When the parents come to town, it is absolutely essential to keep them busy. When they're not busy, they tend to get antsy. When they get antsy, they tend to want to help. And when they want to be helpful, that's when things get kind of tense. Don't let things get tense; keep your parents busy.
We did this by taking them on long forced excursions to enjoy the best of what this area has to offer. Wednesday we all squeezed into the trusty, rusty Subaru and cruised up to the Hog Creek put in on the Rogue River to await our rented raft. It arrived on time, but the gentleman in charge then proceeded to back the trailer into the river to the point that it was floating, and the unattached boat took off on its own (a boat floating? Who would have known?). As we watched it disappear around the corner, Carl turned to the guy and said, "I think you should get us another boat."
 |
| Waiting for boat #2 |
Carl went with him this time, just to be sure, and soon enough four people and two dogs were on their way down the river in a 14 foot raft. Bubba and I weighed down the back while the parents and Luna kept an eye out ahead for our escaped raft.
We found it trapped in the willows about 10 minutes down the river. Carl risked life, limb, and dry underwear to rescue it while we cheered him on. Captain Awesome strikes again.
The furry kids were not impressed that their loved ones were now in separate boats. There was lots of desperate whining, leaping into the water, and swimming confusedly from raft to raft. As soon as they got to one boat, they wanted to be on the other - apparently a raft, much like a door, is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of.
Happily reunited after dropping off the smaller substitute, we discovered that the bigger one was desperately lacking air. A flat boat is miserably difficult to row, so we met our support at the next put-in where he provided us with a pump. The adventure continued!
We eventually made it all the way to Grave Creek, through white water and sunny lunch spots, with everyone intact and undamaged. Well, Luna may have some emotional scarring; she was not a fan of the rapids.
Next day took us up Grizzly Peak, the 6,000 ft lump directly across the freeway from Ashland. We stopped at the farmers' market first to pick up supplies and then drove to the trailhead. The views up top were crystal clear and the wildflowers were exploding. Carl took a well-earned break after carrying two pizza boxes up the hill, with Mt. Shasta in the background.
Enjoying fresh, stone fired pizza at the top of a mountain in the sun shine; life doesn't get any better than this.
Oh, wait, it does: they have gluten free ones, too!
Family photo on Grizzly Peak
Wildflowers! This one is great camas, at least that's what its mother told it.
Add in a couple plays (this is Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival after all), and you have a perfect recipe for tired, happy, entertained parents. Mission accomplished. Love you guys!
