRTlRqePLsmMP9hCPoggqHtT5rqhyphenhyphen7IvY8k3G5AcvFVQvizQLw4iqbyYdIt_i3bXJI9P1fTw/s1600-h/IMG_1097.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVQlI-2JvTtHDM9PEcdusfyGcoG8GJZE-QcJ-Y0UN5ovNc3CEkGBESt8nCDuFBeW19YodRTlRqePLsmMP9hCPoggqHtT5rqhyphenhyphen7IvY8k3G5AcvFVQvizQLw4iqbyYdIt_i3bXJI9P1fTw/s320/IMG_1097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358157112023557426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwHwjlpqYDM8U_Ofnn6UCtkO4N0Rjd30R53UO5_RXy3d_ZuiKJK_SviyvO645T0LpjLykwLPFC0fUaEbACsOGVJ_0ChN0q00-2R-CG2P-r3yZrc_VLeASA3ZpKuwMVT7j17Wtqa6oKdk/s1600-h/IMG_1101.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwHwjlpqYDM8U_Ofnn6UCtkO4N0Rjd30R53UO5_RXy3d_ZuiKJK_SviyvO645T0LpjLykwLPFC0fUaEbACsOGVJ_0ChN0q00-2R-CG2P-r3yZrc_VLeASA3ZpKuwMVT7j17Wtqa6oKdk/s320/IMG_1101.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358157109611700002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL7dGDmszQxQtQT_8plTHV3eDd2wCLRsECWUHaA1C8rPagEJ1kWRS_hbxOSfuZJokKrTsItpn-HwaPQqTRjiMjbgGCSoFtQD6oXyzBfb4BS9JQiGMYYn6IwQGdX6TAriCR2ifVLr9OvU/s1600-h/IMG_1094.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL7dGDmszQxQtQT_8plTHV3eDd2wCLRsECWUHaA1C8rPagEJ1kWRS_hbxOSfuZJokKrTsItpn-HwaPQqTRjiMjbgGCSoFtQD6oXyzBfb4BS9JQiGMYYn6IwQGdX6TAriCR2ifVLr9OvU/s320/IMG_1094.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358157103450750226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWd__5LBHmTO57DpnPhIIUc1uKOOmWEyc8dlPy7J4kDONxtIcYUBu24rSB2co8A5gHNHqBv8eHNs3fq9_JFtJG-yC8ePDG4qJaczj8MWcG5g4LK12he-bTZbvcflV9q2roU5cshabA4R8/s1600-h/IMG_1103.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWd__5LBHmTO57DpnPhIIUc1uKOOmWEyc8dlPy7J4kDONxtIcYUBu24rSB2co8A5gHNHqBv8eHNs3fq9_JFtJG-yC8ePDG4qJaczj8MWcG5g4LK12he-bTZbvcflV9q2roU5cshabA4R8/s320/IMG_1103.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358157097329581234" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Magic is in the Hole! </span></b></span><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We love Portland! Martha got us to the Voodoo Doughnut Shop without a problem! This was our first downtown stop after dropping the</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></b></span><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">camper at the Portland RV Park. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Voodoo Doughnut Shop is a total hole in the wall kind of place, which attracts a real mix of tourist and locals. The line to get in, at 3:00 in the afternoon, was down the street and around the corner. This place is most famous for the “Voodoo” doughnut- a chocolate covered, raspberry jelly filled doughnut, shaped like a voodoo doll which comes with a little pretzel stick so you can poke it like a real voodoo doll. I had read about this place a couple of years ago and it just sounded crazy! I knew I would have to check it out when we got here.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I don’t think Lloyd was nearly as impressed with the creative doughnuts as I was. He basically handed me a $20 and left the kids and I in line while he went and wandered around a bit. The choices once we got in the store were amazing! Garrett went with a rather disgusting looking “oreo” doughnut, Nicholas had the classic voodoo, I had an orange “tang” (yes, it was covered with real orange tang dust), and I couldn’t help but get Lloyd the “maple-bacon” which, just like it sounds, was a maple glazed doughnut with strips of bacon on it. There were lots and lots of crazy/disgusting choices, so it was really hard to choose!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After we ate doughnuts we walked around the arts district for a bit and then stopped in a pub to try one of the many locally brewed beers. Our first afternoon in Portland was spent eating doughnuts and drinking beer… a good big city kind of day!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The Magic is in the Hole…</i> This is the logo for the doughnut shop. I picked up a bumper sticker for the camper with this design on it. We have been collecting stickers from the various parks and places. The other voodoo bumper sticker I wanted read “I got VD in Portland!” I thought this was hilarious, Lloyd… not so much.