Hot days in the Sun

Well, the week of July 20th, we headed down to Southern Oregon for a family reunion. Every other year, Nick's extended family gets together somewhere and has a camp out. This year the destination was Joseph Stewart State Park, about one hour from Crater Lake. The drive was long, but we made it, set up camp, and started our adventure. The kids all had a great time with cousins and the outdoors. (Honestly, what more could you ask for?) I could've asked for less bees, but they are everywhere.
I love to camp, but I am not all about "primitive" camping. I HAVE to have flushing toilets and showers. Call me whimpy, I call myelf clean. That is why state parks are great. A lot of people fuss over the people, but if you plan it right, (not over a weekend) the crowds are few and far between.
So, Monday, was check in day. Nothing special here, just setting up the tent. Tuesday, we spent the day, or an hour or two in Medford. Yeah, that town is pretty boring, but the stores were air conditioned, and it was hot. The whole week was in the 100s. Wednesday, the guys spent the ENTIRE morning, and then some, golfing. I think it is a waste of time, but it seems that every year they go, and waste more time. After the guys got back, we loaded up the cars and headed to Crater Lake. The drive was nice, all through the forest and with the river there, it was a lovely drive. We never thought we were going to get there. Everytime we would see a mile marker, it didn't seem like we were making any progress. But alas we made it and it was well worth the drive. I have never seen anything like it. The color is so intense, and it was extra nice that the outside temp was 77 degrees. That was cool!!!! We walked along the trail and overlooked the scenery. You are just that much closer to heaven up there. AMAZING!!!
I did however experience my very first panic attack. Now, I am not afraid of heights by any means. I do roller coasters just fine, and climbing rocks is not a big deal, but for some reason, I did not handle looking out over this lake very much. "THE BEST VIEW" area was a little scary. The brick rail is only about 2 feet tall, and the drop on the other side is quite a ways down. My kids, and everyone besides me, kept "looking" over and I just kept seeing them falling over. I kept playing scenerios in my head, and it was not fun. I thought I was going to vomit, cold sweats and my heart was racing. Not fun, but the sight was gorgeous.