Category Archives: Travel

Post-Travel Fog

Two weeks ago…

Last week…

Today…

  • Back at work and existing on three hours of sleep thanks to some lingering Jet Lag.
  • In denial that Xmas is three weeks away (and Kei’s birthday is next week)!
  • Proud of myself for remembering to put out Happi the elf (being unable to get back to sleep at 2:30am has some advantages)
  • Coming down from the lingering high that follows three weeks of travel to two amazing countries and the wonderful experiences that are too numerous to count.

Back soon with more stories and photos.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Heceta Head Lighthouse and Home Sweet Home

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After 10 days on the road, it was finally time to head back home. Our comfy beds were awaiting us and I know the boys were eager to get back to their toys. Absence makes the heart grown fonder, especially when it comes to Lego.

On the drive up Highway 101, we made one final stop at the Heceta Head Lighthouse, a beautifully historic landmark just North of Florence. Kei and I walked up to the top with the boys while Mum and Dad took in the ocean view from the parking lot.

After the walk back down the hill, Thomas and I spent some time on the beach.

 

It was a fitting farewell to a wonderful vacation. In a few hours we’d be home and then, in just a couple of days, my parents were headed on the next part of their adventure. We soon headed back to work and school, but with the satisfied feeling that comes from a vacation well spent. Thanks for the memories, Oregon.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Goodbye Florence

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We spent our final few hours in Florence enjoying a little shopping on the main street (salt water taffy!) and just taking it easy. Our vacation was coming to an end and it was time to head home. But, first, a few more photos and one last Pacific sunset.

We visited the Books and Bears store (which sells exactly what the store name promises) a couple of times. I love it that my boys were more excited about the prospect of browsing a bookstore than a toy store.

After a sadly unsatisfying meal at the Maple Street Grille (frozen shrimp, ugh!), we headed back to the hotel and one last sunset over the dunes.

Then Samuel came outside and blessed me with a couple of photos in the gorgeous fading light.

Goodbye Florence. Tomorrow we head home.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Dunes National Recreation Area

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On day two of our stay in Florence Oregon, we decided to explore The Dunes. Thankfully, we were there on a weekday toward the end of Summer so we had them almost entirely to ourselves, but unfortunately, my Dad and my Husband were feeling under the wether so we didn’t spend as much time there as I would have liked. It was also very windy and cold on the beach side of the dunes so our visit was short.

The dunes still made an impression though, even if we didn’t jump in a dune buggy. A walk was enough adventure for our little group… as well as a few photos, of course.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Florence, Oregon Coast

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Florence, Oregon was our pitstop of choice on the drive back up the Oregon Coast to Portland.

It’s a pretty little seaside town that just happens to border the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. We stayed at the River House Inn which was reasonably priced, very clean and only a short walk from the historic district and boat docks.

We spent the first evening walking around the historic district before getting dinner at 1285 Restobar which I would highly recommend for their Cioppino (seriously delicious!). Although I wouldn’t recommend sitting outside if you can help it. It was a little chilly for the adults in our group who were feeling under the weather.

Our hotel was located near the bridge so I spent some time after dinner photographing the bridge and the surrounding area in various states of sunset.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Endert Beach, Crescent City

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Our our way back from the Redwoods, we decided to stop to explore some tide pools at Endert Beach. What we thought was going to be a short stroll down from the parking lot turned out to be a mile and a half, 45 degree hike downhill. I thought the kids would struggle after an already busy day, but they seemed to have an endless supply of energy. I can’t say the same for all of the adults in the group. At the bottom of the (very long) trail, we emerged onto a nearly-deserted beach. The tide was on it’s way in but we still managed to find a few shallow rockpools with some colorful surprises. After just a few minutes, the grandparents decided the tide was coming in too quickly and went to find higher ground. And then after just a few more minutes, Kei and decided that we should probably start heading for higher ground as well (note to self: check for low tides before heading in search of rock pools). It was a short visit, especially after such a long hike, but I think it was worth it if only for the good night’s sleep that we all got as a result. On our final our evening in Crescent City, the sunset, the lighthouse and the moon all bid us a fond farewell. Next: The final leg of our journey

Great Oregon Road Trip: Redwoods National Forest

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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.

Great Oregon Road Trip: Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City

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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: Oregon Caves

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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!

Great Oregon Road Trip: Crater Lake, Day 2

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We decided to spend just one night at Crater Lake and it turned out to be the right decision for us at the time. By our second day, Kei was downing the cold medicine and my Dad was starting to fade quickly.

So what you do when people start getting sick? Take a strenuous 1 mile walk down the side of a cliff of course.

We’d decided the previous day to take a boat trip around the lake. Tickets for the boat rides are only available 24 hours in advance from special kiosks inside the park. By the time I located the kiosk to purchase our tickets, our options were 9:30am and 1:30pm. I opted for the earlier time and, despite having to get up at the crack of dawn (you need to arrive at least an hour before the boat leaves), it turned out to be a great decision. The tour takes two hours and there is no shade on the boat so we were well and truly sun kissed in 80 degree sunshine by the time we got back to the dock at 11:30.

That’s not to say that everything was warm. While we were waiting to board our boat, a few insane people decided that jumping off a small cliff into the frigid waters. I was happy to stand by and take pictures.

We boarded the boat and were told to prepare ourselves for some bumpy waters (it wasn’t too bad).

Then the Ranger started the tour. Despite the investment of time and, of course, money, this really is the best way to see the lake. I don’t think you can fully appreciate the geology and beauty without getting up close and personal. You find out that the water really is that blue and clear and that the cliffs are far higher than you imagined. I even learned a thing or two (or 10).

The rocks in this photo lie about 50 feet below the surface. The water was incredibly clear and I added no filters to the color. Stunning.

The boys loved the boat ride at first…

But two hours is a long time to ask them to sit in one place and keep themselves entertained without the aid of an iphone.

The complaining really kicked in about 30 minutes before the end of the tour and then abated when they worked out how to build a fort between the seats using a collection of sweater and jackets.

After two hours, we arrived back at the dock and, while we took some time to mentally prepare ourselves for the steep uphill climb, we dipped our toes in the water.

But only because the line to jump in off the cliff had grown too long. I would have totally jumped in otherwise (ummm, no).

It was then time to make the steep climb back up the hill. Mum and Dad had a head start so we caught up with them on the way. Then Thomas decided that, since he is never first at ANYTHING, he wanted to reach the top first. I decided to walk with him while the rest of our group took it a little more easy.

We passed a lot of people on their way down to their own boat tour and were sweet enough to let them know that the walk down is a lot easier than the walk back up so they should enjoy it while they can. And then an 87 year old woman passed us coming down the hill and I saw a 70-something year old man pass us for the 4th time (he was training for something and had walked the trail both ways over and over again). Suddenly I felt like I shouldn’t be complaining at all even though my face was red and my lungs ready to burst. I mean if an 87 year old woman can do it… I just wonder how long it took her to get back up.

Still, the steep climb didn’t stop us from enjoying the view.

And Thomas’ wish to be first was granted.

After a big drink of water, we headed back to the lodge for a well-deserved (and delicious) lunch. It’s a little spendy for dinner, but I highly recommend lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge.

Finally, with our bellies full, we hit the road for our next destination.

Coming soon: We explore the Oregon Caves