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.

San Francisco and Atherton,CA

Alright, picture this with me...We are five years younger, and we are sitting in the parking lot of Graceland in Memphis Tennessee, trying to open a jar of salsa. There is a woman and her friend looking at a map a few cars down. We walk over and ask if she can help us open the jar, when we notice her Brittish accent. "Oh gosh no, but I'm sure my friend Chris can!" Sure enough, Chris could. She started talking to us about our trip (the big one five years ago) and pointed to the little lady with the accent. "We are picking up a car for Esther's grandson, and driving it back to San Francisco for him." In no time my mom was exchanging her e-mail address with the ladies, and we were invited to stay at Esther's house when we got to San Francisco.

Fast forward five years. My dad and I are staying with Esther and her husband Ross for the third time. My mom has stayed with them five times now, and this is my brother's second time. So as you can see, we have gotten to know them alot better in the past five years. They don't actually live in San Francisco, they live about forty minutes south of it in a suburb called Atherton.

We picked my dad up from the airport on Friday night, and spent all of Saturday just doing fun stuff. Dad decided we should go Go-cart racing while he was there. It was so much fun! John and Samuel went in Turbo cars (you had to have your license to drive a Grand prix car) and I went in a Grand prix double seater with Dad because I knew he would go faster than the rest of them. Plus, I'm pretty sure I might crash the thing! On Sunday we drove into San Francisco and did the things we usually do there. Oh yes, we have a list of our favorites!

• Drive down the most crooked street in the world (Lombard St.)
• Drive down the steepest street in San Francisco, and that's saying something. (Filbert St.)
• Walk the Golden-Gate bridge, or at least see it.
• Walk through China town.

This is the basic outline every time we go, but we often intersperse it with other cultural things. This time when we walked China town, Dad wanted Dim Sum, and of course you can't tell what a thing is, and most of the employees of the "House of Dim Sum" don't know what most things are in English. It was quite the experience when one of the only words we recognized was chicken feet. "Do you have anything vegitarian?" Mom wanted to know. "Uhhh...you mean like betchtables?" "Yeah, just vegetables" "No isss all made wif pork". My cousin is Jewish and therefore, cannot eat pork, so we looked for a different place. After getting our non-pork items, the lady offered us something un-expected. "Would you like some chick-un fee?" Chicken feet? They didn't look very appetizing...They probably tasted great, but last I checked, my dad is not Anthony Bourdain. "No thank you". And that was that!

Yosemite, CA

For us, Yosemite has been a place we've wanted to visit for years. Ever since we got back from our huge trip in 2005, mom would be telling someone about the time we went to Yellowstone, and she would get it confused with Yosemite. This isn't hard to do since Yosemite and Yellowstone are both very famous national parks, and they both start with a Y. We had never been to Yosemite before, so John and I would always have to say "Yellowstone Mom! Not Yosemite!" To say the least: It's been on our list for awhile. We are finally there, driving up and down the mountains in the park when we start to smell burning rubber. At this point we just think it's somebody else's tires, and we keep going on our way. We drive through a tunnel and stop at a gorgeous overlook to take some pictures and enjoy the view, but as we are getting out of the car, mom looks at the front, left tire and sees smoke coming out of it. Of course we're worried now, and mom says a little prayer for God to send us the right person to help.
A group of motorcyclists pull in and start taking pictures, but one is all by himself, trying to take a picture with the waterfall in the background. This just isn't working because he is such a tall guy, and his viewfinder is kind of cutting his head off in the picture. Mom walks over and asks him if he would like us to take it for him, and he says yes. I don't know why, but a lot of people are intimidated my motorcyclists, but this guy was completely friendly! While mom was taking the picture, I noticed he was wearing a cross necklace. OK, so he's not the usual skull-and cross bones biker, but maybe he just likes to wear crosses. I still wasn't sure, and when Mom asked if he knew anything about cars he was glad to help. We started chatting with the fellow, and pretty soon it was obvious that he wasn't just wearing that cross lightly. His name is Eric, and he assessed that our brakes were over-heating and that we should wait at least an hour before going back up the windy road we had just come down. In the end, it was all good, and even though our brakes were a problem, I'm so glad we were able to meet Eric!

San Diego, CA

One of our good friends lives in San Diego, and we were looking forward to seeing him and staying at his house for our second "leisure week".

When I say leisure here, I really mean it.

