Day 3, July 6, 2009

 We got up early again and set out on our first "sightseeing" day.  Jacob took the first shift and once again we stopped to fuel up and get milk and donuts and the set off.  As we headed up The Dalles-California Highway along Upper Klamath Lake, we saw a nice mountain off to the west.  Megan looked it up and found Mount McLoughlin on the map.  The website mountainpeaks.net shows it at 9,344 feet tall.  Then, Jacob looked in the mirror and saw a giant hulk of snowy white back behind us.  Mason and Jacob got out to take pictures while Megan looked that one up.  She had to look all the way into California to find out that it was Mount Shasta, and nice 14,104 foot peak.  Then we headed on to Crater Lake.

Mount McLoughlin across Upper Klamath Lake

Mount Shasta from north of Klamath Falls

Crater Lake was great.  We made a few stops along the way for pictures, and finally realized we were driving around and slightly under the rim.  Once we made it to the parking lot on the rim, it was very cold and giant mosquitoes were everywhere.  Literally everywhere.  We couldn't escape them at all.  We made some bathroom breaks and put on some jackets, then waited for the Visitors' Center to open.  Then we walked over to the rim, which is about 1,000 feet above the lake surface.  The lake is absolutely stunning.  To think it is an old volcano that blew apart was amazing too.  And it is also the deepest lake in the United States.

Wizard Island on Crater Lake

Mount Shasta and Mount McLoughlin from the rim

We could have spent far more time at Crater Lake, and would have liked to have taken a boat tour.  Unfortunately, we had a lot we wanted to see and planned to make Portland for our stop that night.  So we stopped at the Watchman Overlook and then took the next road out of the park.

Working our way back to Highway 97, we then turned back north.  Our plan was to stop for fuel and food in Bend, Oregon.  Traffic got crazy as we neared.  Suddenly, off to the left there was a large cinder cone with cars spiralling toward the top, bumper to bumper.  It would have been neat to see but we weren't going to even think about it.  Jacob thinks Bend got its name from the road layout.  There wasn't a straight section of road that we could see, and none of the exits seemed to offer any fuel or food.  We finally just picked an exit, then nearly got lost on one single road that seemed to go every single direction.  It led us downtown, where pedestrians apparently have the right of way and we almost ran over an unfortunate man.  Whoops!  But eventually, we made it back to the highway and headed north toward Redmond.  Then was saw a gas station and pulled off.

And then Jacob made another mistake.  It's full service up there, and they don't like it if you try to pump your own gas.  But that allowed Jacob to try to figure out where food was, except the guy that pumped our gas couldn't speak English.  Luckily, the kids were still asleep and not crying out of hunger, because we were well past our scheduled time to stop by the time we hit the road again and pulled into Redmond.  On the north side of Redmond we found a very busy Taco Bell and stopped.

Off to the west of Bend, but very visible from the Taco Bell in Redmond, there are several pretty mountains.  They are referred to as the Three Sisters.

Mountains west of Bend, Oregon

Megan drove us out of Bend, and pretty soon we entered a much drier region.  We got some great views of Mount Jefferson, and then eventually Mount Hood, which was our next destination.  Mount Hood was shrouded in clouds as we approached.  We made it to Government Camp for some bathrooms, and then tried to figure out how best to view Mount Hood.  We finally drove up to the summit and Megan did an outstanding job of navigating the twisting road.

Mount Jefferson, 10,246 ft ASL

Mount Hood, shrouded in cloud

Summit from lower parking lot of lodge, Mount Hood, 11,161 ft ASL

After visiting the lodge for some purchases and to stretch the legs, we headed back down the mountain.  Jacob forgot to take pictures of the surrounding area while we were up so high.  After descending the mountain, we headed to Hood River.  We missed on great spot for pictures of Mount Hood, but stopped in the town of Mount Hood for a couple that really turned out great.

Mason posing in front of Mount Hood

The best view we actually captured of Mount Hood

The land was very pretty as we neared the Columbia River, but we were in a hurry at that point and didn't stop for any pictures.  Jacob tried to take some but we had so many bugs splattered on the car at that point, they didn't turn out very appealing.  But we finally made it to Hood River and took off along the Interstate that follows the river.  We stopped at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery based on Grandma Becky and Grandpa Gary telling us about it.  It was worth it and Mason loved seeing the Sturgeon and feeding Trout.  He was afraid of the stuffed bear though.

