We woke up to a much more promising day at Crater Lake National Park. Now that the snow has stopped and the fog has lifted, the view from our lodge room is stunning. We can see Wizard Island from our window! Crater Lake used to be a large mountain. Actually, scratch that, it was (and is) a large volcano! After it erupted a few thousand years ago, it collapsed into a crater. It was still active, and one of the resulting cinder cones is what we now see as Wizard Island. The crater filled with fresh water from the rain and snow, and that water is actually extraordinarily deep. One of the signs we read said that Crater Lake is the deepest lake in all of North America! One of the cinder cones is tall enough ... read more

The travel and drive to Klamath Falls, Oregon felt long and tedious, even with stunning scenery. We’re used to taking our time when we travel, stopping and seeing road-side sights, and trying new places to eat. Instead, with COVID-19, we felt uncomfortable just stopping for the bathroom. So, we barely stopped. The kids normally love road trips, but they were feeling cranky and ready to be done with this trip. I felt the same way. Northern California and southern Oregon are scenic with the mountains, pines, sage, and small bodies of water. The homes and towns we passed were interesting. Some are eclectic or kitschy with roadside signs displayed on fences and numerous lawn ornaments, but most are mobile homes or pre-fab homes. Everything seems a little poor, but then I’d remember we were in California ... read more

We had an early morning planned today. Disney currently offers a special ticket called "Early Morning Magic." With this ticket, you get let into the park at 7:45am (before the 9am opening), and you can ride a selection of attractions in Fantasyland: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Princess Fairytale Hall, Prince Charming's Carousel, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mad Tea Party, and Under the Sea. The ticket cost was pretty expensive at $79/adult and $69/child. You need an admission ticket to the park as well, so the $79 cost is on top of the regular ticket price. However, it also includes a breakfast that you can enjoy any time before 10am, so that made the ticket price slightly more palatable. I bought these tickets months ago when I ... read more

My parents arrived at Disney World last night. They weren't sure if they'd make the trip, as my mom broke her foot a couple months ago. On Tuesday, she had a good appointment with the doctor, and he moved her from a regular cast to a walking cast. Unfortunately for my mom, the walk through the airport was too much for her in her new boot. At best, she injured her foot. At worst, she rebroke it. Either way, she can't walk at all, and now she's at Disney World! The good news is that the people at her resort helped her contact a company to rent a kick scooter like the one she used in Des Moines before she got the walking cast. Today, they decided to try to come to Animal Kingdom with us. ... read more

We have been having the best time at Disney Fort Wilderness. When we arrived, I knew almost right away that I wanted to write a blog post just about our resort. The kids played checkers on oak barrels when we arrived and waited to check in, and then we sat out on the porch outside of check-in and rocked in rocking chairs while we waited for the afternoon sun shower to ease up. It felt wonderful! There is so much to share that I don't know where to begin! Perhaps it's best to start with general info and then move into our experiences. First, there are over two dozen resorts at Disney World. Each one has a different theme and different amenities. Andrew and I had enough SPG points to stay at Disney Swan for free ... read more