We opened the huge front door, and walked into the foyer. As soon as we were in, I remembered everything from five years back almost instantly. I knew exactly where the kitchen, living room, weight room, all four bedrooms and their bathrooms were. I guess it's like riding a bike with some places. Especially this one. Even the outside was magnificent! The swimming pool was big enough to house a dolphin comfortably, and the private tennis court...well, that's really all I have to say! It's private for gosh sakes! We were there for a couple hours by ourselves, when Mr. Keith walked in unexpectedly. "Hello everyone!" He threw his arms out as if to say "Ta-da! I'm here!" Despite that he swooped in from a side door, and surprised us all, I thought it was a pretty grand entrance. But hey, he's a grand guy, so why not? Mr. Keith is a hunter, and a good one at that. Every time we sat down to dinner, there was always a story to go along with whatever wild animal we were about to eat. I think I ate more meat in five days than I have in five years! Boar sausage, deer burgers, elk burgers, you name it, he'd shot it.

On Sunday, we all piled into two cars. Mr. Keith found out that I had gotten my license and asked if I would like to chauffeur him to church while the other car followed. He drives a BMW. Do I have to say anything else? It was a really smooth ride. After church we ate lunch at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and watched the World Cup right there while we ate. Wahoo!!! Go Spain!!!



We went on two hikes while we were in San Diego. The first one was seven miles long, and the last one was only two and a half. The first one was really pretty, but I loved the second one, because at the end was the Pacific Ocean! The beach itself was nice, and we played in the waves for at least thirty minutes before heading back up.



One of San Diego's crowning glories is Balboa Park. It is 1,200 acres of gorgeous buildings from the turn of the twentieth century. It almost feels like a small town in itself. We went two days in a row, in order to cover a substantial amount of museums and other buildings. The first day we ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant called El Prado. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was great, and the waitress was the best! The second day, we went to the zoo and ate at a place called the Sabertooth Cafe....I'm embarrassed to even call it a cafe. The food was less than satisfactory, and on top of that, it only cost about twenty dollars less than the fabulous meal we had eaten the day before. It was bad. Anyway, there are way better places to eat in San Diego. We are headed to Yosemite National Park!

Phoenix and Jerome, AZ

Yes, I know, it's been awhile.

The past few weeks have been leisurely ones for us. The first week was spent in swelteringly dry Phoenix, Arizona. On the way there, the heat was amplified by the fact that the Steed's air conditioner had broken again. It turned out to be the same problem it had before, so when we got there, we immediately found another AAA guy to fix it. In the mean time, we rented a really nice car and drove it all over. It's a good thing rental places charge by day and not by miles! We went to a small mining town called Jerome, about a two-hour drive north of Phoenix. And what a drive! It was a potential "up-chuck" road. It seemed like every five minutes we would see another car pulled over on the treacherously narrow shoulder. By the time we got to Jerome, it was already five o'clock, and most of the stores and museums had already closed. As a two-hour drive can sometimes "do you in", we were looking for a bathroom, and followed the public restroom signs to a little museum that appeared to still be open. Upon entering, a loud voice greeted us. "Ooooohhh soooorrry, we're just closing!" The tall, skinny guy with big eyes was obviously expecting us to ask about the museum. "Can we just use the restroom real' quick?". Really, who is going to turn down a mother and three children from a potty break? "Suuure, absoluuutely, go ahead." When we walked out of the bathroom, we asked the man where he recommended we eat dinner. He told us the name of some place (which I've forgotten), and sent us off with the instruction, "Tell 'em Maaaansel sentchaaa!" ....Wait...Mansel?! Who names their kid Mansel?

I can't remember how we decided on our next move, but we sure didn't go where Mansel had sent us.

At the top of the town --Jerome is built into the side of a mountain, so there really is a top and bottom--is a historic hotel called The Grand Hotel. Let me tell you, the only thing grand about this hotel is the view. The place is supposed to be haunted, and after eating dessert in the restaurant there, I'm not surprised it is. We might have been better off taking Mansel's advice. Jerome has its weirdness going on, but I'd be lying if I said it has no charm at all. It's definitely a cute town, and if we had spent a little more time there, I'm sure I could tell a redeeming food story or two.



We left Jerome only about an hour and a half after we got there, and drove back down the mountain, only this time we took the highway back to Phoenix. Despite the blazing weather, I love this city, and it has once again proved to be an excellent stop on our travels. For the whole week we were there, we stayed at my mom's aunt and uncle's house. It was really nice to have our own beds and be able to relax a bit more than usual. I was a little sad to pack up and leave, but I knew what was coming and that took the edge off. To be continued....

