SIX DAYS FIVE NIGHTS
Posted on August 6, 2010 with 0 comments
Rob and I spontaneously decided that we would get away with all four kids and make our escape up through Oregon to Washington State. It had been YEARS since we had visited that area. We had 6 days and 5 nights and we rented a Motorhome and hit the pavement one hot day in July.
Day 1 The first of 5 nights we spent at Rob's parents North of Sacramento. We had a wonderful time seeing them.
Day 2 we drove to Oregon and we stayed at a KOA in Klamath Falls. Realized we aren't the KOA types. Too much money, no nature, no elbow room. Not for us.
Day 3 we drove through Crater Lake Nat. Park. Oh my! Really cool. But don't bother with the bathing suit. It is not a swimming hole! (We didn't know...) Breathtaking to behold. The Pinnacles just outside the park were really spectacular as well. We continued on the 138 West to I-5. 138 was a wonderful route, there were numerous waterfalls along the way and it was remote, the road was nearly empty. FYI : No cell reception. (AT&T user).
When we were approaching the I-5, I suddenly remembered my favorite coffee joint on the planet ! Dutch Brothers. They are all over the Northwest and I hadn't tasted one in a couple years. As I wasn't getting much sleep thus far (6 month old and 2 yr old in a 26 ft motorhome, need I explain further?) coffee was crying out to me. And I mean, I think it really was. Because no more than a minute after I said to Rob, "If you see a Dutch Brothers you HAVE to stop," there appeared before us on the right side of the road a Dutch Brothers. This was one of those "God is with me and He loves me" moments. My husband loves me too, because he couldn't brake fast enough so he made a U Turn in a Motorhome, just for me. We enjoyed our mochas.
We got up to La Center Washington at 12:30AM where my BFF from childhood lives. Her husband, God bless him! met us at a gas station at that hour to lead the way to their difficult-to-find property. Thank you Scott!
Next morning, I went with Heather and we brought Bethany to their church, where it worked out perfectly for me to be able to share my song, The Lion. After church I got some way-overdue quality time with Heather, the girl who introduced me to Christ when I was 13. My husband relaxed, took a break from driving! and our kids burnt off tons of energy running wild and free on their 5 acres. Our kids are all about the same age, and they played beautifully together. It was a day I will treasure for years to come. There is nothing like it - seeing my BF from 11 years old grown up with kids of her own! The flashbacks flooded my mind as I watched my 5 yr old and her 6 yr old girl dress up like princesses and get rescued by their 7 yr old brothers who were running wildly around "Narnia". Their property has a grove of redwoods in the midst of alot of grass (they share a private airstrip, it is incredibly beautiful). Heather's husband built a fort with a wooden bridge crossing through the trees and it does look like a piece of Narnia, which was both Heather's and my favorite childhood book. Would we have waited another year or two, we may not have seen our kids ever play like that. Imagination and innocence escape us far too quickly in this life, and they will soon be on to different things, the pretending stage will soon become the past.
After a day of enjoying Heather's delicious homemade cookin', roasting marshmallows in their backyard, and a Lucy/Ethel/near-explosion with a $4 espresso machine moment (you had to be there), we all crashed hard and slept soundly.
Day 4 - Got to visit briefly with Tracey and Jackson Jackson - some old friends and more EX-Californians who are proud of it! Tracey (A.K.A. Tracey Jane Jackson) recently authored "The Bride Price" which is her first romantic-adventure novel in the Civil War Brides Series. Jackson is a talented musician, songwriter and producer and I have had the pleasure of working with him in the past. We had so little time, but we chatted and caught up on each others' lives and it was great to see them and their two boys, Jazz and Finn. I coveted Jackson's recording studio, even though I wouldn't know how to work most of what is in it, nor would I be able to play those guitars hanging all over the walls and make 'em sing. But the shade of burgundy is so inspiring I wish I could pay him to produce my next project!
Once we departed from a wonderful stay in Vancouver, we headed down the coast of Oregon. This took far too long, as there was an accident and road work down Oregon's 101 Hwy. It was getting dark by the time we found a camping location, and we made it in time to roast marshmallows and make smores, the top camping priority for the Krenik kids.
Day 5 - We left our river-side campsite and headed into Tillamook where we enjoyed the Blue Heron Cheese Farm with the kids. They served Tillamook ice cream, had a plethora of samples from BBQ sauces to Mustards to Jams to Cheeses to Fondues....They had a petting zoo with a couple of llamas, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens, donkeys and horses. Lots of fun. The landscape reminded me of England. Perhaps it was the double dutch bus. Then we headed east to Silver Falls State Park and did a 3 mile hike with the kids, enjoying beautiful waterfalls and lush landscape with ferns and redwoods. This was a great way to top off our trip and we finally felt like we were getting some exercise. I highly recommend Silver Falls as a must-see-and-do for people who enjoy waterfalls and hiking.
DAY 6 - We had to return the RV on day 6 by 5PM so the race was on when we left Silver Falls at 6:30PM. The goal was to arrive home by 1PM so we would have time to clean out the RV properly. Rob drove and I stayed awake with him, and we slept at a rest stop north of Shasta City in California. We were home by 12:30PM.
AFTER-THOUGHTS
It was fun. It was exhausting. It was great to see old friends and meet their kids. It was special to share songs at a church along the way. Most of all it was a way to make memories for our kids to think back on, and I pray they will be wonderful, self-esteem-building memories.
Any regrets? Too crammed. Not the RV, necessarily (although that got smaller and smaller the more time we spent in it). But the days were too crammed. Would do less and relax a bit more in one location. Would avoid the Oregon coast, unless we had ample time. Would not recommend putting a mailbox directly next to a major highway. Logging trucks and RVs are wide loads and you might lose your mailbox, along with any checks that could potentially be in the mail! Would do something to keep kids from falling off the overhead bunk in the RV while sleeping.