Blog Update July 12, 2011
Hello from Farewell Bend campground on the upper part of the Rogue River. Since the Rogue starts at Mt. Mazama, near Crater Lake, only 27 miles from here, it is a fairly small river at this spot. We arrived here Sunday, and Mike & Marilyn Harrison and Pat & Linda Jenkins arrived yesterday, so we have a jolly camping group. Additionally, my youngest granddaughter, Michaela, age 15 is with us for a few weeks. On Saturday we drove to Colfax and met my daughter Laura at the Pizza Factory, so she could hand off Michaela to us. They live in Sparks, NV and we had left our rig in Sacramento. As soon as we got Michaela we hightailed it north on Interstate 5, with the goal of getting out of the heat. Our plan worked. Saturday night we stayed at the Klamath River rest area and it was slightly cooler. And since arriving here the weather has been definitely cooler – in fact it is overcast today and even rained for a few minutes. Last evening we had a very nice joint dinner with all the friends, and sat around the campfire talking until dark. Michaela has been enjoying camping, except that the mosquitoes seem to like her quite a lot and when she gets bites, they really swell up and bother her a lot. She will be traveling with us for a couple of weeks, as we work our way north to Washington. Her older sister, Paige, is in college and working in Seattle, so once we arrive there, we can have a visit with her also, then leave Michaela there with her until Laura arrives at the end of the month to pick her up.
One reason we got away from Park Sierra earlier than expected is because Elaine told the doctor at her post-op appointment that she would remove her own stitches. Her hand has been healing very well and any day now she will start removing the sutures.
July 13 Opps, got interrupted yesterday so I will finish this today. Elaine has removed her sutures and her hand looks fairly good and she should soon be able to go without a bandage. Today we drove to Crater Lake with Marilyn and Linda. There was a LOT of snow up there this past winter – 56 feet, so even now there is still a lot of snow on the ground and the rim road is not open all the way around the lake. We saw the video about snow removal, and one about the history of the mountain and the park, then we went to the rim lodge. It was a partly cloudy day, so we had periods of sun which always makes the lake look extra blue. This is the deepest lake in North America at 1932 feet. With the volcanic island in it called Wizard Island, and the steep sides of the caldera leading down to the crystal clear blue water, it is quite an impressive place. I think even Michaela was impressed with it.
Once we got back to camp, she started immediately to work on another wire wrap project. Yesterday it was rainy and overcast in the late afternoon, so Marilyn and Linda were doing craft projects while Elaine, Michaela and I went for a 4 mile hike along the Rogue Gorge and river. When we got back the rain started, so Michaela went to Marilyn’s rig and she taught her how to make jewelry using wire bending. She is very artistic and immediately picked it up and made herself a very nice necklace using Marilyn’s tools and wire. When we got home, Elaine got her tools and wire out for Michaela and now she is starting another project. That should keep her busy when she gets tired of being with all of us adults. The other thing that is bothering her is that there is no TV, phone or internet service here. The woods are too thick and there are no towers around. On Friday we will be moving over to Mike and Marilyn’s house, and then she can catch up with all her friends.