Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Pictures!
I took over 400 hundred pictures on the trip and I promise to post some soon. I need to narrow them down and add captions first, but they will be here!
:)
:)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Day 5: Oregon
We followed the Sierra Nevadas north on I-5 for several hours. Long stretches of farmland eventually lulled me to sleep as we flew toward the endless horizon. The lizard sunbathed timidly on my lap. He’s afraid of fast moving shadows.
We stopped for gas and snow dusted Mount Shasta peeked at us from above the city. One surprise this week was driving through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest! Up and down the mountains, we passed stunning jade colored lakes, towering evergreens, Castle Crag, and the Black Butte lava domes. It was too fantastic, like a wild paradise you dream up for a story. But it was real. And we were there.
The beauty of this land was an introduction to Oregon, whose border was less than an hour away. There's a rest stop near the state line perched on the Klamath River. We pulled over to take a closer look. The river’s course flows southwest from the Oregon Cascade Range into California before pouring into the Pacific. It is home to Coho salmon and rainbow trout.
Rolling green hills trimmed with glistening snow carried us across the border. Millions of trees made the undulating landscape dense with evergreen fur. We stopped again at the edge of some forestland to finally breath Oregon air. The woods were cool and damp. Sunlight dripped through the leaves and branches casting an emerald glow over everything. The size of the trees overwhelmed me. Salty tears fell from my smiling cheeks and seeped into the sodden earth. Tyler whispered that these are small compared to what we’d see in the old growth forests!
A few more hours of driving and we were home.
Blue skies and warm sunshine welcomed us to beautiful Eugene. Brilliant spring wildflowers, enormous blooming rosebushes, and fragrant rosemary ornament every house in town. The streets are busy with people walking their dogs, joggers, bicyclists, and children in hats and wagons playing carefree. Empty lots are alive with new blossoms and grass. No trash in sight. Restaurants, parks, health food stores, and small specialty shops compose the petite but vibrant city.
On our walk to a café in town, we passed a field of dandelion clocks, begging the wind to carry their seeds away to a distant place. I didn’t stop to make a wish.
I think we will like it here.
We stopped for gas and snow dusted Mount Shasta peeked at us from above the city. One surprise this week was driving through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest! Up and down the mountains, we passed stunning jade colored lakes, towering evergreens, Castle Crag, and the Black Butte lava domes. It was too fantastic, like a wild paradise you dream up for a story. But it was real. And we were there.
The beauty of this land was an introduction to Oregon, whose border was less than an hour away. There's a rest stop near the state line perched on the Klamath River. We pulled over to take a closer look. The river’s course flows southwest from the Oregon Cascade Range into California before pouring into the Pacific. It is home to Coho salmon and rainbow trout.
Rolling green hills trimmed with glistening snow carried us across the border. Millions of trees made the undulating landscape dense with evergreen fur. We stopped again at the edge of some forestland to finally breath Oregon air. The woods were cool and damp. Sunlight dripped through the leaves and branches casting an emerald glow over everything. The size of the trees overwhelmed me. Salty tears fell from my smiling cheeks and seeped into the sodden earth. Tyler whispered that these are small compared to what we’d see in the old growth forests!
A few more hours of driving and we were home.
Blue skies and warm sunshine welcomed us to beautiful Eugene. Brilliant spring wildflowers, enormous blooming rosebushes, and fragrant rosemary ornament every house in town. The streets are busy with people walking their dogs, joggers, bicyclists, and children in hats and wagons playing carefree. Empty lots are alive with new blossoms and grass. No trash in sight. Restaurants, parks, health food stores, and small specialty shops compose the petite but vibrant city.
On our walk to a café in town, we passed a field of dandelion clocks, begging the wind to carry their seeds away to a distant place. I didn’t stop to make a wish.
I think we will like it here.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Day 4: The Mirage
I woke up this morning and ran outside to explore the mountain. A small pile of snow greeted my feet as I gazed at the rocks and trees around the hotel. We had an amazing view of the peak, since Flagstaff is nestled snuggly in the range. Soon my hands were red with cold and my empty stomach craved a meal. We wanted to see more of the town before heading to California, so we stopped for breakfast at Macy’s European Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant. It was warm and cozy, packed full with locals and college students. We ate hot vegan waffles topped with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup. I ordered a house roasted soy latte, which turned out to be the most amazing cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted. Smooth and silky like fine cocoa – no need for sugar. We bagged a vegan pecan cinnamon roll the size of my head and a blueberry tofu cream cheese danish for the road. For a moment, we considered ending our trip and calling Flagstaff home. Wonderful.
California was hilly and rainbowed with colorful cacti as we crossed the border. The rest of the day was pretty grueling though. We were on the road for a total of 13 or 14 hours. Half way to Sacramento, after hours and hours of driving through the Mojave Desert, we started to lose it a little. I guess seeing nothing but endless sand and spiky bushes for hundreds of miles can damage the psyche. Of course, just when we thought we couldn’t take it anymore (I hated hating California!) the ocean of sand transformed into giant hills clothed with short green grass. It was like a naturally occurring golf course spanning miles and miles in the distance. I think we were actually beamed to Scotland for an hour by magic, or aliens, or the power of our minds!
The sun set and we traveled through the night to our less than welcoming Sacramento hotel. But by the time we arrived, all we wanted was a bed to pass out on.
The next day, we would be driving home…to Oregon.
California was hilly and rainbowed with colorful cacti as we crossed the border. The rest of the day was pretty grueling though. We were on the road for a total of 13 or 14 hours. Half way to Sacramento, after hours and hours of driving through the Mojave Desert, we started to lose it a little. I guess seeing nothing but endless sand and spiky bushes for hundreds of miles can damage the psyche. Of course, just when we thought we couldn’t take it anymore (I hated hating California!) the ocean of sand transformed into giant hills clothed with short green grass. It was like a naturally occurring golf course spanning miles and miles in the distance. I think we were actually beamed to Scotland for an hour by magic, or aliens, or the power of our minds!
The sun set and we traveled through the night to our less than welcoming Sacramento hotel. But by the time we arrived, all we wanted was a bed to pass out on.
The next day, we would be driving home…to Oregon.
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