When I first started traveling, my family all said, "Great, we will come visit you wherever you are." A year and a half later and they finally followed through on their promise. My mom and sister arrived last week both looking a little green. I had warned them that flying into the valley was rough but from the looks on their faces they had figured that out. I only had one remedy for them...chocolate. We strolled through Harry and David's and made a few selections before I gave them a quick tour of the valley. Needless to say they were both exhausted from their journey, so we retired for the night but stayed up long enough to catch up with each other.
Our first day of travel was cold and dreary and led us to historic Jacksonville. We shopped in the many stores and I showed them the manicured downtown and the somewhat freaky "Pleasantville"-like neighborhoods. We warmed up with a cup of chowder at Bella Union before driving into the Applegate Valley for a little wine tasting. Well, maybe I should clarify...Melissa and I did a little wine tasting. We walked through the rows of grape vines. Who knew that Cabernet Sauvignon grapes actually look like big blueberries. Even though there was light mist, it was a beautiful sight to view the vineyard with the cloud-covered mountains in the background. Having felt satisfied that they had a true wine tasting experience we drove to Ashland. I wanted them to really get a feel for the unique populous that is Ashland. From the hippie, to the alternative trendy; from the gender confused to the hoity toity, they saw it all. We enjoyed visiting with a friend and touring an Ashland home before we went to eat at Dragonfly. We completed the night by watching a chick flick.
Saturday had to be one of the highlights of our trip. While it was a bit chilly, it was very fitting for the scenery that we were about to view. The road leading up to Crater Lake had a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground and the trees. As we were driving through this winter (actually fall) wonderland, snow was falling from the tree limbs, giving the illusion that it was falling from the sky. While Crater Lake is still amazing and doesn't seem to get old, the snow covered mountains were absolutely beautiful. We got in a few snowball fights enjoyed the powdery snow before driving back down the mountain. We stopped on the way home and viewed a lava tub and hiked to two waterfalls. After daring my sister to crawl out on a rock for an action shot, my mom turned away and stated, "Daphne, she has two kids." I guess I will have to be the one to stick to the wild adventures. We climbed over boulders to get a better view of the river. Mom watched from afar and just shook her head. I suppose I am rubbing off on my sister. We were all tired from our hike, so we had dinner on the river and headed home.
While it seemed that our final day of travel would be spoiled by the rainy weather, we still had a great time. The drive through the National Redwood Forest was beautiful, as it meandered along the Smith River and offered amazing views of the gorges. We all felt small and insignificant compared to the redwoods and also to Paul and his blue ox. I won't explain...just refer to the picture. The view of the Oregon coast was somewhat limited due to the heavy rain, but that didn't stop us from searching for the best view points. I think we were successful and Mom and Melissa were impressed by rugged and spectacular coastline. We spent the rest of the night reviewing our photos, recalling funny moments, and watching the season premiere of Desperate Housewives.
It was a great girls weekend. Thanks again Mom and Melissa. Maybe you will inspire others to come visit too. Love ya!
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