6/30/2011: The Lake Re-appears!

Thursday June 30, 2011: The Lake Re-Appears

After yesterday's disappointing attempt at viewing Crater Lake, we decided to try again. After a morning walk (and a visit with a mama cat and her 3 feral - but chunky - feral babies) we readied Hannah for departure. Maybe leaving in the morning, we can beat the weather.

We cross thru stunningly beautiful scenery, snowcapped peaks and green pastures then start our climb up to the lake. Crater Lake was created by volcanic blasts thousands of years ago. About 2,000 feet deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in the country. It is surrounded by snow nearly year round, and as far as we can see, there is still 6-8 feet of the white stuff lining the road as we tour. The boys tossed a few snowballs, then a few more, then a few more... Whee... They are not too familiar with the white stuff so I must be patient...

After the sensory overload, we head out the north entrance and back to highway 97 north. We stopped to make sandwiches outside of Bend, then stopped in Bend for some grocery shopping. Teenage boys eat a whole lot of food. Where we used to have leftovers, that doesn't seem to be happening. This means we have to go to grocery stores ALL THE TIME! We have so much junk food in Hannah it is disgusting. Potato chips, Cheesitz, Doritos, and then Spouse bought Ding Dongs! I bought cucumbers and lettuce... I am a bit overwhelmed by the male need to junk out. We have soda wars all the time, where Spouse limits the sodas to one a day (I drink water... and vodka tonics!). I don't have to eat the junk to know that it is still permeating my system by just being in such close proximity! SAVE ME!

One good thing, they like spicy. So I made a meat loaf (turkey and beef mixture... got to wean them to the lean stuff) and I chopped jalapeno in it and it was good... And it was gone... Darned! No leftovers for tomorrow!

Anyhow, we left Bend on highway 20 west into the wilderness. We passed through the cutesy town of Sisters and went along the scenic drive through the forests and rivers and lakes. Wild azaleas lined the road as well as other flowers and ferns. We picked up 22 and ended up in a tiny town outside of Detroit. When we stopped, Hannah was a mess! Almost every cabinet door had opened and the contents had jumped to the floor. It was kind of like they were having a killer party while the parents were away... I could not believe glass did not break. I sure hope this does not become a habit!

Looks like we might have trouble finding a spot for the holiday weekend. Since we don't have phone service where we are, we can't very well make reservations. Oh well.

Spouse and the boys are playing dominoes. I am detoxing from testosterone overload...

I must confess, the boys are getting pretty good at helping Spouse set up Hannah, which in turn, makes my life easier. They entertain each other in addition to their bickering with one another, which is typical brotherdom. They are actually good kids! Who would have ever thought those words would have flowed off of my fingers...

6/29/2011: The Case of the Missing Lake

Wednesday June 29, 2011: The Case of the Missing Lake

Took a nice power walk around the river then we readied Hannah for departure. Spouse is teaching the boys some of the ropes. I am not going to say they like it, but they do it willingly, which we appreciate. Thus we leave Redding and head north.

We pass Shasta Lake. The water level is extremely high, almost to capacity. The highway is woodsy with wild sweat peas lining the way. We catch highway 97 north into Oregon. We were thinking that we would stay in Klamath Falls or Crater Lake. After seeing Klamath, it seemed too busy so we settled on an RV park closer to Crater Lake. We set up Hannah, disconnected then headed up to Crater Lake.

It is a beautiful drive up highway 62 past snowcapped peaks and spectacular meadows. Soon snow patches lined the highway. As we turned up to Crater Lake, it was more than just snowpatches, it was downright skiable! As we climbed, it started to rain and fog up. We got to one of the lodges, trudged across a slippery snowfield only to find... fog. Crater Lake had disappeared - POOF! Dallas is in flip flops and a T-Shirt - it is about 40 degrees. Flip flops in slippery show when you have a pussy foot does provide some form of entertainment! Oh well, maybe we will head this way on our way to wherever we go tomorrow.

Crew wanted to make a snow angel, but Spouse didn't want a wet kid in the truck. I guess we could have put him in the back of the truck... Oh Child Protective Services....

Crew cooked dinner tonite... tri-tip, potatoes and a salad. And now, we watch videos, because that is what kids do! Rocky Balboa at 60? Guess I gotta go with the flow. I have been trying to work on my blog, but SLOW does not begin to describe it!

By the way, Bart loves his cousins. They take good care of him, lifting him into the truck (he is too old to get there himself), and they lift him out of the truck and in and out of Hannah as needed. Bart is now 13 and he is pretty stiff these days. Kind of like me I guess!

The Shasta Caverns

Sundial Bridge

6/28-2011 It's a Dog's world...

