A Treehouse Adventure

I told my sister that for her high school graduation present I would take her on a special trip, just the two of us, anywhere she wanted (well.... almost anywhere). After a big debate between Harry Potter World in Orlando and treehouse camping in Oregon, the treehouses in Cave Junction, Oregon (AKA: middle of nowhere, Oregon) won. Despite my deep fear of camping and bugs, I have a hard time saying no to this girl, so the day after her high school graduation party, we were off to the land of treehouses!

It took us about 8 hours to drive up to Medford, Oregon, where we stayed for just one night. We were kind of delirious (and starving) when we finally got there, so after checking into our hotel, we walked to get some sushi. We're pretty sure that the WalMart in Medford was the most happenin' place in the entire town...

The next morning we woke up in Medford and drove to the treesort (get it?) which was about an hour and a half away. And I am not kidding you when I say that it was literally in the middle of nowhere. The drive out to the treehouses was so suspenseful because the one-way roads were so long and windy and desolate. As we approached the treehouses, my sister claimed that her hands were clammy with excitement and my stomach was actually kind of in knots too. The treesort was a little smaller than we imagined, but the treehouses were really cool. They were so high up, and for many of them you needed to walk on suspension bridges to get to them. We were staying two nights in the Peacock Perch treehouse, which happens to be the very first treehouse ever built at the treesort.

We barely had any time to check out the treesort before leaving on our all-day river rafting adventure! Our tour guides, Rael and Dallion, were exceptional. I've never met anyone so passionate about Oregon, nature, and river rafting as those two. My sister and I joined another couple of guys on the adventure, and it was absolutely the highlight of the trip. Not only did we ride and swim through rapids, we got to jump in the Klamath River whenever we wanted (it was almost 100 out so the cold river water felt amazing), plus we got to cliff jump, eat lunch on a secluded beach, go in a natural whirlpool, and practice balancing on the boat while they spun it around and around. I'll also admit that my sister is way braver than me, jumping off higher ledges on the cliff and not being scared to jump into the whirlpool. Hands down, one of the best experiences of my life - and even better because I got to experience it with her.

After our river rafting adventure we stopped in the small town of Happy Camp, a place that claims to have the most Big Foot sightings in the world (after a legit discussion about Big Foot we decided we don't believe in him). After we got back to the treesort my sister and I drove about 25 minutes to the nearest town of Cave Junction so she could have some pizza. The town was so small and old that there was a grocery store, a post office, a gas station, and a pizza place. We got s'mores ingredients and had them by the campfire that night. The next morning, we went zip lining followed by the famous Tarzan Swing. We were pulled 50ft off the ground, and then we let go of the rope to fall down and swing in the air like Tarzan. It was totally an adrenaline rush! Afterwards we drove down the windiest road to get to the Oregon Caves. We did a tour of the 44 degree caves and I'll admit I learned a thing or two from our very passionate geologist tour guide. Afterwards, we had a fancy dinner (in our workout clothes) at the restaurant overlooking a forest. It was the perfect way to end our day!

The last night of the trip, I may or may not have a minor freak out/rant because of a huge mosquito in our room (again, not the best camper). Luckily, my sister forgave me the next morning :-) Somehow I survived that last night in the treehouse and the next morning I woke up at 530am to go for a run. As I was running past the horse stable next to the treesort, some dogs started barking and running at me and I literally thought they were going to eat me alive. I turned and sprinted for my life back to the treesort. So, not only did I survive scary dogs, but I survived the bugs too! Shout out to my sister for putting up with my moments of diva-ness. She's one of the few people in this world who I can spend 24/7 with for 3 days straight, including two 8-hour car rides with, and still never, ever get sick of her. Spending time just the two of us was so special to me, and something I will cherish forever.