Oregon has only one National Park - Crater Lake. At 1900 feet it is the deepest lake in the United States. It is 6 miles across and was created by the eruption of Mt Mazama over 7700 years ago. Crater Lake allows you to see the insides of a mountain. The volcanic blast that created the lake was 100 times as powerful as Mount St. Helen in 1980. Read here to learn more details of this beautiful place. The pictures we took look like postcards, but it is even more amazing in person.
Wizard Island is a volcano inside the lake!
Hiking down to Cleetwood Trail. Switchbacks take you down 700 feet to the lake.
We wanted to see Crater Lake from more than the 33 mile rim drive, so we made a reservation to take the boat tour. Before the boat departed for Wizard Island we watched people taking the plunge off a 17 foot cliff. Kate came prepared to jump, but I wasn't sure she would follow through. She entered the pit toilet to change and then walked to the edge and made the leap!
Aaron took a short video with his phone and you can watch the video here. Did I mention that the water was 38 degrees? Kate actually jumped twice into the frigid waters. We were told that the lake is about 200 feet deep where Kate jumped.
Brandon and Aaron enduring the rain, cold and wind during the boat ride to Wizard Island
Close up of Wizard Island
Boat view of the inside walls of Mount Mazama. So many colors.
We had a three hour tour of the island. There was a ranger on the boat, who didn't give a tour, but was available to answer questions if you could find him!
Lunch on Wizard Island. The rocks you see are pumice, which is froth off the magma that has turned solid.
Stephen and Randy hiking up to top of Wizard Island
Clouds roll in
Clouds are gone - beautiful!
Carrie hiked down inside the crater on Wizard Island
Going down the trail to the lake was easy, but coming back up the 700 feet elevation gain was not. It is steep and dusty. There are a few benches if you need to rest. Make sure to take water, because there is no water other than the lake itself. I had researched this hike and knew I should physically prepare. The stair master helped me get ready for this unforgettable adventure!
I made it!
Our day at Crater Lake and Wizard Island included about 5 miles of hiking. Down to the lake, up and down Wizard Island, and then back up Cleetwood Trail to the rim. It was exhausting, but awesome!
Phantom Ship is another volcano inside Crater Lake
Kate has been swimming since she was in the 1st grade. She swims with Brooks Coville and Three Rivers Swim Club, and has always enjoyed the sport. While in middle school she participated at the home meets for Rome High. As she has developed as a swimmer, she has caught the competitive spirit and has already set records as a freshman in high school. I don't anticipate her going to the Olympics (and people always ask that question), but she eats, sleeps and breathes swimming. All through middle school she often out touched the high school swimmers. This year she is still winning and scoring points for the team. In fact, the team did not lose all season in their weekly dual and three way meets. They participated in three invitational meets, where they finished 3rd, 1st and 8th. The invitationals had as many as 30 teams! Swimming is all about technique and fast times. Coach Coville is a technique coach. Coach Powers, the high school coach, works on speed. It's a great combo! Kate has dropped times in every event this year, getting faster and stronger. She is primarily a distance swimmer, but she can't sprint too. We call her the beast! And this year we have begun calling her Wonder Woman, which is her favorite 70's TV show!
A very young Kate with Coach Coville
Kate has changed so much since December 2012 when Randy retired. The photo on the right is with Kenzie Bentz, a Berry student who helps coach the RHS team!
Kate, Coach Powers and teammate Charlynn
THE relay team! They broke the 2004 school record in the 200 IM
Waiting on results at the Invitational!
They won the meet!!
State bound swimmers!
Kate has her usual cheering section at every meet - me, Dad, Aaron and Grandmommie. On occasion Carrie will come and bring a friend or two. At the Dalton Invitational we 'Face Timed' with Alyssa in Mississippi. That was really exciting, especially since Kate dropped 5 seconds in her 500 freestyle! In fact, she has dropped 17 seconds in that event since November.
Team Kate!
There is a record board in the pool area at the high school. Many of the girls' records are from 1999 and the early 2000's. I am predicting new records over the next several years! At the beginning of the season there were three empty spaces on the board. An empty space exist because no RHS swimmer has qualified for state in that event. Kate's name will go up in one of those empty spaces for the 100 backstroke. Here's the exciting night! Not many freshmen qualify for the state meet in an individual event, but Kate did it! She was really close in a few other individual events. If her times continue to drop, then next year she could qualify in 5 individual events. She will represent RHS next week at the state meet in 3 relays and the 100 backstroke. It's been fun to see Kate have success in something she loves! We are the proud family!
On Tuesday January 28 there was snow in the forecast, but the weatherman said it would most likely be a dusting for our area. He was incorrect, proving that God is in control!
View from my office at 11:30 a.m.
Classes were cancelled at 1:00 p.m. Here is the Ford Complex when I left campus
Traffic was bumper to bumper going to West Rome. The usual commute is 10 minutes turned to almost an hour. Nothing compared to the Atlanta nightmare.