What seems to be the main building at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery

Brynn and Mason in front of one of the many beautiful gardens at the Hatchery

Mason looking at a huge Sturgeon

Mason feeding some Trout

Mason wasn't so sure about Jacob telling him to stand in front of this Black Bear

Jacob, Mason, and Brynn in front of the main building

Jacob decided to drive again after we left, and we took the old highway.  Jacob had read about Multnomah Falls and wanted to try to find it.  The drive was beautiful but we weren't seeing any waterfalls.  Suddenly, we found one.  In fact we found a bunch.  The first one was a pretty undulating falls named Horsetail Falls.  Mason and Jacob got out to look and take pictures.

Mason at Horsetail Falls

We got pretty close to Portland and finally found Multnomah Falls.  It was amazing.  It is the tallest waterfall in Oregon and the third tallest year round waterfall in the United States.  It is spring fed from off a mountain.  You can hike up part way to a bridge going over the brink of the lower falls and then hike up all the way to the top.  Jacob and Mason went up to the bridge for some pictures.  Then we jumped back on the highway to head to Portland.

Mason at Multnomah Falls

Portland was crazy.  We got lost.  We finally found a Taco Bell and the people there were so polite and helpful.  The manager asked where we were from and helped us with directions back to the highway and hotels.  The directions didn't help much, and we wound up driving for a while before we finally found an expensive looking cluster of hotels on the west side of Portland.  We don't think we were in Portland any longer, but who knows where we were.  We stayed at a Marriott with a weight room, hot tub, and pool.  Mason and Jacob swam for a bit and then we went to bed.  But we knew we were pretty close to Highway 26 which is what we wanted to hit the next morning to head to the coast, so all was good.

Day 2, July 5, 2009

Our second day started earlier than we had planned, but that was on purpose.  We all woke up so we got an early start.  Good thing, because it took us forever to find a convenience store.  Jacob opted to not get fuel based on our planned stop, but we still had to get milk for Mason and Brynn and some form of non-healthy breakfast. 

We set off but made a quick stop to see the Great Salt Lake.  It is interesting to see such a large expanse of water that looks like you could almost run across it.  Then we headed on over the salt flats.  Those were interesting for a bit, but they got old too.  There were a lot of places where people pulled off and set up rows of bottles, lit camp fires, and someone even put a small cedar tree out and decorated it.

Salt Flats West of Salt Lake City

We started getting low on fuel, but Jacob was pretty sure we could make it to our first scheduled stop in West Wendover.  And we did.  We fueled up and headed out.  The day started dragging on and the drive didn't seem to be getting anywhere, but the scenery did change a little.  Somewhere around Elko, Nevada (we think) we saw some pretty mountains and some large cattle ranches.  Mason and Brynn were doing a great job of being good, playing, and having fun with each other

Brynn loved playing with her baby

Mason colored a lot

Mountains somewhere in the middle of Nevada, we think near Elko

We finally made it to Winnemucca.  And let us tell you, that place was busy!  We stopped for gas first, and had to wait on pumps with all kinds of people pulling in and out and trying to cut, sometimes with campers and trailers.  Then they don't know the difference between curbs and drive entrances and exits there, so we had to take it easy getting into and out of establishments.  We crossed over to a Burger King that appeared to be under construction, and it was really busy too.

We finally made it out of there, with Megan at the helm.  Now we can say we've "been everywhere, man"!  Turning off the highway, we followed a long, slow line of cars up SH 95 toward who knew what, but hopefully Oregon also.  When we were almost to Oregon, we cut off to the west again to follow some almost desolate road through a desert.  There were some old broken down buildings along the road in one spot, then pretty much nothing but brush, sand, and rocks.  And mountains.

Ultimately, we did make it to Oregon.  And ultimately, the dry land turned a bit greener.  There was a nice, quaint little farming valley around Adel, Oregon that was refreshing compared to....basically all of Nevada. 

Valley around Adel, Oregon

Farming in Southern Oregon

                                   

We needed a bathroom stop BADLY, and when we made it to Lakeview we were about an hour overdue and had some fun (sarcasm).  There was really no good place to stop, so it wound up being a tiny, not so clean gas station.  After our slight reprieve, we headed over to Klamath Falls.  As we neared Klamath Falls, we saw quite a bit of smoke from a forest fire.  We also started seeing some slightly taller mountains, that were also closer, with more pine trees.  Just what we were pining for!  Get it?  I know...that was bad.  It really was a nice change and made us feel like we were finally on real vacation!

The city turned out to be larger than we thought, but not too large.  It was really a nice city.  Jacob recommends it at any rate.  We got a room at the Motel 6 with a sewage leak in a corner of the parking lot, and one of the stair wells was closed, so we had to carry all of our stuff around a longer way.  Mason and Jacob swam a little before dinner.  We ate at Denny's, which turned out to be a mistake.  Not at all like the Denny's we ate in on our California trip (except the one in Kingman, AZ wasn't great).  They took forever and the food was marginal.  However, the kids were pretty good and Mason really surprised us with his ability to write his ABC's on the back of the kid menu.  We saved it to show Grandma Becky later when we met in Montana.

