Day 10

Observations from our 13 hour day of travel:

1.  Not one person asked "Are we there yet?" at any point in the day.  I am still reeling in shock over that one.

2.  We drove 3 1/2 hours before anyone asked to use technology.  Yet another surprise.

3.  Idaho and Utah are terrible places to play the alphabet game with signs.  Snoozeville U.S.A.

4.  If fact, upon entering Idaho, we saw 6 signs within a 3 mile range about pulling over to prevent fatigued driving.  I'm thinking western KS needs to invest in some of these signs.

5.  We saw a couple of road signs we have never seen before -- "Severe Storm Area" and "Occasional Blinding Dust Storms Possible".  These were in the same 20 miles and left us feeling very safe and secure.

6.  Experimenting with all of the different language options on the GPS can provide significant entertainment when you've ridden in the car as much as we have.

7. I have no idea how 2 boys can get so "hungry" sitting in the car and doing nothing, but the secret to happy travel must be packing enough snacks.


8. Two pens in the hands of each son creates hours of Rock Band performances.  Unfortunately, we realized much too late that these same pens also create scratches on the windows.

9.  In the hands of a very emphatic drummer, these pens also have a tendency to explode and shoot purple ink onto the pants of the parent sitting in front of the little drummer.  It is possible that I have purple hair as well.

10.  Finally, I am happy to report that the prized clay swan creation survived leg one of the trip home, thus avoiding crying fits for the time being.

Day 9

I'm not sure how the days flew by so quickly, but today was our last day in Oregon.  We set out on one last sight-seeing adventure.  Wow, this state is beautiful.  I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said, "You sure don't see this in Kansas...."

We started with a quick stop at the Vista House to check out the scenery.  Again....amazing.

This is what it looks like from the very top.

And this (below) is what it looks like from the highway below.

See that little tiny rock-looking formation in the middle of the picture?  That is where we were.  That "rock" at the top is the Vista House.  Yet again another example of why it is good that I don't see ahead of time where we are actually going. I may have made them leave me at the bottom.

Next stop - Wahkeena Falls and Multnomah Falls. 

The ranger at Wahkeena Falls told us that it was bumper to bumper traffic for the 1/4 mile to Multnomah Falls, and it would be quicker for us to hike the 1/2 mile trail than to drive there.  We contemplated this for awhile and then decided to listen to his advice. 

The trail was not far from the road (just a lot higher up), and we could see that we were in fact moving at a faster pace than the traffic on the road down below us.  We were pretty proud of our ingenious decision to hike the trail and get to the falls quicker.  It  wasn't until the hike back that we realized that we had to drive on that EXACT SAME ROAD to get back on the highway to head for home. 

So much for being ingenious, but we did get some exercise.

And the kids got to see this great little cave on the trail.

The theme of the day...climb to high places.

Needless to say, it was gorgeous up there.

My brother and I ran down from the bridge to get a picture of the boys.  They look annoyed because this is about the 15th time we had them wave to the camera.

 And that's it.

No more Oregon.

Tomorrow we set out for an incredibly long day of driving to Salt Lake City.

I am guessing tomorrow's post (if there is one), will look something like this:

     We drove for hours and hours today.

     And we still weren't even close to our destination.

     Then we drove some more.

     All we heard was "Are we there yet???"

     And then we drove some more.

Can you tell I am looking forward to tomorrow?

Days 7 and 8

This post may need several disclaimers.

Such as...

*PICTURE OVERLOAD*

*EXTREME EXHAUSTION*

and....*I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT DAY IT IS ANYMORE*

Yesterday we headed to the coast.

Gorgeous.

A video of this little guy's reaction would have been even better.  He kinda, sorta liked the ocean.

He would walk in as far as we would let him (translation: until someone would grab him and steady his balance to keep him from being pulled under), and then he would run away from the waves to avoid getting wet. 

This was an interesting concept due to the fact that he was wet up to his chest about 2 minutes after this picture was taken.

I am pretty sure he would have done this all day if we would have let him.

The big guy preferred rock climbing.  It is quite possible that it is a good thing that I was not present for this event.  I got the privilege of laying on the beach to "guard" our stuff while the boys went exploring.  I was none to sad about that responsibility.

After beach #1, we headed to a 1/2 mile hike to beach #2 - Smuggler's Cove.  It was amazing as well, but I am limiting uploading more pictures for the sake of sanity for everyone involved.

And then to beach #3 - Cape Kiwanda - a gorgeous beach with huge sand dunes.  We stopped for dinner across the road from the beach.  Some guy in the restaurant saw my oldest son looking across at this ginormous sand dune.  He said, "Betcha can't make it to the top."

That's all it took.  My son could not wait to finish eating to make his dad climb this sand dune with him.

There they are about 2/3 of the way to the top (husband is standing with a black jacket; son is sitting for a quick rest).

My brother and I set off to fulfill my little guy's lifelong dream of seeing a real starfish. 

