Weekend with Family!

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to visit with family in Eugene, Oregon. Uncle Tom (Dad's uncle on his mother's side) and his wife, Aunt Carol, have lived in Eugene for more than 20 years, and Aunt Pat (Dad's aunt on the same side, Uncle Tom's sister) moved out here about four years ago. I can definitely see why they love it here so much- there are infinite things to do and see, and it's all wonderful! It was even more fun because my roommates decided to make the trip south as well, so we all got to meet up at Tom and Carol's house on Friday night.

The four of us (Jamie, Kaleb, Biz, and me) left work a bit early on Friday, but we hit terrible traffic on the interstate. Apparently we weren't the only ones who were anxious to start the weekend! We finally arrived in Eugene and met Aunt Carol, who thankfully had snacks waiting for us (she's a smart lady- a house full of 20-something-year-olds, she stocked up on food!). Uncle Tom has a pet sitting business, so he was busy with his evening walks for most of the night, but he was able to make it before everybody headed to bed. Aunt Pat also came over to enjoy the nice evening in the backyard with us. We sat around and talked and ate, and the menagerie kept us entertained all evening. Let's see if I can get it right: Tom and Carol have 4 dogs- Sandy, Conrad (who LOVES to play fetch), Shelly, and Monty- and 4 cats- Sarah, Zoey, and two more I can't remember, oh no! Aunt Pat also has lots of companions running around: Dogs Elliott and Buddy, and cats Rudy and Kiwi.

The four of us stayed at Aunt Pat's house overnight, and had a delicious breakfast and lots of attention from Buddy in the morning. He and Jamie had become very good friends by that time, and he gave lots of sad, pouty faces when it was time for her to leave. Aunt Pat got some great pictures on her camera of our whole crew before they left. We made a brief trip to the Saturday market in downtown Eugene, which was full of local crafts and food. Then my roommates left to head toward the coast for some hiking and touring. Aunt Pat and I met Aunt Carol, and we did a driving tour of the University of Oregon campus, where we met up with Uncle Tom- after his morning walks were done- for our afternoon excursion along scenic Route 242 in the McKenzie Valley.

Our first stop was a short (although not as short as we expected!) hike through a lava flow to Proxy Falls.

It was a beautiful place to hike.

The horticulturalists examining the flora. :)

It was a beautiful day!

Lower Proxy Falls.

Upper Falls, which form a pool at the bottom that just drains into the ground- no visible stream runs away from the falls.

Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom examining the water.

Aunt Pat the photographer.

This tree was working so hard to remain upright: it had even wrapped its roots around a fallen log!

The pool at Upper Proxy Falls.

Aunt Pat, Uncle Tom, and Aunt Carol.

After a lunch break, we continued on to the Dee Wright Observatory, which is built out of lava rocks, right in the middle of a basalt (lava) flow. It's an incredible place with amazing views of many Cascade peaks. Inside, it even has windows that perfectly frame each visible peak on the horizon, labeled with signs so you know what you are looking at. If you'd like to read more about the observatory itself, click here.

Dee Wright Observatory.

View from the observatory: Mount Washington (left), Mount Jefferson (right, with snow), and if you look closely, TINY Mount Hood is peeking up over the slope of Jefferson (just a tiny tip of snow visible from 78 miles away).

Two of the Three Sisters volcanoes, from the observatory.

Climbing the stairs to the top of the observatory.

Mount Jefferson (left) and the tiny peak of Mount Hood (snowy peak on the right slope).

Mount Washington. It looks so funny because it has been eroded away over time, especially by the glaciers until 10,000 years ago. The goofy neck in the middle is the hardest, strongest rock, which has resisted erosion the most.

Three-Fingered Jack over the trees.

Lava, trees, the sky, and the moon. Beautiful.

Broken Top, South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister (left to right- Middle & North are close together).

Mom, we found a note for you! Who's CW?

Sahalie Falls, our last stop before we got into Sisters, OR and headed back home.

We ate a delicious Mexican dinner, then visited for a while (Aunt Pat and Aunt Carol got to see some recent family pictures, including an especially flattering one of Kayla... !). When Aunt Pat and I started to head to bed, we got talking en route, and found ourselves standing in the hallway 30 minutes later. We'd gotten wrapped up in conversation and hadn't even realized we were just stopped in the hallway, rather than sitting someplace comfortable. We decided that since it was 1am, we should probably get some sleep!

On Sunday morning, Aunt Pat, Uncle Tom, Aunt Carol and I met up for breakfast, and then it was time to say goodbye. It was sad to say goodbye to all of the family and pets. Uncle Tom, Aunt Carol, and Aunt Pat, I can't thank you enough for your hospitality and for such a fun weekend! I had a great time, and I hope we can do it again someday!

I met back up with my roommates in Corvallis, OR, where Oregon State University is located, an we explored their annual da Vinci Days event, which is a big art and science festival. We had a good time, and some of the exhibits were really interesting. I got to see a friend who graduated from Colgate before I got there, but who I have met several times through geology work (she is getting her PhD at OSU).

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend!