quick update

Hey everyone,
 Sorry i haven't posted in a couple of days, been busy and doing a lot of driving.  I got to San Diego yesterday and will be here a couple more days and then head to Arizona.  Just wanted to post so you all know i'm ok, and i'll update in more detail when i get to arizona and have some more free time.  Off to the San Diego Zoo today, so i hope that's as cool as everyone says it is.  Talk to you all soon.

Lots of love,
 Kari

pics to come later

Hey everyone,
  I've updated for Saturday and Sunday, but haven't put any pics up yet.  i don't have the best internet access on the coast and it takes so long and drains my battery so quickly i might not be able to put up any pics until i get to aunt mary's house in arizona.  Will try to get some up before then, but if not i won't have any pics up until this weekend. 

Northern California

Sunday I started out my drive along the california coast which led me to the Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California.  When you first get there you are greeted by huge statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.  Paul greets you and tells you about the park and will answer questions for you if you ask him, which is kind of creepy hearing a huge statue talking to you and responding to the things you ask, lol!  I took the hike and was surrounded by a bunch of redwood and other trees that had very unique features about them.  Some of the trees in there have even been featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not.  There was the family tree which had other trees growing out from some of the branches on it, the elephant tree which the roots of it looked like elephant trunks, the cathedral tree, where several trees had grown so close together it looked like a cathedral and the candelabra tree.  I opted to pay the money to get to go on the sky trail which took you on a trip up through the trees on a fixed gondola.  When you got to the top you could have a panoramic view of all the surrounding forests and trees around you.  It was a little scary going up, considering we had to slow down and stop a few times so the people could get on and off down below, but it wasn't as bad as i thought.  The ride down was a lot better and a lot quicker i thought too.  After the trees of mystery i decided to hit up the Ladybird Johnson Grove in Redwood National Park.  It was a pretty hike with more redwoods and a few unique trees along the way.  The thing i liked the best were the rhododendron flowers i saw while walking the trail.  The pink flowers were so pretty and just added to the beauty of the trees that surrounded them.  From there i took the Avenue of the Giants route, which is an alternate and more scenic drive.  The drive was so beautiful and seemed kind of enchanted at times as you were just surrounded by the huge redwoods on either side of the road.  A short stop off i took was to the eternal treehouse, where they had a little gift shop and an outdoor living room you could sit in and relax.  There was also a wishing well, which i had to make a wish in, and an old man playing music on a wooden flute.  It was such a pretty day and there was a slight breeze that i sat outside for awhile and just took it all in.  I then made a stop off at the Founder's Grove and took the most relaxing and peaceful hike i've taken so far.  The trees were pretty, but it was the quietness and peacefulness that sucked me in and made me want to stay there for hours.  The sun was shining perfectly through the trees and you could hear the birds singing, and you just wanted to get lost in all of it and never come out from the trail.   My last stop of the day, was the drive thru tree in Leggett.  It is definitely as cool as you think it would be and even though it's kind of a tight squeeze, most cars can make it through.  I ended up my day driving along highway 1, which at times can be exhausting because of so many twists and turns, but the views of the ocean when you see them definitely makes up for it. 

Oregon Coast

Friday was a pretty low key day in oregon, so i don't have too much to report from that day.  I did a little shopping and took a nap and got things ready for me to head down the coast.  The most exciting thing that happened that day was that hannah locked her keys in her car and we had to figure that situation out.  I think i brought her my bad luck because on thursday she locked her keys in the house and i had to climb in her window to get them, which was an exciting start to the day.  Anways, saturday i left hannah's and finished up my drive down the oregon coast.  The first thing i got to see on my drive was a kite festival they were having in Lincoln City, which i would've loved to have stopped off and watched all day long.  I have never seen so many kites in my life and they were so big and bright and pretty to see flying along the beach on such a beautiful day.  My first stop of the day was at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  I've been to a couple of other lighthouses, but this was the first one that i actually got to climb all the way to the top of.  There were a lot of stairs and i really didn't think about how high up i was climbing until somebody behind me had to make a comment about it and freak me out.......not a big fan of heights.  Luckily i made it to the top without freaking completely out and got to see the big lens they used and got a pretty good look of the ocean from the top.  The climb down i just made sure i held on to the handrail and walked as quickly as i could and tried not to look straight down =).  From there i just kept driving down the Oregon Coast and made a stop off at Cape Perpetua, i think, and took some really pretty pictures of the ocean.  I will have to say that even though it's pretty chilly on the beaches in Oregon, the Oregon Coast is beautiful and makes a wonderful backdrop for driving.   I made it to Crescent City, California that night and camped out.  It was the coldest night of camping i have had and kinda froze my butt off, which i thought was pretty crazy.  I thought california was supposed to be all sunshine and warmth......what a bunch of crap!

Got me a new Tattoo =)

Hannah and i had a girl's day out and went to Salem today.  Went and got me a cool new tattoo =) and then went and had lunch together at The Brick bar and grill.  Came home and now gonna just relax for the rest of the night.  Only one more day at Hannah's and then i'm gonna head out on the rest of my trip. 

