Our Vacation Journal- Desiree

Hi everyone, Desiree here! We had a wonderful vacation recently, traveling down the coast and visiting several National Parks. We were able to stay in Crater Lake, OR, The Redwood National Forest and Yosemite. Here are some of my journal pages from this amazing adventure!!

At Crater Lake we were caught in a blizzard and stayed warm in the lodge. I painted this looking out the window at dinner.

Next to The Redwood National Forest where Elk passed by our cabin

We then made our way south and to Yosemite which was so amazing! The weather was perfect and we enjoyed several days there hiking and sight seeing!

Pencil sketch in Yosemite

Just a few pages from our trip, loved every minute until I turned my ankle. Traveling and caregiving can be a challenge but this year we added the dog too! Jennifer, my daughter who is in a wheelchair is amazing and she trained Chloe, her Boston Terrier as a service dog this last year. Her goal was to not leave her behind again so she is now certified and can travel with her. So caring for her, the dog and now with my gimp ankle made our vacation even more memorable! Let me also mention taking the dog out to go to the bathroom in a blizzard made for some funny photos too, she never has seen snow. I was so thankful to finally make it home so I could rest!

From the Rim of Crater Lake

Two night before the full moon --- Crater Lake

 We parked on the rim of Crater Lake about 8 PM.  The moon looked full, but technically the night of the full moon was two days off.  There was enough breeze to put a mild chop of the surface of the lake ... creating a shimmer in the moonlight.  The rim is so high I can almost feel I'm part of the sky when I'm up there.

Sketched on location, and I jotted down color notes, but it was just too darn cold and damp to paint it there.

Phantom Ship on Crater Lake

A small island on Crater Lake is known as 'the Phantom Ship.'  The ship seems to be chugging along at full speed ahead, but it never makes any progress.  Our never ending haze of smoke softens the distant rim, six miles away.

Rain last night!  Finally!