Shanamadele’s Coffee Break
Pet Peeve #162Archive for travel
Left, on an Airplane
Rare is the toddler who sits still in your lap for seven hours.� Thus, my response to those who ask how Butternut “did” on the airplane is longer than one word.�
Our flight to Florida included a layover in Albuquerque.� Oh, how I wanted to get out of the plane and into a car (yes, ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
bikelovejones, a car) and drive, drive, drive through the high desert!� But, I just looked at Sandia through the tiny window and dreamed of returning instead.
The rental car agent in Florida was obnoxious and condescending.� He came this close to calling me a liar when I told him that I did not want additional insurance because I was covered.� He insisted on “upgrading” us from an economy car to a compact (which in the world of rental cars means a huge Dodge with more than four cylinders) because he didn’t like the idea of putting our little one in a tiny car like that.� Never mind that I didn’t want to pay for the extra gasoline doubtlessly necessitated by this humongous vehicle.�� Why didn’t I insist on the smaller car?� Because he didn’t tell me until he completed the paperwork.� Plus, my guess, based on past experience, is that he really didn’t have one on the lot, but he wanted to put the best face on it.
Got into my parents’ house around 11 p.m. EST, which was only 8 p.m. our time, so Butternut had a pretty normal bedtime and all was good.
Gather round, children
Back in the days of analog, a band called Yes did things with tape that used to be wondrous and amazing and time consuming, and now any shmoe with a computer can do in the comfort of her jammies in a few hours.
One of those things was Roundabout.
So, imagine driving around an area of Oregon that looks like this.
Image totally stolen from the Pauline Lake Lodge website.
Listening to Roundabout. Suddenly, you understand that “in and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there” is not a drug-induced lyric.
Okay, back to work.
Little Crater Lake
Little A and Butternut sit among the ground dogwood.
Notes from our official travel log:
6/29/07
Off to Little Crate Lake.
This is the real color. You can see both the logs at the bottom of the 45-foot deep lake and the reflection of trees surrounding the lake.
Rendevous with A, M and Little A at Burgerville.
- Carful of stuff (2)
- Toddlers (2)
Staving off dread.
Met Ginger, the affable Christian fast-food waitron.� Shanamadele disappointed by ice cream.
Sign spotted in Sandy: Celtic Spirit Yoga.
7/1, 2 p.m.: Heading Back
Post Weekend Notes:
- Not so much cous-cous.
- Better prep and planning.
- Get a single site.
- Sleeping bag for Butternut.
- Hats mandatory.
- Bring nature book(s).
- Make detailed list.
Fun Stuff
- Hike
- Little Crater Lake — 45′ deep, clear blue
- Alpine meadow
- Most of the play time with kids
2:39 p.m.
Car accident – bozo hauling big-***ed boat backed into us. Did not stop. Grr.
More photos here.
Camping
We’re going camping with M, A and little A this weekend.
Last year, we went to a state campground.�
(From the State of Oregon’s Parks and Rec site.
It had tons of amenities, it was in a lovely part of the Columbia River Gorge, and we felt like we were camping in a parking lot.� Butternut was nearly six months old, and little A was 1.5 years old.� I remember how concerned Pumpkin and I were about Butternut’s growing mobility — we feared that he might roll off of the blanket and down the hill.
Ha!
(Borrowed from Freddy’s photostream on flickr.)
This year, we’re headed to a small campground on federal forest land on Mt. Hood.� We’ll be near a lake that is small enough not to attract boaters.� It should be lovely, and remote enough that we won’t be sharing it with noisy, generator-toting thrill seekers.� But not so remote that if our cars broke down we wouldn’t be able to walk to civilization for help.
Now, if only I could get over the certainly that I’ll turn my head long enough for Butternut to walk right into the lake and drown.
