Today we packed up our stuff, decorated the car with some birthday favors and headed south to Crater Lake National Park.
We took a few family photos. Yay for us!
This park is breathtaking.
There are only a dozen or so hikes and because the cliffs are steep and the stone unstable, there is not any off-trail hiking (that I know of). But this park is right along the Pacific Crest Trail so there are plenty of people carrying heavy packs along the way.
We took the kids for one easy hike once we were moved into our campsite. Godfrey Glen was a nice romp through the forest with a few glimpses of the cliffs that surrounded us.
The smoke in the next photo is not from a fire or fog or even clouds. It is the dust from the cliffs - this is wind erosion blowing right before (and into) our eyes.
The trees in this area are so very very tall and old.
The boys scoured the path for the biggest pine cones they had ever seen - it was the first competition of this kind between the boys. It starts so young, doesn't it?
We left a perfectly luxurious home with breathtaking views for a tent in gorgeous environs and overnight lows in the 30s. We cooked dinner, read books, put the kids to bed and played cards. It was a great first night in a tent for this trip.
I win.