Tuesday June 28, 2011: IT'S A DOG'S WORLD

I decided to sleep outside last night even tho the forecast called for rain. I positioned myself under the trailer hitch so I wouldn't get wet. It was a beautiful night, but the rain did come. And it was a heavy rain. It was early daylight when I awoke. I laid there warm and toasty and watched it rain and listened to the geese as the offered their morning greetings. I didn't think I was getting wet, but when I looked at my sleeping bag, it was wet, so I gathered up my stuff and went inside. I laid down my sleeping gear, crawled over the boys, stepped on Bart, then made my way into the bedroom where it was cozy and dry.

Dallas' burnt foot looks a lot like raw meat. Bart decided he would help clean it. As he licked, Dallas squirmed and grimaced. And Bart licked and licked, his antiseptic tongue cleaning and cleaning. Dallas squirming and grimacing some more, then writhing in pain as Bart licked and licked some more. When finished Dallas bandaged his foot and we took Bart outside where he found a huge bone. It may be a stegasaurus bone, or maybe a t.rex, or mastadon. Bart was going to town on it so we decided to let him have it as payment for cleansing Dallas' wound... It's a dog's world...

The weatherman promised the rain would be gone by noon. Liar! We took the boys over to the Sundial Bridge and thought about going into the Turtle museum, but it was a bit pricey. So we figured we would do our errands in the rain. A trip to Wal-Mart, let's talk about that... I know you have all seen the emails with pictures of some of the Wal-Mart clientele... Redding sure does have its share of the 'beauties.' The huge, the saggy and the cosmetically challenged were abundantly represented. Now, you all know I am not a fashion maven, HOWEVER, I was the hot beauty of Wal-Mart today. (But when we returned the DVD the boys rented later in the evening, I felt totally comfortable in my funky sweats!)

Anyhow, after our Wal-Mart adventure, we dropped the boys at In-n-Out, while we had Thai food. When we brought back our stuff to Hannah, the rain looked like it had stopped, so we decided to head up to Lake Shasta's caverns.

The caverns are about 15 miles north of the park we are in and as we climbed the hills, the rain started again. To visit the caverns, you take a boat across the lake. It was covered so we stayed dry but it was pretty cold. After debarking from the boat, we boarded a bus that took us to the cavern entrance. Passed a few brown bears along the way. The caverns were quite spectacular, but I happen to be a cavernaholic so I am probably not the best judge. When we exited the caverns, I would have sworn we were in the Te Anau fjord in southern New Zealand. There were steep canyon walls draped with clouds and the lake below - quite a spectacle. And the rain continued...

Now we needed to get gas... again... Spouse doubled back to the gas station we passed on our way up yesterday. The price came down to $4.01 - woo hoo... but it probably cost us an extra gallon of gas just to get there! And the rain continued...

When we got home, the mastadon bone was smelling kind of ripe so we threw it in the water. It was nice while it lasted!

I tried to do a power walk... but the rain continued some more. So I cut it short. Argh.....The boys rented a video, so that is our evening. L.A. is under attack from aliens. Sounds kind of true to life! And it is raining even harder now... Tomorrow, we leave for sure.

A brother visits...

Forgot to mention... Adam is a half brother to Dallas and Crew. He lives in Sacramento and came up to visit as we toured the Empire gold mine in Grass Valley.

6/27/11: The real adventure begins...

Monday 6/27/2011: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS...
This is the beginning of the real adventure. When Spouse and I got Hannah, it was intended for the two of us. After traveling in Playcation where we had so little room, Hannah felt like a mansion. But now, with Dallas and Crew, I expect there to be some challenges.

After my daily power walk, we readied Hannah for departure. It is always great to visit Rick and Sue and I am always sad to leave. They had an early appointment so they left before us. We stopped at a Costco and ran into Sue. Then we headed into Sacramento to pick up the door that had blown off when we first left. With that all done, we started north on I5.

We decided we would stop in Redding for the night. About 10 miles before Redding, both Crew and Spouse really had to go to the bathroom. And, we needed gas. So the logical thing would be to stop in a gas station. Not with Spouse driving... he waited until he was floating and Crew was making faces and just pulled over where Crew could run across the street to a gas station and Spouse could use Hannah. Why, I ask, why??? Because the gas was $.04 cheaper at a station we saw in Sacramento... It will probably cost us far more money to try and save money on gas...

We are in a park right on the Sacramento River. We have a gazillion geese talking to us. Dallas and Crew went across the street to a movie and Dallas had our camera in his pocket. Argh...

Spouse and I biked over to the Sundial Bridge. The bridge spans the Sacramento River and is made of glass. Not sure of the significance of the glass since you can't see through it. There are lots of bike trails, a botanical garden and museum that are really quite attractive. I would really like to sleep outside tonite but they are calling for rain, and based on the clouds, I believe them.

Some things I have learned about the boys... Crew never goes anywhere without a book in his hand. Dallas likes puzzles. Neither of them likes to do dishes, but they will when we tell them to. Dallas will eat about anything. Crew won't. He may be losing weight. He is a true carnivore. Cheerios are ok but probably prefers Fruit Loops. They both like s'mores.

Boys tubing.

Crew showing off. Dallas ready for liftoff.

