Catching up and the Maryhill spring free ride

Hi Everyone,

We are just getting back from our trips to Maryhill and California.  We enjoyed lots of skating and sunshine and made a ton of fun memories.

I had forgotten just how much there would be to do when we got home so that is why I've been MIA.
There's a lot to catch you up on, but so that this post isn't super long, I'll just cover Maryhill.

Two weeks ago we headed off to Maryhill for the spring free ride.  Can I just say that we are so blessed to have a home to stay in while we are there?! Clean bathrooms and comfortable beds sure beat a loud campground!  (Though the kids think camping is fun, I think they agree.)

Goldendale is a little town in a farming community on the eastern side of Washington state, but south by the Columbia River.  It's just a couple of hours away from Portland, Oregon.   To me it seems reminiscent of the 50's like Mayfield from Leave It to Beaver.  There is one main street with an old fashioned "Goldendale" sign with lettering that you would find on a vintage appliance. The side streets are lined with charming (mostly) small houses with neatly manicured lawns and sidewalks for walking or chalking.
This house is my favorite.

The weather this time was sunny and warm by mid-day, but cooled off considerably in the evenings with wind.  Deer roam freely everywhere!  We found a fun park for the kids to play in for a bit.

This time I tried to think about what would be fun for the kids while we spent the day watching the race.  We brought bubbles, and snacks, and coloring books, and a few games to play if we ended up the car due to rain or wind.

I decided that we should pair up.  Hannah and Abbie were together.  Dan and Ellie were partners, and Mary and I were buddies. I thought it might make it more fun for the younger kids to be able to be up close to watch the race, but to stay safe I wanted them each to be with an older partner.

Hannah and Abbie made it to the top of the Loops road several times.  At previous races sometimes they let you ride up in the front of the U-Haul while the skaters are all packed in the back, but this time one of the three U-Haul trucks broke down so the remaining two were packed with skaters.  I say this because... Hannah and Abbie hiked up to the top, which is a 2 mile trek - five different times!

Hannah now has my old camera and she took some great shots.

Dan and Ellie hung with Mary and me.

The lupine are in bloom and just beautiful.  They always make me smile and think of Miss Rumphius.

While Hannah and Abbie trekked up the hill, we four found a good spot to sit and watch the skaters.

So that was Saturday.
Sunday started with church.  We have found a small church that we like to attend when we are in Goldendale.  We want the children to know that God is our top priority.  Not to be legalistic about it, but skate races come frequently enough that if we skipped church every time, it wouldn't be the example we want to set.  So we've made church part of the package.

Sunday's weather forecast had sunshine and a wind advisory. 😨 It turned out to be a tail wind, probably adding 10 mph to their already fast speeds.

Since it was so windy, the kids stayed in the car, while I headed up to find a good photo spot.  I could barely walk the road.  It was so cold that I borrowed a hoody from Caleb and a jacket from Eric!

I saw several skaters wipe out at this particular corner.

What I didn't see was Eric wipe out!
You can see it here from his helmet-cam.

Hannah was further down the track and texted me to let me know that Eric had taken a spill.
Of course, the first question I asked when I got to him was,  "Are you hurt?"  His response was, "No, I'm fine, but I'll have a big bruise!"  They have the paramedics on site. They checked him out and thought he was fine, but of course, advised that he check in with his doctor the next day to be sure.

Sadly, that was Eric's first run of the day and... his last.  Caleb, on the other hand, took several more runs down the track on his drift trike.

At 5:00 pm, we called it quits, packed up, said our good-byes to Caleb, and headed off into the sunset headed for home.

Monday was the day for us to unpack from Maryhill, do laundry, and re-pack for our trip to California the next day.
Not knowing which gear to pack for the Catalina Classic race, we headed off to the doctor just to be sure it was only bruised.

So, you see that top bone? Yep, it's fractured!  Not what we wanted to hear!  Thankfully, it does not look like he needs surgery.  Doctor's orders -  a sling and no skating for 4-6 weeks.  (We are meeting with the orthopedist tomorrow to check on the healing progress.)

Even though it seemed the timing was awful, I can't help but think that God allowed this perhaps to avoid a bigger injury - either on subsequent runs at Maryhill or on the Catalina track that he has never skated before.   So, we would be spectators only at Catalina.

Nevertheless, California, here we come!
- Carol