EagleMoon.net Journals

Journals: Week 15 (July 23-29, 2007)

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DAY 102: Thursday, July 26, 2007 (crescent city, CA)

Wow, I have a lot of catching up to do (as usual when it's my turn to write!). I have become an expert procrastinator, as if I wasn't one already. So it is my job now to catch us up from Sunday morning, when Jonathan wrote his last entry. Sunday was a pretty fun day. We did a little shopping - I bought a wedding dress!!! (In addition to taking the journey of a lifetime, we are also planning our wedding on the road.) No, this is not at all easy. And yes, it can be very stressful, especially when the website we are trying to order our invitations from keeps losing the information we are typing! But sometimes, a wonderful little detail falls right into place so nicely- like this dress. It is simple and pretty and should be arriving at my mother's house in CT sometime in early September. Let's everyone cross our fingers, please.

So after that, we hung out at Whole Foods to do a little stocking up on some of our favorite delicious goodies (fresh fruits and veggies, soymilk, cereal, and dark chocolate to name a few). We had a Sushi King lunch, and headed to Santa Cruz- which Jonathan already filled you in on (super crowded!!). We made it back in time to call Jonathan's grandfather and wish him a very happy birthday. See, fun day!

On Monday, we left San Jose early to drive to Napa Valley, stopping on our way to have lunch with my cousin Dean and his wife Katina. We met up with them in Sacramento, where they live, at a Mexican place called Chevy's. Once again, we had a really terrific time meeting up with some cousins! Jonathan and I have such great cousins ~ everyone we stop and see, or catch a meal with, is so nice and generous. We caught up on our respective "how we met" stories, and got to know each other better as people, instead of distant cousins of "so-and-so's husband's daughter's kids." Dean and Katina gave us some great advice about going to some nice wineries in Napa Valley, and suggested we get in touch with the rest of the Seattle crew (my other cousins who live in Seattle) when we get closer to that area. We had a great time, and once again, really appreciated being treated to a lovely lunch. Thank you so much Dean and Katina!!

Afterward, we headed to Napa Valley. This was a really beautiful drive. There are rolling golden hills on all sides, dotted with dark green shrubs and tall, skinny pine trees of some sort. It looks like a scene out of a Tuscany guide book. Jonathan, who has been to Italy before, assures me this really does look a lot like Italy. Also in the distance, on the tops of the golden hills, are those tall wind mill, energy fan contraptions. With their blades spinning simultaneously, this was a really cool sight. I tried to get some pictures, but think they were mostly blurry. Oh well.

When we finally made it to the Napa area, it was after 3pm, and we decided to set up camp instead of barely making it to a winery in time to take a tour. We decided on a campsite at the Spanish Flats Resort on Lake Berryessa. This is a really neat lake. It is actually a man-made lake which covers an entire town- literally! Way back when, the townspeople decided to flood the town in order to use the water for irrigation of the nearby fields (lots of agriculture here, especially grapes!). Now there is a big, beautiful, crystal clear blue/green lake on top of the town. I got to live out one of my life long fantasies here: run off the end of a dock and jump into a lake! I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it's the little things, you know?

We met our campsite neighbors, Oren and his son Joshua, who invited us to go on their boat for a ride around the lake. "Boat ride?? SURE!!", we said. Joshua, who is probably 12 years old, did the driving. And he really loved it when the boat crashed into some waves waking from the other boats around us, causing Jonathan and me to get a little soaked (we were sitting on the front edge of the boat). This was great fun!! At night, they were also kind enough to share their fire and s'mores with us. A boat ride AND s'mores...all in one day?!? I know, it's crazy!

The next day, we packed up the tent and drove out to the Sterling Winery. We took a gondola ride from the parking lot up to the winery on the hill, and went on a self-guided tour. They had 5 wines for sampling, and Jonathan, who's not much of a wine drinker, liked one so much we had to buy a bottle. The country-side here is just beautiful. The weather was warm and sunny, and the view from the terrace overlooking the vineyards was really lovely. Our next stop was the V. Sattui Winery. This one also offered wine tasting and cheese tasting, but we had already had our fill of wines, so we wandered around the lush premises to take pictures. We sampled some delicious white and red grapes right off the vine! Some of them were sweet and good, some pretty sour and not so good. But this was lots of fun, even for a non-drinker like Jonathan. We headed to a local pizza place for lunch, and then it was off to Muir Woods to feast our eyes on some Redwoods!