The eagle is watching us...

The eagle has landed!

Dallas' Sunburnt Feet Day 1

Doesn't look too bad here, but just wait...

Here is a summary for the first 9 days. PICTURES ARE FORTHCOMING!

Saturday 6/18/2011: The drive to Rick and Sue's in Grass Valley is normally about a 7-8 hour ordeal. Towing Hannah adds a few hours, especially with Spouse at the wheel. Making it over the grapevine, we stop to make a sandwich. We are not gone 3 hours and Spouse notices the door over the water heater is missing. Something tells me this trip will have a few incidents... The long drive continued, with the brothers slugging each other at the sight of an out of state license plate. Bart appreciated having a lap on which to lay his head. Dallas and Crew jockeyed for position to get Bart' head instead of his behind... Got to Rick and Sue's around 8:30 and settled in.

Sunday 6/19/2011: The boys got a lesson on washing and waxing a boat. Sue and I got all the provisions. We will leave in the am. The boys fished on Rick and Sue's pond.

Monday 6/20/2011: Loaded the ski boat with all our worldly possessions. Us people had to fit where we could as we taxied to the houseboat. The water level is the highest it has been in years - up to the tree line. This is good for the drought, but definitely makes it challenging to find a place to land the houseboat. We transfer the goods from the ski boat to the house boat. Then Sue, Crew and I go on a scouting mission with the ski boat. There is lots of debris in the lake - logs, trees and little pieces too. But it was totally glassed out... which means... I was totally jonesing to ski! My ski was in the boat, as was my vest and my gloves. And Sue said to jump in! Wahoo! So jumping in is what I did. The water temperature was a little cool, but not bad at all, and I proved that I still got it! I was able to get up and ski my little heart out! Each year, I always wonder if I will be able to get up on a ski. Yesssss! I finished my ski and we got back to the mother boat with our findings. We found a great landing place for The Beach House (the houseboat's name), but it was on the warmer side of the lake, but we thought we would give it a try.

Once we settled in, it was time for the boys to learn to ski. Crew bet me $5 that he would get up on a single ski his first time. I told him he wouldn't but he insisted, so I finally took the bet. When he thought a little more about it, he tried to hedge his bet with Doug by betting he would get up by the end of the day. Newsflash... he lost both bets! Dallas was not successful either. Oh well... they did enjoy kayaking around. Dallas worked on his tan... 2d degree burns on his feet. Oh Child Protective Services....

I helped Sue do a little painting on the Beach House.

The boys and I slept outside. I slept with most of my body under the outside awning so as the morning dew crept in, I would not get too wet. Crew and Dallas got wet... But what a beautiful night sky!

Tuesday 6/21/2011: The first day of summer brought us moderate temperatures. No luck for either Dallas or Crew on their quests to ski. My hands, arms and back are already sore from skiing, but I must do more of it. Gee, I used to be able to go so much longer... A bald eagle graced us with its presence first across the cove, then it perched right above the Beach House. Ahh.... Took a little hike over at the Dark Day camp area. Beautiful campsites overlook the water.

Spouse helped do repairs on the Beach House.

Dallas and Crew pitched a tent on the roof to help keep themselves dry.

Wednesday 6/22/2011: Crew and Dallas decided to try innertubing. It was certainly fun watching them as Spouse sent them buzzing this way and flying that way. We decided to move the Beach House to a cooler area for Rick. Although the weather was mild, Rick has MS and is very affected. We found another spot with a far more challenging landing, especially to get the dogs off and walked, but it was cooler and we made it work. Dallas caught a couple of bass, and threw them back.

Spouse helped do repairs on the Beach House.

Dallas and Crew decided to put the fly on their tent for more protection.

Thursday 6/23/2011: More tubing for Dallas and Crew. Pulled the blister clean off Dallas' sunburnt foot. If Crew had his way, we would never tow him under 60 mph. He will not be getting the keys to my car any time soon... Spouse helped do repairs on the Beach House.

Crew slept down below, inside. Dallas slept under the awning.

Friday 6/24/2011: After a morning of play, we readied the Beach House for the trip back to the marina. It ran well almost all the way, but the fuel filter was full of water and it was stalling and the wind was up and.... We were able to get her moored and ready for her new fuel filter. We loaded the ski boat with all our worldy possessions and taxied back to the launch ramp. So much beautiful driftwood floating in the lake. I wish I could have taken tons of it!

We made it back home. The boys learned how to wash a boat again.

Saturday 6/25/2011: Didn't do much. The boys played some pool. We made Crew eat broccoli. Oh the pain... Oh Child Protective Services... Crew and I watched a Chuckie movie; you know, the serial killer doll. Crew gave me all the inside stuff on the character. It was fun.

Sunday 6/26/2011: Did all our laundry and readied Hannah for departure. It seems that whenever we come up to Rick and Sue's, they are having their monthly couples dinner. So, once again, our timing was impeccable and we crashed it. Good people, lots of fun.