Awesomest picture ever by Aunt Becky!

At Spirit Lake on Mount St. Helens in October 2012.

Geocaching

This is all the rage in the Smith family these days. The kids have found 20 geocaches between Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon. We intend to continue this fun activity on family vacations. Great way to teach the kids directions and how to use a compass. Travis got the kids a cach kit for Christmas so they stashed it in this old car and named it, Jilapie. In less than 24 hours, 2 people have already found it. To find out more about geocaching visit: www.geocaching.com

Favorite Portlandia pictures I am only now posting from my phone

Kya's 7th Birthday

Halloween: The Goonies

Crater Lake

The inside of a volcano (Wizard Island) inside a volcano (What used to be Mount Mazama, now Crater Lake).

Little rusty on my camp packing....forgot the tent poles. Thankfully, I'm married to a resourceful man.....nothing a little string and sticks can't fix.

Crater Lake has only 1 access point which is a mile long hike from the rim. We took a boat tour to Wizard Island where we got to hike around for a few hours. Unless you do the boat tour, you don't need much time at Crater Lake. You certainly learn a lot about the history and facts of the Lake on the tour. Thankfully, we got some of the last available tickets for the weekend on Saturday. Sunday we collected firewood, hiked to Pilinski Falls and napped. The campsites at Mazama Village are great, roomy and wooded. We had a great time cooking food and soaking up the warmth of the fire! And we got back to Portland without having to sit in traffic!! Yeah!

Ashley and Brian visit...we root for the TIMBERS!

Brian and Ashley came from Boise to visit. Brian was feeling a little under the weather Saturday but rallied to go to the game. While the kids napped, Ashley and I did some shopping. The Timbers fans are CRAZY!! They sing and chant THE WHOLE GAME!!! Dare I say they are better than Packer fans??!! The Timbers rallied too; after an 8 game losing streak, they pulled out a win, 2-1, against Vancouver. We'd definately like to go to another game next summer before we leave! Ashley and Brian, can't wait to come visit you in November! Thanks for coming!

Picked up some Voodoo Donuts. All hours of the day this place is busy! They definately have some creative donuts and names for them!!

Oregon Coast

We had planned to go to the Coast today and the weather was amazing; got up to 90ish today. The ocean water is freezing cold but felt amazing; as well as the breeze off the ocean. We got there before tide came in and saw HUNDREDS of starfish in beautiful purples and oranges. Surfing here is quite popular but the rides seem short and not as impressive; still fun to watch though! The kids played in the sand for HOURS, even met some friends. The drive home was long and a little backed up but so worth it!!