Caving

 

 

I remember reading Thor Heyerdahl’s description of exploring Easter Island, when there were only natives living there.  I was more than an little creeped out by the idea of all the caving he did.  He was a pretty lean man, but he still had to squeeze through some of the openings.  I have a few issues with claustrophobia, so thinking of small openings gives me the heebie-jeebies.  

While we were out in Klamath, we took a day to go down to the Lava Beds National Park.  It didn't look like much on the drive out, and I braced myself for the whining sure to ensue when we got there.   

Surprisingly, we discovered that dozens of caves are available for self-exploration.  Because these caves are the result of lava formations, they aren't as protected.  We ended up exploring five caves that day and vowed to go back soon.  It was amazing how different each cave was.  Some were smaller and went on for longer distances.  Others were enormous and have year round ice inside them.  It was quite the adventure.  My favorite was Valentine's Cave, named after being discovered on Valentine's Day.  Though the longest cave, I didn't feel claustrophobic, because it was quite roomy.  Nicole and Andrew were a little less thrilled at that one, but Danielle and Connor were maniacs.  They didn't want to stop, even when the tunnel narrowed.  

Altogether, it was a fun day had by all.

Spring Break

I drove the 19 hours to Klamath Falls for spring break.  We had several great books of CD that got us through the drive.  I felt anxious for the kids to see their future city and to meet some people and get a feel for the place.  We had many ups and downs during the week and there were not a few tears, but in all everyone felt better about the move.

Our house felt like staying in a vacation cabin.  We were right on the river with huge windows looking out on the wildlife.  We saw lots of ducks and geese.  I had never seen baby Canada Geese before, and they were pretty cute.  I saw a snowy egret one morning and a raccoon another.

We took the cat with us, in order to move one pet at a time, and she was pretty traumatized.  She got into the fireplace one day while we were gone.  We came home to a black cat and further traumatized her by giving her a bath.  After that, we put a box in front of the fireplace to remove temptation.  The mayor lives next door to the cabin we were staying in, so we went to his place every day.  The boys played basketball, and the girls played in the yard and enjoyed the swing.  We also explored many of the parks in the nicer weather.

After being in freezing weather it was nice to thaw out and see a little green in the grass.  I was most excited to find some daffodils blooming.  Best of all, there was no wind!  We drove down to Reno to see my family, and it only took 5 hours.  I got to go to my brother's wedding in Placerville, CA while Nathan's parents watched the kids.  Then, we drove the 19 hours back to Alamosa.  I was nervous about the weather, because I heard a storm was coming.  We made it in the nick of time.  It snowed for 2 days after we got home.  We are back in winter again.  I will miss Alamosa, but I really felt welcomed in Klamath, and I hope to put some roots down for longer.  I am getting tired of all the moves.  I'd like to stay put for a while.  We have told the kids we will be there for at least 10 years.  I wonder what those years will hold....