Dapple Designs

The finale.  We drove up into Oregon and stayed in Medford for the night.  The next morning we drove into Ashland which is a place we've dreamed about for 15 years now.  I must digress to tell you that my husband was offered a job there and we almost took it, but decided to stay where we are.  I never regretted our decision, and then we drove into Ashland.  Oh my goodness, what a pretty little town.  It started with a stop at a groovy little coffee house and a walk through the downtown.  Curtis visited the fly fishing shop and Kyle and I went into the independent book store.  People were walking and biking all over town. The houses had lush gardens and there's a beautiful university in town.  It's also home to the Shakespeare Festival and has gorgeous architecture.  It just felt like home.  We have put it at the top of the list of places to retire to, now.

So, then we pushed on to visit Lassen NP which was quite different from Volcanoe's NP, but still full of amazing geography.  The mud pots and really cool stuff were still covered with snow, so go in August if you go there to see that part.  Curtis fished in a lake there and was happy.  We then drove on to Redding for the night and pushed on home the next day for a 10 hour drive. It was good to get away and it's good to be home.  I think we go on vacation just so we can appreciate our own bed when we get back.  Thanks for reading the saga of the vacation.  It wasn't the vacation we planned, but it held some wonderful surprises along the way.  Oh, and I did score some coconut m&ms here and there.  Have you found any yet?