DARWIN is on his 12th year of teaching, currently at Springville High School teaching astronomy, geology, environmental science, and physics. He also teaches physics at UVU for a 7 week STEM summer school program for junior high students. He also teaches teenagers in our church ward. He's super busy, but still makes time to be an awesome dad and husband.Aug 2: Up and at 'em bright and early. We left Mapleton around 8:30-9:00am and were on our way to the Oregon Coast. Dar's family decided to drive up through Nevada this time (they usually go up through Boise) and it was the first time I had the opportunity to experience the Bonneville Salt Flats. They really are beautiful, despite what some people might say, and pretty amazing when you think about it....All that salt deposited after Lake Bonneville dried up (can you tell Darwin is rubbing off on me? Haha). *Also, a little side-note: Part of the 3rd Pirates of the Carribean was filmed at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The part where Jack Sparrow is in Davy Jones Locker.
This is a cool sculpture you can see from the freeway on the way to the Salt Flats. Nice shot from a moving vehicle, huh? :)
We found a cool cart & couldn't resist playing in it.
After a short pit-stop we were on the road again and stayed the night at a hotel before moving on and getting to the beach house in Yachats (pronounced yah-hots), Oregon, we'd be living in for the next week and a half.
The house was pretty spacious, and definitely better than staying in a hotel for a week and a half. We had a blast just chilling in the house when we weren't out at the beach front. We made a few other stops on the way before we got to the beach house. One of the cool stops was a place called Bandon, Oregon. They're known for these incredibly large pinnacles not eroded by the ocean that lay just past the beach:
(Andrea, Georgiana, Mom, Kiara, Darwin)
It was pretty windy & extremely chilly! I'm surprised Dar was ok without a jacket!!
When we got to Yachats we were able to just enjoy the enormous beach! This was my first time to Oregon & my first time to a rocky beach so I found it pretty fascinating. I was amazed to see that the rocks were pretty much all covered by muscles & barnicles. At first I felt bad stepping on them (because they're alive!) but once Darwin convinced me that I couldn't avoid stepping on them the whole trip (and that most of them can take the pressure), I changed my attitude and realized I wasn't hurting them by stepping them. Those things are pretty strong!
The house was pretty spacious, and definitely better than staying in a hotel for a week and a half. We had a blast just chilling in the house when we weren't out at the beach front. We made a few other stops on the way before we got to the beach house. One of the cool stops was a place called Bandon, Oregon. They're known for these incredibly large pinnacles not eroded by the ocean that lay just past the beach:
(Andrea, Georgiana, Mom, Kiara, Darwin)It was pretty windy & extremely chilly! I'm surprised Dar was ok without a jacket!!
When we got to Yachats we were able to just enjoy the enormous beach! This was my first time to Oregon & my first time to a rocky beach so I found it pretty fascinating. I was amazed to see that the rocks were pretty much all covered by muscles & barnicles. At first I felt bad stepping on them (because they're alive!) but once Darwin convinced me that I couldn't avoid stepping on them the whole trip (and that most of them can take the pressure), I changed my attitude and realized I wasn't hurting them by stepping them. Those things are pretty strong!
Also, as you walk along the rocks you can see green annemonies all over the place. The sea stars were all over the place too, but they tended to stay together in groups. It was really neat to see the variety of life on the beach. We often saw pelicans, and of course, seagulls all over the place. We occasionally saw cranes and some crab. Here's a picture with me & the first crab I caught:
Don't laugh because it's teeny (and dead). I was soo excited to spot my first crab of the trip--not to mention my first crab ever! There were a few spots where hermit crabs were congregated. Darwin loved to pick them up out of the water. They really tickle when they walk on you!
Some of the neatest wild life we saw though was a hump back whale! And sea lions! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the whale, but Darwin did get some video. I'd post it, but you don't get to see the whale for very long, and it takes up too much space for the little bit of whale that you actually do get to see. The sea lions were pretty cool too. I saw the first one when we were crab fishing (which was also the same day we saw the whales-everyone but me saw the one in the morning, and then we saw another one that night). Then a few days later we went to this place called Sea Lion Caves which is a pretty touristy kind of place since it is the largest sea cave in the world length wise, but we got to see tons of sea lions. Sorry if you can't see them very well, the zoom on our camera only goes so far, but there were a bunch of them for sure!