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-54615405531469839632009-07-13T20:30:00.000-07:002009-07-13T20:35:41.768-07:00More Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfJ2HqvfnT0gqhqThiyDggODEAKLislwncsLKpziCAUCCasdiSdvV3KDi_RR8wpxsWlyvw_4i6VnU1dmYClysWFKAWMO7TrRkcYBpCVk7jPrSrIxm-Y-UU8IIi_9L-pvsPwtnkUbwkko/s1600-h/IMG_1030.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfJ2HqvfnT0gqhqThiyDggODEAKLislwncsLKpziCAUCCasdiSdvV3KDi_RR8wpxsWlyvw_4i6VnU1dmYClysWFKAWMO7TrRkcYBpCVk7jPrSrIxm-Y-UU8IIi_9L-pvsPwtnkUbwkko/s200/IMG_1030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358154331656517106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpYiZHFyGVGq1gbpx25_ffbpgmfU0wTvNu8NSPpuMiQlrC6xgCTK5rL8S8QIkGDizm-pR3Mlj0nf6AGWMiZSPFf5UJ4jSGx8BpSYHEnYG-aTkgsjaobnZVD8rhj4IKJUlg2O7xf8Herk/s1600-h/IMG_0412.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpYiZHFyGVGq1gbpx25_ffbpgmfU0wTvNu8NSPpuMiQlrC6xgCTK5rL8S8QIkGDizm-pR3Mlj0nf6AGWMiZSPFf5UJ4jSGx8BpSYHEnYG-aTkgsjaobnZVD8rhj4IKJUlg2O7xf8Herk/s200/IMG_0412.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358154324011687970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7LcUTSsdJFUkCMKMB6dy-5rRwCgt4oQ3-Po3BkZ1-OWQnT3PTeJlp54QmfD4FaeR-N7dn06rPlwaHhgNaD5tQwGiYncgIA5lavSr2xPcgOTeBqNIS0EUU72BS-AhssjXNXiCJ7zvm1A/s1600-h/IMG_0413.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7LcUTSsdJFUkCMKMB6dy-5rRwCgt4oQ3-Po3BkZ1-OWQnT3PTeJlp54QmfD4FaeR-N7dn06rPlwaHhgNaD5tQwGiYncgIA5lavSr2xPcgOTeBqNIS0EUU72BS-AhssjXNXiCJ7zvm1A/s200/IMG_0413.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358154322024132210" /></a>Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407315004726710165.post-30970904575778826652009-07-10T07:45:00.000-07:002009-07-13T20:30:46.956-07:00Oregon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV35MzmKlmrkas48PJsEUqRGeE3hV1_EBGUEl2fSDdKgxPiMPKv6mVkPU1MBhJ63xUnOUSQbdammfh-6C32MY4VCkAGIBXdfVYA4VZZY27GT7qNaWzLeYKxK5dqu8izSH-dPqO4s1aqyw/s1600-h/IMG_1026.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV35MzmKlmrkas48PJsEUqRGeE3hV1_EBGUEl2fSDdKgxPiMPKv6mVkPU1MBhJ63xUnOUSQbdammfh-6C32MY4VCkAGIBXdfVYA4VZZY27GT7qNaWzLeYKxK5dqu8izSH-dPqO4s1aqyw/s200/IMG_1026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358152772652362114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTmY8J8k3Xdq7FhNQ2g_TDoPP1qWqjmtzjt6unPKa3Vd4dEB87Sg1bd3jEl7WJelF5tAdGGB0oZAjnCvaqjMEGc2GhnG1tg09Gk3VBYIN_Lc5k16flxa9De55kc_Ny7B0lICOct0o5p8/s1600-h/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTmY8J8k3Xdq7FhNQ2g_TDoPP1qWqjmtzjt6unPKa3Vd4dEB87Sg1bd3jEl7WJelF5tAdGGB0oZAjnCvaqjMEGc2GhnG1tg09Gk3VBYIN_Lc5k16flxa9De55kc_Ny7B0lICOct0o5p8/s200/IMG_0404.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358152768779373282" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3 weeks to the day… </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Three weeks to the day we left Winston-Salem, NC, we arrived at the Pacific Ocean. Pretty awesome. We pulled into Nehalem Bay State Park and the kids immediately ran over the sand dunes to the beach. Lloyd and I set up the camper and wandered over the dunes towards the kids and the ocean. The dunes were filled with blooming wild flowers, and the ocean… well, while the sand and dunes look remarkably like the outer banks in NC, the big difference is the mountains. The huge, gorgeous, amazing mountains and the wild, jungle-like forests! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Between the tall trees, the ferns, and the lush greenery, it feels like a tropical rainforest. You almost expect to see little monkeys swinging from the trees. Or on an extra special day, a unicorn! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Note to karen: Yes, that was a gum wall. You have a good eye for that kind of stuff! ;-)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Shanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07267718677926599640noreply@blogger.com1