Cascade Handmade

As I see more places I'm learning to appreciate the different landscapes that are available to explore. Lava fields are no different. We were lucky enough to visit the Lava Lands and at first glance I assumed a dead land, parched for water... This is not true! An ecosystem lives among the 40 feet tall rubble and animals scurry around. Plants become visible if you look for them and it seems even this high altitude place has some secrets if you care to explore and listen and learn. There was a lava tube which is an incredibly dark cave to explore, miles of field full with jagged black rocks, and a volcanic cone where we got to walk around the crater. It was incredible and I am so excited to learn more about this fascinating subject; particularly while thinking about the Hawaiian volcano which is actively reaching further into residential areas. I was glad to learn that the Hawaiian Islands supply leading scientist with most of our knowledge about volcanoes so plenty o...

Have you heard of Geocaching? Or maybe you haven't thought about it in a while... There are so many great outdoor activities to do as a family, such as in this blog post , and I can tell you it's pretty easy to add geocaching to whatever you are already doing.  It's a current day treasure hunt and is fun for everyone since there are so many types of caches to find. The urge to find the next cache can be quite thrilling and addictive! As explained by Sue, an enthusiast, "It's multi-million dollar military equipment used to find Tupperware in the woods."  I recently went to an Into To Geocaching and was delighted to hear from Sue, who also used to be the president of the local chapter. In basic terms you use your phone's GPS (or other mobile device) and an app to find the general location of a hidden object and then use clues to find the exact location. It's an interactive way to engage with the environment and the quiet of people who support it...