Crater Lake,

We were determined to be on the first tour boat of the day, and that's no surprise since we had to drive eight hours to Seattle that afternoon. We read about the tour and about the mile-long trail down to the edge of the lake where our tour would begin. One mile, not hard right? Already on this trip, we've taken a seven-mile trail and numerous others that were longer than one mile. As we started our hike, I noted that the steep downward incline and loose rocks were what might make this trail a little tougher than we'd first expected. But it still wasn't enough for us to think anything of it. We went on a little further, and not really to our surprise, a steep drop-off came into view. Straight down into the crystal blue water. When I say blue, I mean really, really blue. Like the kind in movies, but it's the real thing. At Canyon de Chelly, we walked down a drop-off trail, and we survived, so there still wasn't a lot to worry about.

We got to the dock just in time to dip our fingers in the sixty-something-degree water before loading onto the boat. It started out really well. We had an enthusiastic guide, the weather was close to perfect, and the blue, blue water was reflecting the sunlight in a way that just made me want to strip down and jump in. At this point in the tour, everything was perfect. Now that I think about it, the storm clouds that had started to form over this oasis were definitely out of place. But we kept on with our tour, and our guide (Ranger Darby) didn't seem to be too worried, so why should we be? Within thirty minutes of spotting those clouds, everything went into chaos mode. A little girl two seats behind us passed out. Luckily there was a doctor on board, and she ended up being fine, just dehydrated. The rain clouds got bigger and scarier, and we were still ten minutes from the dock when a lightning bolt shot through the air, accompanied by a deafening crack of thunder and big drops of rain. Ten minutes later, we were headed up that same trail we'd come down, only this time in pouring rain, thunder, lightning, and now pea-sized hail. Really?! Hail?! It was probably eighty degrees out there, and hail?! The dirt on the trail was now mud, sliding past our feet as we took careful steps for what felt like forever. Twenty-five minutes later, we were at the top of the trail that was supposed to take forty minutes in good weather. It was a feeling of accomplishment when we knew we had just hauled butt up a mountain through rain, hail, thunder, lightning, mud and loose stones. Do you have that setting on your StairMaster? Doubt it.

The lake was incredible. The weather, debatable. But the experience was great. I'd do it again if I had to.

Gold Beach, OR

After a long drive along Highway 101, we finally stopped in a town called Gold Beach. I'm not quite sure, but if I had to make an educated guess, I would think that this place's main source of income is either the fishing industry, or whitewater rafting. Or both! We were there for two mornings, and on both I counted at least forty fishing boats right outside our hotel window. It was foggy in the mornings until about eleven, and then the sun came out to warm things up. One of the days, we took a mailboat for 104 miles up the Rogue River. A mailboat is a jet boat that takes mail up the river, hence the name. This river has been a favorite among rafters because of its rapids section. Not too fast, but fast enough to get the desired thrill. Most of the people doing this decide ahead of time how long they are planning to make a trip of the river. The mailboat tours gave us a really close view of normally hard-to-see wildlife in the area. We saw a black bear that was eating berries just off the bank. That was the biggest animal we saw. Others included deer, bald eagles, mink, osprey, and a slew of other critters.

After leaving Gold Beach, we had an extra day to meander up towards our next destination, so we stopped in Ashland, OR. I'll just tell you the main attraction there, because it doesn't need much explaining: Shakespeare. Every year the town has a Shakespeare festival. Before each show, there is a mini performance in the park that is free. That evening, it was Japanese taiko drumming, which I had never seen before. It was similar to the Chinese drumming which opened the Beijing Olympics.

Next destination: Crater Lake.

Mount Tamelpais and Monterey Bay, CA

On Monday, we drove across the bridge to Mount Tamalpais. Of course, Mom and Esther wanted to climb it. They asked if anybody else wanted to go and I was the only one who said yes....I'm glad I did, because the view from 2,604 feet up is gorgeous. There was a fog over San Francisco that day, but when we got up to the top the sun was shining and all the fog and cloud was below us. It seemed like the planes were flying at eye level, and it looked like everything was ant-sized, the way it does when you are just starting to land. The boys (Rosse, Dad, John and Samuel) cheated, and met us at the top of the mountain. They drove us back down to a really cute English Tudor-style house that had been turned into a pub and restaurant. It was so cozy in there and everything felt very authentic, even the weather (we drove back down into fog). We had to wait in the pub for a couple hours until the restaurant opened. There was a dart board there and we played a couple matches until we were able to be seated. It was a great dinner and it really filled us up after that hike!



Tuesday morning rolled around, and of course Mom had something planned. We ate a quick breakfast--you know the English are big on good breakfasts--and rushed out the door. It was a welcome break for my mom when Dad drove the car for the hour it took to get to San Juan Bautista Mission. I don't really know how to describe it, but when you enter a monastery that is older than the state of Texas, you get this sense that you are supposed to whisper, and just listen. Of course, there were no signs that told us to do so, but the quite awe of this place was too peaceful to shatter. One room in the mission had several music books, handwritten and illustrated. One would think the queen of England had commissioned them, with their beautiful calligraphy and goldleafing. We left the peaceful rooms of San Juan Bautista to experience a more lively building....



We hopped in the car, drove a little longer, and got out in Monterey. The town itself is pretty touristy. I guess that would be expected of the place with the best aquarium in the country. Situated right on the bay, and easily reached by a short walk from our parking garage, the aquarium is home to many local (and not so local) aquatic animals and fish. Among the many exhibits there, one of the best, and most fascinating, is the kelp forest. I'm not talking about a little room with fish bowls and pieces of the stuff in them, I'm referring to the three-story tank that houses the largest, and only, kelp forest exhibit in the world. It was magnificent to see. After viewing numerous other exhibits, we headed back to Atherton for dinner with the Heslops, who just happen to be darn good cooks, as well as superb friends.