| 10/02/03 We woke up in the rest area just before Redding. We had driven a long time last night. We were parked next to the big trucks and their generators lulled me to sleep. Unfortunately we weren�t very level in the parking lot and Kim did not sleep well. : ( The rest area had beautiful trees with knotted twisting trunks that looked like many leg bones grown together. They were beautiful all around the rest stop. |
| Northern California: I-5 |
| We let the dogs out on leash then headed down the road. It wasn�t long before we came to the Castle Crags that watch over I-5 from way up in the cliffs. They just suddenly appear as you drive and loom overhead. They do look like a castle high up in the hills. Shortly afterwards is Mount Shasta. The mountain had barely any snow on it and the top disappeared in the clouds. We veered off from I-5 onto 97 and watched the Mount Shasta looming nearby as we drove. We were soon out of California and into Oregon. We stopped by a visitor center and got some maps. The lady at the counter said we were only an hour and a half from Crater Lake�Our Destination! We couldn�t wait to stop driving. We headed past pastures with cows sheep and horses and made our way past a deep ravine with chiseled rocks and sand on either side and a deep flowing river. We did stop for the waterfall on the way and peered deep into the valley. We were so worried that there may not be a camp site that we went to the campground first to see if we could get a site. We were so relieved to see that they were not full. We found our spot in D13 and paid. We decided to get our bikes out and do some exploring to see if we could find the dump station. When we got out the Springer devices the girls were all smiles waiting to get hooked up. |
 |
| They get excited when we put their special harnesses on and get our bikes ready. They were smiling as Kim hooked up Ginger to the trike and I hooked up Sam to my bike. It worked best with me in the lead and Ginger keeping a close eye on us from behind. Sam is part Malamute and likes to pull the bike. I did not have to pedal very much the entire time I had her hooked up. But at one point we could tell the girls were getting tired especially Ginger who is not yet used to the trike and springer. We stopped and Kim gave them each some water. We decided to try to have Ginger ride in the dog carrier behind Kim. It was a little wobbly at first but Ginger took to riding in the back right away. As Kim rode she would peer around her shoulder and get chin scratches. Ginger was all smiles and she could keep an eye on Kim, me and Sam all at the same time. There was only one problem. Kim did not have a dog to pull her trike up the hills. Sam was still doing all the work pulling me on my bike and so we disconnected her from the bike and hooked her up to Kim�s trike. |
 |
| She pranced along side Kim as Kim pedaled. It was quite a sight being behind them with little Ginger in the back of the Trike looking lovingly at Kim over her shoulder and her tail hanging over the edge of the trike as she sat and Sam prancing regally at their side pulling them. They definitely got a few second glances. We made it back to camp and I think we all got our endorphins! We even had to go around again it was so much fun. I took Sam an additional time with the Trike and she did so well!!! Poor Sam did a lot of running and she is exhausted tonight. We had a fire and Kim made some of her famous Marshmallows! We gave Sam an old marshmallow from a package that needed to be used up and instead of eating it, she thought it was a good idea to bury it and save it for later. She was nudging dirt with her snout trying to make a hole and sneezing the whole time. It was hilarious watching her try to bury the marshmallow. The night got colder and colder and we huddled up around the fire. The stars were out but in the shade of the trees it was hard to make out constellations. I am so excited to go bike riding again tomorrow. And, oh yeah, we are going to go see Crater Lake tomorrow! We are home here for two nights Yippee!!! : ) |
 |