DR> Hello, all! I'm now back from our two+ week family vacation. 
Well, you lasted longer than we did -- we were on the road for only 12 
ays...
but it was wonderful... all of it...
DR> made this year's vacation our "California vacation"
We went out of state.. it was the first time for the kids, and the first time 
I'd been out of state since 1978!  We also went out of the country... to 
Canada, for a few hours... first time I'd been out of the USA since 1972!!!  
So, we got a kind of geography lesson on state and international borders.  
he
kids (and I) learned that international borders are a bit more difficult to 
get past...   They sure ask lots of questions, anyhow!!! :)  We also 
stopped to walk around at the International Peace Arch on the 
Canadian/Washington border and they really enjoyed the experience of
going from one country to another just by walking through the arch.  
DR> We visited most climate zones within California, 
One of the things I like best about California is the incredible diversity of 
landscapes.. :)  We've got a little bit of everything here, it seems... 
xcept
for a jungle... but the forests are spectacular.. our Redwood and Sequoia 
forests are especially spectacular... far moreso than anything I saw in 
regon
and Washington, as lovely as those states are.. though I really liked the 
Oregon coast and the Puget Sound.  I saw the most beautiful sunset I'd /ever/ 
seen while my kids were splashing in the waters of the Sound there in a north 
Seattle park.  The water turned literally golden, with waves of turquoise... 
with pink clouds and mountains in the background -- I'd never seen anything 
like it... I was /mesmerized/... will never forget it!!
DR> While crossing the state on Interstate 5 going north, we were able to get 
DR> get views of the Central Valley where agriculture is king.
Yeah -- I /lived/ there for more years than I want to recall. :(  At one time 
we lived in an old trailer court in the country about 20 miles west of Fresno 
and were totally surrounded by cotton fields with a field full of sheep just 
behind my trailer.  Finding out that the land the trailer was on used to be a 
cemetary kind of ruined it for me, though.  That in itself was a trip -- I 
as
having some strange poltergeist type things happen in my trailer and then 
finally someone who had lived there a long time told me about the cemetary. 
(
"But it was just in the field behind your trailer" the landlady told me... 
yeah, right. :(  They claimed all the bodies had been moved when a elementary 
school had been built on the property in the 30's.  Anyhow... next subject...
DR> I am hoping that we learned enough California history on thi
DR> trip not to worry too much about it for Kristin this year.
I am sure you learned more on your trip than anything she could learn out of 

book. 
DR> We needed to "get cool"...it was 108 in Redding...
Yeah, I know what you mean... I used to live in Redding too!!  That's where I 
got my ECE degree (Shasta College, in Redding) back in 1977!  It is a nice 
town, but very /hot/ in the summer!!
DR> so off we went to Lassen
DR> Volcanic National Park east of Redding. Since the elevation was so much
DR> higher, it was so much cooler up there. There, we toured Lassen (which is
DR> *beautiful*) and learned all about volcanoes. We hiked all over the 
lace,
DR> including thru a lava tube (north of Lassen Park) and over a field of
DR> spattercones (also north of Lassen Park). (Since we were able to study so 
m
DR> of volcanoes this year on vacation, I hope to spend more time on 
earthquake
DR> when we do a study on the Ring of Fire this year.)
Yes, this is one place I've been planning to go this year with my kids... 
hey
would love it, I'm sure.  I haven't been to Lassen Park in years, and we are 
learning about volcanos and other geographical features this year... I'm 
sing
a great heavily-illustrated geography book that I picked up at our homeschool 
store.. _Planet Earth_ by Oxford University Press... the kids seem to love 
learning this stuff even though they are a little young for it yet.  ..But 
/seeing/ it will help.  ..Just like Aaron has been walking around here 
contemplating a piece of obsidian and wondering what could make a volcano 
create such a piece of shiny rock..
DR> We came out of Lassen via the long, scenic route. I highly recommend that
DR> anyone wanting to SEE the country, get off of the interstates and travel 
th
DR> county, state and US highways. 
Sure will, thanks.   
I found on my vacation that I just couldn't take the fast route anyhow, 
because after a week on the road my brain would just shut down and I'd 
start falling asleep if the road was too straight and boring.  So... we came 
south via the coast route too... even though we'd already seen it, it was 
helpful to keep me awake and driving.
DR> Donner State Memorial Park. The girls were as fascinated with the
DR> Donner story and the park as they'd been at the Dam and Lassen.
Have you ever seen the documentary that PBS has shown about the Donner party? 
It is a real tear-jerker... and very informative... it really gave me much 
more insight into the trauma these families endured..
DR> Then we spent four days in the Mother Lode country. We saw Sutter's Mill 
at
DR> Coloma where James Marshall found the gold that started the Gold Rush of 
'4
DR> also panned for gold ourselves and toured a gold mine (hard rock type). 
(Th
DR> only only type of mine which we never toured was a hydraulic mine; those 
we
DR> further north.) We also looked for liquid gold (i.e. went wine tasting) 
and
DR> picked our own blueberries at a place near Placerville.
I missed the blueberries and don't drink wine... but did love Coloma... glad 
to hear you got to see it all.  What a fascinating place!!!
DR> Our final days were spent coming down US 395 on the eastern side of the
DR> Sierras. Man, what magnificent mountains.
Yes, they are.   Did you see Mono Lake?
DR> We went into the Inyos to find the
DR> world's oldest living things - bristlecone pines - which interested the 
DR> girls as well.
Good idea!! :)  I would like that ... I have an interest in botany..
DR> It was also quite eye opening to drive past Manzanar (the Japanese
DR> internment camp near Mt. Whitney). Mt Whitney itself is quite inspiring 
Yes, I'd love to see that.. one of these days. 
 
DR> Living as a family in a tent trailer for 16 days was fun yet not without 
it
DR> problems. 
We spent five nights with friends in Oregon and seven nights sleeping in our 
car.   I couldn't afford motel rooms or even campsites, but we sure have 
some wonderful memories anyhow. :)
DR> You just have to work some things out as you can, and learn not to 
DR> be overly impatient.  
Yes... we adjusted, and learned to live on the road.  Next year hopefully 
we'll have more money to work with, and some good camping equipment.  I'm 
giving it some thought, anyhow.   Eventually my kids will be too big for 
sleeping in the car... though it doesn't bother me, it /is/ a small car...
Thanks for letting us know about your vacation!! :)
Zaynab
--- Renegade v10-05 Exp
---------------