The Elmore Sabbatical Trip 2004

Heading Home

2004-05-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Now we are really heading home. We left the Cape on Thursday, then spent a delightful night in Altoona, PA with Richard and Alice Flarend. Richard, a student of David’s a number of years ago, now teaches and does research at Penn State Altoona and is building a timber frame addition to his home.

The girls are very excited to be heading home. Amanda complains when we have to stop for anything. I look forward to being home, but I would be happy to spend another few months on the road. It has been interesting and life has seemed simple except when maneuvering in narrow spaces.

Janet

Woods Hole and Cape Cod Beaches

2004-04-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

We started the day by dropping David at WHOI, then drove into Woods Hole to explore. We visited the WHOI exhibit center and learned about the various devices used to explore the ocean bottom. The mockup of Alvin reveals how tight the quarters are and one wonders how they can observe anything through such a small porthole.

We had lunch and made a brief visit to the aquarium. The aquarium is small but extremely informative. There are displays showing the growth rate of lobsters and how they can grow a new claw when one is lost in a fight. There are tanks will local species – even a blue lobster (a fairly common mutant).

We tried to stop in at Handmade (a local craft store like our co-op in Lafayette), but they were just putting out some stock for the opening of the season and didn’t want browsers. Too bad, I was in a buying mood.

Janet

Today we dropped Dad off at his work and we looked around Woods Hole. We looked at the museums and the wharf. After lunch we went to pick up Dad, and we drove out to the end of the cape. It is BEAUTIFUL! Mom says that she would love to live on the cape EXCEPT for in the summer. It is the tourist capitol of the world, and the little two-lane road is jammed all the way to the tip. Well, that is what she said. Today there was very little traffic.

The beaches are great, but the dunes aren’t as big (or white) as those at White Sands Monument. We read a plaque that said that the entire cape was forested until the Pilgrims came and cut down the trees and let their cattle graze. With no vegetation, the sand was able to move around and the dunes started to form. Grass is beginning to grow on some of the dunes, so maybe some day they will be gone.

WE SAW WHALES! When we were walking along the beach Dad claimed that he saw a spout, and Mom said that it was probably a Right Whale. She said that they are endangered and that there were only about 300 left in the North Atlantic. In Baja we saw 300 whales IN ONE TRIP!! We got out the binoculars and I even saw a body go a little out of the water! It was a long drive home, but we made it back for a late dinner. It was a fabulous day.

Amanda

Kapell Cranberries

2004-04-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Jeff and his wife Alex’s house for dinner. Jeff owns a cranberry bog in Plymouth. He showed us all his machinery and trucks. It was really amazing. He has over 40 acres of bog!!! They are beautiful - flat and sort of a reddish color even though there are no berries yet. After the tour we went back to the house.

We made pizza!! We flattened out our dough, spread the toppings, then we cooked and ate. DELICOUS! It was Jeff’s birthday so then we had cake. Luckily we had brought flowers so we didn’t feel too bad about forgetting his birthday.

Amanda

Seafood and More Seafood

2004-04-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Cape Cod, we saw fish shops up and down the street. YUMMY!!! I love seafood and so does everyone else (except Emily who we can’t get to eat even one scallop) so we went to a nice place for fast food sea food. I got clam chowder, shrimp, and bacon-covered scallops. Mom and Dad got fried clams. Emily got a hamburger and chips. We shared all and still had WAY too much food so we are going to have seafood for lunch too.

The guy who served us the food was really nice. He got a lobster out of the cage to show us, it was 6 and ½ POUNDS!!!!! It was humongous and that is without claws because it had lost them in a fight!

I like Cape Cod except for the rain!

Amanda

Visiting Concord MA

2004-04-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Emily and I visited Nora for one week while Mom and Dad visited for only four days. We slept in her basement, went to school with her, went to her track meet, played with her cousins Ab Ab and Mi Mi , jumped on the trampoline, slept on the trampoline, played in the woods, and managed to fit everything else you can think of into one week!!! We had a blast!! In the woods we built a bridge ten feet long over water that was one foot deep. We played Inklink on the computer.

On Saturday night when Page and Charlie took our parents to an auction, we took futons out to the trampoline. It turned out to be a FREEZING night, and we would have been very cold if someone hadn’t come out and put more blankets on top of us (Page and Charlie). We had a great time and didn’t want to leave!

Amanda

Visiting "Philadelphia"

2004-04-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Mama Dot, Chip, and Fla’s house for a few days. We had a great time. Emily and I worked really hard on a jigsaw puzzle for Chip and Fla, but we didn’t finish it. They had to finish it, which they did once we left. On Sunday Chip took us to the YMCA to swim while he had his workout. We had a blast. It is an Olympic sized swimming pool with beach balls and rings and a basket ball hoop. The deep end is deep enough for diving which I didn’t do much of because of all the old ladies there.

On Sunday we also went to see Aunt Liz and Uncle Mike's new house. It is big and beautiful.

Dad and Chip put up shutters for Mama Dot at her house (550 Rutgers). While we were there we got some of Philly’s famous hoagies which were DELICOUS!!!! Yum yum yummy.

Chip and Fla have a new cat named Corry, and she is BEAUTIFUL…everyone loves her long bushy tail which is almost as big as her body. And she will play peek-a-boo with you which is a great game!

Amanda

Washington Art Museums

2004-04-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today we went into Washington to see some art museums. Again it rained (Maryland is about to float away). We enjoyed the Hirschhorn and the National Gallery but skipped others that we wanted to see because of the long walks in the pouring rain.

Janet

Rain and the Museums

2004-04-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to go to some museums. It was POURING outside (again) so we went to only the indoor stuff. We took Michael,Sami, and Jenny with us. First we went to the Air and Space museum which was really a disappointment. It didn’t have enough space stuff. Then we went to the American History Museum which was GREAT!!! We didn’t spend much time there though because we had to be getting home! We had to spend a lot of time in line waiting for security to get into each of the museums so we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked.

Amanda

Easter

2004-04-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today when we got up there was candy hidden all over the trailer. Emily and I raced to find it, but then wished we hadn’t when mom set us down for a long morning of homework. After the Knies Family came back from church, we went inside for Easter dinner, and to play lots of games with Michael and Sami. We had a great Easter thanks to the Knieses.

Amanda

Washington DC

2004-04-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Washington DC, our nation’s capitol….and I had a BALL!!!

As soon as we got out of the metro Emily spotted the Capitol Building and I spotted the Washington Monument. We walked and walked. We saw the cherry blossoms in bloom around the tidal basin. We finally got to the Lincoln Memorial (on the penny) and saw good old Abe sitting looking out on the capitol. I think that I was a little jealous that he got such a good view!!! Next we walked over to the Jefferson Memorial and then the White House. The White House isn’t as great as I would have thought. You have to stand a football field away behind fences and gates and from there you can see the wide majestic looking building called the famous White House!! Next we walked to the metro station and went out to Virginia to buy dinner at a mall with a food court. Emily and I had Italian while Mom and Dad had dim sung. Then we had ice cream and got back on the metro to go and see the fire works!! Today was the last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival so we watched the fireworks by the water. They were very pretty. Dad got lots of pictures while we watched the fireworks and snickered at the people who where using a flash camera to take pictures of the fire works.

All in all, it was a great day.

Amanda

Chapel Hill to Marbury MD

2004-04-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

Given that it is Good Friday I guess we should have expected lots of traffic. We were not disappointed. The I-85, I-95 corridor was busy and spotted with accidents and construction. It was such a pleasure to turn off I-95 and head east into Maryland - little traffic and beautiful rural land.

David and Jennifer have a lovely home with lots of land about 20 miles outside of DC. They are working hard at making improvements. I couldn’t believe how their kids have grown.

Janet

Chapel Hill and Seagrove NC

2004-04-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

Chapel Hill is beautiful. We like the hills and the plantings. One of the things I miss in West Lafayette is evergreen broadleaves; there are so few that can survive our winters.

Today we drove with Dep and Hyacinth to Seagrove. It was fun to wander around the pottery shops and meet some of the potters. I saw some awesome glazes that make me want to get back to work. The North Carolina Pottery Center has a small but excellent collection of work.

Later the Dep family came for dinner at our trailer. Fortunately we have a large grassy side yard at this site, so the kids had a great place to play.

