vacation since Benton was born. That's right -- we've
not traveled anywhere if not for a holiday, wedding,
or other planned out-of-town gathering. Given
Benton's medical needs, flying is a tough choice for
us, so we took to the road!
Dennis, Tam, Benton, Iron, and Dennis's mom
Judy packed in the Yukon and headed south. Way
south. Our destination? Dennis's Aunt Cookie's house
on Eel River in Northern California. For years Dennis
has shared stories of many fun summers spent at his
aunt's, and he's often said he wanted to take Tamara.
With Judy along to help care for Benton, we figured it
was about time!
Above is a shot of Iron and Mom cuddling on
Aunt Cookie's deck overlooking Eel River at sunset.
After 14 hours of driving, we were happy to arrive!
Below is a shot of Aunt Cookie's beautiful deck view.
Here Iron and Daddy are exploring Aunt Cookie's
property. Her house is in the background.
Aunt Cookie has a very green thumb! Following
are shots of some of the many flowers blooming
in her yard.
But enough lounging around...
We're heading to the river!!!
Daddy carefully held Benton in the water,
which he LOVED!!! What a big bathtub!
Iron wasn't so sure himself...
One of the trip's highlights was a six-hour kayak
trip Dennis and Tam took down Eel River. We
were guided by Aunt Cookie's neighbor, Jerri.
We put in at 9:30a, and temps were already
climbing. But the glassy water was perfect!
We paddled leisurely and stopped wherever
we wanted. Our favorite spots were passageways
and little "caves" among rocks. The water there
was so clear and deep -- great for jumping into!
We'd beach our kayaks to swim and walk around
as well, searching for rocks and driftwood.
Here are some of the rocks we collected. (When
we got home, we put a light finish on them so they
always look wet, which brings out their most vibrant
natural colors.)
A few hours into the adventure we found a
gorgeous waterfall. It doesn't look like much
in this shot, but it was beautiful!
Near the end of the trip, we came across
a large rock that looked like it had a bunch
of mammoth barnacles on one side of it. Here
Tam is getting a closer look.
The bumps were actually birds' nests made of
mud. The tenants were flying in and out of them
like they were all late for some event! If you look
real close, you can see one birdie's beak peeking out.
One more stop: Here we're checking out an old,
abandoned train track trellis. Eel River was
founded as a logging town, and train tracks followed
the river through the area. Although no longer in
service, the tracks' bones were evident everywhere.
This trellis was built so the train could traverse a
"small" creek that feeds Eel River. Apparently,
during the winter/spring, this creek still rises some
30 feet or so above Dennis's head!
Even though we had a blast, we were happy
to come home and see our boys again.
Here's a funny shot of Benton and Iron
sharing cheerios. Well, I'm not sure Benton
meant to share, but Iron's eyes had locked
in on their prey.
Don't believe us? Check out this video! :-)
On our way out of the Eel River area, we made a
pit stop in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Here
Tam and Iron stand in front of a massive Redwood
tree. And that was one of the small ones!
Although time passed way too quickly, we had a
wonderful time and are so glad we took the trip. It's
great to know we'll still have the fond memories long
after our tans fade. Aunt Cookie, thanks for the great
hospitality -- we treasure the time spent with you!
And Judy, thanks for all your help as well...we
wouldn't have enjoyed the trip without you! We love
you both!
