On our way home from the Homeschool Family Camp (a new Catholic camp we attended for the first time this year over Pentecost) a few families decided to meet back up at Lava River Cave to explore the mile-long lava tube, one of the longest uncollapsed lava tubes in Oregon!
Initial access to the cave descends 55 stairs to a combination of flat boardwalk, uneven surfaces and stairways. Once we rounded the first corner you really couldn’t see anything in the pitch black cave without a flashlight and it was cold! The average temperate in the cave is 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
Eventually Lena and I decided to turn back with four of the little ones. We thought we had gone so far, but just around the corner was the entrance to the cave!
It took at least an hour and a half for the rest of our families to make it all the way to the end of the cave and back up again.
Exploring the cave (and attending the Homeschool Family Camp!) was fun, but one of the highlights of our trip was getting to visit with Lena and her beautiful JOY{filled}family! My older girls have been pen-pals with her girls for years now and it was such a blessing and treat for them to get to meet in person and spend some time together over the holiday weekend!
That's amazing. I've never seen anything like it. How nice for the kids to meet. I hope things are going better for Lena, I think of her every once in awhile and wonder. I should really start following her blog.
2015-06-02 01:58:24
I have just found your blog and I think it is lovely! We are homeschoolers from germany, currently living in Belgium because home education is permitted in germany. Your post about the caves reminds me of the cave we have only about two hours ago and its a motivation for us to make a day trip there as we actually wanted some time ago and then forgot about it! Your kids must have had a really nice time! I like the fact that in the US the homeschoolers are so much more connected than here. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
2015-06-03 07:39:57
We've been to this lava cave! My in-laws live in Sunriver – it's right there! And it's very cool – and I also didn't go as far as the rest with my then 1 yr. old! 🙂
2015-06-05 01:00:52