West Coast Road Trip ’09- Week 3
After climbing a volcano, I was ready for some serious relaxation. Since we have a hot tub at home, we are spoiled, and all I could think about was soaking in some hot water. That is when we found the wonderful and quirky Stewart Springs Resort, a historic clothing-optional mineral bathhouse in the mountains of northern Cali, east of I5. They were very cool about having a kid. I had anticipated the possibility of having to trade off bath time with my hubby, but we ended up being able to spa simultaneously. Each person had their own room with a tub in it and my husband and I took turns letting our daughter in the bath with us or reading a book in the room with us. We switched when one of us wanted to sauna, and all three of us went down to the creek together wrapped in sarongs. The next morning, I bought my husband a Father’s Day massage. We felt great about the fact that everyone made us feel really comfortable even though we were the only ones with a toddler waddling around with us, albeit an exceptionally cute one.
Finally, we made it to Oregon. We ascended even further into the mountains and the crazy micro-climate that is Crater Lake National Park. We got there at last light to make dinner and it soon began to snow. Even though we have the solar panel, it is not enough power to run a heater, so we were all a bit cold. Once my daughter passed out, we covered her in blankets and she stayed cozy the rest of the night. Of course, cold is always the tough part about camping with kids.
When we awoke, it was still snowing. They didn’t even have hot water to wash with so we snuck into the little park restaurant. Once we got to the lake, it was too foggy to see much. The trails were covered in snow (been there, done that) and the roads had minimal visibility. Still, it was fun to learn about the Ring of Fire (no, moms, not the birthing one), the volcanic legacy, and how real it is.
Foggy, snowy Crater Lake
Next stop, Willamette Valley.
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