Day 13 and 14: Canyon De Chelly and Monument Valley

The Southwest is one of my favorite places on earth! There is so much space and freedom. We could be staring at a vastness of nothing, and all of a sudden, be headed straight for a mountain of red rock. It really is incredible and surprising. We went to Mesa Verde and toured the Balcony House, which is the most strenuous tour offered. Visitors have to climb a 35-foot ladder into ruins that are thousands of years old. There is also a tunnel to the exit, where we had to climb up another three sets of stairs right next to a sheer dropoff to the canyon below. I'm always a little jealous of the Indians, cause I mean...they lived in caves, and had a great view every morning. How awesome is that?! Anyway, it was a really fun tour, and I'm glad we went. The next day we went to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de shay) and went down another strenuous trail. We've been here before, and have always loved this place. The only bad thing about this hike:



"If I could make a simple suggestion: Bring TOO much water! If you do not, you will stop 12, eeehhh...13 times, and wish you had a margarita!" -My 10-year-old cousin Samuel's wise words.



Anyway, I can't even describe the beauty of the Southwest. From the giant red rock formations, to the ancient ruins and petroglyphs. All of it is gorgeous!

We spent the night in Goulding's, Utah, in Monument Valley. Someone just driving down Highway 163 would never imagine there would be anything for miles. But there is, and it just sort of pops out of nowhere. Goulding's is a lodge, restaurant, grocery store, movie theatre, gift shop (of course), and museum. That's it. In the middle of nowhere. They offer Navajo-led tours through the valley, so one can get close-up views of some of the most famous formations in the world. Most of us may not realize it, but Monument Valley has starred in scenes from Forrest Gump, Thelma and Louise, Back to the Future III, and numerous John Wayne films, not to mention the many commercials. It was really fun to actually be there.



We just found out about the oil hitting our beaches back in Mississippi. Why can't everything remain as untouched as it does is here.

Day 9 and 10: Albuquerque, NM

We've been to three museums in the past two days. But unless you are actually visiting them, they aren't that interesting to hear about. So I'll just list them, and describe the main themes.

• The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. (Pretty straight forward...Art, History.)



• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. (This is a really cool museum, because it takes you through every phase of Earth's existence as science sees it, with a special exhibit on computer technology.)



• We tried to go to a rattlesnake museum, but it was closed. (All live snakes.)



• The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. (The main emphasis here was, of course, World War II and the Cold War, but it was also interesting to see how nuclear technology has impacted medicine through the years.)

As you can see, there is a lot of science and technology to be had in Albuquerque. That's not the only thing though. Like I said in an earlier post, the people in Texas are really nice. So are the people in New Mexico! When we were riding down from our room, a Hispanic guy was rushing to catch the elevator and John held the door for him. The ride down wasn't that long, and we were about to get off when the nice guy handed John a scorpion he had made out of copper wire. I was sort of wondering if he had just finished making it, or if he just liked to carry it around in his pocket. Anyway, it was obvious the man didn't speak much English, so we thanked him as best we could. I thought it was really sweet of him to do that, because it had probably taken him at least fifteen minutes to make. But people are nice, even if you do not know them at all.

Day 7: Albuquerque, NM

Carlsbad's main attraction is the caverns. I've been here before, but... have you ever been inside the earth? It's ridiculous! Last time we went, we toured King's Palace, a highly decorated part of the caves. Sounds really fancy, but the best part of this tour is when they sit you down, and then turn out the lights. The blackout lasts about three minutes, and it's the blackest black I've ever been in. Ever. I could not have seen my hand, even if it were touching my face. There is absolutely no light, and for three minutes, you don't care whether you're in a box, or a stadium. It wouldn't matter, because it's DARK! As much as I wish we had done this tour again, I'm sad to say that we didn't. We ended up going on the Big Room tour. This is a self-guided tour that lasts about an hour. The Big Room is about the size of sixteen football fields, so yeah...I was impressed. Hold tight, we are headed for Albuquerque!

Can I just say: Crepes are overrated. They are just big, thin pancakes made of eggs and something else. They really don't have that much flavor. You can probably just guess that we had crepes for dinner, and that I wasn't impressed. What I was impressed with however, was the waiter. He pronounced every French word like it was the easiest thing, which, if you've ever tried to say anything besides "Oui", is very difficult. We were all pretty amused with this guy because his facial expressions were so...ever changing! Every time I looked at him (this was really hard to do without losing it, because he held eye contact for way too long) his face was different. I ended up having to pull one of those "intently looking at your menu" things, so that I wouldn't laugh. This is a very hard thing to do, especially when you know the person next to you (in this case John) is having to do the same thing. Then it is always a relief when they leave the table and you are free to laugh as much as you want. The other funny thing about this guy was how slowly he spoke when he wasn't impressing everyone with his speedy French. He would quickly say the name of an appetizer, and then draw out the explanation of what it was. As if it wasn't hard enough not to laugh, there were about six different specials. I'm proud of myself for not blowing it.