We managed that pretty easily....about 4 times over.

After the starfish were found, the little one wanted to go to the top of the sand dune.  That, of course, made me all kinds of nervous.  I kept picturing a roly poly child careening down the dune at lightening speed.

Thankfully, he didn't.  They watched the sun set from the very top of the dune.

They were so enthralled with the beach that they begged to bring home some Oregon sand.  This ziploc bag idea worked great until we discovered this morning that there was a stick in the bag.  Ziploc really should have a disclaimer on the box about putting sticks inside the bags.  Turns out sticks will poke holes.  I have a trunkful of sand to prove it.

 

Today we headed to downtown Portland once again.  We had a fabulous lunch with my brother's mom and step-dad, took in some great glow-in-the-dark mini golf, and then headed to VooDoo Doughnuts.  The sign was a bit creepy.

Apparently this place has been featured in all kinds of magazines and on the Food Network.

Looks like people pay attention to the media.  This is the line of people waiting to get doughnuts! 

Seriously, I have never seen such crazy doughnut creations.  Oreo cookie doughnuts, bubble gum doughnuts, doughnuts with cereal on top.  You name it, they have it, even a Maple Bacon Doughnut.  It literally had 2 slices of bacon on the top.  I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of that one.

Yes, some unnamed person in our group actually ate that.

And LIKED it.

Ick.

The boys loved theirs as well.

After that...Children's Museum.

The little guy spent a great deal of time in the Clay Workshop making this creation.  He was so proud of it, we had to take it with us.  It is currently sitting a few feet away from me in the hotel room.  I am having visions of extreme crying fits and tantrums as we unsuccessfully attempt to travel thousands of miles back home with this.

And finally today...dinner on the water.  My folks told my brother that they would pay for a meal out for all of us sometime during the trip.  This floating restaurant was a special treat! 

Beautiful weather, an amazing view, and wonderful food made this a perfect end to the evening.  Having our parents cover the bill was icing on the cake!

Day 6

We made it!

Short of throwing the children into the middle of the Columbia River (which is the Washington/Oregon state line), there was no spot to get a fabulous "Welcome to Oregon" picture.  We had big plans and high expectations for an arrival photo, but this is as good as it gets.

If you can't tell, they are jumping up and down for joy. 

I am kind of wishing we would have opted for throwing them in the river.

But what was even funnier was their uncle trying to get a picture of them and the amazing statue way up on the top of the building.  I am sure the people around us were wondering what in the world we were doing, but trust me, we saw stranger things than this during our time downtown.

A few days ago, this is where we were planning to watch fireworks.  It is down by the river and is beautiful.  People, people, everywhere!

However, due to some amazing family connections, we were BLESSED to have a 5th floor condo private balcony right over the river with this view. 

Let's just say this is how the other half lives.

It was F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.

And a bit chilly!  I cannot remember the last time I watched fireworks in sweatshirts, but we weren't complaining.

As much as I love my home state, I have to say, Kansas fireworks may just never be the same after this.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!

Day 5

Here's pretty much what we accomplished today.

When crossing into Idaho, it was windy, raining, and 49 degrees.  We opted to have the kids stay in the car for the picture.

At the Washington state line, there were 6 lanes of interstate traffic and the sign was in the middle of a very skinny median.  We opted to take advantage of Google Images for this little snapshot. 

We drove for about 8 hours today, which was the final long driving day before we reach Portland.  Tomorrow we have just a few hours and should be there by lunch. 

So far I have developed a few "loves" and "don't love so much" experiences.

I love:

1. that the kids have traveled amazingly well. I hate to say that too soon since we have lots and LOTS of hours left in this trip to make it back home.

2. that we have seen mile after mile of God's amazing creation.  The countryside really has been beautiful.

3. that we decided to drive the extra miles to add Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone to the agenda. 

4. that every hotel has had a pool.  This is what the kids look forward to every day.  I honestly think we could have driven 30 minutes from home and booked a hotel with a pool and our kids would have thought it was a pretty good vacation.

5. that we have had so much time together as a family.  We run so many different directions that this aspect of the trip has been priceless.

On the other hand...

I don't love driving in the mountains.

I don't love driving in the mountains for hours and hours.

I don't love driving in the mountains for hours and hours at 6% grade.

I don't love driving in the mountains for hours and hours at 6% grade right beside semis.

I don't love driving in the mountains for hours and hours at 6% grade right beside semis when it is pouring down rain.

I'm not sure my blood pressure is quite down yet.

For those of you who know us well, my oldest son and I are not huge fans of large hills and twists and turns.  Honestly, if I would have known how many DAYS and HOURS of mountain and curvy driving this trip would entail, I am not sure I would have gotten in the car.  Thankfully, I have been pleasantly surprised (shocked, really) at how well we have all done.  There were moments today when I felt like we were never going to drive on a straight road ever again, but we all came out unscathed 6 hours later.  The last 2 glorious hours were relatively flat and straight.  In fact, I think we said, "This is Washington??"