I didn't have an ice scraper handy, so my Swift and Finch coffee sleeve did the job!
Ready for some fun on a local hill!
Aaron decided to try snow kayaking. Click for a video!
Randy's vintage 60's sled was the favorite mode of transportation! Even I went down a few times!
Give me a push!
School was out the remainder of the week due to ice covering the roads. We enjoyed several neighborhood walks to try sledding on other hills, and a couple of WalMart excursions helped us walk off all the eating we did. I like to cook on snow days! Randy, Kate and our travelling neighbors, the Williams hiked to the Berry Reservoir to enjoy the beauty of the mountain campus. Carrie and her Winshape friends hiked to the House of Dreams where they skated on a frozen pond. Instagram blew up with pictures from the Berry campus!
Alyssa had snow and ice in Mississippi too which meant no school for several days. Though we have all enjoyed the snow and days off, we are ready for the routine to resume!
I've been a fan of swimming since the days of Mark Spitz (see 1976 Olympics). I think it's an exciting sport & provides an excellent form of exercise. Plus it's a lifetime sport!
Kate started swimming in 1st grade, and she LOVES it. Everyone at our house follows the swim culture. We watch it on the computer, on TV and read about it in Kate's Splash magazine. Kate's a member of USA swimming, same as Michael Phelps. I doubt Kate will be an Olympic swimmer, but she has fun with it and it has provided her with a lot of self confidence. She is strong physically and mentally. She loves the competition, and is getting faster every week. She trains with Three Rivers Swim Club (TRSC) at Rome High. Her coach is Brooks Coville & he teaches super technique while keeping it low key and fun for the kids. He is also the father of Alex Coville, who will be at the Olympic Trials in 2012 - hoping to make the USA team in the sprints.
TRSC swimmers with Alex Coville (4th from left)
The first weekend in December was AT &T Winter Nationals at Georgia Tech. Many high profile swimmers were there, and some that needed to make qualifying times for the Olympic Trials. Alex and some of his Stanford teammates were there. Kate, Carrie & Randy went to watch the finals on the 3rd night. There were quite a few from Kate's swim club that attended.
The next weekend was the annual Jingle Bell meet in Dalton Georgia. This is a fun meet & Kate looks forward to it because the high-powered Atlanta swimmers don't typically attend. This means she can get some hardware! She came home with 3 medals and 2 ribbons. She also lowered her times in all 5 events, always good for a swimmer.
Kate ready to step up on the blocks
The following video is the 50 backstroke. Kate is in the lane 2nd from the bottom. She finished 2nd in the heat and overall in her age group!!
On December 16 & 17 Mutual of Omaha brought the Duel in the Pool to Atlanta. So, back to Georgia Tech we go for more swimming. This time I went with Kate & Carrie. It was Team USA vs. Team Europe. We attended the Saturday afternoon session. We had great seats, and saw some excellent swimming. There was at least one world record, and several American records set at the meet. Michael Phelps was not attendance, but many other famous & fabulous swimmers kept us cheering.
Missy Franklin is the newest star of swimming. She turned 16 this summer. & is so fast.
Team USA
Start of the 100 backstroke. Ryan Lochte in lane 4
London Calling!
USA! USA! USA!
Doors going into the pool had these great transparent posters. Soni is Olympic breaststroker.
At the end of the meet we were able to get autographs from Missy Franklin and Brendan Hansen. Hansen is 30 years old, and coming back to swimming after doing triathlons. Look for him in the breaststroke in London. You can be sure that we will be watching & cheering for Team USA.
I have always tried to exercise on a regular basis. Most of the time it includes walking the hills in my neighborhood. The last few years I have walked at Berry, enjoying the beauty & solitude of the campus. My walks are void of music, just praying. When on campus, I would sometimes stop in at College or Barnwell Chapel. I might pick up a hymnal and sing, or just read a few chapters from the Word.
This summer Kate & I began going to the Cage to workout. Since Kate spends a lot of time in the pool it's important for her to get some "land work". She enjoys the various machines at the Cage, and she has taught me how to operate them! Since school started I have continued going two mornings a week before classes. Kate & I still go on Saturday.
LIKES:
it's free because I have a faculty/staff ID!
the temperature is always just right
variety of machines to aid in my workout
Kate is willing to go & it's something we do together - we are in the same room at the same time!
clean showers & dressing room
getting my heart rate up & feeling good
DISLIKES:
when students are on campus it gets crowded - today it was full of baseball players
the music they play over the sound system...therefore I plug in my iPod
the TV's, I prefer the machines that look out over campus
When I first started I could barely make it 5 minutes on the elliptical, now I can do 30 minutes! I can bike 6 miles in about 20 minutes. Kate is a beast, she sets the elliptical on high incline & resistance and goes for strong for 10 minutes. She can also leg press 300 pounds!
I still walk in the neighborhood a few mornings a week. Last week I even walked on campus before I went in the Cage. I love my prayer walk time outside in God's creation, but grateful for a beautiful facility to add to my routine.
