Category Archives: Photography

Great Oregon Road Trip: Redwoods National Forest

Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.

I promise that I’m nearly done with all the Oregon Road Trip posts. It’s taking me so long because we did something different every day – which adds up to a lot of posts – and my insane work schedule has prevented me from updating the blog regularly.

But, never, fear, we ARE in the home stretch and now we’re getting to some good stuff thanks to a forest of giant Redwood Trees.

We decided to see the Redwoods in the Northernmost part of California because the thought of adding an extra six hour round trip in the mini van may have pushed us all over the edge. But, despite the fact that we decided to see the “less impressive” part of the Redwood forest, we still managed to experience the majesty of these giant, prehistoric trees.

It’s difficult to describe just how big and beautiful the Redwoods really are. In fact it’s hard to comprehend their size when you’re standing at the base of one of these giants. I’ll try and share our experience in photos but I’m sure I’m not doing it justice.

We drove the Howland Hill road through the forest and stopped after about 20 minutes to take a walk down a short trail.

I think they were doing a little Return of the Jedi role play. Seemed appropriate.

The tree ferns took me back to my childhood – I grew up in a place called Ferntree Gully so, yeah, lots of tree ferns.

The boys spent a lot of time looking for animals in fallen trees. I spent a lot of timing hoping they wouldn’t find any.

 

 

Banana slug!

We then drove further down the road to Stout Grove which was amazing and well worth the dusty drive.

Also, Amish people having a picnic! Now that is something you don’t see every day – unless you live in Pennsylvania, I suppose.

On the walk around the grove I took many, many photos of ordinary-sized people next to giant trees. It was my way of trying to capture their size but I’m not sure it worked.

We came across a lot of tree bumps that looked like faces – which, of course, made me think about Game of Thrones.

I really don’t know what’s going on here – maybe a musical performance?

And then we said goodbye to the Redwoods. I know we’ll be back – and maybe next time we’ll brave the extra three hour drive further south to explore deeper into the forest.

Halloween 2013

This year’s trick-or-treat included a Viking, a second year Harry Potter and my trusty old witch hat (although I switched out the tights and wore a different black dress). The best part about our costumes was that they almost didn’t cost me a cent. Samuel was quite happy digging in the dress up box for the cape and shield (a christmas present last year), while Thomas didn’t seem interested in choosing a costume and so defaulted to last year’s Harry Potter cape that no longer drags on the ground. My only costumes purchases were the new purple-striped tights and a Viking helmet that I bought for about $4 from a local toy store (easily the BEST $4 I’ve spent in a long time). That’s just how I like my Halloweens – cheap and easy.

Before there was trick or treating, however, there was school Halloween parade. One child got fully into the Halloween spirit while the other decided that he didn’t want to wear his costume in the parade because people always point and stare at him and say he’s Harry Potter. I tried to explain to Thomas that this must be how the “real” Harry Potter feels  and could be part of getting into character, be wasn’t having it. Instead he spent all day answering the question “who are you dressed as?” with “myself”.

Parents of five-year-olds, a tip. Enjoy taking photos of your children now because, by the time they turn eight, getting them to even look in the direction of the camera is next to impossible. Thomas spent a good 10 minutes hiding from me while Samuel turned the corner and gave me this:

Later, after a classroom party and a short period of time where I tried to get some work done with the kids at home, Harry was reunited with Hermione…

 

…and a few other characters…

And then we walked around the neighborhood like one giant pack of misfits.

Love the pumpkins on this porch.

I headed home after a few houses to start handing out candy. Mostly, I volunteered because my witch shoes are not made for long walks around the neighborhood.

This crew knows that they have to pose for a photo before they get any candy at my house. Samuel helped me hand out candy later and I had to explain that I don’t require a photo from everyone who comes by. I don’t want to be known as THAT weird neighbor.

We turned the light off at about 8pm, but not before I remembered to take some photos of the pumpkins we hastily carved the night before.

Someone posted a hand-written sign on our front porch next to the bird pumpkin the following day saying we won second place in the pumpkin contest. I think they made a mistake, though. Kei carved the bird and, clearly, my ghostly eyes and alien were far superior (and I carved TWO designs). Maybe they lost my first place sign.

And that’s a wrap for Halloween 2013. Many thanks to the weather gods for keeping the skies warm and our costumes dry.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City

Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.

Crescent City is great as a home base to see the Northern California Redwoods, but the town itself doesn’t host many attractions.  In the three days we spent there, I feel as though we saw all that Crescent City had to offer. Sadly, this did not include fresh fish because we discovered that you can’t buy it anywhere in this seaside town. (We had to settle for Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner, although I didn’t have to cook so I won’t complain).

On day two we had two goals: 1. to get the kids out and running around, and 2. to tour the lighthouse. Goal number 1 was accomplished easily thanks to a fun park within walking distance of our accommodation. I decided to take a photo break while the children were entertaining themselves so, sadly, no photos. Then, later in the afternoon, we set out to accomplish goal number 3.

SO relieved to see that they don’t allow “restroom dogs”. 🙂

The lighthouse is staffed by volunteers who live onsite for a month and are responsible for the upkeep of the property and hosting guided tours of the house. Apparently there are a lot of people who want to volunteer to live in the lighthouse and the selection process is quite competitive.

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I have to admit that it would be nice to wake up to these views every day.

And can you imagine what it would be like to hunker down inside the strong walls of the lighthouse on a stormy winter night? I would love to do that just once.