Janet

Texas to Georgia

2004-04-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Once more, a lot of driving – it’s a big country. The weather is outstanding so we have been enjoying watching spring come and go as we go up in elevation and further north.

Our campground south of Athens, GA is located in a pine and sweet gum forest with two ponds. The owners have a weird sense of humor. For example, as you walk through the woods you may come upon a bear with a skeleton lying in front of him. Otherwise a lovely place.

We took a short walk around the University of Georgia campus which is all in spring bloom.

Janet

Texas

2004-04-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

Starting late Wednesday afternoon we drove through Texas to Denton. From the NM border to Denton is flat, flat, flat. I’m not sure why only Indiana always gets the reputation of being flat. The landscape is dotted with small oil wells and tanks. There are a few small refineries to be seen from the road.

Dallas-Forth Worth-Denton is a busy place. This weekend is a big NASCAR race so all the parks are full. Tomorrow David will go to the University of North Texas while we study, wash, swim, and cook. Sightseeing here will have to wait for another trip.

Janet

Carlsbad Caverns

2004-03-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

As we drove southwest from Carlsbad NM to the caverns we realized that we have now been in all 4 US deserts – Great Basin, Mohave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan.

We walked down the natural entrance into the Caverns. We saw lots of swallows; the bats come in May so we did not see them. We saw lots of neat structures. We rented audioguides. There were numbers marked on the trail. If we pushed the buttons on our handheld guides, it told us about what we were seeing along the path.

We ate 750 feet under ground. The elevator went 16 feet a second.

Emily

Valley of the Fire and White Sands National Monument

2004-03-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

After leaving Socorro, we made a pit stop at the Valley of the Fire. This is a huge lava flow that just flowed out of the ground about 1000 years. There was no volcano, just a hole in the ground. We went for a short 1 mile walk and saw bubbles that had caved in. They made small caves that, the sign said, sometimes had bats in them (only the bigger ones). We climbed into one and saw none. I don’t think that I was totally disappointed.

On the road again we saw tumbleweed crossing the road. I thought that was only in the movies!!

Amanda

White Sands National Monument is an awesome place! The sand is so white and so light. Where the wind has blown are ripples that look like water. The dunes look like waves in the distance.

We ran and jumped off the edges of the “waves” and Dad took pictures.

We saw a stink bug. We realized that many of the tracks we had seen in the sand were made by stink bugs, not lizards. I saw a deer track and a big cat track.

I also found crystals of gypsum. The “sand” at White Sands is really ground up gypsum, not quartz like it is on most beaches.

Emily

Socorro, New Mexico

2004-03-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

When we got to Socorro, we saw how small it was. The people we are visiting have a phone book about ¼ of an inch thick!!! Lafayette’s is bigger!

But, I love Socorro because it is so small. Emily and I got on our bikes and we could ride to the other side of town in about 10 minutes!!!!

In the afternoon we walked to the mineral museum at New Mexico Tech. It was cool and we could buy some mineral samples. I bought malachite.

Last night we had dinner at Fred and Lois's house. They are VERY good cooks!

Amanda

Hiking the Red Dot Trail

2004-03-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today we went down into the Rio Grande canyon with June, a friend living in White Rock. At the top it is mostly rocky and very steep. We had to jump from rock to rock. The Natives of the area used to live there so we saw many petroglyphs! My favorite one was a life size mountain lion! I couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing something that someone had sat and pounded for probably many days!! We kept hiking down until we got to a little stream. We tried to follow it up the hill so we could see where it came out of the ground but we couldn’t get past some big rocks. Then we saw the beaver dam. June had been down there many times so she knew where the beaver dam was. She said that she had never seen the beaver, and we didn’t see it either. We did see some trees that had been gnawed down, and we picked up some of the shavings as souvenirs. We followed a path to a big waterfall and climbed right on top of a rock that it was going over. At the bottom some person had made a dam so it was like a swimming hole, a bit cold though.

Then we found the Rio Grande. I was moving quite fast and it was very cold, probably from melted snow, we assumed. We started back up. We had dinner at June’s house. She has a son that is Emily's and my age so we had a good time!

Amanda

Los Alamos

2004-03-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

The drive from Durango to Los Alamos is gorgeous. We stopped many times for pictures and for lunch at the Echo Amphitheater, a high, curved rock formation which does indeed echo even the smallest sound.

We arrived at Bob and Maria Reedy's in the late afternoon on Tuesday.

Wednesday we toured Bandelier National Monument, visiting the excellent ruins there. We especially liked that we could climb into the caves and up the long ladders to see the puebloes constructed under the overhang. It was a perfect day for the tour -- 75-degrees and breezy.

Today David met with some colleagues while Amanda and Emily worked on school work and took a bike ride.

Janet

Monument Valley to Durango

2004-03-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Today was another "driving day." We left Monument Valley and headed for the Four Corners. We took pictures on the brass plaque. Amanda and I ran around so that we were in Colorado, then Utah, then Arizona, then New Mexico. One girl jumped rope in each state. We ate fry bread and bought some bracelets.

Then we drove to Durango. It is colder here. While Mom was cooking dinner, we were playing frisbee. We heard an eeeek, crach, and saw smoke. There was an accident on the road.

Emily

Monument Valley

2004-03-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

This afternoon after Glen Canyon we drove to Monument Valley. Monument Valley is made up of lots of Earth’s sculptures. Sedimentary rock piled up and then started to erode away. Some places where the rock is a little harder did not erode. This makes lots of “monuments” of rock standing hundreds of feet in the air.

Since it is in the middle of Navajo Nation, most of them have names like “Big Elephant” and “The Three Sisters”. When you stop at a pull off, there are people selling jewelry. Emily got an arrowhead, and I got a bracelet. The people are very nice.

The views are great. Dad got lots of pictures. We just drove down the road. We aren’t allowed to hike up to the monuments because they easily crumble and they are sacred to the Navajos.

It was a beautiful day in Monument Valley.

We are spending the night in a campground near one of the mittens.

Amanda

Glen Canyon Dam

2004-03-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

When we pulled out of Wahweap Campground, we stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam visitor center. There was an excellent display about how the dam was built. It is rather amazing to think about the engineering achievement it was to build this dam in the late 50s and early 60s. I was startled to learn that the bridge next to the dam was first built in San Francisco, disassembled, and shipped to the canyon for installation. At the time it was the highest arch bridge in the nation.

We also took a tour which allowed us to walk out on the dam and take the elevator down into it to the electric power plant. Once again we learned about how low the lake levels are. The dearth of water is making the plant less efficient for generating electricity. In addition, docks for boats have had to be moved further out into the lake and boaters must be more aware of submerged water hazards. The lake was nearly full in 1993 and has been declining since. The projection for this year is that the input will be more than last year, but still less than the output for the year.

Our tour guide was very informative. She answered honestly questions about the impact of the dam on the river and archeological sites and potential silting problems. While Lake Powell has been a boom for water sport enthusiasts (“The Oasis in the Desert”), its environmental impact continues to create controversy. There are those who believe it should be drained.

Janet

Las Vegas to Lake Powell

2004-03-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today we got up, late then drove all day. Not that exciting. We got to this campground in Arizona on Lake Powell. We went for a bike ride down to the water. It is really cold, not that we would be swimming anyway!!!!!! Tomorrow we are heading onto the road again!

Amanda

I was amazed to see Lake Powell. There is almost no water in it. Compared with the last time we saw it, in 1995, there is 100 feet less water. In fact it is the lowest level in 30 years. The last time it was this low the lake was still filling since the dam was built. It is expected that the lake will continue to fall until later in April when the melt in the CO mountains will begin to fill it.

Janet

Las Vegas

2004-03-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today we pulled into a Flying J in Las Vegas. Vegas is a very colorful city, full of lights, casinos, restaurants, hotels, and pawn shops. That is about it, at least that is the part we saw. Once we had all taken our showers at the Flying J we headed to town.

Vegas is broken up into different places. They made a replica of the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty. They called this New York - New York. Inside was just another casino. It also had a roller coaster that went around the outside of the place. Emily and I went on it. It was an upside-down roller coaster, Emily’s first, so we were really excited; it was fun. There is also Egypt (the sphinx and a pyramid), Paris (the Eifel Tower), Ancient Rome, and a medieval Castle. We didn’t go into them all. My dad gambled only 10 dollars and won 5 dollars. Then he gambled that too!!!!! In the end we only had 1 dollar that he had won, and we decided to put it in our scrap book.