We heard about Muir Woods from our friend Lynn in Gallup, NM. He said this was a really great spot to visit. Jonathan's grandmother also confirmed this was a "do-not-miss" place to see on our journey up the California coast. It is pretty close to San Francisco, and we decided we would check it out and camp for the night. For those of you who don't know, Muir Woods is a small Redwood Forest park, very quiet with some very nice hiking trails. This was our introduction to the Giant California Coastal Redwoods.

The Redwood Forest was one of my top places, if not my top place to visit on this trip. I'm not sure why exactly, but I have always wanted to stand in the ancient Redwood forest, surrounded by these giant trees, and see what it smells like. As soon as we got out of our car in the parking lot, I could smell the dense, earthy, spicy smell of the forest- and it was WONDERFUL! It is everything I imagined it would be. It was very shady and cool, quiet and damp. And because there has been so much fog around this area the past few days, it is eerily like being in a Jurassic Park movie. When the sun's rays cut through the fog, it is truly awesome.

The trees themselves are unbelievable. I mean, you really can't believe how enormous they are, even though they are right there and you are looking at them (kind of like the Grand Canyon effect). I think we've been really ruined by TV and movies, because everything real looks like it's fake- like it belongs on a Star Wars movie set (you know, the one where they meet the Ewoks- which one is that again?). The trees are so big, you can't see the tops of them. You can drive cars through them and stand inside them with your arms wide out and still not touch the edges. They look even bigger when a person stands in front of one, giving some perspective. It was definitely worth the drive to come here and see them. They are marvelous!

After our two-mile hike through Muir Woods, we went to nearby Stinson Beach (also at Lynn's recommendation) and dipped our feet in the freezing cold Pacific ocean. It has been quite cold and windy by the shore, so we have not gone swimming in it. But Jonathan convinced me to at least roll up my jeans and get my legs wet. I'm glad he did- it was fun! As it was getting late and we still didn't have a place to stay for the night, we decided to get going. We drove for a good hour and found a few places that were a bit out of our price range. And then we bit the bullet, and did it. Inspired by our Taos friends, Kristi and Jim, who had recently spent a night in their car at a Wal-Mart, we decided to sleep in the van for the very first time on this trip. And we did so, where else but in the local Wal-Mart parking lot in Santa Rosa! We had heard from family friends, Bobbi and George, that many RVers do this. Apparently, Wal-Mart is pretty considerate of weary travelers, and they allow people to park in the parking lot, use their water hook ups, and clean up in their bathrooms. So that's just what we did. We found a cozy spot in between some RV's and settled in for the night. No, this was not the least bit comfortable, but it was free! So, it was doable, and we'll probably do it again- though probably not very often.

The next day was a VERY long driving day- one of the longest so far on this trip. We planned to drive all the way up the coast to the north west corner of California, to a town called Crescent City, where we would stay at a KOA campground in the middle of the Redwood Forest. And that is just what we did. We drove through some very foggy but beautiful scenery on the coastal Highway 1 (very zig-zaggy, not for those with extreme motion sickness!). This highway overlooks some of California's most beautiful beaches and a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. The water is a deep blue, and some of the sandy beaches are black! I've seen white and pink beaches before, but never black. They are amazing!

We finally made it to our campsite at the KOA and snagged ourselves a really nice plot. We are situated under a canopy of really beautiful, lush ferns and trees. It is nice to once again have an inflatable mattress and sleeping bags, and of course, a shower. We think this will be a really peaceful place to rest, and see some amazing trees. We will be exploring the best and brightest Redwood sites this area has to offer over the next few days, and can't wait!! We will bring you all the descriptions and pictures when we're through. Until then, we are sending love, peace and blessings to all our family and friends!! ~E

DAY 104: Saturday, July 28, 2007 (crater Lake, OR)

I'm sitting here in the KOA rec room (in Crescent City, CA) where they are just winding down an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast (for $3), of which Elena and I did not partake. (Saving money and watching our figures, of course.) It's a little after 10am here in Crescent City, CA, and we've already packed up our tent and loaded up the van, and we are now just waiting for our laundry to be done. We'll be heading out to Crater Lake, Oregon (correctly pronounced OR-e-gun, not OR-i-gone). So we've got some time this morning for a little journaling before we head out.

The Redwood National Park has lived up to its hype, at least for us. Thursday we drove out to Lady Bird Johnson Grove, about 30 miles south of our campground in Crescent City, where we trekked a short one-mile loop through the Redwoods. We marveled at each tree we came upon as they each seemed to be larger, wider, and taller than the last. (The phrase, "This is crazy!" was said many times by both of us as we passed trees that towered above us, seeming like huge legs of giant creatures guarding the land.) The path was wet and sometimes muddy as the area seems like a rain forest, often misty and cool, requiring sweatshirts in the middle of the summer. That particular day was mostly cloudy as it was often difficult to tell the difference between fog and clouds. As with the Grand Canyon, it was difficult to capture the moment with the camera, though not for a lack of trying (as usual). One difference, however, is that we could touch these trees that were right in front of us, capturing some perspective of their massiveness by comparing their size to that of ourselves. (When we were under the rim of the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon, it was hard to see "the forest through the trees," and when we were on the rim, there were few focus points that could give us a sense of perspective of its grandness.)

