San Fransisco and Back To Modesto... Blog With Erin

So the last blog was about the Travis Air Force Base and how awesome it is. I mean I guess I didn't really talk about Muir Woods a whole lot. We went on a hike and took some awesome photos. Here is one of them: I mean, that's me in a tree. Wow!

 Anyway, we went to San Fransisco from the Air Force Base.
We saw sea lions, who were just hilarious, spread out all over the docks with one loner, tanning in the sun. We assigned them names and had silly conversations with them for an hour.

One of the cool things was a mechanical museum, coin operated. So we saw puppet shows, execution, and magic pianos. All of it was mechanical!

We also ate there and went on a free tour of the bread-making factory. Now, Boudin is famous for sourdough bread in San Fransisco, so we got free samples, and saw their automated machines cut and make and roll the bread into animals, such as bready bears.

San Fransisco really is an awesome place... we are lucky that we got to go!

I was pretty cold as you can see...

After we left the Air Force Base, we went back to Modesto. We tried to sell they RV there, for we had a couple customers... sort of...! It was fun because we got to celebrate Ethan's Birthday with them. We made cheesecake for him. We made cupcakes, bought donuts, and we had a blast!

Well that's it for this blog, guys, so stay tuned for more blogs with Erin!

California Trip With Erin

We went to Modesto, California to visit my grandparents, Bill and Joy. They have a Boston Terrier named George and are really fun. One night we went to get a new Boston Terrier puppy. It was a long drive, but worth it. Her name is Linda. Here she is:

Is she cute or what? Anyway, we went to 2 festivals. First was the Monterey Jazz Festival, where we saw Davina and the Vagabonds and I got a picture with them. Oh, and Davina got a new puppy named Toots who was also a Boston Terrier!

We also went to a Greek Festival where we mostly just ate and watched dancers, but still cool. 

After that we left their house and moved to the Travis Air Force Base.

Next, we went to a candy factory for Ethan's birthday. It was called the Jelly Belly Factory. We got a free tour, which was awesome. After that, we went to a castle winery which my mom and dad liked more than me and Ethan.

We went to Muir Woods as well. ( a different day)  We went in a short walk in the woods.

Well, has been a fun blog so stay tuned for more blogs with Erin.

White Water Rafting, Crater Lake, and Wildlife Safari With Erin!

We went rafting on the McKenzie River with our guide, Kevin. Now, it was a very cold day for rafting, and I was sitting up front for most of it. I got soaked, but I was glad for the wet suit, booties, and jackets.

 We visited the 9th deepest lake in the the world. It took it 400,000 years to form, and it blew up in 2 days. It was formed by a volcano erupting, and it collapsed. It created a giant bowl. That bowl filled with rainwater and melted snow. That is why it is one of the cleanest lakes in the world.

Beautiful, isn't it? Thats real water. I mean, wow! This thing erupted about 7,700 years ago. I am amazed at what we have found there. We listened to a ranger talk, watched videos, and read way too many notes to write. You'd be asleep by the end of it, although it was fascinating.

We went to a Wildlife Safari the next day.  Now, we saw tigers, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, lions, a rhino, bison, deer, flamingos, and more!

We saw snakes, alligators, birds, monkeys, and extravagant creatures. Some were creepy, and some were cute.  

Overall it was an incredible sight to see these three places in such a short time, but that's the end of the blog so I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more blogging with Erin!

Lewis, Clark, And Long Beach Essay With Erin

We are in Long Beach and that's important because of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.  In May 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent some of his army with Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Lieutenant William Clark. Their crazy journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. Their goals were to study the area's plants, animals, and geography, and to trade with with local Native American tribes.  They started in St. Louis and followed the Missouri River to Fort Mandan in North Dakota. Their main goal was to find the quickest waterways to the Pacific Ocean for trade. They made canoes out of trees and found Sacagawea. The first tribe they found was the Oto Tribe.

Their interpreter was married to Sacagawea, who had a baby on the way! They helped the process with rattlesnake poison. Her brother ended up being chief of a tribe the party came upon, so they
trades horses.

Finally, they came to the mouth of the Columbia River, where it stormed for 11 days! After the storm, they came to Long Beach and saw the Pacific Ocean! Yay! Their mission was successful! They headed back on the southern side of the Columbia River.