Darwin loves this picture so much I had to post it at his request.
The day we went crab fishing was definitely one of the major highlights of the entire trip. And although I didn't participate in the consumption of the crab, I enjoyed being on the boat and participating in the catching. Several people we glad that I didn't want to eat my portion of the crab though because it meant more crab meat for them! :)
The fam enjoying their fresh caught crab meat!!
Don't laugh because it's teeny (and dead). I was soo excited to spot my first crab of the trip--not to mention my first crab ever! There were a few spots where hermit crabs were congregated. Darwin loved to pick them up out of the water. They really tickle when they walk on you!
Some of the neatest wild life we saw though was a hump back whale! And sea lions! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the whale, but Darwin did get some video. I'd post it, but you don't get to see the whale for very long, and it takes up too much space for the little bit of whale that you actually do get to see. The sea lions were pretty cool too. I saw the first one when we were crab fishing (which was also the same day we saw the whales-everyone but me saw the one in the morning, and then we saw another one that night). Then a few days later we went to this place called Sea Lion Caves which is a pretty touristy kind of place since it is the largest sea cave in the world length wise, but we got to see tons of sea lions. Sorry if you can't see them very well, the zoom on our camera only goes so far, but there were a bunch of them for sure!
Darwin loves this picture so much I had to post it at his request.
The fam enjoying their fresh caught crab meat!!
We had 2 boats between the fam, and between the 2 boats we caught 11 crab. Our boat only caught 4 and the other boat caught 7. Lucky them! Thanks for this experience, Mom & Dad Deming! It will be one that's unforgettable!
Besides all of the cool sea life we got to see a bunch of other must-see sights in the area. Several of them are sights that Dar's family visits frequently on their visits to Yachats. One of those sights was the Heceta Light House.
We could have taken a tour, but opted out on it because we didn't want to wait our turn after an hour and a half :). Near by the Light House is a place called Devil's Churn. It's a churn where the water comes in with the waves and gets pretty intense at times. If the intensity of the waves themselves doesn't get to you, the sound of the waves crashing against the rock walls sure will! It was a pretty amazing sight to see. This picture is of the opening of Devil's Churn, just as the water is entering.
Just down a little ways from Devil's Churn is a spot called Spouting Horn. The pressure of the waves slamming against the rock made a hole in it; and now as the waves come in, it compresses the air under the hole and shoots out the other end so fast that it comes out as mist.
Spouting Horn reminded me a little bit of the Dragon's Cave in Yellowstone National Park, if any of you have been there. They both sound pretty similar, and it's pretty cool to experience. Then, just down a little ways from Spouting Horn is a place Dar's family has dubbed The Toilet Bowl. The name fits it perfectly. It's really just a ginormous Spouting Horn, where the water comes in as the wave comes in, and then as the wave comes out, The Toilet Bowl empties (flushes). It's quite incredible how mesmorizing the waves can be. I could stand there for hours just watching the waves crash against the rocks.
The Toilet Bowl as it's flushing :)
The Toilet Bowl filling up & over-flowing.
Besides all of the cool sea life we got to see a bunch of other must-see sights in the area. Several of them are sights that Dar's family visits frequently on their visits to Yachats. One of those sights was the Heceta Light House.
We could have taken a tour, but opted out on it because we didn't want to wait our turn after an hour and a half :). Near by the Light House is a place called Devil's Churn. It's a churn where the water comes in with the waves and gets pretty intense at times. If the intensity of the waves themselves doesn't get to you, the sound of the waves crashing against the rock walls sure will! It was a pretty amazing sight to see. This picture is of the opening of Devil's Churn, just as the water is entering.
Just down a little ways from Devil's Churn is a spot called Spouting Horn. The pressure of the waves slamming against the rock made a hole in it; and now as the waves come in, it compresses the air under the hole and shoots out the other end so fast that it comes out as mist.