Of course, while we're trying to get all mystical with these natural wonders, we are only human after all. And as humans, with our curiosities and lack of self-discipline, we naturally got sucked into the snare of the tourist trap that read, "Tour-Thru Tree." We HAD to see what THAT was all about, right?! Four dollars later, we were driving our minivan through this massive tree that was hollowed out for such purposes as this. Quoting the brochure: "This privately owned tourist attraction was created for the benefit of those people who desire the unique experience of driving through a healthy, living Redwood tree." We didn't even KNOW that we desired such an experience prior to having it, but I'm glad it was there for OUR benefit!!! (For those who quest for knowledge and need to know such things, the tree is approximately 725 years old and the "tunnel" was completed in 1976. Before then, it had survived a fire due to its size and was spared from logging back in 1967. It is 15 feet wide at its base and 90 feet tall. The opening of the tunnel is 7'4'' wide and 9'6'' high.) So there you have it.

Yesterday we drove on a beautiful loop, Route 199, with winding roads and huge Redwoods lining them. We found our way to Stout Memorial Grove, in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park (Jedediah was the first white man to explore the interior of northern California in 1826), where we walked a short trail through the forest that ended by a river with no bridge to cross it. The sun was coming out, which was a change from the previous two days, warming up the air and shining new light through the trees. We only saw a few people on this trail, so most of our walking was done in peaceful silence. We proceeded on to a very short trail called the Hiouchi Trail, which lead to a rocky beach area along the Smith River. We saw people sunning themselves on the rocks and others drifting around in rafts as the river lazily carried them downstream. After sitting ourselves by the river for a few minutes, we decided to go back to the van, change into our bathing suits (in large outhouse-style restrooms, not entirely free from smells that could scare you straight!), and head back to the river for a refreshing, if not too cool, swim. So this is what we did. After many anxious moments standing in the water up to our thighs, fretting the impending "freezing" rush of water on our upper torsos, I dove into the shallow waters, followed a long 15 minutes later by Elena. Once all in, the water was nice and wasn't freezing at all. The water truly was shallow, as we were able to float on our stomachs and move along the river with our hands on the river bed guiding the way. Also, the water was colorless; it was as clear as a window as we could see the entire bottom from the top. Elena commented that it would be nice if she could just remember that the anxiety just prior to diving in is almost always worse than then experience itself, not to mention that the experience is usually quite nice. (I thought it was also a nice metaphor for life.)

After sunning on the rocks, we drove back to our campsite and had our last supper here at the KOA: vegetarian chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chips (so much for our figures!), and s'mores on the fire. Since about May 20, a little over two months, I have continued a mostly vegetarian lifestyle ("mostly" due to the 4 or 5 times I've had fish). I still have my share of french fries and ice cream, so I wouldn't say I'm eating that much healthier, but I'm impressed with myself (if I do say so myself), that I've kept up with this eating change for as long as I have. Not that a whopper with cheese doesn't sound delicious to me every now and then (like right now and then again later!), but as I keep reminding myself, I'm still full after every meal, so why not have a delicious and nutritious veggie burger instead?! Yumbo!!! Such is my small contribution to help cows, chickens, and pigs. (Is it time for lunch yet?!)

While Elena's checking the laundry, I'd also like to remember a few little things about the trip, as I read this years after we're done. First, I'd like to remember how difficult it has been to actually remember all the things I'd like to write in this journal! I often think of these great things I'd like to write, mostly when I'm driving and not able to write. Of course, the contents of my thoughts are always lyrical, poetic, and quite interesting and funny as I recollect various experiences and feelings of the moment. (You'll just have to trust me that they're all these things, for when I'm finally able to write, the moments have usually long since passed - like a whole day or two! - and the writing environment - like the rec room of a KOA - also affects my ability to wax poetic, if not my ability to wax on or wax off! Now THAT'S poetic!)

