Crater Lake

When we visited in 2017, Oregon was having lots of forest fires and it was smoky and gray. Crater Lake National Park was closed due to fires and so we didn't go see it then. So this trip, early in July, we were hopeful that we could beat fire season and see Crater Lake. We were in luck! At night there were clear, brilliant skies in which we could see the Milky Way and so many beautiful stars!

Tuesday was our visit Crater Lake day. We packed a lunch and hats and jackets and headed out for an adventure. After the long drive, we stopped at the information center to use the bathroom and take a picture, of course.

Then we hiked around a bit and the boys climbed the Lady of the Woods rock.

All the boys climbed up and all the boys searched for their favorite sticks, which were left behind for other young adventurers to discover. 

We then drove around to the Sun Notch trail, also where the road closed due to snow. So that was a good place to stop. It was a short hike up to the rim of the calderra. Andrew, Cameron and Elliott led the way.

Finally, the rest of us tried to catch up. Way out in the lead are Andrew, Cameron and Elliott. Wendy is holding Lydia in her carrier, Spencer is happily walking along with her and Brian. Then finally Trevor and me in the rear. 

Our first view of Crater Lake came after we reached the top. And this viewpoint showed us the Phantom Ship formation that looks like a pirate ship. Elliott took this picture:

 Then a little further on the trail, we could see more of the Lake and the Island in the distance. The water was so blue! It is collected by rain and snowfall only. 

We were thankful for the walls to keep Spencer from plunging in. And they provide a great spot for a picture too!

Brian and Elliott enjoying the view. 

I wanted a picture of them looking at me and Elliott's shadows jumped in too. We sure do love our cousins and they love us back!

At this point, Spencer had enough of pictures and enough of wearing his boots. He wanted his mom to carry him. so I held Lydia while Spencer got hooked up.

He is one happy kid when it is his turn to ride, and Wendy no longer feared for his safety on the ridge. Win/win.

There were places on the trail where we couldn't even see the trail because of snow!

After that short adventure, we needed to find a picnic spot. The closest ones still had snow and not many places to park and the mosquitoes were swarming. We drove on some precarious roads to reach the other side of the calderra, closer to the big visitor center. We found a few parking spots at a look-out view area and lunched in our van. Spencer fell asleep and Wendy kept Lydia in the van with her while the rest of us checked out the view. We were now closer to the island. And you can barely make out the phantom ship just to the left of the landslide area on the right. 

I wanted a picture, but the kids couldn't open their eyes in the blinding sunlight so this is the best I could do. 

It was so bright that I couldn't even smile. Yep, that must have been it.

On the first hike, Wendy pointed out the snow board trail coming down the snow up on the mountain. We figured maybe a helicopter dropped him at the top?

Elliott took the rest of the pictures:

This is true-to-life as the kids see me. I must have been ordering them around, I mean, gently giving them guidance. And I love Trevor's hat because it looks like he is looking up, when he can't look up due to the brightness.

More pictures of us hiking down over the snow.

Elliott noticed this tree that could not tip over since the tree in its path caught it.

Also, there were cool, rotted out trunks. 

Then our adventure was through and we enjoyed the ride back to Wendy's. We were listening to Fablehaven by Brandom Mull on the drive. Andrew kept asking questions about the story line and we eventually had to tell him the ending since we couldn't finish it with him on the trip. We did finish on the drive home the next Saturday. 

Klamath Falls Ho!

Friday, July 28 was the last day of school and we spent the evening visiting with Wendy and her kids at the parents' place in Salt Lake. The cousins have had fun playing together. The next morning was the beginning of our vacation to visit Wendy and Ben and family in Klamath Falls for a week. Our plan was to leave Saturday morning at 7 and caravan with Wendy in Arden's car. To make it more fun for the kids, we had all the little boys ride in our van. Wendy installed all the car seats on Friday night and we took the boys with us for a sleep over. They were excited, especially Spencer! He wanted to go with the big boys too. 

