The Sierra Nevadas of California

Markos writes: Sept 25 The Sugar Pine has huge pine cones. The sap feels like sugar on your hands. They are pokey and they have seeds. They are 11 - 20 inches long. Is that big or not? An oak tree has one inch acorns on it. They look like they have a hat on. White Spruce have one and one-half inch pine cones. They are very tiny. They are very easy to squish.

Sampson's journal: Sept. 24 Remote Control Airplanes at Sierra Hot Springs
Today we went to the airstrip and made pancakes. While we were making pancakes a truck drove up and two guys with remote control airplanes got out. Their names were Nick and Tom. They built a yellow airplane and a red airplane. The yellow one was a stunt plane and it did flips and glides and lots of tricks. The red one did the same but it was a little bit different. Once the yellow one did a glide land and it landed on its nose and broke the nose and propeller.

Tarn talks: Sept 24 There are lots of birthdays in this year. Remember when I swam back and forth at that other pool. I swam at Sierra Hot Springs too. I had a life jacket before and at Sierra Hot Springs I had a noodle. I was going so fast backwards. Then I swam all by myself.

Tarn turned five years old Sept. 23. For his birthday celebration we went to Sierra Hot Springs...a few days after. On his special day we made it into Quincy for a huge pancake breakfast out after tenting at the county fairgrounds with hundreds of firefighters. They had gathered from all around to fight a fire in a neighbouring area.

another Tanya poem as per Al's request...

ON FALLEN LEAF LAKE
It's Monday.
Warm Fall Breezes rock
Continuous waves to the shore.
A tree-lined edge lies below jutting rock mountain tops,
Gravel screes fill the space in between.

We're holding on to the last days of warmth at
high elevations.

Old playful logs, worn with time and waves
Bobble in the shallows.
The remnants of huge stumps act as harbors to these boats.

It's just us on this pebble beach, 'cepting a young man and his dog
Perhaps a traveler too, with the day to his choice
He too sees the sun sparkles
Hears the windy pines
Knows his own voice.

and one more...not sure how soon we'll be back on the blog

MY HOME, A DOME
3 poles, netting
A floor and a fly.
A place of comfort
For star gazing the vast, broad sky.

Inside I have things that I need
A water bottle, a jar of bag balm
Chapstick, journal, book and sleeping sheet.
An open down sleeping bag over us two
A headlamp, a toque for over my hairdo.

When the road is desolate
The days hot and dry
Water scarce and maps untelling
of the days that before us lie...

My tent is a constant
I can handle what is before
For at night I'll rejuvinate
Upon its thin floor.

Lava Beds National Monument

Markos' journal, Sept 17 - I will write about what I see. I see a bush. On the bush there are yellow flowers and lots of green little leaves. It has a skinny brown stem. I am writing about a bush. It is fun.

Sampson writes, Sept 17 - Today we biked to Lava Beds National Monument. At the lava caves we went in the visitor center and watched a video about the lava caves and the Modoc Indians. After that we went to the desk and rented some flashlights. Later we went to Mushpot Cave, an underground cave with a paved trail and lights. It also had some signs and buttons. After that we walked down the trail to the upper end of Sentinel Cave, it had no lights and a rocky trail. A little ways into it we all held hands and turned off our lights because we wanted to see how dark it was. When we were out we walked back and gave our lights back. Later we biked to the campground.

Tarn's thoughts...Sept 18- "Finding Snail Shells" I found snail shells in Eagle Lake. The ones in the water are alive and the ones out of the water were not alive. Some are big some are small. They are all white.


Ben's Freezer Fudge recipe...l

nut meats (fresh pecans from California, go in season and buy a big bag)
shredded coconut
cocoa (good stuff)
honey (more excellent, incredible stuff)
vanilla

Combine in a food processor, shape in balls and freeze overnight


Tanya's realizations
Concerns about the modern world? There have been only good people we've met, crazy amazing parents, keepers of the earth and real people.

Crater Lake National Park

We did it. We climbed two full days to reach the brink of the deep crater that holds Crater Lake. We followed the roaring Umpqua River, enjoying old growth forests and numerous picnic spots by misty waterfalls. Pumice and scoria rock lined the forest floor. Sampson, Markos and Tarn enjoyed comparing pine cone sizes (what is the record for the world's largest pine cone?) and floated airy pumice rocks down the river. Now that we're down the volcano and have circuited Upper Klamath Lake we've got our eyes pealed for water and field birds. We've spotted grebes, pelicans, ducks, cormorants, red-tailed hawks, ibis and bald eagles, (to name the ones we know.)

Markos writes: Sept. 7 I am happy. I went for a dip today. Dad is making dinner today. I am doing my journal.