Spouting Horn reminded me a little bit of the Dragon's Cave in Yellowstone National Park, if any of you have been there. They both sound pretty similar, and it's pretty cool to experience. Then, just down a little ways from Spouting Horn is a place Dar's family has dubbed The Toilet Bowl. The name fits it perfectly. It's really just a ginormous Spouting Horn, where the water comes in as the wave comes in, and then as the wave comes out, The Toilet Bowl empties (flushes). It's quite incredible how mesmorizing the waves can be. I could stand there for hours just watching the waves crash against the rocks.
The Toilet Bowl as it's flushing :)
The Toilet Bowl filling up & over-flowing.
Darwin & his sister, Georgiana were getting pretty close to the water. I got some video of that too, but again, it's too big to post. Darwin thought it would be fun to throw a log into The Toilet Bowl, to watch it in the water. I caught this nice action shot:
But, my favorite picture from being at The Toilet Bowl is this:
As if jumping into the Erie Canal on the East Coast wasn't enough, Darwin had to go and lose his balance and fall into the Pacific Ocean! Haha. What a silly boy! :)
There were a few other sweet things that were similar to the big hot spots we saw, that were really close to the beach house. One was a blow hole that Darwin found on a previous Yachats trip.
There were also a couple of churns close by as well. Darwin & I would sit out by them for hours watching the waves crash. It's a fun experience we usually don't get to enjoy living here in inland Utah :).
Because we had a bunch of people come to Yachats with different schedules, unfortunately not everyone was able to stay for the entire trip. But we did have a couple of days with the whole family there. A majority of the days throughout the trip were overcast, but luckily it was mostly clear on the days the whole family was there. On one of those days we were able to go crab fishing.
Emma & Andrea posing for the camera
Ryan & Geo getting the nets ready
Measuring the crab is essential. If you take out a crab that is too small or a female, you could get a nasty fine. :)
Ryan, Andrew (bad picture), Geo (Anna Janna, as Emma and Andrew call her)
Anna Janna & Andrew
The other crab crew - Emma, Andrea, Rachel, & Travis
Emma, Andrew, & Papa Deming
On the last day we had a nice camp fire on the beach as the sun set. It was definitely worth making the effort to have it.
Look how beautiful that is!
The reflection of the water was so amazing. I'm glad Darwin was able to take this great picture which almost does it justice. He had to keep the shutter of the camera open for 20-30 seconds to capture enough light for this great shot!
But, my favorite picture from being at The Toilet Bowl is this:
As if jumping into the Erie Canal on the East Coast wasn't enough, Darwin had to go and lose his balance and fall into the Pacific Ocean! Haha. What a silly boy! :)There were a few other sweet things that were similar to the big hot spots we saw, that were really close to the beach house. One was a blow hole that Darwin found on a previous Yachats trip.
There were also a couple of churns close by as well. Darwin & I would sit out by them for hours watching the waves crash. It's a fun experience we usually don't get to enjoy living here in inland Utah :).Because we had a bunch of people come to Yachats with different schedules, unfortunately not everyone was able to stay for the entire trip. But we did have a couple of days with the whole family there. A majority of the days throughout the trip were overcast, but luckily it was mostly clear on the days the whole family was there. On one of those days we were able to go crab fishing.
Emma & Andrea posing for the camera
Ryan & Geo getting the nets ready
Measuring the crab is essential. If you take out a crab that is too small or a female, you could get a nasty fine. :)
Ryan, Andrew (bad picture), Geo (Anna Janna, as Emma and Andrew call her)
Anna Janna & Andrew
The other crab crew - Emma, Andrea, Rachel, & Travis
Emma, Andrew, & Papa DemingOn the last day we had a nice camp fire on the beach as the sun set. It was definitely worth making the effort to have it.
Look how beautiful that is!
The reflection of the water was so amazing. I'm glad Darwin was able to take this great picture which almost does it justice. He had to keep the shutter of the camera open for 20-30 seconds to capture enough light for this great shot!