We went to dinner at the Medieval Castle. It was a buffet with moderate food. We got home late but satisfied because all in all it was a great day.

Amanda

Today we drove to Las Vegas, left the trailer in the Flying J, and went "out on the town". We had a great time, but it is over the top here. Amanda wondered as we drove "home" if we had set a record -- we figure we spent less than $100 for our evening out including dinner, drinks, the New York - New York roller coaster (girls only), and gambling (lost).

Janet

Death Valley

2004-03-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today after the students, Fred, Steve, and Roger left, we headed off to Death Valley. We first went up Wildrose Canyon to the charcoal kilns. They made them in 1879. They were designed by Swiss Engineers and built by Chinese laborers. They were to make charcoal for the smelters. They looked like beehives and when we went inside we could hear our echo. It is such a shame that they were only in use for 3 years!!!!!!

Next we went to the sand dunes. When the wind reaches this point of the canyon it slows down. It leaves grains of sand and over many years they build up into big dunes of sand. We walked on them but the grains were so fine that we didn’t take off our shoes.

Next we headed to Dante’s View. It is the highest point on one of the ranges. We had lunch there and we walked out to the end of one of the ledges. Emily wanted to go all the way to the end, but I was scared to fall so I didn't go. She said it was really pretty though.

Next we went out on the 17 mile drive to Badwater. On the way we went to Devil’s golf course. I guess it is called that because only the Devil could golf on it. It is made of mostly salt from dried up water and mud.

We drove all the way out to Badwater. Badwater is the lowest point that is not covered with water in the western hemisphere (the Dead Sea is lower). It does have a little bit of water, but it is really really salty, hence the name Badwater. It is located 282 feet below sea level.

Next we went to the Artist’s Palette. It is a very colorful drive through some of the mountains surrounding Death Valley. We got some great pictures.

On the way back Mom wanted to go up the Golden Canyon, one of the many canyons that runs into Death Valley. It wasn’t quite as big as Grand Canyon so it was only about an hour walk. I was a great, yet hot, day.

Amanda

Sampling - Day II

2004-03-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today we all went sampling with Dad. When we got there we realized that it would be very hard to get through the washed-out road with our truck, but we eventually made it. The hills are very interesting. They are like a paved parking lot on top. The rocks have all been blown smooth after hundreds of thousands of years. We dug a hole in the middle, about 2 meters deep, 2 meters wide, and about 1 meter long. It took almost all day. I didn’t do much work. I mostly sat around reading. Then we got the samples and filled the hole in. It kind of ruined the landscape, but it will go back to the way it was in about 100,000 years!!!

Fred will take all of the rocks and dirt back to New Mexico and will extract the chlorine from them. Then Dad will date them using the accelerator at Purdue to find out when there was a lake in Panamint Valley.

Amanda

Sampling - Day I

2004-03-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

Dad, students, and others left at 8 AM to collect some samples to help determine when there was a lake in Panamint Valley. We decided not to go the first day so we spent the day at home.

The day was nice. It was warm but there was a nice breeze so it didn’t seem the 80-85 it was. We went for a hike in the early morning. The night before Fred had told us that there was a ghost town only “2 miles” away. He said that we could ride our bikes but after only a few feet we learned that the bikes were not a good idea on the gravel, rocky road. We ditched them on the side of the road because there was no one around to steal them. We walked on. And on. And on. After a while we figured that his 2 miles wasn’t quite right. We came to a clearing and saw about mile away over rough desert what was probably the mine. But the road didn’t go that way. It went about 2-3 miles in a half circle. We started off anyway but didn’t make it because we had to go back. We came back, did homework, and flew kites.

When Dad and the kids came home, we made a fire after dinner. Emily and I slept outside under the stars because we were too dirty to sleep in the house (we don’t have much water so we can’t all take showers) but mostly because it is so pretty outside.

Amanda

Flagstaff to Panamint Valley

2004-03-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

The trip from Flagstaff to Panamint Valley took us through Death Valley. We didn’t stop at most of the sites since we plan to take a day of sight seeing after David does his sampling with Fred Phillips, Roger Smith, and Steve Root. The trip through the valley was uneventful except for the trip over Townes Pass. We had no real problems – had to stop to let the transmission cool twice – but a gravel truck coming the other way did. It was sitting at the bottom of the hill near Stovepipe Wells with the entire rear end on fire. Our guess is that the brakes over heated and the tires caught on fire.

After locating our agreed upon camping place on a mining road in Panamint Valley, we awaited the arrival of the others – Steve with his 10 Hamphire College students, Fred, and Roger.

Janet

Grand Canyon

2004-03-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday!!! I am 13 years old. We went to the Grand Canyon as one of my presents.

On the way there we drove by Sunset Crater. It used to be a volcano in about 1064, but is dormant now. We also saw some ruins from the pueblo people who lived there 700 years ago. Then we headed off for the Grand Canyon.

I always thought that the Grand Canyon would be not very wide but very deep. Boy, was I wrong. The Grand Canyon isn’t just straight down in most places. Mostly it slopes down but I still was scared of falling off because it is so far down. We went on some of the trails that went down the canyon. We only went ½ a mile a most though because the ice was very slippery and we were afraid we would slip and fall. My dad said, “One slip and you’re dead.” After he said that many times, we knew not to go too near the edge. Well, at least I didn’t, but Emily insisted on standing on the very edge.

While we were on one trail a lady came up. She looked about my mom’s age; she said that she had been down in the canyon for 4 days!!! We asked her if it was her first time and she said, “Oh, I have been down a few times, maybe 50 or 60 times.” 50 or 60 times????!?!?!?!?!?

When we came home, I opened my presents. Then we went to the restaurant here at the park. The food was delicious, but the best part was the singing. It was supposed to be an old western style steak house so the waiters sang many songs. They sang one at a time or they all sang and danced around. It was quite amusing. Emily told our waiter that it was my birthday, and he said that they would sing and dance happy birthday for me. I begged him no. He thought it was all very funny, but in the end he just brought me my free ice cream and didn’t sing anything. THANK YOU!!!!! I told Dad to give him an extra tip!!!

My birthday was the best ever!!!

Amanda

Meteor Crater

2004-03-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

Today we got up early (6:30) to drive to Meteor Crater and The Grand Canyon. Today we went to the Meteor Crator and tomorrow (for my birthday) we are going to the Grand Canyon.

Meteor Crater was the first crater on Earth that was proven to be formed by a meteor. Since then, many have been identified. This was the first because since it was in the desert not much erosion occured, leaving the hole the way it was 50,000 years ago. We learned many things from the tour guide. When the meteor hit it vaporized but some chunks where found. Around the edges of the crater is all of the dirt that was in the ground. It flew up and flipped over so we can see rock that should be underground, along the edge of the crater. We only got to go a little bit around the outside of the crater, not inside. You can see through binoculars the mine that is down there. They had a mine because meteorites are a exelent source of iron so they thought they could mineit there, but they later found that most of the meteor vaporized so there was none to be found.

There was also a very informational movie and museum that we looked through. They also have telescopes so you can see closley the crater's inside. It is so far down (500 feet) and so far across (3/4 of a mile) that you need telescopes to see much of it!

Before we traveled east on I-40 to Meteor Crater, we left our trailer at a park in Flagstaff. When we left Flagstaff it was just starting to rain and the temperature was dropping. 30 miles away near the meteor crater it was warm (70-ish) and not raining. The rain falls on the mountains, but there is none (or little) dropped on the otherside. Some clouds made it to the desert, but the rain that fell from them didn't make it to the ground!

It was a very interesting day!!!

Amanda

Desert Museum

2004-03-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the Arizona Desert Museum with Stan and Augusta Davis. This is by far one of the best museums I have ever seen. We learned about the various flora and fauna of the desert. We particularly enjoyed the hummingbird room. Our sharp eyed Emily was able to pickout three nests -- one with a bird sitting on it and one in the progress of being built.

Stan and Augusta have a beautiful home in the Sonoran Desert with a very steep driveway. No driveway like that would be built in the snow belt. I let David drive down it, and then I got in the car.

