Day 34: Coos Bay to Springfield

Today was probably a day Jonah will never forget because it's the day he received the birds and the bees talk. We drove to Smith River Falls to swim and while we're eating lunch on the rocks, Jonah asks "What does someone actually do when they want to become pregnant?". Pretty direct question that I couldn't easily weasel out of. So, Ron and Elli went for a walk and I explained exactly how women become pregnant (technical terms and all). Jonah's reaction was "That was surprising. That wasn't what I expected you to say at all." He couldn't elaborate on what he was expecting, just that it wasn't that. Of course, no sex talk is complete without a description of menstruation. He was, after all, curious about how fertilization happens. As I imagine almost all males react upon learning about periods, Jonah said "I'm glad I'm a boy." I responded that getting a monthly period meant that I could feel another life growing inside me like when I was pregnant with him. He said "Hmm" and gave me a little shrug as if to say "If that helps you sleep at night, Mom, but I'm not buying it." I'm sure that's not the last time I will be the recipient of that shrug.

Once we were done with "the talk", we all got to enjoy swimming at the Smith River Falls. There were a couple of pools, a rope swing, and potholes like the ones at Shelburne Falls in MA. The water felt refreshing in the 90 plus temperatures and the sun was so intense you didn't even need a towel to dry off. Elli's big accomplishment for the day was finally trusting her swimming vest to keep her afloat. She shrieked and shrieked when Ron let go of her and it took her about a minute to realize that she was treading water all by herself. Then we could hardly get her out of the water as she was having too much fun swimming everywhere. Glad she figured this out before, and not after, our 4 day camping trip to the Rogue River!

We eventually made it back to Springfield in spite of our GPS's numerous attempts to get us lost on closed, gravel roads. One of the roads we were sent on was so scarcely traveled there was moss growing in the middle of it. We made much better progress once we turned off the damn device and Ron navigated by instinct. Fortunately, Ron got us back in time to have dinner at Hop Valley Brewery for all day Happy Hour again. Unfortunately, he had another disappointing meal (everyone else's was great, though, as was the beer). We'll have to decide if another attempt is warranted the next Monday we're in town.