Anyway, I'd also like to remember the various downloaded books we've listened to on the Ipod, though by now I've forgotten where we were when we listened to them. Books like "1984" by George Orwell, a classic that I never actually read when I was likely supposed to read it in high school. It was published in 1948 (I think), and it was Orwell's vision of the future, one that was quite bleak indeed. Of course, it's now 2007, and there are many differences between Orwell's vision and today's reality. However, there were many things that seemed eerily too familiar, like how the higher-ups in the book view war, and how they relay their views to the general public. I'm not too politically savvy, but even the possibility of similarities between the book's politicians and our present-day ones seems scary and unfortunate. We've also listened to "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, a New York Times bestseller that I would classify as an "Oprah-Pick" book, even if it wasn't actually picked by Oprah. A fictional account of a 14-year-old girl's struggle to deal with her mother's death and her possible contribution to it, the book takes place in the early 1960s in South Carolina as she and the others main characters deal with racial injustices. What I liked about this book is that it's told in the first person from the girl's perspective, and I thought the reader did a great job with the reading of it.

As we were heading west to California, then north along its pacific coast, we listened to, and just finished, "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, a memoir that recounts the author's spiritual quest following a major life crisis. She ends up taking a year "off" from her life, traveling four months in Italy, four months in India, and four months in Indonesia. She reads the book herself and I think she did a nice job. The book itself is written with much humor and charm as she describes her own process along her path to be closer to God and make sense of her own life and relationships. A nice "read" (or listen-to, as the case may be). I just remembered that we also listened to "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell, which I think we listened to when we were in Kansas. Mostly I liked his theories and ideas about first impressions and that first instincts are often correct, though we just-as-often make decisions without consulting these first impressions. Of course, first impressions aren't always correct, and he goes into that as well. I liked the social science aspect of the book and the psychology of marketing, which I have always found interesting. (Like did you know that margarine didn't really take off as a butter substitute until they colored it yellow, so that it looked like butter, and wrapped it in foil?! Marketing geniuses!!!) We also listened to a very quick book called "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen, the premise of which basically follows that of "The Secret," except that this was originally written in 1970 (I think). It didn't really offer anything new or exciting about taking responsibility for one's own life or that we are the authors of our own destiny; it just reaffirmed the ideas we've already been thinking about.

On another note, we've taken thousands of pictures and missed thousands more. I've tried to balance just being in the moment and simply having the experience with capturing the moment on film for fear of forgetting the experience in the future. My memory isn't what it used to be (at least, I don't think it is - I can't quite remember). So I try to compensate by taking tons of pictures so that we (or I) can remember where we were, what we did, and so forth. It is quite possible that I've trained my mind in such a way that, because I know there will be pictures, I don't have to actually store the specific experience in my mind. So if I stop taking so many pictures, I wonder if my memory will improve, knowing that I will only have IT to rely on instead, not a mass of pictures. On the other hand, I also just want to take great pictures, which I admit can get in the way of just being in the moment. We've been to so many great places that are extremely picture-worthy, it's hard not to want to "get it." I imagine I will continue to struggle with this as the trip continues, and probably for a while after that too. I suppose there are worse things to struggle over.

The laundry is almost done and it's time to shut down the computer for now. We'll be heading out to Crater Lake soon to experience (and attempt to digitally capture, of course!) more natural wonders. Until then... ~J

DAY 105: Sunday, July 29, 2007 (crater Lake, OR)

Today was a wonderful day at Crater Lake! The sun was shining, and it was warm but not too warm- just perfect to go exploring, do some hiking, and get our first glimpses of the lake, itself. We started out by taking a drive around the east rim of the crater (as suggested by our very animated park ranger at the "Ranger Talks" program last night). Apparently a lot of tourists miss the beauty of this side of the crater because the western side offers more views of the lake. However, the eastern side has many more trails, peaks, meadows, falls, and other special treats to see (as well as stunning views of the lake). So we went that-a-way!!

Our first stop on the east rim drive was Castle Crest Trail. This is a really magnificent hike through a meadow that lies in the midst of the forest. We walked in through the pines and discovered an interpretive trail along a meandering brook. Here there were fields of many varieties of beautiful meadow flowers- bright pinks, yellows, purples, whites and even blues! Butterflies and bumble bees love this spot- and it's easy to see why. This was a great place for pictures.

We moved on to Vidae Falls- a short stop off the rim drive. Here we took some pictures, and admired the way ancient glacial water seeps from out of the rocks- just beautiful!! A nice woman took our picture for us, and we spent a little time just lingering in the sun. But not for too long, because we still hadn't seen the lake- and all the pictures and descriptions of it we have seen and heard sounded amazing. Supposedly the deepest and bluest lake in the U.S., we just had to see it!

