Craters of the Moon National Park rocks.
Milestones
- First junior ranger badges, earned by learning about different types of lava flows. We’re particularly fond of the Aa. The boys are now introducing themselves as “Moon Rangers”.
- First detour, as we veered around Idaho Falls to avoid wildfires.
- From here out, none of us have been to any of the places we’ll be visiting.
- First time pumping my own gas. You were all right! It is easy!
- Collin conquers his fear of caves in Indian Tunnel
- First bison viewing.
- First volcanic summit on Infinity Cone
On the way, Mom told about a high school science teacher that used a bull snake for a bathroom pass and Collin established a firm preference for scatalogical vocabulary during Madlibs.
At dusk, we passed awestruck through paradise. Mountain meadows full of wildflowers opened to inviting trout streams, with snowy mountains and forest ringed about. We were too dumbstruck to take a picture or register the name of the place, so you’ll have to trust me that it was magnificent.
Our awe was ruffled by some baffling signage. We spotted a Library sign clearly pointing directly into the forest, with arrow pointing left but no leftward roads to be found for 50 yards in either direction. What can it mean? Is it deep, is it pointing to an alternate reality, has the forest eaten the library? Intriguing.
July 13th, 2008
It begins with adversity, as adventure tales must. A hopeful start for storytelling, but perhaps less so for the main characters.
Obstacle 1: We were planning a visit to John Day for Tuesday, but it’s booked with BMX racers. A change of course was needed, so we rerouted through Boise. The boys were jazzed to go to the big water park in Meridian, ID, so we decided to make it an early start. And here comes…
Obstacle 2: The house’s main drain plugged up Monday night. Eventually cleared by Mr. Rooter’s main man Abel at 2am, the unexpected plumbing drama put the kibosh on our dreams of an early departure.
We didn’t make it to the giant water slide or fossil beds or anything particularly grand. Even so, it was a good day.
Ready to Go
- We left around 10 am, and drove 440 miles.
- We played at the park.
- Rowan learned that his neck pillow is a great prop.
- We swam.
- We saw an enormous tree farm. Thanks to Lyza who clued me in to it.
- We debated the pronunciation of words like Wallowa, Umatilla, and Malhuer.
- Rowan won a 3 hour game of Rubberneckers.
- We sang along to music from the Muppet Movie.
- And we played Madlibs over beer.
Rowan’s favorite:
A Fish Story
One fine day, Collin and I decided to go fishing for shark. We took along some sushi sandwiches, pretty juice and plenty of toes for bait. We got into the boat and cast our fishing lines into the ugly water. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my line. But instead of a fish, I’d caught a hairy knee! It was bright pink and at least 1,264 pounds. I had a feeling it would taste shy, but I thought I’d bring it home anyway, because I knew Grandma would eat it.
Pictures are on Flickr.
Next: Yellowstone!
July 9th, 2008
Hazel
Hazel the demon cat is moving out. I selected her from the other kittens 11 years ago because she batted at my fingers “playfully”. This first moment perfectly illustrates how easy it is to see only what you want to see when searching for love.
Since that time, Hazel has become notorious for attack and for spurning the affections of everyone excepting myself and my ex. She has not mellowed nor succumbed to years of patient wooing by friends and family. She is most times a nasty, angry animal, but also deeply and demandingly affectionate with her two chosen people.
Today, my ex will pick up Hazel and hopefully keep her, and my emotions are mixed. She’s always liked me best. Will she recover from what feels like a betrayal? Will I miss her in some important way I don’t yet recognize? Will my cat-ditching guilt haunt me?
As Hazel leaves, I’m freed for more time with my fabulous kids, friends, family and dog, mostly the kinds of positive relationships touted by the self-help crowd. But I lose the fortuitous opportunity that my shocking cat creates for a good story, and the indulgent surge of self-satisfaction that comes when she cuddles near me after disdaining all others.
So in a small way, the experiment continues. Is it possible to be happy and engaged when involved primarily in positive relationships, or is the drama of a damaged soul nearby necessary to keep things interesting? Will I be drawn into some new trauma to ensure that my inner autobiography stays engaging, or am I strong enough to just enjoy life without the theatrics?
In this case, I’m exuberantly strong enough. Goodbye, devil cat, with your nasty litter box, hairballs, and neuroses. I wish you a healthy and very long life - with the ex.
July 6th, 2008
I am thrilled by Choose Your Own Adventure books. The indulgent camp of them, the daring of a purposefully unwise choice, the reward for being oh so very clever when you choose your way to a glorious end. The best ever are the Heartquest books, a pee-wee harlequin fantasy series that so perfectly capture the pre-adolescent thrill of what might be for girls at that age. If you have ever truly enjoyed romance, a fantasy book, and have at least once imagined you would soon start maturing into strange yet wondrous mystical gifts, these are the books for you.
I so enjoyed Choose Your Own Adventure that I once orchestrated an oral book report/play based on one. I cast my classmates as characters from the book (hero and lizardmen, I believe) and would occasionally stop them in the middle of the action to have the audience choose what should happen next. Then I simply instructed the hero and lizardmen to act out the audience’s choices. It seemed a very reasonable approach. I had no way to know what the audience would choose in advance, so I felt it would be presumptuous and stifling to actually write out a script for anything beyond the first scene.
This totally worked for me. Even though it was my report, I had no idea what would happen next, making it in many ways like reading the book for the first time! My teacher and my bewildered cast may not hold that memory so fondly, but I sure had fun.
For reasons beyond my ken, Choose Your Own Adventure went out of print in 1998. When my eldest child entered school showing little interest in books, I went looking for Choose Your Own Adventure in the hopes that the approachable writing and interactive nature would help him engage. To my great disappointment, what had been abundant bookstore shelves of used copies had slowly trickled away to nothing, leaving my dream of nurturing the next generation of adventure-enthusiasts in tatters.
Then this last week, I found them again. These books are now being republished and are available at my local toy store. I bought three. These are new versions of older titles, but are all new to me. Before bed most nights, we’re now reading:
- Cup of Death (which includes trading cards!),
- War with the Evil Power Master,
- and Trouble on Planet Earth.
Trouble on Planet Earth, originally published in 1985, is about a crisis with the Earth’s limited oil supplies. The boys suspect hostile aliens, but I’m betting on corporate/government conspiracy.
Admittedly, adults who try to recapture this delight will need to suspend their interest in quality plot, character, and basically all tenets of decent writing. As may be too readily apparent, I’m very comfortable shedding the shackles of educated good taste and will happily spend time with any of you adventuring through Heartquest: The Talisman of Valdegaard.
Should we trust the mysterious bard with the liquid eyes that make our hearts flutter? Or do we follow the gnarled gnome warrior and his guardian cheese weasel?
Ah, bliss.
May 29th, 2008
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