Janet

Biosphere II

2004-03-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

Biosphere II

We went to Biosphere II today. If you have never heard of it, it is like another world inside our world. It was an experiment about global warming and stuff. It is totally isolated. They have plants and stuff to make oxygen and to eat and stuff. There is an ocean, rainforest, tropical desert, a savannah, and a marsh. It was really cool. Actually it was hot because they have to keep the temperature really hot because everything is tropical. t almost forgot to tell you the whole point of it. They put 8 people (4 men and 4 women - they were all scientists) in it for 2 years with no supplies from the outside world. They had tons of water stored which they recyled. (They had to water the plants. They had sprinklers on the ceiling for rain. They made wind and waves in the ocean and everything. It was really cool (hot). Also everything is humid so that makes it even more hot!!!!

Amanda

We had an amusing thing happen today. I had a call from a woman in Livermore CA (Carol)who came across our blog when she was looking for some information about Del Valle Park (recall we stayed there in January). She is enjoying our blogs and just wanted us to know. Thank you Carol.

Janet

Hiking in the Desert

2004-03-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Saguaro National Park East. We drove the 8 mile loop and hiked off in various places. We saw many different cactus but we didn’t really know the difference between any of them. I mean, they looked different, but we didn’t know the names. We saw the largest saguaro in the area with 33 arms!!!!!!! It looked deformed.

When we got back to the campground, we worked out at the exercise room. Then Mom made a delicious stir fry with pork and soy beans.

Amanda

Tucson

2004-03-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

Tucson

We arrived in Tucson last night – Friday. Immediately we were in the swing of things. I started to wash clothes – two weeks without a washer had left us short of underwear. Then the girls found that the O’Brien Family, a family staying here in the park, was performing in the club house. The family of four sings country western style music quite well. It was entertaining – especially to listen to their 13-year-old son yodeling – and they served great cookies and coffee.

Today we did more wash – sheets and towels, then we headed off to shop for groceries. Not much fun, but had to be done.

Janet

Baja California

2004-03-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

While traveling down Baja California, we did not have internet access. Therefore, we kept a log as we went, but are posting the whole record as one entry today.

February 19, 2004

San Diego to Ensenada

Today we got up and left for Mexico. My dad got on the internet and found that it would be a 2 hour wait to get into Mexico, so we left early. We got there and we found that it would take 2 hours to get INTO the states but only 5 minutes to get OUT of the states.

Then we got lost. It is so hard to find where you are going when you don’t speak Spanish. I speak a little bit from Spanish class but mostly, Donde esta el sacapuntas? Which means, where is the pencil sharpener? I wasn’t much help.

We got off on a wrong road and we were headed back into the states. Long lines in front of us. We had to back up about 50 feet with cars all over!!!!! We finally were on our way and settled in to our campground - Estero Beach. It is a nice campground with a pool with palm trees growing up in the middle of it and everyone speaks ENGLISH!!! YES!!!

Amanda

February 20, 2004

Ensenada, Mexico

Today we wanted to see the two big sights in Ensenada. We headed to town to get our tourist cards and be tourists. For the cards we had to fill out paperwork and then go to the bank to pay our $18.00 each. The gentleman at the immigration office held on to David’s passport until we returned with a receipt showing that we had paid the fee.

It’s easy to be a tourist in Encenada. There is one main street filled with shops selling “curios.” Mostly there is junk you don’t really need, but it’s interesting. Both Eily and Amanda purchased Mexican Jumping Beans. Remember those?

The girls were approached by a very little woman who wanted to braid their hair. They had heard about this at the hotel, so we spent the next 40 minutes while she did it. She was good and fast and the girls looked great.

After a Mexican lunch we left town for a drive out to La Bufadora, a “blow hole” on the coast. As a cave at the waterline fills with water from incoming waves, the air pressure finally pushes water up through a hole at the top. It erupts much like a geyser. Again there were “Curio Shops” everywhere.

We later returned to town to take part in Carneval. Lots of people, music, noise, and good food.

We will sleep well tonight.

Janet

February 21, 2004

Ensenada to San Quintin

This morning we headed south on the Baja. It seemed like a long trip because the road was very twisty and narrow. We traveled over mountains and through valleys. We saw fifteen graves along the side for people who were killed in accidents. It was creepy.

We are staying at a “trailer park” - El Pabellon RV Park - with sand dunes. We are right on the beach. We can ride our bikes on the hard packed sand near the shore. It is amazing. They have a whale skeleton for us to see. Wow!

Along the beach are lots of people clamming. We tried to find a clam, which was very hard. We didn’t get any. Amanda caught one crab, but after that no luck.

The man who collects the fee for parking here is going to bring us clams tomorrow.

Emily

February 22, 2004

San Quintin

Today started gray and then got worse – lots of rain. The arroyos are running and there are great pools of water in every low area. The ground seems very sandy, but there is also clay that sticks to your feet when you walk on it.

In the AM the girls went out to play in the sand. They had a great time until the rain started; then they retreated to the trailer. It was a great time to eat and study. We made clam chowder from the clams supplied by Fidel and saved some for dinner. They are a tough clam – more foot than body – but very tasty.

Finally, in the late afternoon, the weather improved. I went for a walk while David and the girls unhitched and went for a drive on the sand. Both Amanda and Emily got to drive on the sand – needless to say it was a treat.

I have mixed feelings about the beach campgrounds. It seems as if there are many entrepreneurs who are starting these grounds. Hot showers and maybe an RV dump right on the beach. Very nice as long as they remain little used. Otherwise they destroy the environment. On the other hand, it is better to have little capital investment when the storms come. I am reminded than a new National Park is being built near Pensacola Florida which permits RV camping right near the dunes. It certainly is better than a high rise apartment complex that will come down in the next storm.

Tonight there are stars in the sky and a crescent moon.

Janet

February 23, 2004

Driving

Today we drove almost all day through the desert. It was very wet. That is because it rained all day and yesterday. It doesn’t often rain in the desert, as you may know, about 10 inches per year. It probably rained 2 inches today!!

Right now we are parked behind a closed gas station north of Guerra Negro. We went for a walk before dinner and the cacti are beautiful. Some of them are over 25 feet tall! They are all different. Some have poinkies that are 2 inches long and others have poinkies that are so small you can’t see them! (but they hurt the most!)

Dad is kind of sick so we have to go to bed early tonight. Also manana we are going to go and see whales so we have to get up really early!!!!!

Amanda

Febraury 24, 2004

Ojo de Liebre Lagoon Campground

What a drive today. We climbed through mountains then down into dry river beds. There were cactus forests on both sides – cardon, cirri, barrel cactus, and Adam trees were the predomintant flora. The road was relatively good, but very curvy from time to time and narrow – 9 feet lanes at best.

We reached Guerro Negro just before noon. Went into town to use the phone and the internet – it’s hard to believe there is an internet café in such a “third world” place, but there is. We did a little grocery shopping and had a delicious lunch at a taco stand.

Then we headed south five miles for the turnoff to the Lagoon. Once again we plan to see the gray whales. The lagoon is one of the primary places that they breed in during the winter months before they head north to the Berring Strait.

To get to the lagoon we have to travel 27 km on a well packed dirt and salt road. On either side are salt flats – the largest “salt harvesting” operation in the world. At the lagoon is a lovely restaurant and a campground with about 12 places to park. You are right on the beach.

We have enjoyed the afternoon watching the birds – dowitchers and shearwaters – and the whales. Using the telescope from the roof of the trailer, we have been treated to a display of spouts, tails, and breaches -one after another.

This campground reminds me that what I am going to remember about our trip though the Baja is the ubiquitous white rocks. Every campground and road through a campground is surrounded with rocks which are painted white. They are meant to demarcate the road to your spot, but what they really do is make it hard to negotiate the roads and move into your spot. Why?

Janet

February 25, 2004

Whales in Ojo de Liebre Lagoon

Today we went to see the whales. We got up early and went and bought our tickets. We had to wait for 20-30 minutes. When we were ready it was only us on the boat. Since the water was so shallow we had to wade out to the boat. My dad forgot to bring sandals but everyone else just took off our flip-flops. We saw LOTS and LOTS of whales once we got out there. Every year at about this time all of the grey whales in the whole world come HERE and breed. One baby whale came right up, I could have touched it, but I was too scared. It swam right under the boat!!!!! We also saw one dolphin.

Emily

February 25, 2004

More about whales in Ojo de Liebre Lagoon

While in the lagoon we saw many, many whales. A few even jumped out of the water. We could tell that the babies were playing. They were doing rolls in the water. Because the water is so shallow in the lagoon the whales can’t go down very deep, so they breathe all the time. We could almost always see a whale above the water.

I am starting to learn some more Spanish. Almost everyone here speaks a little English so it is not that necessary. Every time we talk to someone I tell my dad not to ruin it for me because I want to ask some things in Spanish. They say, “Hablo espanol?” Dad says, “I speak English, not Spanish!” DAAAAADDD!!!!!!

After the whales we drove to where we are now. It is a little town called San Ignacio. They have one of the biggest Missions in the world. A mission is like a church. When the Spanish came to settle Mexico they set up these missions. Today was Ash Wednesday so when we went in there were many people coming in the worship. We went up and down the streets and found a tortilleria and got some tortillas. We also found a restaurant to get some sodas. Everything is really cheap here. We got 4 drinks for $50. JUST KIDDING!! That’s 50 pesos which is less than 5 dollars. We got a mess of tortillas fresh out of the oven for 40 cents!!!!!!!!!!!

Amanda

February 25, 2004

More about Ojo de Liebre Lagoon

I will never complain again. We found a use for the ubiquitous white rocks. When our truck got stuck in the soft sand, we stuck some under the wheels and off we went.

Janet

February 26, 2004 – February 29, 2004

Bahai Conception

We have traveled further south and over to the east coast of the Baja. We are spending four days on the beach on a shallow lagoon off the Sea of Cortez. It is wonderful here. The first day that we got here we went swimming immediately. It is so WARM!!! At this beach there is a spit that goes out to an island, just a little peninsula that becomes an island when the tide comes up. The island is ok, many shells and rocks. You definitely need to wear shoes when you go on it! (I learned the hard way!!!)

The sand here is soft in some places but when you run along you hit a rough spot and it hurts your feet. We spend most of the time collecting shells and lying in the sun. We do some swimming but the water is shallow and there is a danger of sting rays stinging you. Emily and I made a house in the sand out of shells. It took us almost all day to collect all of the shells.

Most of the people here are from the states and Canada. Once a school bus of Mexican kids came on an overnight field trip, but other than that, the only Mexican on the beach is the man who collects five dollars from us each evening – our rent. Because of the tourists there are many vendors that come and try to sell us stuff. We don’t buy very much, but we love to look. They also come with food: shellfish (just out of the water, obviously caught them just that morning they were so fresh), tamales, fruit, pastries, bread, and water. We have been feasting on cheap scallops, clams, and shrimp for the last few nights. My mom, who is allergic to shrimp, even had some. (She had a stomach ache afterwards) My sister doesn’t like any sea food! All the more for us, I say!!!!

We met some wonderful people from British Columbia, Frank and Joan. It was especially helpful that Frank is a retired mechanic from the mines in Logan Lake, BC; he was able to help my dad fix one of our trailer brakes that was giving us trouble.

So far we are having a very exciting, fun, but most of all lazy, visit in Bahai Conception. Tomorrow we have to turn around and head north.

Amanda

March 1, 2004

Drive North - Part 1

Today we started our trip north. We were on the same road that we came down on so I read most of the time. But the desert is now full of flowers because of the rain last week.

We have to stop for many different things. Agriculture stops you to spray your truck. That is so that you can’t take any bugs out into the Northern Baja. We were also stopped by the army a number of times to see if we are hiding drugs. You can tell that they get very bored because most of the soldiers are just sitting around playing cards when we drive up. When my dad came back from showing the guy around the trailer, he told us what had happened. When the guy finished searching and found nothing, he pointed to the microwave and said, “Microwave??” My dad said, “Yeah.” The guy pulled a bag of microwave popcorn out of his pocket. We weren’t hooked up so my dad said, “No power!”

I am still having problems with my dad speaking English when I want to speak Spanish. Down south less people speak English so I got more chances. Emily and I went into a store to buy a drink, and I pretended like I didn’t know English. We didn’t have a conversation or anything, but I did find out how much it cost, and I said “Adios” while we were leaving. I don’t think that she believed me though!!!

Today we didn’t get quite to Catavina so we are spending the night parked in an abandoned Pemex station about 60 miles south.

Amanda

March 2, 2004

Drive North - Part II

Today’s plan was to leave early for Catavina, arrive at the Santa Inez RV Park and Restaurant, unhitch, and explore the desert.

Unfortunately, we were greeted with low gray clouds and a mist of rain. As we drove the 60 miles north we encountered more and more rain. By the time we arrived at Catavina it was a downpour. We pulled in and took on water. Then we decided to treat ourselves to a Mexican lunch before we hunkered down to study science, math, and social studies. What better way to spend a rainy day in the desert. This is the wettest desert I have been in. You may recall we didn’t explore it on the way south since it was raining so hard.

Finally at 3:00 the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and we headed out. The scene is as described in all the guide books. Enormous rock boulders scattered and piled every where. Cirios, cardons, and barrel cactus among the rocks. Just fabulous and a photographers paradise with the late sun on them. We all clambered over the rocks and David shot as many pictures as his memory would hold. He will post them soon.

Janet

March 3, 2004

Driving North – Part III

Today we drove to San Quintin. We slept partially in. We went rock climbing again in the morning. It was fun. Once I was climbing a rock and it broke!!! I was really really scared!!

Once we got to the campground we set up a kite. We have already been to this campground so we didn’t have to look around. We went flying the kite. There wasn’t much wind so we had to run with it. Emily and I kept trading the kite off because we got tired from running so hard!!!!

I was doing some flips in the sand and I hurt my finger. It is swelling a little so it is really hard to type.

Amanda

March 4, 2004

Driving North – Part IV

Today we drove from San Quintin to Tecate. The Ensenada to Tecate part of the trip was new to us. It took us over several mountain passes and through some very fertile and prosperous looking farm land. Several wineries are located here.

We crossed into the US with only a minute or two delay and headed toward Tucson. Driving on a US interstate is much more relaxing than Mex 1 and Mex 3. The latter are quite good roads, but narrow – 9 foot lanes in places – and crumbling on the edge in others. Also there is no guard rail in places where there are 400 foot drops – unnerving. Also unnerving, as Amanda pointed out earlier – are the numerous memorial crosses to those killed along the road in accidents – seems as if there is one on every curve. Frequently the destroyed vehicles have been left at the bottom of the gully.

We are spending the night in the parking lot of a large casino just off I-8. It’s cold (37-degrees) and windy. It’s supposed to warm up in Tucson.

Janet

San Diego Zoo

2004-02-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo today. First we saw the pandas. I’m glad we got there first because later there was a half-hour wait to see them. A baby was just born in August; it was the second baby panda to live for more than 4 days in a US zoo. It was really cute. Most of the time it just slept while we watched the mom walk around eating.

We also saw a bunch of different kinds of deer, pigs, and birds. We saw elephants, rhinos, hippos, and monkeys. They had a lot of monkeys. The best were the gorillas. They were sooo human-like. They just looked at you and lay around being lazy. A lot of other monkeys were like that too, but I haven’t seen many people jump 10 feet to a branch!!!!

We saw a show at the amphitheatre that gave us more information about some of the animals. I learned a bunch of interesting facts about reindeer. Did you know that the males and females have antlers? The females lose theirs in about February and the males lose theirs in about November. This means that females pull Santa’s sleigh because the males don’t have their antlers at Christmas time!!!!!! I also learned that a reindeer’s main predator is not at all what you would think. Their main predators are mosquitoes. They come in 1000s and drain all of its blood until it dies!!!! GROSS!

There was a ski lift thingy that went over the entire park. Emily wanted to go on it really bad so we went on it while my parents stayed by the exit. We only had enough money to go one way so from the other end we had to walk back. We finally got back, but I think that we took the longest route possible!!!

We had a fun day at the zoo!!

Amanda

Touch with Greatness

2004-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

For the past week we have had a distinguished neighbor. John Daly, of Buick Invitational Golf Tournament Fame, has been parked next to us in his “camper.” His camper is a Featherlite custom bus conversion. It is big and glitzy! Even has a full-sized projection TV in one of the cargo bays.

Since Daly won the invitational today, things are really hopping here now. Emily made a big sign to put on the door of his bus saying, "Good Job!" Once she put it up, others added other notes. When he returned from the tournament, she stopped by and asked for his autograph. Others followed.

He partied last night before the final round so I suspect the party will go on all night tonight.