Looks a bit like home to me!

Day 4

Day 4 finds us moving farther west. 

We still screamed tourist, but so did every single person in the park, so all was well.

The scenery was amazing. I have 40 more pictures I didn't post.  You can thank me later.

Funny little story here. 

There are wildfires all over the place right now.  Not specifically in Yellowstone, but several places in Colorado and Wyoming.  We have seen some smoke, but nothing major at this point.  However, there are "Very High Fire Danger" signs everywhere, especially with the 4th of July this week.  It is what everyone is talking about.

As we are leaving our first stop in the park, the gorgeous Yellowstone Lake, my oldest son says, "Dad, there is smoke!"  My husband spots it too and flips the car back around.  Being the firefighter he is, he ran up to see what he could do. 

Keep in mind that we have never been to Yellowstone before.

Keep in mind that we haven't been there long at this point.

Keep in mind that we haven't read any of the literature yet.

Keep in mind that we have no clue what all we will see on this visit. 

What does this picture look like to you?

Fire, right?  It's what any firefighting Kansan (and family) would think.

My husband came running back down to the car, which freaked us out a bit, and said, "Give me the camera."

Huh???

Not a fire.  Hot spring.  Oops.

So he grabs my 6 year old for a piggy back ride and my 9 year old follows closely behind.  They run up to take a picture.

I grabbed a water bottle, so I was a bit behind them.  As I crossed the road and approached the area where they were all standing, I saw the sign: "DANGER.  THERMAL AREA. KEEP OFF."

In their defense, the sign was tiny.  Seriously, it could not have been more than 4 in. X 4 in. on a little post in the ground.

I hollared at them to get off and get back to the car, and they felt really bad that they looked as if they were ignoring the park rules.  However, my husband was still thankful he got a picture before he knew he wasn't supposed to be up there.  I was just thankful they didn't fall in.

Moving on...

The wildlife were out in full force. 

And when I say "full force"....

 I mean full force.  This entire herd was parading up the road like they owned the place.

Well, I guess technically, they do.

This is what you call up close wildlife.   My husband finally rolled the window up because my oldest was panicking in the backseat, "he is coming at the car, he is coming at the car!"  My youngest, however, wanted to get out and see them.

Call us crazy, but we really, really wanted to see a bear today.  Not too close, of course; we are not stupid.  The information paper they give you really does not help an already skiddish child.  First thing the paper said -- two people were killed in Yellowstone last year by bears.  Nice.  I'm pretty sure he now wants Bear Spray for Christmas.  Just in case.  I didn't even know Bear Spray existed. 

At the very end of the trip, we saw this cute little guy. 

I'm not actually sure how little he was.  Or how cute for that matter.

He was a good distance away, and  my hubby teetered on the top of hill to try to get a picture.  This  is full zoom, so don't worry mom and dad, he was not in any danger.  Well, except for the teetering part.  That was making me a tad nervous.

And finally, a Yellowstone blog just wouldn't be complete without Old Faithful.

And on a completely unrelated note....this is most likely what this child will look like next time you see him.  He didn't wear the hat in the swimming pool, but that's about the only time it has come off of his head since lunch time today.

Day 3

Well, you win some....and you lose some.  It's just a fact of life. 

The day started out great.  We left South Dakota and ventured over to Wyoming.  This is the first state sign we actually saw and was able to pull over for.  I'm not sure how we missed the others, but if it weren't for my eldest child shouting "SIGN!", we would have missed this one as well.  Well, that and my husband's mad driving skills as he whipped skidded pulled the car off the road in a calm, safe driving pattern.  We may have had to back up on the interstate a little bit. 

We had some amazing scenery along the way.

And stopped for a few minutes to let the boys play in the snow.

What I do not have a picture of is my little guy thinking that he could run down this mountain.  He was all smiles at first, but as we were screaming at him to slow down, his face turned to sheer terror as he began to fly out of control.  I am still saying prayers of thankfulness that my husband was able to reach out and grab him.  There is no doubt the result would have been very ugly otherwise.

A couple of hours and a few scenic shots later, we arrived at our.....ummmm....hotel.

This was an interesting choice.  We are seriously hoping that this remains at the bottom of our "you lose some" hotels for the duration of this trip.

The internet is a tricky thing.  This place looked unique (it is...), had good reviews (there are some quaint features), and appeared to have lots of things for the kids to do (well.....there is a swing set).  We have looked back at their website and noticed that it has completely changed since we booked a room several months ago (hmmmmmmm).

On the flip side, the people are super nice, the accomodations are clean, and we got to stay in this little cabin-looking room.  The decor is from the 70's, but it is cozy and there is no one on the floor above us walking around their hotel room all night (there were some serious night owls in the last hotel). 

So, it's all good.

They even had a large outdoor pool....

with a huge sign that said HEATED.

See how warm it was?