When we got back to the hotel, there was the Black Bear Cafe right next door that we missed.  That was Jacob's biggest regret about the day, not trying out the Black Bear Cafe.  So if you're ever in Klamath Falls, give it a try and let us know how it is.  In case we ever go back.

Day 1, July 4, 2009

So our first day was a doozy (is that how that is spelled).  We knew we had to make it from Perkins to Salt Lake City.  We knew it was possible, but were wondering how probable it was, especially with a 1 year old and a 4 year old.  So we got up at 4:00 AM and Megan took the reins for the first leg to Salina, Kansas.  Jacob tried to get some "shuteye" so he could take over later but it started raining really heavily right out of the gates.  So hard Megan couldn't see the lines on the road and Jacob couldn't hear her shouting for him to help her see.

But we made it to Salina only slightly behind schedule and Jacob took over.  It got a little "iffy" here because we weren't for sure where we would be in Colorado by lunch time, so we kind of played it by ear.  Mason enjoyed looking at all the giant windmills, and for awhile we had a nice drive through the rolling hills of ranch land.  We had to stop in Wakeeney, Kansas for bathrooms and we took the time to drive over to a park where Mason got to pose with an old F-14 Tomcat.

Mason in the thrust nozzle of the F-14

We hit the road again an headed for Colorado.  It finally arrived, but we thought Denver never would.  FINALLY, we saw Denver but it was too dreary to see many of the mountains, so we were disappointed.  We had trouble finding a decent place to stop to eat, so we wound up (we think) in Fort Collins, which is over half way betwen Denver and Wyoming.

After a well earned break at a busy McDonalds, Megan took back over the driving and we quickly made it to Wyoming.  We turned West just this side of Cheyenne.  That area was beautiful, and though it made the driving more difficult, the intermitent rain (and even the hail) seemed to add to the beauty.  The dark blue sky made the green hills and rocks more vibrant.

The mountains and grasslands were amazing in the midst of the storms

Elk Mountain as seen through the hail covered windshield, Elk Mountain was our first view of actual snow on the trip.

We drove steadily and stopped once for bathrooms, where we saw a Pistol Pete shirt.  The color was slightly off, but it could pass for Oklahoma State.  We drove on to either Rock Springs or Green River, where we switched for the last leg of the journey.

As we drove, the sun went down and we had more amazing views of distant mountains, the moon, deserts, and one of many aspects of the American West.  All of God's creation is awe inspiring, but it was definitely a wonderful experience to see so much beautiful land on what we thought would be a boring day filled with driving.

No justice, this drive was amazing with the distant clouds and mountains.

We got to Evanston, and let us tell you, they do Independance Day RIGHT!  We got Mason awake in time to see some fireworks as we drove through town.  The entire city was out and about, setting off fireworks.  A surreal haze filled the streets and the interstate from all the smoke, and blooms of chemically charged firey brilliance burst over the sunroof of the Camry, right over the interstate!  It was a nice way to "end" the evening since we hadn't been able to celebrate the Fourth with our family.  However, we still had a bit of driving to do.

I think the mountains between Evanston, Wyoming, and Salt Lake City would have been beautiful, but it was really dark.  We hit some steep slopes and a lot of curves, but luckily it was multilane and traffic was down.  After what seemed like a long time, we popped out to see a giant bowl filled with lights.  Salt Lake City.  We drove all the way across it and grabbed a hotel room near the airport.  That way we wouldn't have to drive across town to start the next morning.

Thus ended our first day.  We had been on the road for over 20 hours, but luckily we gained one so we got to bed at a late, but not too late hour.

So Nathan and Kristin inspired me to attempt to make a blog relating to our vacation back in 2009 to the Northwest United States.  That was some time ago, but I was working on a journal for the trip anyway and thought it might be a great way to organize my thoughts in a way that would be easier to share with friends and family.

You may be wondering about the title.  Quite frankly, I didn't feel like taking the time to come up with anything else, and I've always liked the phrase "European Sevens".  It's like some kind of mundane item slapped with a hefty dose of pizzazz and class.  Which is a bit like how I feel sometimes.  So there you are.

At any rate, I hope to go through our trip day by day until it is all on here.  I may do half days because there was a lot involved in that trip, and I'm not good at cutting things out.

So, on behalf of the rest of my WONDERFUL family, thanks for coming by!