To sum it all up, we had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time on the Oregon Coast with Darwin's family. It was great to spend some time together, getting to know each other better, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean together. Here are some more pictures from our trip:
Partial-Family Photo
Top: Ryan, Kiara, Darwin
Middle: Dad, Mom
Bottom: Georgiana
HAPPY family photo :)
More shadow fun
Andrea, Geo & a big tree
Mom, Dad, Andrea
Sea Star!
Emma & the crabs she found
Rachel & Alli
Grandma, Papa Deming & Alli playing in the sand
Wake up! Time to play, Uncle Darwin!
Hunting for shells
Dar, Travis, & Andrew playing "Stick Stick". Trying to get a stick to stay standing up when a wave comes up, and to not get wet in the process.
Papa Deming, Alli, & Grandma - Precious Picture
Alli got a little bit more than just puppy loves. She was petting a puppy and when he started sniffing her face, his nose was all dirty, marking up Alli's face. :)
Beach shot
Our footprints :)
Geo & Kiara making sand angels
Darwin beginning on a sand masterpiece
He didn't quite get to finish his sea turtle before a wave came up and took it away :(
Cool sunset shot of Geo & Ryan
Our beach house was in a Tsunami Hazard Zone, sweet, huh?
We just thought this sign was funny :)
South view from the top of Cape Perpetua
Stone house view point at the top of Cape Perpetua
North view from Cape Perpetua
In front of a giant Spruce tree - this thing was ginormous, 255 feet tall and 500 years old!!
Dar playing in the roots of the Spruce tree - I'm telling you...the thing was HUGE!
Dar getting himself stuck in the sand
Look how far down he is in the sand! As soon as we took this picture Dar was like, "Ouch! Something's biting me!"
When he got out of the sand he had these little buggars attached to his legs. At first we thought they were leaches.
But they were baby sand crabs. This is what they look like when they grow up.
They made his legs bleed! Ouch!
Big jelly fish washed up on shore
One more shadow picture, just for kicks & giggles.
Partial-Family PhotoTop: Ryan, Kiara, Darwin
Middle: Dad, Mom
Bottom: Georgiana
HAPPY family photo :)
More shadow fun
Andrea, Geo & a big tree
Mom, Dad, Andrea
Sea Star!
Emma & the crabs she found
Rachel & Alli
Grandma, Papa Deming & Alli playing in the sand
Wake up! Time to play, Uncle Darwin!
Hunting for shells
Dar, Travis, & Andrew playing "Stick Stick". Trying to get a stick to stay standing up when a wave comes up, and to not get wet in the process.
Papa Deming, Alli, & Grandma - Precious Picture
Alli got a little bit more than just puppy loves. She was petting a puppy and when he started sniffing her face, his nose was all dirty, marking up Alli's face. :)
Beach shot
Our footprints :)
Geo & Kiara making sand angels
Darwin beginning on a sand masterpiece
He didn't quite get to finish his sea turtle before a wave came up and took it away :(
Cool sunset shot of Geo & Ryan
Our beach house was in a Tsunami Hazard Zone, sweet, huh?
We just thought this sign was funny :)
South view from the top of Cape Perpetua
Stone house view point at the top of Cape Perpetua
North view from Cape Perpetua
In front of a giant Spruce tree - this thing was ginormous, 255 feet tall and 500 years old!!
Dar playing in the roots of the Spruce tree - I'm telling you...the thing was HUGE!
Dar getting himself stuck in the sand
Look how far down he is in the sand! As soon as we took this picture Dar was like, "Ouch! Something's biting me!"
When he got out of the sand he had these little buggars attached to his legs. At first we thought they were leaches.
But they were baby sand crabs. This is what they look like when they grow up.
They made his legs bleed! Ouch!
Big jelly fish washed up on shore
One more shadow picture, just for kicks & giggles.
Mom & Dad Deming, Thanks again sooooo much from the bottom of our hearts for taking us on this family vacation and for letting me experience the excitement of the West Coast with your family! We love you!
1 comment:
You guys have had what looks like an awesome summer. It so fun to see those pictures of your family Dar. I hope you guys had lots of fun!!
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