They got back to St. Louis in September of 1806 with only one man dead. He died early in the journey of appendicitis.

We played at the beach and in the water. We saw the sunset and it was fun. We were soaked! There was an arcade, ice cream, and biking paths. Plus more! Not to mention glorious ocean overlooks. We hiked, biked, played, and ate ice cream there. It really is cool.

                           But that is the end of the blog so I hope you enjoyed!

Beach Days With Erin

 We went to 2 beaches at 2 different campgrounds. At the first one, we went on an 11 mile hike to a lighthouse. We didn't realize how long it would take. See, we thought it would be 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back. So we packed a load of food, including lunch. We stopped a load more than we needed to, but we finally made it. It was a historic place, and it showed some of the furniture of what the owner of the lighthouse used and some pages about the lighthouse. I learned that was a tiny build the made that big light work. It was hard and gruesome on the way back.

The next place we went to had a long beach where, on the first day, we flew our gorgeous rainbow kite fly. Well, it took a few tries, but we did it. Then today we saw crabs and anemone when it was low tide. We found a cool island that was 30 to 40 feet tall and we got to find a whole park on it!

Well this was a short blog but I will do more so stay tuned for more!

Mountains And Hikes With Erin

We went to two volcanoes in the Cascade Mt. Range: Mt. Rainer & Mt. St. Helens. On Mt. Rainer, it

was a 2 & a half hour long hike without water. We ended up drinking out of a glacial ice stream! It was fresh and cold. We didn't know it would be this long of a hike.

On the way up, we saw something that my dad called a monkey. It turned out to be a marmot! It was perched on a rock. We saw many more marmots on the side of the path or on rocks. At this point, I was exhausted and dehydrated, and there was no stream at the top. So we made it to the top and turned around. The next day, we got in the RV and drove to Mt. St. Helens. Now, this volcano blew its top and side off on Sunday, May 18, 1980.

Here is a picture of Mt. St. Helens right now:

So, we go there and we stare at the massive volcano towering before us. We go inside and watch 2 films about how the entire north face fell and how 57 people died during the 2 eruptions that took place. The day before it erupted, when it looked safe, police and security and such let people past the red zone and into their homes and businesses. Then they would escort them out. The next day, at 8:32 a.m., the excitement began. The volcano's top slid of at a speed of 150 miles per hour at incoming forests, cities, and animals past the red zone. Now, Harry Truman was one of those 57 people who died. But he died being stubborn. He said that the mountain was his home, and that since he had been there 50 years, he was like part of the mountain. Harry lived at Spirit Lake, a lake at the base of Mt. St. Helens. Before the eruption, there was geologist named David Johnston who had set up a camp about six miles away from the mountain. He was there to monitor the growing bulge on the side of the mountain. It was growing at a rate of about 5 feet a day!

Eventually, after the explosion, a massive ash cloud left dead trees standing, and the ash surrounded the world. It covered up the sun and made it pitch black everywhere.

Even though the eruption destroyed the land, it helped rebuild a new one. Small creatures came out from underneath, protected from the blast, such as moles and pocket gophers. Frogs and salamanders came back to bare ponds. Elk and deer munched on flowers the popped up every day.

 Stay tuned for more blogs with Erin!

Sailing Adventure With Erin

After the cruise ship, we went sailing in the San Juan Islands with my grandma and Reese. I was part of the crew, and I had to help out on deck. We sailed to an island and saw orcas close to the boat. It was AWESOME! We went to shore on the dingy by rowing. Teamwork!  

We got to Shallow Bay (Which we called "Stinky Bay") and found 5 trails. We went to one and found gorgeous views of the sea! We saw crabs and had a stick/sword fight on the beach. My favorite part was sword fighting with Reese.

We also saw humpback whales and seals! We visited 2 resorts, and swam in a pool. We played volleyball in the pool and later bocce ball. We found a sculpture garden. With so much odd art it was unbelievable! Here I am being eaten by an alligator:

I think we're done sailing for today, so I'll see you later. But I have two shout-outs: Nancy Meyhoefer and Jenny Ames! Stay tuned for more blogs!