Janet

12+ Miles Around the Bay

2004-02-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

Today we biked at least 13 miles.

We started our bike ride at about 3:30. We got on a path that is supposed to take you all the way around Mission Bay. We started and after about ½ hour they saw a turn that went onto a peninsula. We took it because it went out to this really neat sand bar, but that is where the 13th mile comes from. When we got back to the path my mom said that her bike was broken; she said we should ride the rest of the trip (about 9 miles) and she would go back.

We made many wrong turns. Once we went all the way up a bridge and realized that we were going the wrong way. When we finally got back,my mom said that we made it back really fast and that we must have flown around the bay.

Mom is going to do the trail tomorrow after Dad fixes her bike.

Amanda

La Jolla Beach and the Dolphins

2004-02-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up early to take my dad to work. After we dropped him off, we decided to go to a beach right near by. It was obviously good surf because there were at least 20 surfers on the SAME WAVE at times. As we walked down the beach, we came to some tide pools. These were better than those at the first tide pool beach. WAY BETTER! We saw snails, crabs, and sea urchins. We even saw this little spongy thing that we had no idea what it was.

Then my mom spotted some dolphins in the water. I think that there were probably 20 of them!!! They didn’t do any flips like you see at Sea World, but every time they came up (there was almost always one up because there were so many of them) you could see their fin. We got up on a big rock and looked out at them. They went all the way down out of our sight and then they came back. Mom said that they were chasing a school of fish.

While we were up on the big rock, we saw a sea otter. Well, we thought it was a sea otter. It may have been a seal, but we thought that we saw it floating on its back. Also while we were up there, we watched a pelican dive. We could see EVERYTHING from up there! On the front of the rock were mussels so big that you wouldn’t be able to eat one by yourself. We weren’t allowed to take anything though!

Amanda

Shopping and Stuff

2004-02-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

Even "world travelers" have to shop occasionally and do things like get their truck oil changed.

Both yesterday and today we did some school work then headed out to the shopping areas. The girls needed some new “summer” clothes. We had packed the largest of last year’s shorts, etc, but find now that they need them, that most are too small. Malls are pretty much the same everywhere, but the girls liked the fact that the Fashion Valley Mall is uncovered. Emily was especially amazed that the escalators were out in the open with no covers.

Janet

Shamu and the Dolphins

2004-02-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

Today was Sea World – Shamu, Dolly the dolphin, and all the rest. This was my second visit to Sea World, the last about 25-years ago. I continue to be impressed. The shows are great – although I would have preferred a few more seal tricks and less dumb comedy in that show. The displays have been built to give maximum exposure to the animals. I could have watched the polar bear swimming all day. His tank is constructed so you can see him under water as well as above. Similarly, we walked through a shark tank – water on three sides.

Perhaps best of all are the “petting” ponds. We fed and touched dolphins, rays, and lots of stars and urchins.

It was a perfect day.

Janet

Sand Castles at Pacific Beach

2004-02-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

This morning Mom went to get a leak fixed on the truck while Amanda and I stayed home and did homework. After a few hours she returned, we had lunch and biked to the beach. When we got there, Amanda and I dug a big moat while Mom went for a walk. We turned the sand from the moat into a big sand castle in the middle. When we were done hollowing out the inside of the castle to make a room, we went out in the water up to our stomachs. It was cold! Then we ran over and woke Mom up and biked home in our wet bathing suits.

Emily

San Diego

2004-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

We arrived here on Friday after 2 hours or so of driving. Not that much compared to what we have been doing lately!! It's finally warm - 70-degrees during the day, but cool at night.

This is the best campground we have been in so far!!!! There is a pool, a bike path, the ocean right near by, an icecream parlor and restaurant, a playground, basketball courts and stuff! So far we have gone swimming and biking on both days!! The bike path goes all the way around the bay and right by Sea World. We haven't gone that far yet!!

Yesterday morning we took my dad to the airport to go on his flight to Switzerland. I can't believe that we are in the best campground and he can't even be here!!!! : (

Today we went to the boat and bike rental and rented a surrey for 1 hour!! It is like a golf cart, but you have to pedal it like a bike!! My mom had to come becuase someone 18 years or older had to be on it. We had a great time!

We found out that next week the pool will be closed for cleaning on 2 days!! : O That will be when we go to Sea World!! It is right on the other side of he bay but i can't really see it!!!

Amanda

Tide Pools

2004-02-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a beach. We wanted to play in the sand, but the sand felt all ooey gooey, like mud. My mom came back from a walk and said that she saw a lot of tide pools. We went to see the tide pools. We saw lots of Sea Urchins. We stuck our fingers in the middle and they closed in on us. It was really creepy. We looked around more; we saw some hermit crabs that had invaded snail shells. They were creepy, too. Some were big and some were itty bitty. We picked up a few to take home and show Daddy. We also saw these little things that stick to the rocks. The birds stick their beaks under the shell and eat the meat inside. The shell only has one side. The rock is the other. My sister pried one off the rock; I took it home and named him Little Dude. He was really cute. When I put him on my thumb, he stuck to it and made this sucking feeling.

After dinner we had to take them down to the bay by our campground. We said, “Good bye.”

In the morning we looked and saw that the crabs were gone but not little dude. I think that he was dead though.

Emily

Periwinkles

2004-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a beach and it was one of those beaches they call a “must see”. And it was all of that. It was beautiful. The sand was really fine and great for digging. We went out into the water and saw these little clam like things. Later, my mom said that she thought they were periwinkles. They were really pretty. They all come in different shapes and sizes. We collected as many as we could. We must have had at least 100! AT LEAST!!! We found a bottle on the sand that someone had put there and filled it with water and periwinkles. We also put in sand and watched them dig down! They stick out their little arms and legs and dig down. They have to be able to do it fast so that they won’t drown in the waves or get picked up by the birds.. We eventually put them back and went home after a great day at the beach!

Amanda

Livermore to Los Angeles

2004-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Livermore yesterday in time to gather our mail. There was sun in Livermore. What a pleasure to walk down the street with it warming our backs.

We spent the night in the Livermore Wal-Mart. Andrew and Jen had an early dinner with us. They planned to be up early in the morning for a snow hiking trip.

This morning we headed to Los Angeles. The trip took about 6 hours with a couple of stops. On one break we wandered around in a grove of trees which we finally determined from the dropped fruit, to be a pistachio grove. I think all farmers should be required to label their orchards clearly so those of us on the interstate can identify them.

Our campground in Newport Beach is very fancy. The girls are already enjoying the bike paths, spa, and pools.

David will visit friends at UC Irvine tomorrow.

Janet

Victoria

2004-01-28T22:58:00.000-08:00

We left Campbell River this morning in a drizzle and headed for Victoria. The trip was uneventful except for a moment when we crested a hill and saw the Olympic Mountains in the sun.

Our campground in Victoria is very nice, even if it’s between the highway and a railroad track. It is full of people, mostly older, with Alberta and Manitoba license plates. I guess this is Florida for them.

After unhitching we drove into Victoria, took some pictures in the park of ducks and a squirrel who climbed up your pant leg if you held food in your hand for too long, visited the museum of natural history museum, and saw an IMAX picture about bugs. When we left the museum we were surprised to see the parliament building was outlined in lights.

Dinner was soy beans, pop corn, ham, and red pepper. Hmmmm.

Largest explosion in history

2004-01-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

Another overcast day. After lunch with Parker and Jan Alford we headed to the museum in Campbell River. Besides seeing lots of Northwest Native American Art and learning about logging in this area, we viewed a movie about Ripple Rock. Ripple Rock was a large submerged mountain in the middle of the channel between the mainland and Vancouver Island. In 1958, after mining a tunnel under the rock from a nearby island and drilling two shafts up into the two crowns of the underwater mountains, explosives were set, and in the largest non-atomic explosion in history, the underwater mountain was gone. The channel is now between 40 and 100 feet in that area.

Salmon, Salmon, Salmon

2004-01-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

I got up this morning on Vancouver Island; it was raining really hard. Our friend Parker Alford took us to the salmon processing factory. Before we could go into the factory, we had to put on lab coats, hair nets, plastic boots to cover our shoes, and gloves – Dad had to wear a beard net. At the factory they took fish that have been farmed and put them in big tanks. They drained the blood. Then the fish slid down a tray to people who gut them – with one slit they open the stomach and pull out the guts. The next person scoops out a vein and washes the fish inside. From there the fish go into a cooling tank. Then they are weighed on a ramp; on the next ramp a paddle sorts them into metal boxes. Then a lady opens the metal box and the fish drop into a Styrofoam shipping box. After a box is filled, she pushes it onto another ramp and another person adds ice and a lid. Finally another machine straps it shut and it is put on a shipping pallet.

