Monday Sept. 8….Day 28
Monday-Laundry Day
Tiring day at the Laundromat in Klamath Falls, OR which, by the way, does not in fact have any falls( I checked).
8 loads
$25.00+
4 bored kids
a cranky baby
and
an exhausted mom
was the price to pay for clean sheets, underwear and pajamas.
After three straight hours of washing, drying, folding I had no energy to put any of it away in the cramped quarters of our RV. For this, I am ever more grateful for Papa Bear at the very least getting the beds made. Probably his way of thanking me for taking all five kids to the Laundromat for a few hours so he could have uninterrupted work time.
He found a school playground where the kids ran around and played. I threw together a snack-dinner of carrot sticks and chips with spinach dip, a leftover sausage green bean and pasta dish and a side of applesauce. Each girl cleared their plate downed a bottle of water and went back out to play. We continued our short journey through OR to a nice rest area where we had a dance party in the grass until bedtime.
Another day gone and I still love my husband, kids and this crazy life!
Tuesday Sept. 9…. Day 29
We made it to the Redwood Forest today (the sole purpose for this leg of our trip) A dream come true for me and a realized dream come true for Darryl. He now compares every other tree to these towering giants of nature, some growing well past their 3,000th year.
We came to a beautiful campground amidst these goliath trees with stumps in our campsite more than 10′ in diameter.
Dwarfed by the sheer magnitude, we camped peacefully and played happily at the grounds’ play area.
Even Oliver was in his doggie glory playing ball, which he carried with him everywhere. The campground even had a pet washing station which was much-needed with the dry dusty air in Northern California.
Our first of two nights was spent getting really dirty and then washing all the dirt off with a shower.
Another advantage here is the free Wi-Fi affording me some much-needed time with the computer and my neglected blog.
I was able to upload pictures and setup four posts for future publishing.
I feel rejuvenated, fulfilled and accomplished.
The kids and Darryl all slept easy.
Wednesday September 10….Day 30
30 days. Thirty days have passed and I’m feeling bittersweet. The wonderment of where we are and how much we’ve experienced fills my heart with joy and I’m ever grateful for this trip and all my blessings. A big part of me is back in Pennsylvania, though. Our home. routine. family, friends and every other part of our life is waiting for us. I miss my cats, my freedom and my bed.
Adventures and vacations are great, working for them is hard work and as we start our journey back east, I’m excited to get home, sad to be through with the trip and dreading the heat that awaits us in the desert as well as the nothing that lies between here and our destination.
Our day today is fun. We do some more laundry (yay). Play. Play. Play. but the best part of today maybe even the whole trip was our journey through the forest on a trail exploring the redwoods and the beautiful ecosystem they sustain. We learned how they grow so tall and keep each other up. In fact, humans could learn a lot from these behemoths.
Their roots only grow as deep as 12 inches but spread up to hundreds of feet underground intertwining with neighboring trees keeping each other grounded. When one tree dies or falls, it leaves behind its root system for its babies to utilize and flourish creating a cluster of trees called a family.
Appropriately reminding me how I envision our family. Everyone holding each other up and flourishing from the roots Darryl and I have laid for them. Makes me miss our home even more.
Just a short moment of homesickness, though, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world!
Blog is where the Home is 