The Good Stuff

Our first full day at Grandad's was great. It started off with a drive through the foggy coastal morning to have breakfast together at Kozy Kitchen. Then we went to a candy factory and shop called "Cranberry Sweets" that sold candies and such, but also provided lots of samples (I think the lady told us there were over fifty samples to try) and had big glass panes in the back so you could see the area where they make the candy. It was a great little shop. My favorite samples were the fudge and the wine candies. The second was unlike anything I've had before. It was a chewy rectangular candy coated with sugar and tasted like sweet wine. They were so good. We drove back to Grandad's and spent the rest of the day hanging out and relaxing. Then it was time for dinner. Grandad tried out his new deep fryer and we had deep fried green beans and asparagus for appetizers. That was so good. For dinner, we had steak with mushrooms, salad, and freshly made french fries, yum!

Dave, Gayle, and I drove down to a nearby lighthouse after dinner to watch the sunset over the ocean. It was quite a good one.

We finished off the day with a game of four person cribbage.

Crater Lake

We crossed the border into Oregon, our first new state of the trip, early Wednesday morning. Crater Lake was our first stop, which we were excited about because neither of us had been there before.

The lake is the deepest in the United States and has beautiful blue water.

We went on an easy two mile roundtrip hike through the forest in Kerr Valley to Plaikni Falls, a twenty foot waterfall surrounded by lush green vegetation. It was beautiful.

Back on the rim drive, we went up to Cloudcap for a great view overlooking the lake, then found a spot along the rim to enjoy a scenic lunch break.

After lunch, we settled in for some more driving and finally arrived at Joshua's grandad's place on the Oregon coast about 7:15pm. Joshua's parents were already there and we quickly prepared to enjoy a delicious, although late, dinner.

On the Road

We got up early Tuesday morning and headed out. We drove through Yosemite and stopped to have breakfast and a cup of tea with a great view.

Tuolumne Meadows

We left Yosemite through Tioga Pass and enjoyed a beautiful drive north through the mountains. This was where we stopped to have lunch in the Carson Wilderness. 

We spent most of the day driving, just stopping for gas, pictures, and food. We went by Lake Tahoe, but stayed in California, and ended up stopping to sleep in the Modoc National Forest.

Meet the Parents

 Joshua and I officially started our trip on Saturday, August 25. We were so excited to finally be off and happy with how our van turned out.  

Our first stop was Modesto, where we visited with the family and finished up some details on the van. It was a good couple days, but didn't feel too much like we were starting vacation.

 Our second stop didn't feel any more like vacation, but was equally enjoyable. We went up to camp to visit Ben and Rachel and meet their new baby girl, Jory Ann.

What a cutie!

Great Van Renovation

After camp came to an end, we headed off to Visalia for the Great Van Renovation. After some deliberation, we decided to begin with a full-scale demolition.

 

 After removing the carpet, window frames, and wall paneling, we tried to make sense of the van's horrific wiring situation.

 Jonah pitched in as we began preparing to put in the new floor.

 Everyone joined in the fun!

We had to pull out the chairs, which ended up being a messy job.

Next, we began to build the frame for the bed.

Meanwhile, Karen was working hard to oil and wax the wood. The first pieces we had cut and ready to go were the new door panels.

The wiring under the steering and dash was also a disaster, so we spent some time working through that.

The passenger window was not functional, so we pulled the window motor out and replaced it. What a hassle!

We finally got to the point where we were making visible progress. We framed the sink...

...and carpeted the van's cab.

Work was punctuated by frequent discussion and deliberation. Sometimes that meant the imparting of sage advice...

...other times it meant bewildered pauses.

The shop was filled with sawdust as pieces began coming together.

 The wood treatment continued, and things were looking great.

 

Gluing the formica onto the cabinets was a messy affair, but we had lots of help.

Here we are with the kids watching the glue dry.

Cutting the formica sent pieces of plastic flying everywhere, so Sarah convinced me to wear this goofy protective eye wear.

The food cabinet was the first to go in the van.

Then we put up the curtains.

Sarah was working on the center console.

Though it required some working in small spaces, we got the doors on the cabinets.

It took a long time and we lost a lot of sweat in the hot weather, but it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot. 

The finished van looks great!

Many thanks to everyone for pitching in, and thanks to Heather for the perfect finishing touch: