Class 5 Rapids Baby!!!

We are back from our Oregon trip and had a fantastic time. We missed the little man to pieces (and yes, I might have called 2-3 times DAILY), but it was a great getaway for us. Ryan took 2 hr naps (which he doesn't do for me), slept through the night, and was his normal happy/tantrum toddler self. It really was nice to get good reports everytime I called. I'm hoping that means we are raising a well-adjusted little boy, who knows his family loves him, and can adapt to change. Or--he loves his grandma and aunt a lot! Still, its great to know he had a good time too. And that I probably didn't NEED to type of 3 pages of directions. YES, I'M THAT KIND OF MOM. WHO KNEW?

FRIDAY

We left here around 11:00am. My sister had to take Ryan for a "walk" because he was very attached to daddy. I guess he knew we were leaving. We made it to Sacramento before it was time for lunch. Ofcourse we went to one of our favorite places, Dos Coyotes. Then it was back on the road. We talked, we laughed...and we listed to "Monster Ballads"...oh yeah, arena rock! There is nothing like a little Warrant, Poison, Cinderella, etc. to get you goin!!

We stopped in Weed....yes, there is a town called Weed in California, for gas and a bathroom stop and made it into Ashland around 5:30pm. We decided on chinese food and then a night out at the movies to see The Simpsons. The chinese food was terrible, but the movie was hilarious.

SATURDAY

We had an 8:00am pick-up for our rafting trip. Not like we have ever needed an alarm since becoming parents, but we set the alarm for 7:00. We were both up around 5...thanks Ryan! Our matress was terrible and we didn't get a lot of sleep. The van picking us up was late, but we headed out around 9:00. I didn't remember the long, winding road trip from 7 yrs ago but it sucked. I tend to get car sick and I was in the back of a packed van. I was able to hold it together and we stopped at an inn for breakfast. Yummy scones. Then it was back on the road. I'm not exactly sure when we actually got into the raft. It was a nice, breezy day. What's great about rafting the Upper Klamath River is that the rapids are long, and most of them are in pairs so they come one after another. We hit some Class 5s that were awesome. The pictures were taken with a water camera so I actually have to go to a store and get them developed. Who knows when that will happen! Some of you might think Class 5s are no big deal, but our guide broke his oar. Yep...he is seated in a swivel chair at the back of the boat, a bit higher than the rest of us. It was one of the times he yelled "hold on" and he actually was thrust out of his seat, and then his oar broke. This was not a plastic paddle like we had, it was a real oar. It was such a rush! Not to mention, the scenery is beautiful. The lake is clean. No trash. So not Cali. We were so moved by the area in general we have talked about possibly retiring there, instead of going back to San Diego. We do miss the ocean, but being around trees for 4 days really got to us!

I think we got back to our hotel around 6 or 7, then had dinner at a great mexican restaurant. We were exhausted but it was so worth it.

SUNDAY

We got up early (again) and made the 90-something mile trip to Cave Junction. The Oregan Cave Monument was really cool. We took the cave tour, which is 521 stairs total. Who says we didn't get a work out on vacation? The cave temp is about 44 degrees. Ethan wouldn't wear pants like I told him, and he wanted my sweatshirt. Um...No. It is an eerie feeling to be "stuck" in there, but really interesting. We can thank President Taft for making the cave a monument. Our guide was a bit weird, she went on and on about how she was crying earlier in the day and she was a theater major and was at a crossroads in her life. No relation to the cave whatsoever...just a sidenote. She was not a hippie, though Ethan thinks hippies are so entertaining!

Like 521 stairs weren't enough, we decided to do one of the trails near the caves. It was about a mile and so beautiful. Waterfalls, trees, birds...you just can't get better than that. Then we drove back to "town"(the cave is 20 windy miles out of the nearest town) and had lunch at a roadside diner. You know the type. We still had time to kill before the play so we walked around Lithia Park. The theaters are in the park, which is also near the downtown area. Then it was time for dinner and the play. I know this wasn't Ethan's favorite part of the trip, but the play was spectacular. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is known for their great performances and it was way better than any plays I've seen (and I've seen a lot). We saw Romeo & Juliet for the first time. The guy who played Mercutio was outstanding. I really do think its one of Shakespeare's best plays and the most easiest to understand.

MONDAY

It was time to say farewell to Oregon. We had breakfast at the Ashland Bakery & Cafe. I chose it because Rachael Ray went there on her $40 a day show. Yummy french toast...seriously. Really good. We got back home around 3:30 and went to my parents to get Ryan. My dad took the afternoon off work so he was there with Ryan. Ethan said I could go in first and get some "loves" cuz its all over once he sees daddy. Well...Ryan was sitting on the floor, watching Seinfeld. Odd since he doesn't watch TV, and he didn't even get up to say hi to me. Then Ethan came in...still nothing. Turns out he was pooping. What a greeting! Then he ran to Ethan, who was still by the door. He picked Ryan up and Ryan was playing with a lampshade. Ethan didn't know the lamp was on and BAM, burnt finger. For those of you that get his e-mail updates, you'll remember he burned 4 fingers in May when he plugged in the iron himself. Sigh. So, we had about 2 seconds of happy Ryan, then miserable for the rest of the day.

We are still trying to catch up around here. Ryan is no longer taking 2 hr naps...ofcourse. And, he woke up at 1:30am crying which is very unusual for him. I'm blaming the burn, or could be molars. But here we are...back to being mommy and daddy!