Sampson describes his Crater Lake experience: Sept. 9 Today we climbed up Mt. Mazama - Crater Lake and went to the visitor center. At the visitor center we listened to someone talk about Mt. Mazama-Crater Lake. I learned that Crater Lake was dormant but Wizard Island, an island that looks like a wizard hat in Crater Lake, is extinct. In the olden days some gold hunters went looking for gold on Mt. Mazama but didn't find any but saw a beautiful picture for a life time. One thing that was different was that there were no streams or rivers coming out of the crater and that almost no one touched it. It had really blue water.

Tarn's words: Sept 10 There are boats that go to Wizard Island. There are cliffs too. Wizard Island is on the side of Crater Lake. Before Crater Lake it was all lava and the top wasn't all broken off. The water is so deep and there are fish in it.

Rick's 42nd Birthday and Off the 101

Menu for Rick's 42nd Birthday Dinner - Lincoln City, OR

Cedar Plank Chinook Salmon specially marinated and grilled by Dave Martin
Oven Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes
Mango Salad with Cilantro, Red Onions, Garlic, fresh Jalapenos, Black Pepper and Lime
Grilled Garden Vegies
Brownies served with fresh Strawberries

Gifts...
from Markos, a peach-coloured sea star
from Sampson, a Chinese Checker game
from Tarn, a colored sea lion picture
from Tanya, a giant artichoke

Two days off, our last weekend of tide pools, sea life and sand.

Good-bye to Hwy 101, the multitude of bikers we met and camped with, the skinny bridges without shoulders, the coastal views and the huge tree/lush forest coolness juxtaposed to the brown hot clear-cuts.

Florence, OR - afternoon off for Rick to rebuild Tanya's rear wheel, a faulty rim had split in numerous places
Sawyer Rapids RV park - Rick discovers the remaining three rims have cracks, three hours later and through extensive use of Rick's problem solving techniques a plan evolves. The result: we are back on the road with all rebuilt wheels the next day. How? Joe comes to the rescue and picks up/delivers three new re-built wheels thanks to coordination with Co-motion Chuck and Pete, and Dave the wheel builder (HUGE thanks Dave!!!) How did it happen that of all places in the trip so far, we happen at this time to be closest to Eugene, where the bikes were manufactured???

Upcoming Events: Climbing back over the Cascades, up to Crater Lake and on through the Lava Beds of Northern California.

The Oregon Coast

Markos writes: Aug 21 In the campsite I found lichen, mossy bark, and white bumpy bark and moss and dried-up fern.

Tarn at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, Aug 24 : The cheese factory is cool because all the cheese is moving all around. It was getting packaged.

Sampson writes about Lewis and Clark following a visit to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center:

In 1803 Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to explore the Northwest. The reason why was because they wanted to find out what was there. They traveled the Missouri River by boat, over the Montana Great Falls by horse, and down the Columbia River by canoe. They brought lots of food for their trip and they hunted and traded with the Indians for food and drank brandy on special occasions. Sometimes they didn't have any food so they killed a horse for stew. On the expedition 30 to 50 people came and 31 of them survived. Sacagewea and the Corps of Discovery came and so did Lewis and Clark.

Tanya's thoughts: Writing curricula packages for travel by bike would be a breeze. It's amazing how much incredibly cool stuff just happens across our path. I didn't set out on this journey as an "educational experience" for Sampson, Markos and Tarn, but more as a family adventure. However, given the variety and complete immersion of our experiences on the road, I would have no problem selling this adventure as a complete educational experience. For example, our brush with salmon: watching salmon sport fishing, salmon hatcheries (and camping by one), learning about hatchery salmon vs. wild salmon, the salmon life cycle, following salmon streams and watching the fish fight the current, a visit to the aquarium... to say nothing about the water system through the State of Washington, or what about the sea life and seashore of the Oregon Coast?

Exploring Seattle

"When are we going to be in a city?" Markos asks from time to time. Finally we're in one. We approached Seattle by ferry and took in views of the skyline and seagulls as we pulled into the docks. Thankfully a easy, flat bike path led us along the waterfront and around the city to our friend Camille's home. As we rode along the bike path remnants of the "Hempfest" festival remained as interesting persons, including a older man wearing only orange underwear, picked up debris from the weekend's events. Seattle itself has tons of steep avenues throughout the downtown area. (Thanks to our friend Matt, our search for a lightweight non-stick wok was carried out in a motorized vehicle.)

Our Seattle experience included exploring the sculpture garden, visiting the aquarium, a chance meeting with my sister-in-law Felina and nephew Daniel (thanks Facebook!) and a up-close view of Jupiter - Camille pulled out her telescope and taught us how to dial in the planet. We saw three of its moons and the shadowed stripes across its surface.

Sampson's Journal Aug 20th - Today we woke up at Twanoh State Park and had mango and oatmeal for breakfast. After breakfast we biked to Shelton for lunch. Later we went on a road that we didn't know where it went so we asked at the fire station. They said there was a different road so we went on it. After a while we asked someone and they let us camp on their land.