My tattoo artist Lenny was a really cool dude
He kept making jokes, which helped keep me relaxed

Didn't hurt near as much as i thought it would

Beach Pics

Our super cool room

View from our window



Jase.....So cute =)



Ocean views from the balcony

Sunset

The sucky stairs we had to take to get down to our room
A pain in the ass to lug all of ur stuff up and down

Me dippin' my feet in the ocean

A Day at the Beach

Tuesday Hannah, her son Jase, and i took a trip to Lincoln Beach and stayed overnight there.  We got a really kickass room that was just steps from the beach and an ocean view from our window.  It was sunny when we got there, but really windy so we didn't lie on the beach too long, but just hearing the sound of the waves all day was sooooo relaxing.  I think that the beach is even prettier at night when you can see the waves even better as they roll in.  You can see a ton of stars and i especially enjoyed them as i took a walk on the beach after dark.  It is so calming, and if i could've i just would have laid down on the beach and slept there.  Even my best description of the ocean and how calming it is to listen to wouldn't do it justice.  It's another one of those things you just have to experience for yourself and i hope everyone gets to do that at least once in their life because it is so amazing.  Hannah and i both agreed we need to win the lottery so we can buy a beach house and live there all the time.  Wouldn't that be nice?  We had quite a time trying to track down exactly what we wanted to eat and came so close.....("actually...."-that's for you hannah, lol) but we ended up just ordering some delivery food.  Had a good time and wished we could've stayed forever, but we came home on wednesday.  Got some relaxing pedicures today and plan on doing some shopping tomorrow(thursday), and maybe try to sneak a nap in there somewhere. 

Washington Coast Pics

Jake the Alligator Man



Shrunken Head




Some people actually tried out this chair while i was there, so funny =)



World's Largest Frying Pan

Lewis and Clark Statue

Hike up to North Head Lighthouse



North Head Lighthouse





Sign on the lighthouse




Ocean view from the lighthouse




Cape Disappointment Lighthouse




Hike up to Cape Disappointment lighthouse



Cape Disappointment lighthouse



Seaside





Views from Ecola State Park



Washington Coast

First up on monday was a stop in Long Beach,WA a cute little touristy town.  The town has a sign that boasts it is the longest beach in the world, has a cool boardwalk and lots of charm.  While there i saw the world's largest frying pan, a shrunken head from the amazon, an alligator man and a fortune teller machine that looked like it was right out of the movie Big.  I spent a little time walking around all of the shops and then spent some time hanging out on the beach.  From there i drove down to check out North Head Lighthouse.  I was a little disappointed that i couldn't go to the top of the lighthouse because the steps had been condemned due to rust, but it was still really cool to see and hear about the history of the lighthouse.  The path down to the lighthouse was so pretty and it was definitely one of the most relaxing little hikes i have taken.  The sun was out, there were flowers lining either side of me and the views of the ocean were beautiful.  The sky was so blue and the clouds behind it were just perfect that it looked fake to me.  Even the pictures i took, look as if someone put a painting of the sky behind the lighthouse.  Next up for me was the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment and the lighthouse there.  The interpretive center was pretty cool as it took you on the journey from pennsylvania all the way to washington and the obstacles they had to overcome to get there.  I kind of sped through the museum because i was tired and i knew i could be there for hours just reading and looking at everything, but it was still pretty interesting to see the types of books they had and the boats they used and all the maps they drew to get where they were going.  I decided to take the hike up to the lighthouse after finishing up with the museum and it was quite a hike up there.  The lighthouse was out of order too, but it was pretty to look at.  Some guy asked me on my hike down if i thought it was worth it, i said i didn't know.  He laughed and said that was a pretty good answer.  It was cool, and my pictures turned out good, but i'm still not sure if it was worth the hike up there =)  Seaside was my next stop and that is definitely a place i would love to go back to and spend a couple of days at.  It's another tourist trap with a cool boardwalk and a beautiful beach.  Like Long Beach it is very charming, and definitely looks like a fun place to live or to just stay for the summer.  I went into a store that was set up like and old fashioned soda shop and still served sodas in a bottle and had the old time drinks from back in the day.  I love places like that and decided to order myself a chocolate shake, which was really good and a great way to wind down my day.  After that i stopped at Ecola State Park to get some good pics of the ocean and then made my way to Hannah's house in Silverton,Oregon where i'll be staying at until Saturday morning. 

Twilight/Rainforest/Beach Pics

3rd Beach in La Push

Hike down to 2nd Beach



2nd Beach in La Push





James Island
Where the Quileute tribe bury their elders




Lockers decorated for Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie



This sign says it all

Hoh Rainforest



Thought this looked like the place in Twilight where Bella tells Edward she knows he's a vampire
"I know what you are"
"Say it....out loud"
"Vampire"
lol,i'm such a dork and it looked way cooler in person





Hall of Mosses



Thought this would make a perfect Hobbit house

Ruby Beach