From Weed to High Street, Snowball fight in July and Zebra stripe eyebrows

We left Weed, CA and headed for Crater Lake, Oregon. Made a brief stop for groceries in Klamath Falls and ended up on High Street. I thought that was pretty funny. Mark, not so much. I guess I am easily entertained. (shrug)

Love the downtown area of Klamath Falls, even if it was a bit of a blur. We drove through without stopping; maybe next time. Today we have an agenda. Do Nomads have agendas?

Next stop; Crater Lake Resort. Best site in this park was #15, full hook-ups and on the river. There were approximately 5 sites along that stretch, all with full hook-ups, but #15 was the largest and best situated. All the spots along the river were booked well in advance. Our spot, #6 was good though, it faced out on a grassy field. We had lots of room and privacy.

I got out of the rig to guide Mr. Nomad into the site and about fell to the ground as the smell of pine hit my nose. The pitch had been warming in the sun, melting and oozing, releasing its amazing aroma. I had to hug a tree. And I did. Oh, soooo much better than the smell of vehicle exhaust and pollution.

We set up, making sure to set up outside as well; outdoor rug, chairs, tablecloth, awning. This was definitely a place to be outdoors more than in. We were in a site that did not have sewage hook-up, (raspberries) so the only downside was no showers. (Well, you could walk over to the restrooms, they probably had public showers available. (Bigger raspberries, add nasty face). First no bathtub, now no showers . . . next my hair will be dread-locked. Did I spell that right?

I was overcome with nerves. Five years ago I made friends on Facebook with a gal in Alabama. We started chatting daily and soon became fast friends. Sunday, 7/20 we arranged to meet in person for the first time! She was just as nervous as I. Now that it is all said and done I wonder, why all the nerves? We already knew we were friends, what would meeting in person do that could change that? Well, I suppose if she had picked her nose and ate it in front of me that may have been bad. Ha ha ha…When the moment came, we hugged and immediately pulled out our phones to document the moment. “Click”

 

We spent an amazing two days together. Her husband (Don) and grandson (Tyler) came with. We hung out at the RV the first day . . .

 

. . . then headed to her house for dinner where I enjoyed one thrill after another. They had set up a surprise birthday party for me; balloons, decorations, cake, prezzies and all! I can’t remember the last time I had a group of people sing Happy Birthday to me! It really caught me off guard, in a good way. (I blushed! I have olive skin, I don’t blush easily!) We had a great dinner, followed by my first (and not to be my last) RAW cake. Yum!

Surprise!!!

Beautiful!

I got to meet Fat Man, Tater Tot and Tinker Bell, her goats, as well as her two Guinea pigs, two tiny birds sitting on eggs in a cage in her house and the two dogs; Sierra and Oscar. The cats did not show for the party. Cats. They were out partying with the giant teddy bear in the barn. I am sorry I missed seeing that!

This is, from left to right; Tater Tot, Fat Man, Tinkerbell and Bean (My nickname for Cheri)

Tinkerbell is a fainting goat! She started to stiffen up when Bean pulled her out to introduce us.

I am so glad she didn't faint. I'd have taken it personally!

The second day of our visit we all piled into the car and headed to Crater Lake. I must say, one thing Oregon does well, is impress with natural beauty. Wowie-wowzers!

We drove around the whole lake. Stopped at the gift shop where Tyler the rock collector, added some beauties to his already impressive collection.

Yep, he'd have brought this one home too if he could find a way!

And hard to believe, but on this hot summer day in July, I got into a snowball fight and lost to a 7-year old who clocked me in the head. Grandma was smart enough to run. I didn't see it coming as I was too busy loading up to get him!

Making the plan . . .

Score! Right on target!

It was really hard to say good-bye. I wish we were neighbors. We plan to meet up again next year while we are both traveling in the same area. Meanwhile, back to our daily chats on-line.

During our visit, some treasures were found. Here are Tylers:

Some choice rocks

 

  An abandoned, felled bird nest

      

My treasure finds:

Stone that resembles bear paw

Puddle in bathroom stall that resembles Cotye's head (tilt your head left)

Tree with heart on knot

And lastly, Cotye's treasure:

New friend, Auntie Bean

Before you know it, we were on the road again.

Cotye grabs a toy for the next leg of the trip

I pictured life as a Nomad very different than how things have been so far. I saw us meandering, whimsically down a sunny, flower lined road, music playing in the background like a movie, us stopping to sip from a pristine river long enough to spread out a blanket filled with nuts and berries to nosh from. Whoa … put on the brakes (music screeches to a stop).

Is this a hail storm? It is SUMMER!

Where are all the flowers? 

We have to do what?

Be where, when? Ugh. 

What is it with all the schedules? 

Do Nomads have schedules and agendas?

The Tumbleweed needs an oil change. Then the Tumbleweed needs its screen door fixed. Cotye and I wait patiently. Scratch that, Cotye and I wait quietly. Neither of us felt very patient. It had been a long day.

We do have fun wherever we travel, so this is not a complaint; more of an observation. Responsibilities follow like a shadow. You can’t shake them no matter the lifestyle.

Next stop on our Nomadic Agenda was Sisters. The first night we pulled in and got set up just in time for a huge thunder and hail storm (and barrage of pine cones being blown off the trees). I was screaming as loud as possible and Mark could not hear me over the storm. I was holding Cotye at the time, who was not as bothered by the assault from the outside as he was my screaming…until I started laughing. Poor little guy was very confused. The worst was over as quick as it came, but the thunder and lightning seemed to circle for hours. Wet, dark, yep, we were back in the northwest!

The campground here is forest-like, but on a busy road in town. I don't have the name of the park as there were no pamphlets. I think it is the Sister's County Park? If someone needs me to find out, let me know. There is no office. Self pay. It is, however, on a nice bike trail and is very clean, but way too close to, ahem, in the middle of a neighborhood. Next time we are in this area, we will look for another place.

Tonight we made arrangements to meet with our youngest son, Josh’s, soon to be in-laws. I got caught up in working on my blog and the time got away from me, so I really had to rush to get ready. As I looked in my magnification mirror I spotted white eyebrows. NO! Have you seen my eyebrows? They are blacker than a black hole! I quickly went for the tweezers and plucked it out, only to find another and another…by the time I was done tweezing, I had a big empty spot in the middle of my left eyebrow. Great. Perfect for first impressions! Head slap! I pulled my bangs over my eyebrow and hoped for the best.

As we hopped in the car to head to the restaurant, we realized we had no idea what they looked like. I had a light bulb moment. When we reached the restaurant, we sat in the lobby with a sign that read:

 IS YOUR DAUGHTER MARRYING OUR SON? 

They found us. At least we think it was the right couple we spent the evening with! We shared stories; a lot of them fishing stories, pictures of the wedding location, good food, beautiful surroundings. It was a very lovely evening. And then they brought up “tweezers” of all things. The big tip is, the best tweezers in the world, Grandpa’s Tweezers, are available right here in Sisters, Oregon at a little shop called The Hen’s Tooth. Do you think they noticed the hole in my eyebrow? Oh my head. That’s it, no more plucking out the white eyebrows. Zebra stripe eyebrows, I’m starting a new trend. Watch for it!

Meanwhile, see you two in Washington soon!

And with that, I say good day. It is 1:15 a.m. and tomorrow is a travel day, with a cruel early check-out time. And hey, you Washingtonians, ix-Nay on the ain-Ray, will ya? We're on our way!