The day is young, and were off to Grandmothers house. To Grandmothers house we go.
Florence Oregon, a mecca for old folk, and sand boarders alike. A land of lakes, and sea. Dunes, and wood. What better for the location of my Grandparents house? All that was left is the five hour drive to get there.
At this point five hours in the car is a cakewalk, and passes in a blink. The only excitement on drives like this, aside from the stunning scenery, is the occasional terrible driver swerving this was and that. This drive we had nothing of the sort, and so it passed into uneventful memory.
Arriving at the house we were greeted by the smiling faces of Grandma And Grandpa Olson. My fathers parents. Despite them having been down our way just over a month ago they treated us like the prodigal sons returned. Showering us in such extravagance as steak for dinner, and real wine to accompany it. It felt like cheating, having been in Coeur d'Alene on vacation only a few short days earlier. Initially planned on only spending one night at the grands homestead, but the promise of a fulfilled day of river kayaking, and a birthday dinner for Zach convinced us to stay an extra day.
I spent the rest of the evening solving Einstiens riddles. I'll post them separately for your riddling pleasure.
Day 41
It has been said "Wake up and smell the roses" I prefer "Wake up and smell the bacon", and that's exactly how we stirred from sleep. Fresh bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and juice. Everything a breakfast should be, and everything we have been without this trip.
After breakfast we packed the truck with two kayaks, and drove into town to rent another, as my Grandfather had to work, and would be unable to join us. The kayaking in Florence was broken into three categories. Ocean, lake, or river. The ocean was out due to my grandmothers oldness (love ya), and the lakes were to mellow, so we settled on the river. Now these are no ordinary rivers, they are tidal, meaning they are salt water, and flow with the tides. We made sure to time our trip according to the tide, so we would be going with the flow of water in both directions, and set out.
Five hours, and five miles we floated. Doing epic battle with hippos (cows) in the river, casually picking blackberries growing along the bank, and taking the occasional swim. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon, we even surprised my aunt with a phone call on her birthday.
With Zachs birthday approaching on the 15th, we decided to celebrate a little early, and settled on a recommended Chinese food place in town. The food was excellent, though to much. The plates were the largest I have seen in a Chinese place, and stacked high. Needless to say, we will have lunch for the road. Back home Zach got a nice singing card, and a delicious dark chocolate cake. (All this city living is going to put the weight back on if we aren't careful.) All said and done it was a good side trip, and we were ready to get back into California.
MILEAGE:
Driving-
This trip: 190
Total: 5701
Walking-
This trip: 0
Total:206
No comments:
Post a Comment