Last of the West Coast: Washington Wonders

Two years ago we drove the Oregon coast from the top down.  This year we started from the bottom up.  Now all that's left is the middle.  As much fun as it would have been to drive the entire Oregon coast, we cut up to I-5 at Newport to save time.  We planned on stopping in Portland for some handmade ice cream at Salt and Straw per Christy's recommendation.  Looking at their menu, I was pretty intrigued by the Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon & Eggs flavor.  Unfortunately downtown Portland was shut down due to protests, plus traffic was at a standstill.  Even so, we enjoyed our glimpse of the City of Bridges.

It was bedtime when we finally arrived at the Wilhoits. Come morning, the kids were eager to bounce.  I think the fact that both Callie and I have trampolines for our kids shows how much we enjoyed our own tramp growing up.

As far as sliding goes, we upped our game with a trip to Point Defiance.  Think Chutes and Ladders on steroids.

Even the deer enjoyed it.  (I love Brooklyn's face here.)

With the opening of a new pedestrian bridge, we were able to walk from Point Defiance Park out to Point Ruston.  Along the way, we discovered that this giant bell makes for a pretty great photo backdrop.

Or jungle gym.  Whatever your preference.

Lunch time!  Three cheers for chicken salad picnics.

After lunch, the kids were delighted to discover two seals basking on this log.

As the sun peeped out from beneath the clouds, we rented a double surrey that could actually seat eight.  Who needs a mini-van?

Callie and I are the best at getting into all sorts of shenanigans.

Cousin love in the front basket.

Anders and his momma.

Check out the sheer bliss on Talia's face when we gave her control of the wheel.  Too fun!  Well-worth the splurge.

Back at home it was time for some ukulele lessons.

Jason and Adam embarked on an ambitious project of installing a utility sink in the laundry room.

Anybody think it's going to work?

Kudos to the gentlemen!  They got the sink installed in record time.  It works too!

Meanwhile, the younger men took the Tesla out for a spin.

Anders is seriously impressive behind the wheel.

We went for a spin to check out the remodel of the elementary school behind their house.  It looks great!

Only annoyance: the geese.

On Sunday we took a drive out to Mt. Rainier National Park.  Obviously we weren't the only ones with this great idea.  Even if a bit busy, the mountain was stunning in her snow-capped glory.

More picnic deliciousness.

After lunch we headed for a hike along Sourdough Ridge.

Anders was a bit cranky so we tried turning that frown upside down.

Did I mention the stunning views?

Our short hike was a bite-sized taste that left us excited to come back and explore more.

Alas, all too soon it was time to head back to Salt Lake, but not before saying goodbye to Zoe.

Love this pug!  Love our cuz!

Callie, Adam, Eila, and Anders, thank you so much for making us so very welcome, especially right before the stress fun of a new school year.  We love you guys to the moon...

...and back.  Yes, back we drove and drove.

Along the way back we detoured through Thousand Springs State Park, also known as Niagara Springs.  It'd be fun to go back and explore this beautiful section of the Snake River a bit more.

Our favorite stop was in Rupert, Idaho to see Great-Grandma Hansen.  Annie entertained her with her bow...

...and Talia with a song.

Love all around!  And there you have it--the conclusion of our whirlwind tour of the West coast.  Until next time!

Southern Oregon Coast

If California was Annika's dream, the Oregon coast was mine.  This picture was taken somewhere along the Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor.  It's not that often that you find truckers pulling over to take a photo, but we were joined by an eighteen-wheeler as we enjoyed the view.

Annika was super hilarious.  She was intrigued by the tsunami evacuation signs, but kept calling it a salami instead.  Frightening indeed.  I'd hate to get crushed by a giant salami.

At Lance's recommendation, we stopped at Natural Bridges.  The trail was too steep for us to feel safe climbing all the way down, but we loved the view from here.  

While exploring, Eli discovered this beautiful succulent.

Breathtaking.

Farther along in our day (remember, we'd been in the Redwoods just that morning), we stopped off at Meyers Creek Beach for some playtime.  

The coastal waters are chilling, but the kids loved it anyway.

Big kids too.  After all, it's not every day that you find seaweed...

...and use it to jump rope!

Dinner was fish and chips from the Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford.  SO tasty!

How you know the fish is fresh.

Our final excursion on this most eventful day was Face Rock beach in Bandon, Oregon.  The wind was really whipping up top and the kids were exhausted so they almost didn't get out of the car to play, but in the end everyone was glad we did.

After all, how often do you get to play frisbee in a place like this?

Top ten sunset.  How can something as predictable as the sun going down be so extraordinary?

We all slept well that night in Bandon's Lamplighter Inn.  Not much to look at from the outside, but clean and comfy on the inside.

In the morning, Jason and I went for a beach run.

Slo Pliz: Duks and Gooziz Range.

Even though we had a long drive to Washington ahead of us, we stayed around long enough to explore the Old Town as well.

Quite the Covid-friendly fish, made out of waste materials recovered from the sea.

More art inside the Farmer's market.

Last stop: the Cranberry Sweets Shop.  We needed some sugar to fuel the next leg of our drive.

As much as we loved our short stint in Oregon, moving on was easy knowing that the Wilhoits were waiting on the other side. Stay tuned for the last phase of our West coast adventure.