I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside the living quarters of the lighthouse (it was small and very quaint in a mid-nineteenth century kind of way), but I did pull out the camera when we reached the light dome? Turret? Well, whatever you call it.

It was cozy.

When the tide comes in each day, the volunteer keepers are completely cut off from the mainland. They have no way of getting to shore unless they swim or find a boat. I have to admit that, at times, that sounds quite tempting.

We then headed back home to enjoy the lighthouse, once again, from a distance.

 

Great Oregon Road Trip: Just Over the Border in Crescent City, CA

Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.

Can we still call it the Great Oregon Road Trip if we cross the border into California? We crossed the border with a specific goal – to see the great Redwood forest. And Crescent City provided a great vantage point.

I found us a house that promised a lighthouse view and it didn’t disappoint. OK, so the accommodation was more about the location than luxury. The decor was a carryover from the 1960’s, along with some of the mattresses (just ask my Mum and I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it).

The saving grace was a deck that looked out over the beach and treated us to the type of sunsets that make me realize how lucky we are to live on the West Coast.

But first there was lunch. Seafood, of course.

Followed by a little beach combing to fill up all those pockets in the Junior Ranger jacket.

When I turned my back for a second, Thomas fell in the water. It was surprisingly drama-free but made the photos more shirtless.

Samuel built a few rock sculptures and, in the process, lost one of his Ranger Badges. This photo is the last piece of evidence that he had it pinned to his vest. We went back to look for it the next day but it was lost to the tide. Good thing he forgot about it… until he mentioned it a couple of days ago. That kid has a memory

Then it was back to the house for dinner and a nice, relaxing evening watching the sun go down.

Ahhh… the good life.

Next: we tour a lighthouse and take it easy.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Oregon Caves

Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.

So I know I said after the last post that I’d be back tomorrow but I needed to drop everything for a few days while I was in Seattle for work. It was a crazy busy insane week and I’m grateful to be on the other side of it – especially because the weather is sunny and warm on this side.

When I last left you, we had just hit the road after our Crater Lake boat tour and were headed into smoke-filled and HOT western Oregon toward the Oregon Caves National Monument. The drive was pretty, although a little longer than we anticipated.

Note: If you’re heading to the Caves and see a sign saying only 20 miles to go, don’t get too excited thinking that you’re almost there. That final 20 miles is one very windy, slow road and, in our case, peppered with constant questions for the back row of the mini van along the lines of “Do you feel ok, Samuel? Thomas, do you need a bag? Can I get you both some gum?” This once-bitten mummy was not going to be taken down by motion sickness if she could help it. In fact we made it to the very last mile before Thomas insisted that he get out of the car and walk. It was a close call but I am proud to say that this was a completely barf-free road trip.

We finally reached the historic Oregon Caves Chalet just before dark – a beautiful old building that transports you back to another time – one when guests played chess beside a roaring fire (minus the roaring fire part in the middle of Summer).

In my case, I also felt as though I had stepped onto the set of “The Shining” and it turns out that the Chalet was designed by the same architect who designed Timberline Lodge, the actual building that they used for all external shots in the movie. It was a little eerie.

The Chalet is rests precariously over a ravine and suffers from crooked walls, old pipes and lack of any type of sound proofing, at least in our room. But it was quaint and fun for a one night stay and unlike anything we’d experienced before.

I fear that one day the entire building will collapse into the ravine unless a benevolent millionaire decides to throw some money at it. Though, not literally, because I think throwing anything at it would just weaken the structure.

When you walk through the hallways I found myself questioning my own sense of balance. Everything was slightly (and wonderfully) crooked.

 

My Dad, Kei, Thomas and I took a tour of The Caves on our second day – although I don’t have any photos because I decided that my camera was too cumbersome and I took photos on my Dad’s camera but forgot to download them. Thomas and Kei exited the cave after the first section. Thomas wasn’t feeling well and it just became too much. It’s a shame because the second half of the tour was pretty amazing. I think Samuel could have done the tour as well even though they don’t recommend it for small children. There was another five year old on the tour and he didn’t have any problems at all.

Dad and I emerged from the cave after a couple of hours to find Thomas and Samuel earning a new Junior Ranger badge. Samuel also scored a hat to complete his full Junior Ranger uniform.

And then there was just enough time for a few photographs before we were headed on the next leg of our adventure.

I can’t believe I almost missed the Caves Cafe. It’s hidden in the basement of the chateau and feels like a transportation back to the 50’s. I half-expected Fonzie to walk in and hit the jukebox.

But, alas, there was no time to enjoy a milkshake – probably a good thing given the windy drive back down the hill.

The Oregon Caves was definitely worth the detour. Next time I’d allow enough time to eat at the Caves Cafe and make sure everyone is well enough to do the full cave tour. I’m so grateful that we had the opportunity to take this short trip back in time.

 

Next: Northern California, here we come!

One Last Glimpse

I’ll get back to our Oregon Road Trip tomorrow. Today, I just want to look back on our beautiful sunny Sunday and dream about the sunshine and warm weather.

Autumn is in the air and, although I’ve fought it for many, many years, I have to admit that I now enjoy the changing of the seasons. Rather than marking the end of Summer, days like yesterday remind me that we may be seeing the last glimpse of blue sky before Portland is covered with one long grey cloud until February. Best enjoy it while we can.

I had to run an errand downtown so the boys and I watched some giant chess in the park. I took it as an opportunity to take some early Autumn pics while they weren’t looking.

And then some when they were. This is my new favorite…and I realize I say that every week.

Sunshine is good for the soul.