Markos writes - Aug 16 We saw Alan. He was happy to see us again. He showed us a wooden boat. He wants to buy the boat. It is green and white with wood trim. We also took a ferry.

Tarn describes travel by ferry - I like to ride ferries. We ride our bikes onto the ferry. There are ropes that tie up to hooks on the ferry. My dad ties the ropes to the bikes. There are stairs up to the inside and there our doors to go out.

Games to play while riding bikes:
when it's hot: "ICE"
Name all the words you can think of that have "ice" in them. Players take turns. This game is quite effective to divert young minds on a hot afternoon. Sample game:
ice-cream
ice skates
ice cubes
black ice
icicle...
next game could be "SNOW" or "WATER" etc.

"Colours" Markos and I played/created this game on a slow climb up the Cascades
Name ten things that you see or can think of that are "yellow", (next "red", "orange", etc)
example: yellow leaf on a tree, yellow line on the road, yellow flower, yellow spray paint
This game can take a very long period of time.

"The Interview Game" source: Janine in Republic, WA Very effective when Tarn is nodding off.
One player poses questions and the other answers.
Who do you like better, Batman or Spiderman?
Do you prefer apples or bananas?
Do you like to sleep in a bed or a sleeping bag?
Etc.

Some delicious one burner meals:
Farm stand Fritata
Chard, eggs, potatoes, onion, garlic, mozzarella
Saute onion, garlic and thinly sliced potatoes. On the side beat a dozen eggs and toss in thinly sliced chard. Pore over the vegetables. Slow cook until eggs are done. Top with thinly sliced mozzarella. Cover. Serve. salt and pepper to taste

Brown Rice Dinner by the Shore
almonds, brown rice, broccoli, red onion, garlic, granny smith apple, mushrooms, carrots and cheddar cheese
Chop and toast almonds. Set aside. Cook brown rice, simmering 15 min. covered, then set aside to finish cooking off the burner. Chop up broccoli stems, red onion, garlic and carrots while rice is simmering. Saute in a little bit of water. Add chopped mushrooms, broccoli florets and chopped granny smith apple. Cook a little longer. Mix all vegies in with the brown rice and top with cheddar cheese and toasted almonds. Cover so that cheese melts. Serve. Flavour with curry powder, salt and pepper.

Making Friends and traveling: The Northern Cascades into the San Juan Islands

Somewhere along the way I'd heard of the Cascades, but it never really registered. Until I was in them. The Cascades of Northern Washington are to me, both incredible and unusual. Markos described the mountain peaks as "shark teeth". What appeared to be mini glaciers clung the sides of the rock peaks. The forests below are lush and deep green with rich reddish brown trunks. Once over Rainy Pass the vegetation turned ultra lush. Thick moss and ferns grew everywhere. Tree trunks were green with growth and supported tons of life.

We rode on to Anacortes and boarded the ferry to San Juan Island. Rob and his family had hosted us for some good times in Mazama and were now sending us on to his uncle John who lives in Friday Harbor. Here the kids are showing a musical side beyond what I've seen before. Between the drums, the piano, the trumpet and the shakers, Sampson, Markos and Tarn spent over an hour sounding amazingly good - and switching up the instruments in concordance too!

A power packed "homeschool" day included this musical session, several hours at the whale museum and an afternoon at the county fair. Tonight we go whale watching.

"PLAY"
So fun to watch
it's golden time.
Three great boys feeling fine.

The thrill of a ferry ride, who some might just take in stride.
Right from the start, when the day was fresh
"Today's the day, we're going on the ferry."
Check it out - each deck is new
The cormorants sat, the seagulls flew.

Another moment equally cool, this time in a living room.
A coronet, a drum, a shaker too.
The piano was opened, each boy knew what was best to do.

Markos at coronet
Samps at the keys
Tarn on percussion - drum then shaker as he pleased.

How long did it go on? It's enough to say
I watched from the side to prolong what may.

We're relaxed, we've time
To play and watch
For this years just begun, more moments to be caught.



Aug 13 Sampson writes: Today we woke up and had KIX cereal for breakfast. Then we packed up and rode on some side roads and a big, long trestle bridge where we saw sea lions. In Anacortes we biked to the bike store and fixed Dad's back spoke. After that we went to Safeway. Later we went the the Rock Fish Brewery for lunch and had fish and chips. Later we went to the ferry. It was two hours long. Then we went to San Juan Island - Friday Harbour and went to John's house.

Aug 14 Some thoughts from Tarn: We played with a yellow slug and a brown slug. We tried to fish for fish but we didn't catch any fish. I found a quarter at the pizza restaurant. I found a penny too.

Aug 14 Markos painted some wild flowers a few weeks ago and decided to write about them today: we saw some flowers and I liked the orange one and mom liked the little yellow ones. they were on the roadside.