The workers can each gut more than 16 fish per minute. Every two days a semi-load of fish guts is carted away. I still like salmon.

Seattle to Vancouver Island

2004-01-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

This morning we got up early and packed up our trailer. We drove for 3 hours to the ferry. We were going to ride across on a boat. I was kind of scared that the boat would tip over or something. When we got there my worries went away. It was the biggest boat I had ever seen. We saw semi’s pulling in.

We parked our car and went up to explore. The ferry had a little restaurant. We got some food and we paid with Canadian money. I think that the money is really pretty. It is actually colorful.

Emily and I got out one of our games and played it at the front of the boat. It was awesome. It took about 2 hours to get across. Parker Alford, one of the people who we are visiting here in Courtaney, said that they want to build a bridge between the mainland and Vancouver Island. I just don’t see how they could if it took us 2 hours in a boat going about 20 miles/hour!

We had a great time on the ferry. My dad says that we are going to be riding on a bigger one on the way back. I don’t see how there could be one that is bigger!!!!!!

Rain in Seattle

2004-01-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

More rain. Yesterday (Friday) started out gray, then it turned grayer. David went into the U of Washington physics department while Amanda, Emily, and I explored the Burke Museum on the campus. What a great set of exhibits! The exhibit about how Washington State was formed was especially appropriate for Amanda’s science study. I was most attracted to the exhibits of Northwest Native American art. I am drawn to the bold design and clean lines. Oddly, Emily was most interested in the exhibit on how different cultures celebrate death. The mummy was a big hit.

Today Jabran, Tina, and Khalila joined us for lunch at our trailer, then we went to see their house. Khalila is adorable, and Jabran and Tina have made a lovely home for her. Amanda and Emily would like to remain here so they can babysit.

Salem to Seattle

2004-01-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

On our trip north from Salem to Seattle we took at right hand turn east into the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at Multnomah Falls. It is a 620 foot fall in two parts. It is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. There was still a lot of snow around from the New Year's storm. A lot had melted because of the spray of the waterfall.

On the way back west to I-5 we stopped at a lookout. The wind was so strong I could hardly walk. The wind is strong because cold air funnels down into the gorge from the mountains. The wind is strong there all year long. The gorge is weathered basalt which has been cut away over many years by the Columbia River.

As we crossed into Washington we could see Mount St. Helens off to the right. We stopped at the information center and learned a lot about the eruption on May 18, 1980. The pictures were spectacular. We went into an underground model of a volcano which showed us what a volcano looks like underground and how it works. There was a display which showed, using tree rings, previous eruptions. While a lot of people thought of Mount St Helens as being dormant, there had been eruptions as recently at 150 years ago. There just weren't many people around in Oregon at that time to be bothered by it. Oregon was settled between about 1830 and 1860.

We arrived after dark in Seattle.

The Oregon Coast

2004-01-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Today we got up at 7:00 and waited for Emily to get out of the shower. We wanted to get out early to get to the coast. We had heard from my Uncle Chip that the coast is beautiful. We finally got on the road at about 8:30.

The coast sure was beautiful. We went to a little harbor first and there weren’t many waves. The water was so clear that if you looked you could see the bottom 20 feet down! When the small waves were out for a second, Emily and I ran out onto a log. Then the tide came up while we were standing on it!!!! We had to make flying leaps to get back to the beach.

We stopped at many other beaches. Most of them were really big.

Chip had recommended to us to go to Depoe Bay. It was really small and had a bunch of boats in it. There was one guy saying that a whale watching boat was leaving in 5 minutes so we decided to go. At first I was scared because there were huge waves, but then I got used to it. We saw one whale stick his head all the way out of the water, but mostly we only saw their spouts of water. We were so close though! The captain said that one year a whale got so close that it touched the boat!!! We didn’t get that close but I kept looking under the boat to see if there was one under it!

We finally headed off but first we went to one last beach. This one was really flat. Most beaches slant a lot, but this one was so flat that when the tide went down you had to walk for like 5 minutes just to get out to where the water was. And of course the tide was down. As we walked down we say marks on the sand to show that the water had been up all the way to the shore during high tide!! It was an awesome day!

California to Oregon

2004-01-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

We left Livermore on Saturday, January 17 and headed north to Oregon. Our last few days in Livermore were spent studying, doing laundry, and hiking around Del Valle. I suspect that if we lived in Livermore we would be among those people who seldom make it into the city. We loved the hiking and biking in the area.

The trip north was fabulous -- snow topped mountain and even a little sun. Nice enough to make a 12-year-old look up from her book and exclaim, "Oh, my gosh. Where are we!"

We arrived in Salem last night, in the rain. Yes, there is more rain and more rain.

Monterey aquarium

2004-01-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today at 6:30 we got up and drove to Monterey, California. There we went to the aquarium. It was big and amazing. I don’t think that I have ever seen so many fish at one time in my life. There were whole 2-story tanks filled with different kinds. There was also little fish-tank sized tanks with only 1 kind of fish or other sea animal. When we first got there we saw the octopi. I think that they are very shy because they were always stuffed behind a rock. They were huge though, and it was almost scary!

As we walked through we saw many types of fish, little and big. Most of them were grey and ugly. We saw a big tank (2-stories) that had some small sharks in it. Even though they are small I still think that they are scary. We even saw a small hammerhead shark! The shark room or whatever, where they put all of the sharks was closed until April, which was a little bit disappointing.

The best part of the whole day was the jelly fish. There were jelly fish the size of your leg and jelly fish just a little bit bigger than a speck of dust. My favorites were the moon jellies. They looked like little umbrellas that pushed themselves up. Most of them were really small, like specks of dust.

There was one place where you could touch starfish. There was another where you could see coral fish that were brightly colored. Another great exhibit was the penguins. They come from South Africa and we got to see them eat. They swallow the fish whole, bones and all, then when they go back into the water they pee and it looks like a white cloud. My sister asked the guy answering questions how they could swallow the whole fish and he said that the penguins digestive system was really fine so they could grind up the bones and didn’t have to poop, a lot less cleaning up.

We also got to see the otters fed. They are really cute the way they float on their backs. When they were fed they grabbed the fish and floated around a while until they finally went under and ate it. They were soooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!

Our trip to the aquarium ended with a long trip back to Livermore which I fell asleep on. Another very exciting day.

Yosemite

2004-01-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Jen joined us for a weekend at Yosemite. Drove up yesterday (Saturday), spent the night outside the park in a motel, and then went in again on Sunday.

Yesterday we lunched in 60-degree weather at stream side before we reached the park. Then after ogling the big rocks, we hiked in a foot of snow for an hour or so.

Today we got up “early” and hiked the loop around Mirror Lake. Lots of people in snowshoes and skies have made the same trek so there is a well- beaten trail. L completed the day.

Not much wildlife on the trail in the woods though plenty of footprints, however, in the valley we saw deer and coyote. All were too tame from their interactions with people.

A ride home on Route 120 (incredible scenes as we went up over 6000 feet from the valley floor) with a stop for a good Mexican meal completed the day.

San Francisco

2004-01-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went to San Francisco and did all of the touristy stuff. First we went in on the BART, which stands for “Bay Area Rapid Transit”. That pretty much means that there is a train that goes all over the bay area. We drove to the closest boarding station to our trailer and parked our car in the mid-day parking area. In the mid-day parking area you are only allowed to park after 10 but the other parking lot was full. We parked in the mid-day parking even though it was 9:45. I was sure that we would get a ticket, but we didn’t.

The BART was awesome. Well, actually it is pretty much a regular train. I don’t remember being on a train with people on it in forever so it was pretty cool to me. There was this lady that was sitting across from us; she was laughing at me the whole time. I think that she must ride a train every day.

Once we got to the city we rode the cable car to the cable car museum. For any of you who don’t know, a cable car is a type of trolley that was invented in about the 1800’s. It works with no electricity. The trolley grabs on to this cable that runs under the road to move. When it wants to stop it just lets go. It was invented in San Francisco because of all of the hills. The hills make it so that a regular trolley can’t go. They don’t work on hills.