So we headed to Sun Notch Trail for the lake's unveiling. We walked up a relatively easy hill with much anticipation- and of course our video camera. When we reached the top of the hill, surely the deepest and bluest lake either of us have ever seen spread out before us in all its glory. You cannot even imagine the depths of the blue of this lake. We had seen pictures and videos of it, but in person it is so totally different. I call it "surrealean blue" because it is surreal how blue this blue is. Imagine a very concentrated, bright, infinite blue- like a sapphire with light shining through it. And it extends so deep and is so beautiful that it hurts (much like the Caribbean ocean). The lake is so deep (almost 2,000 feet), and the organisms living in the lake are so well dispersed that the light from the sun can reach deeper than in any lake in the country. And that is why it is so blue. Around the edges of the crater, the water is pure turquoise- my favorite color. It is utterly splendid and stunning- and quickly became one of my favorite places (if not my favorite) that we have seen so far on this trip.

What is really amazing too, is the story about how the lake was made. The region used to be covered with volcanoes, and over time they all grew into one very large volcano (Mt. Mazama) standing approximately 12,000 feet above sea level. Gradually, the magma chamber underneath the volcano began to empty as the smaller volcanoes inside the larger one erupted many times. Eventually as the magma chamber emptied underneath the massive mountain, the weight of the volcano above it became too heavy, and it collapsed into the chamber. What was left was a giant smoldering caldera (approximately 4X5 miles long/wide). Over the course of tens of thousands of years, the crater filled with water from melting glaciers (around the crater), snow, and rain, and this water covered over the volcanoes inside of it. One volcano can still be seen above the surface of the water- Wizard Island, which got its name based on the fact that it looks like a wizard's hat. This volcano, as well as some hidden underneath the water, are still active!

Because the water remains undisturbed from outside sources (e.g., rivers, streams, etc.), and due to it's origin, it is the purest, cleanest and, in my opinion, most beautiful in the world. We couldn't take our eyes off of it, and Jonathan couldn't resist the urge to take pictures from every angle. He kept exclaiming, "Every scene is a perfect one for a picture!" I kept exclaiming, "It's SO pretty!" How many times can you say how beautiful or pretty something is?! But we kept saying it, over and over again.

After our first look, we continued on the east rim drive. We stopped at The Pinnacles Trail and took our bikes out for a ride. This spot follows along a cliff path overlooking strange formations made from volcanoes. They are basically like giant straws (actually volcanic spires). These "chimneys" were formed hot ash cooled after the volcano erupted. They are truly unique and amazing. It had been a while since we had ridden our bikes; we haven't gotten as much use out of them as we hoped when beginning this trip, so it was nice to ride them, even if it was only for a brief trail ride.

After this, we stopped for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant (Annie's Creek Restaurant) and had a nice buffet lunch. Then it was time to stop and relax a bit, and do a little wedding planning. Have we mentioned how much fun wedding planning is from the road?? Though it's not always easy to make plans from the internet and our cell phones (which don't always get great service), we are managing to take care of all the big stuff while traveling and camping. Things are falling into place, and we think we might actually pull this off! Of course, we have had lots of help, support, and encouragement from family and friends all over the country, and for this we are most grateful. So thank you all very much!!

The last stop on our tour of the lake today was Watchman Peak. We hiked up a 420-foot trail to the top of the peak for a really spectacular bird's eye view of the entire crater. From this height, we also got to see a glorious sunset. While waiting for the sun to sink, we met some kind folks from Michigan and Arizona (who were also on the peak to "capture" the sunset- what a bunch of shutter bugs we are!). We exchanged cameras to take pictures for each other, and then watched the sun melt into the wall of clouds hovering over the range of mountains and volcanoes in the distance. The effect of this sunset created a pink cast from the mountains down over the edge of the lake, and a dusty rose that blended into lavender, leaving a smoky blue sky above.

We began our climb down the mountain as the giant orange full moon began to rise over the crater and the magnificent, now navy blue, mirror lake below. We both realized this night was the anniversary of our engagement one month ago, when the "blue moon" hung in the sky above us. The view of this beautiful full moon over the lake was just like heaven to me. As we watched the moon slowly climbing higher over the lake, I counted stars and planets as they started to pop out in the sky above us. And to the west behind us, we could see the smoldering colors of the sunset growing deeper and more intense- like a fire on the horizon. The sky has always intrigued and fascinated me, and to see all of these things at the same time- the sunset on fire blending into the turquoise sky above, blending into hazy blue, purple sky with the moon rising on the other side, all of it dotted with stars- was like a beautiful dream. I said to Jonathan, "these are all of my favorite colors!" And I found myself saying this tiny prayer over and over, "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for this moment." It was perfect.

This was one of the most wonderful days so far on this trip (at least for me, but I think I speak for Jonathan as well). I cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store! Sleep tight, everyone. ~ E

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