The Alm Family

Vacation Day 15: Lava Beds to Home

We woke up to a small rain storm so we were quick about getting camp packed up so we could head out again.

Noah ate breakfast sitting in his carseat to avoid the showers.

Gotta do the dishes!

It stopped raining and Noah was squirmy, so he and Olivia took a walk up to the visitor's center.

These beauties were everywhere. They are a wildflower called Gian Blazing Star.

Hanging out at the visitor's center.

Where's Noah?

Peek-a-boo!

The last of our volcano stops, we stopped at Medicine Lake along the Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway. Medicine Lake is the caldera of the Medicine Lake Volcano which is a shield volcano and the largest volcano in the Cascade Range.

Aside from all that info, it's also a great place to throw rocks.

We found a bunch of little frogs as well.

After lunch, it was time to take the long drive home.

There were definitely some beautiful vistas along the road.

This is what happens when you take a panoramic shot while driving. Interesting...

One last round of peek-a-boo before home.

It was a fantastic trip and just the quality bonding time we needed before the craziness of the start of a new school year was upon us. I wonder where our next adventure will take us!

Vacation Day 14: Medford to Lava Beds by way of Crater Lake

We had a fun night with the Taylor's and started the next morning with kid enrichment.

Donut on a string!

Kendra played it at her birthday party and wanted to repeat it with Noah.

Victor got in on the fun as well.

DJ had materials delivered for a landscaping project, so we started the project with our own design before heading out. Apparently he got a kick out of it when he got home.

We got back into our volcano trip and stopped at Crater Lake. Crater Lake is that caldera that was left after the volcano Mt. Mazama collapsed on itself. Wizard Island that is popping out of the middle of Crater Lake is a cinder cone volcano.

Of all the places we stopped on our vacation, Crater Lake was probably the least favorite, specifically due to the severe habituation of the wildlife. Anytime anyone came my the ledge, the animals converged, hoping to be fed. We didn't feed them of course, but we did get some great shots.

After leaving the Crater Lake, we stopped at a scenic overlook to poke around.

Happy family!

When we arrived at Lava Beds National Monument, Chef Noah was back on pizza duty.

We set up our tent in the middle of a deer highway.

They tasted great!

We didn't take any pictures because it was too dark, but this night at Lava Beds we laid down on a picnic table to look for shooting stars. Lava Beds has a beautiful dark sky with a huge swath of the Milky Way cutting across the sky. The Perseid Meteor Shower was set to start the next day, and we managed to catch the beginning of it. Noah was so amazed to see his first shooting star. Victor told him he could make a wish on a shooting star and Noah wished to see another one! He was not disappointed. He probably saw about 20 in the half hour we were out there. It really was a magical night.