We went to China Town for lunch. We decided on the place to eat because there was a plethora of people in the restaurant. Mom said that if the place was busy then that meant that it would be good. Well, it was pretty good. Emily and my mom had gotten their dishes but I was just sitting there. We couldn’t get a hold of the waiter who didn’t speak much English. Finally when he came to bring us the bill, we said to him that we hadn’t gotten my dish and he ran back to get it. So Emily and Mom had already finished their lunch, and I had to gulp mine down so that we could get moving.

Then when we came out it had started raining. For the rest of the afternoon be walked around town without an umbrella, soaking wet. We got to see Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world, and we got to ride more cable cars. It was a really fun day except for the rain.

Visiting Andrew and Jen in Woodside CA

2004-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I spent the night with Amanda at Jen and Andrew’s house. They rent a small house that used to be a garage, but now it looks quite homey. It is in a red wood forest at the top of a mountain. From their patio you can see the whole San Francisco Bay lit up at night.

Today I went to Half-Moon Bay, a beach south of San Francisco. I found a lot of sea glass. Sea glass is broken glass which has been tossed around by the ocean and becomes smooth.

Andrew helped me do a science experiment. We separated oxygen and hydrogen from water. We used electricity, wires, and two pencils. The negative side of the battery bubbled hydrogen.

Free Day

2004-01-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

We all went our separate ways today. The girls spent the night with Andrew and Jen and will not be home until tomorrow.

I did a bit of shopping, got my hair cut, and caught up with bills and paperwork. Then I went for a terrific walk. I took a loop trail up the hill. On the south east side, the hill is wet and dense with pine and live oak. After the crest, it’s dry and covered with scrubby trees. The wild life is amazing: Flocks of quail, wild turkeys, and pheasants; lots of birds and deer; and a multitude of ground squirrels scooting around. On the lake there are heron, ducks, and fish hawks.

I am surprised that more people don’t come out here in the winter months. I guess they find the 50-degree weather daunting.

Peace and tranquility

2004-01-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

Del Valle Recreation Area is empty of visitors, but full of birds and plants, even flowers. The lake is empty for the winter. We haven’t figured out yet whether they open the dam at this time, or whether it’s just a natural fluctuation. I doubt the latter, however, since we have been having record breaking rains.

From the size of the parking lots near the beach, we assume that during the warmer months this place must be packed. The camping sites are large and separated (not that that matters to us – the only other camper is the ranger’s family).

Today David went to work at Livermore, Amanda, Emily, and I studied math and science, did a little grocery shopping, and went for a nice bike ride along the lake. There are hiking trails everywhere so we hope to take a walk tomorrow.

We move to Livermore

2004-01-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today we left Pacifica and leaded south and East to Livermore (about 1-1/2 hours).

We are now located deep in a valley at Del Valle State Park. It’s beautiful and almost empty. Because of the hills, we have poor cell phone reception, so you may not hear much from us in the next two weeks. David will collect and send email from the lab so we will get it, but there will be a delay.

Sunny!

2004-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Finally we got a nice sunny day!

We went to Point Reyes (2 hours away). On the way there we went across the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at an overlook so we could look at the bridge which does look golden. I stood next to this big pipe which had 27,572 little wires about as big as half your pinky. Those are the wires that hold up the bridge. I looked through a telescope and saw Alcatraz Island which is a small island that has an abandoned jail on it which is now a museum.

When we arrived at Point Reyes, we got on a bus. It took us close to the lighthouse, but we still had to walk a mile and 386 steps down to the lighthouse. On our way out to the lighthouse, a ranger let us use his telescope to look at the elephant seals resting in the sun on the beach way down below.

I went inside to see the lighthouse. When I came out, everyone was excited because they had seen a whale. At this time of year, gray whales migrate north and people come out to spot them. Because Point Reyes sticks out so far into the water, the whales come very close to it as they travel north. I saw at least three.

On the ride home we stopped again at the Golden Gate Bridge. By now it was dark and the bridge was lit up as was San Francisco. It was really pretty.

China town in San Francisco

2004-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Today we went to China town before going to my cousin, Rick’s, birthday party at a Chinese restaurant! He was turning 34! There were shops all up and down the street with intricate little figures and other Chinese stuff. Probably the best part of all was buying these little popper things. We got 5 boxes for a dollar and bought 15 boxes! When you drop them on the ground, they explode and make a sound like a gunshot! I went through 2 bags of them as we went down the street, throwing them at people’s feet. Nobody even flinched though because they have poppers in every store. All down the street you could hear tiny explosions.

We went to Louis’ for dinner, and it was really good! When we walked in there was a tank of live fish, live lobsters, and live crabs. There was a crab pushed against the glass and he was staring at me while we were waiting for a table! It was quite scary.

Raining

2004-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up and it was pouring outside! The wind was blowing really really hard and it was raining in bursts. I heard thunder but when I looked out the window I saw no lightning! As I listened I realized that it was the waves crashing against the shore. Here in Pacifica we are right along the Pacific Ocean! Sometimes it can be really scary! Yesterday, my sister and I went down to the beach to see what the water was like! It was really cold! The Pacific Ocean is much deeper than the Atlantic or other oceans so it is much colder! Well, that day Emily and I rolled up our pants and went into the water as far as we dared. It was very cold! The water was also really strong and when we stood there it felt like it was pulling us in. We both decided that since no one else was around to save us, we would not go in so far that we would have to roll up our pants another notch! Well, all of a sudden this wave crashed into us when we weren't ready as we were up to our waist in water! We ran out and didn't go back in! I'm still not really scared of the water though and we went back today at a different beach. The air was much colder and so was the water but Emily and I rolled up our pants and went in! Nothing exciting happened this time except that we got really cold. There were these daring surfers out in wet suits! The waves were like 6 feet high! If I knew how to surf I would be doing it right then!
So far our visit by the Pacific is great!

Touring San Francisco

2003-12-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

On the 28th we moved from Concord to Pacifica -- south of San Francisco on the peninsula. Fortunately the trip across the Bay Bridge was easy and uneventful.

The "San Francisco RV Park" is clean, pleasant, and right on the edge of the Pacific -- 50 foot drop. After settling in, we headed south to see Andrew and Jen's mountain home, where Steven and Sarah are visiting. What a spectacular trip along the Pacific on Route 1.

A major storm hit during the night. It poured and blew! We still decided to go to the SFMOMA, but unfortunately a lot of other people decided it was a good place to spend a rainy day. We enjoyed it anyway. The rain finally stopped sometime in the late evening after dropping 2 inches on this area -- more in the Napa Valley where they had terrible flooding.

Today we headed to Muir Woods for a hike in cool sunshine. Then we headed to Fisherman's wharf for a delicious dinner -- fish, what else -- followed by a chocolate at Ghiradelli Square. A delightful, full day.

Janet

Arrival in California

2003-12-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

We made it to the bay area last night and moved into an RV park in Concord this morning. We will spend the rest of today and Christmas with Mary and Barry, about a 20 minute drive from here. Andrew and Jen will join us starting this afternoon and Seven and Sarah will fly in tomorrow night. It has been raining off and on here and is now 55 degrees. We move to near downtown San Francisco on Sunday.

Arizona to California

2003-12-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

Today's drive into California meant crossing through mountains, deserts, and Bakersfield. Emily was amazed to see a cactus growing by the side of the road. I was amazed to see Bakersfield. I had always heard that it was the cotton center of California, but at this time of the year it's just a dust bowl. The air was brown; there were brown dust drifts across the road.

Since we ended up arriving after 5:00 PM, we are spending one more night at a Wal-Mart: Tracey, CA. It's convenient since Santa has some last minute things to take care of.

Janet

Indiana to Texas

2003-12-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

We have driven for 2 days and covered 1000 miles through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and part of texas. We are spending tonight in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Amarillo, Texas. We have 1300 miles to go and hope to get to Concord, California by Wednesday noon. The truck and trailer are doing well (but I will have to change oil tomorrow). It has been in the 60's today, but snow and rain is forecast for tomorrow (!). My computer in the back is getting a rough ride, but it still works fine. The national wireless internet (Verizon) works but takes some getting used to. The girls play a lot of computer games and get at each other a little more than usual, but it doesn't look like there will be any permanent scars.