50-State Challenge

Washington:Spokane – Fun & Friends

April 22, 2012

We left Vantage and drove to Spokane to visit with old friends. Chuck and Kathleen were the best of hosts and opened their house to our family. What a blessing it was to be out of the rain and in a nice warm home. We even got the chance to catch up on the kid’s […]

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Washington:Seattle – Little Things

April 21, 2012

We have always told the kids that bad weather does not exist, only poor clothing choices. With the proper gear and clothing you can have fun in any type of weather. While we still agree with and live out those statements we knew we would not be able to pack for all weather possibilities for […]

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Oregon – Surgery & Disappointment

April 19, 2012

Have you ever had a dream of something you would like to do? When I first got into kayaking I saw two pictures of waterfalls that I knew that I would one day run in a kayak (The Seven Teacups on Dry Meadow Creek and Celestial Falls on the White River). I did get the […]

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Oregon:Smith Rock – Rock On

April 18, 2012

I had heard about the amazing rock climbing in Oregon, so Smith Rock State Park was on our list of things to do. It was not until we got to the park that I learned that it is a rock climbing mecca. There were countless climbers on the rocks, in the camp, around the cooking […]

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Oregon:Crater Lake – Buried in the Snow

April 17, 2012

The reward is always so much sweeter when you have to go that extra mile to attain it. We got the opportunity to persevere en route to Crater Lake. All the rain in California brought lots of snow to the higher elevations of Oregon. As we ascended in altitude towards Crater Lake the snow fall […]

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California – Big Red

April 16, 2012

The rain let up for a while in the morning, long enough for us to do a short hike through Jedidiah Smith State Park’s redwood grove. It was quite the experience as everything was dripping wet and covered, with green moss, very unlike the arid desert we are used to. There was an amazing amount […]

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California – Rain Rain Go Away

April 13, 2012

Have you ever made your plans and then found out that God had something else in mind? I was told about an amazing out of the way place in Northern California that we really needed to see, Fern Canyon. I did a little research, and it sounded perfect – camping on the beach, secluded canyon, […]

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California – Big Walls and Tall Falls

April 12, 2012

Have you ever seen the black and white photos that made Ansel Adams famous? Ansel Adams was mesmerized with the beauty of the Yosemite valley, so he spent a lot of his time capturing that beauty in all it’s glory. We found out why too! On the drive into Yosemite, as we came through the […]

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California – Raw Rocks

April 10, 2012

My family loves milk, cheese, cream, butter… Need I go on? But we have learned over the years that pasteurization and homogenization completely nullifies the wonderful benefits of good, wholesome, raw milk, straight from the cow(or goat if you prefer), not to mention how much harm it causes. Aren’t we always being told about allergies […]

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California – Big Trees & Big Chills

April 9, 2012

Brrrr…is all I could think when I looked at my watch and it read 1am. Jodi had just informed me that our tent heater had gone out. I knew it was running low on fuel, but just thought it had one more night left in it. I was wrong and the whole family felt the […]

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