Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Couple of Road Trips









Two weeks ago, last monday, I made a last minute decision to take a trip south to California. We had a great drive south and the kids did very well. There were only a few complaints along the way. All the kids had their jobs: Bowen was the navigator; Jimmy was in charge of safety; Emma was in charge of silliness; and Andrew was in charge of sleeping (which he did VERY well).







These deer ran across the road in front of me...it was a beautiful site during the daytime. Later that night as I was driving in the dark along I-97 through Oregon, more deer ran across the road in front of my car. I was darned lucky that the deer decided to move out of the way, as I had decided not to swerve to avoid hitting it.


All the kids enjoyed seeing their grandparents, and we were very busy on several outings during the time we were there. We went to the park, went to the circus, went to another park, went to Costco, went to ride on the Sunol to Niles Canyon train, and probably some things I am not remembering at the moment! As it turned out, the kids were able to see all of their cousins in California, which made me really happy. It was really fun seeing the little kids find a common bond with the older cousins by putting money into the gumball machines at the pizza parlor! (okay, I had fun doing that too!) I have a few 'charms' hanging from my purse and my cell phone.










Along the drive to and from Washington, we stopped at several Dams: Rocky Reach, Rock Island, John Day, Shasta, Bonneville, The Dalles, and Wanapum Dams. I also was able to stop at the Crooked River Gorge in Oregon, just as the sun was setting. I tried to get a picture of the kids there, but they weren't very cooperative during that stop!










As it turned out, most of the dams had little parks where the kids could stretch their legs and use the restroom. This trip was much easier on Mom--maybe the kids are getting better at doing road trips!




The kids also enjoyed visiting some family near Portland, OR...here's Emma petting the doggy. The kids are really liking any time spent with dogs and cats. It helps to bring the kids out of their shells.







Thursday evening, when we were nearly home, I had to stop for gas in Quincy, WA. That's where I heard a little noise and sensed that I was being watched....I looked down on the ground a saw the little albino praying mantis there on the curb next to the gas pump. So, you know me...had to get a good picture of it! It's getting harder to find interesting creatures to feature in the 'sitings' section! Funny--I haven't seen a praying mantis since I was a little kid...Then last Tuesday evening, my sister-in-law and her husband showed me a picture of a praying mantis that they saw in Oregon. The, low and behold, I see one in Washington!




So, I said that we made a couple of road trips....well the second trip was to a wedding in Western WA...I'll have to leave that story to my next posting...Lots more pictures to sort through!










Saturday, August 4, 2007

Long Damned Dam Outing!


Today we took a pretty long day trip to see some dams that we hadn't yet taken the kids to. We left Entiat, and traveled up 97A to Wells Dam. This dam has extensive fish spawning areas and fish ladders. It also has a nice small park with restrooms and viewing area. No tours available as far as I could tell, but a nice place to stop.


Next, we continued up 97A and then headed East on 173 which eventually brought us to Chief Joseph Dam. Boy, I didn't realize how BIG this dam is! Since 9-11, security at all of the dams tightened, and it is less accessible to visitors. However, Chief Joseph Dam was offering a tour, which we made it just in time for. No cameras (damn!!!), no purses, no cell phones....the tour guide was from the Army Corps of Engineers, and she tolk us all about the dam as she drove us across the section with the turbines. As we drove, we passed several members of the Colville Indian tribe, who are the only people allowed to fish from the dam. There were about 20 tribal members fishing. Chief Joseph Dam has no fish ladder, so the salmon and any other fish going up stream are at a dead end, so to speak. To my knowledge, the Colville tribe was hurt badly when the Grand Coulee Dam was built...they relied so heavily on the fishing on the other side. Anyhow, the tour was FABULOUS at Chief Joseph Dam. The kids did pretty well, too. I did get a shot of the dam from an outside viewpoint, though no pictures are allowed to be taken inside.


Next, we headed to Grand Coulee Dam. First we stopped at a view point, and I was able to get a pretty good picture from far away. Grand Coulee is the largest concrete structure in the U.S. Very impressive to see. But, after going through the previous tour, we didn't have the energy to do much walking in the visitors center.


The other dams that we saw today are Dry Falls Dam (small dam at the base of Coulee Lake), Lake Chelan Dam (which is actually on the Chelan river, not the Columbia), and the one we see all the time: Rocky Reach Dam.


I'm glad we did the trek today...we won't need to do that again for a long while!


Bowen has taken to map reading, and he loves to pour over maps to find the dams and airports. He's reading very well, and if he's not reading a map, he's drawing one of his own!


On the home front, our house in CA has closed, and we've finally placed the order for our new house. It could take up to 17 weeks to be delivered and set up....around Thanksgiving, but with any luck it'll happen sooner. Lots of work to do in the meantime, and we're hoping to get a garage built before the home is put on the property.


I could write more about all the things we've been up to, but I'm too tired! Enjoy the pictures!