Big Trees, Good Time

We planned a little camping trip for early in the summer, anticipating that I would have to take it easy for July and August. Well, we were right. My blood pressure is up and signs of pre-eclampsia keep showing up. So back to moderate bed rest it is. I'm pretty sure the 5 batches of jam I made today don't count for moderate bed rest, but I can't be without homemade jam for a year! So I shall pay the price by feeling cruddy tomorrow, I'm sure. Luckily we got the camping trip in before the doctor laid down the law. And I felt good most of the time.

We went to Jedediah Smith State Park in Northern California. It is known for its nice campsite and beautiful redwood trees. My parents drove over from Spokane to drive down with us (kind of a last minute decision, and it was so good to see them), and my sister Marisa and her family drove up from the Bay area. Shauna and her two girls also came. It was a great time! The campsite was lovely, despite the 4 black bears wandering around. (Yikes! I'm so glad I didn't see any of them.) I really enjoyed the beauty of the area and being with my family. My kids slept soundly and went to bed easily, and I didn't get one mosquito bite. All in all, a big success.

We stopped at the Oregon Cave National Monument on the way down. The kids and most adults took a tour of the caves. Bean and Pea LOVED it. They hadn't been in a big cave for a long time, so it was a great adventure for them.

Here's our campsite. We had two between the four families. The fallen log in the background was a big hit for all the kids. They found numerous "hideouts" in the forest surrounding the campsites and entertained themselves for hours. I didn't see Hayden for most of the trip.

Hayden and his cousin James. They played very well together. Hayden got quite a few scrapes and bug bites, but he was so happy to play in the woods. The kids had a great time with their headlamps. Only $5 at Wal-Mart, and worth every penny.

All the cousins hiking in Stout Grove. We missed Lisa and her kids! I did discover that maybe we won't use a name that starts with "K" for our new baby. Katie, Kjersten, and Kara were all born in about a year and it was hard to keep them straight. I'm not sure if we can handle any more K names.

Thanks for holding this tree up so we could walk under it, Jillian. Your skinny arms must be quite strong!

Kyle totally got caught by some park ranger volunteer guy for climbing this tree, but he didn't get in trouble. Lucky Kyle.

Gorgeous photo of a group of trees. Kyle took this one. I think I might enlarge it for his office at work.

One of the most beautiful trees in Stout Grove. It was bathed in sunlight and very majestic.

On the way home we decided to drive up the 101 (coastal highway) from the California/Oregon border to Reedsport, OR. We stopped at this beautiful beach along the way. I stayed in the car with Kara, who was sleeping, and I think I really missed out on all the fun. Man, I love Oregon. Such beautiful scenery.

Quite a background for dune jumping, huh?

We got to have Grandpa (my dad) along with us for the day. He's full of energy and always up for an adventure, so it was really fun.

I think we might head back to this area in a few years, after we've explored others. Next up: Crater Lake?