 Cameron fell asleep on the ride home. We let the boys all have a snack and watch some Paw Patrol while we loaded up the last of the bags. Then it was a quick night and an early morning. We managed to leave by 7:20 and everyone was excited to be on the road. We had a rule for no electronic devices before the first big stop where we'd meet up with Wendy, Lydia and Arden. 

 After a little more than 2 hours in the van, we stopped for a break at the Bonneville Salt Flats just outside of Wendover. After going to the bathroom, we ventured out onto the somewhat soggy salt. 

 The salt really stuck onto the bottoms of our shoes and sandals, but it felt like we could walk forever to reach the hills in the distance. 

 Cameron didn't feel like being photographed, but I snuck a picture in when he looked my way. 

 At the next bathroom stop, the kids stretched by jumping from picnic tables to the brick ledge in the pavilions. It was "Follow the leader" at its finest. In fact, the whole trip could be called Follow the Leader with Elliott being the awesome, mostly willing, leader. 

 The boys all loved to pick up sticks/weapons wherever they could and Spencer claimed this prize when the boys went to the bathroom. They all tried to trade and convince Spencer to share, however Spencer hunkered down under the table to protect his stick. 

 At least it looks like they are stretching before getting back in the van, 

 Brian held happy Lydia for a few minutes too. 

 We stopped for lunch at McDonalds in Winnemucca and then just kept driving. The boys played on the switch (Elliott) and took turns with the extra phones, tablet and dvd player. Several napped and we stopped for more gas and bathroom breaks and finally made it to the house 13 hours after leaving. It felt great to get out of the van and to eat some real food that Ben prepared for us. 

The next day we woke up early and went to church with the Stuarts. (Arden woke up much earlier to head back to Utah.) After church and some naps, the boys played in the woods.
The Stuarts have more than just a backyard, they have woods. It was incredible and the kids spent hours and hours exploring and playing.
Can you see them in the woods?

 The woods also provided lots of sticks for weapons and pine cone grenades.

A little later, we went into town to have dinner with a family that had invited the Stuarts over for Sunday dinner. It was delicious and fun, but Elliott got a bit bored and didn't want to entertain the cousins the whole time. We gave him a 10 minute break, then convinced him to play a little longer. Then it was home to bed. 

Brian loved this giant pine tree in Wendy's driveway. He loved it so much, he named it Charles. I gave him a hard time about the male name and I renamed her Charlene. 

 Monday morning Ben went to work and the kids played on devices while we got ready for the  day. So many boys all together is adorable!

 Lydia had the run of the house too!

 We started off the day with a trip to the library. Brian and I were impressed with the size and selection of their local library. 

 Andrew and Cameron walked around with my phone playing the app, Wizards Unite, but Elliott and Spencer remained focused on reading. 

 After the library, we walked along a Wingwatcher trail by the river to have a picnic lunch. We forgot the bread, but luckily we could wrap ham around string cheese to make yummy meat roll-ups. With granola bars, oranges and gatorade, we did just fine. Then we grocery shopped for more supplies and came back home. 

To make reading even more fun, the boys made a reading fort in the swing set. 

 It seemed too hard to get the blankets to cover the top. 

 The boys were happy just covering the sides. 

 But Wendy came to the rescue and brought out the parachute. With a bungee cord holding together the handles at the bottom, it worked perfectly.

Good thing we had picked up tons of books at the library to keep this crew occupied!

 Brian wanted to make friends with their cat, Luna. All he had to do was get close enough and Luna did the rest.

 Friendly Luna like humans.

 Brian enjoyed being a climbing post as well.

While Wendy and kids were visiting Utah, Ben filled up this container with branches and debris to make their property more fire resistant. It was pretty full.

 Wendy was impressed with all his hard work!

 Elliott just wanted to climb the ladder and since his shadows were not watching, he got a chance to be the biggest kid and climb on up.

We then made plans for the rest of the week. And thus ended our second full day in Oregon.