Into California...

The amazing Crater Lake

Well according to the road signs we have passed in Oregon, and the tiny bit of California we have seen so far, they are more worried about your litter than your life! Yes, depending on which county you are in, you could be fined anything from $92 - $147 for not wearing your seatbelt, but $500 - $6250 for tossing your lolly wrapper out the window!!! Really???

Anyway, we are nearing the end of our trip now, with 4 days to go for myself and the kids, and we can finally say that taking out insurance will pay off! This morning both Stefan and I had to visit the doctor, at a cost of around $400 NZ! And what a process! When we arrived I had to fill in 2 forms, which were then entered into their computer, my ID photocopied, then they printed out some forms which I had to read and sign, (I think I signed 8 pieces of paper for them!) then we were seen by a nurse who took complete medical history, checked all our vitals etc, and then we were seen by the doctor who went through much of this history again and was incredibly friendly and helpful. Then I had to sign 3 separate forms at the pharmacy before they would hand over the prescription, and got detailed instructions of all the do's and don'ts for the prescriptions from the pharmacist. During this process though, everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful, and very interested in where we come from, and our travels.

And the reason for the visit, well at one of our scenic stops on our journey the day before, I was eaten alive by bugs and had an allergic reaction to a bite on my right hand - yes, it looks like I've had some sort of implant under my skin. Can't see my knuckles anymore, and the kids are totally freaked out by it. Every time I hold my hand up in front of them they get all squirmish! And I thought that while I needed a doctor, I better get Stefan's foot checked again as the infection is not clearing, and he is still in lots of pain. Poor kid picked up this infection in Valencia, got some cream in Italy, antibiotics in England, and yet it still is a big problem. So, I have antibiotics which I'm not that thrilled about, and Stefan has been given a different cream which is supposed to be much better than what he had been using. The doctor seemed quite surprised that he had been given the tube he had been using. And she said it would still take another 3 weeks to clear! Fingers crossed!

So anyway, back to our travelling, we left Eugene yesterday and drove further inland, first stopping in one of the many national parks, at a place called Salt Creek Falls (where I was attacked by bugs). But it was a beautiful peaceful place. We had a picnic lunch there and then walked down the trail to look at the spectacular waterfall which is the second largest in Oregon.

Di at the Salt Creek Falls

And Nicolette and Stefan

We then carried on down the road, straight into a storm (despite picnicking in 28 degrees 15 minutes earlier) and the car got pelted with some huge wild hail stones. The noise was awful and visibility was dreadful, so we crawled down the road for a while. The road and countryside around us was completely white with hailstones! Thankfully it didn't last long, and we got to Crater Lake which was amazing. Right at the top there were still several patches of snow dotted round the mountain, and Lucas and Xanthe jumped straight into it. The views of the crater were fantastic and we stopped at a few different points around the mountain to take in the views. Parts of the road around the mountain were a bit hair-raising, but spectacular scenery. We got into Klamath Falls at teatime, and the kids jumped into the pool at our motel the minute we got there.

Snow!

The kids near the Crater Rim village

This morning we were hoping to have a look round the town centre, but instead admired the inside of a doctors office, and by the time we got through that, collected our prescriptions, we grabbed some lunch then got back on the road to Crescent City, which is on the coast at the north end of California. We drove through some of the redwood forest on the way, and it was beautiful. Even the kids were overwhelmed with these giant trees. And we haven't even seen the REALLY big ones yet!

Anyway, looking forward to getting home now, and some home cooking again. All of our accommodations in the last week, and for the next few nights have been motel-like units which are comfortable, and have included a fridge and microwave! So at the moment, we are getting creative with microwave meals, but yes, really looking forward to home cooking!!! Not to mention my own bed with a few cats by my side!