2017 Summer Vacation - Day One

For our big family vacation this year, we decided to head to the Oregon Coast.  My kids have never seen the ocean.  Michael and I haven't been to the coast in over 15 years.  It was an easy decision.  Then ten days before we were scheduled to leave, the A/C went out in the van and we discovered it will be cheaper to replace the van than fix the A/C.  What to do?  We decided to be hardy pioneer-type folks and live without A/C. *dun dun DUUUN!*

We left Boise at 4 a.m. and started the adventure.  Some of us were more alert than others. After our first stop for gas, the trailer started acting funny.  We pulled over to find the tread completely gone from one tire, the other tire with visible bulges, and a bald spare.  After changing the naked tire for the bald tire, we decided to limp into the closest town with a Les Schwab.  We thought it was forty miles away.  The nice dam government workers (whose road we were blocking while changing our tire) directed us to a Les Schwab in The Dalles only two miles away. 

I'm starting to believe no vacation is complete with a stop at Les Schwab.  I'm also beginning to believe we should replace our trailer.

We were planning on stopping at Multnomah Falls to take a break and eat a picnic lunch.  The entire western seaboard had the same idea at the same time:  Cars were parked half a mile down the road while people hiked to the falls, we were on a time crunch, pulling a trailer and the lack of A/C was beginning to be felt.  We just kept driving.  Thankfully, we found a pretty waterfall, Bridal Veil, another few miles down the road.  We saw a waterfall and ate lunch.  The world was good again.

We also made a slight detour and hit the Tillamook Cheese factory.   The big visitor's center was under construction and closed to the public but a temporary one was erected.  Free cheese samples and overpriced ice cream bars were not worth it to me.  Michael wanted to hit the Cape Meares Lighthouse and the Octopus Tree he visited when he was last at the Oregon Coast 25 years ago, but was vetoed.

We finally made it to our campsite at South Beach State Park (just outside Newport) around dinner time.  The kids were dying to go to the beach and to eat.  We have never set up camp so fast in our lives.  Within 45 minutes the tents, cots, sleeping bags and camp stove were set up and I was done making dinner!  Everyone quickly ate and then we got down to what we really came for.

The ocean!

It was cold and wet.  We were all worn out.  I expected it to be miserable.  I was wrong.  We stayed at the beach for at least a couple hours before settling everyone in bed for the night.  Everyone slept very, very soundly.

Officially Out of Little Kids

No more babies, no more toddlers, no more preschoolers.  Just a big, sassy seven year old boy.

Who does not think underwear made a good gift?!  Sam.  Michael considered wrapping them individually in big gorgeous boxes.  I thought that was just too mean.

A Batman shirt!  Then his Aunt gave him the exact same one two days later.  He decided he wanted to keep both.

A Spiderman shirt! Then his Aunt gave him the exact same one two days later.  He decided he wanted to keep both.  It was strangely repetitive.

On a non-superhero note, he also got a stomp rocket that hooks to the hose.  Sam and the neighbor kids had a blast.

Legos

The girls and I headed to the mall.  I don't know why I let them convince me to go the mall.  That's a lie.  I go because of the free samples at See's Candies.  That is the only reason.

This time we stumbled upon a traveling Lego exhibit.  There was about a dozen national monuments made entirely out of Legos, plus assorted just-for-fun builds.

You could even touch the Liberty Bell.

We had such a fun time, we brought the entire family back a couple days later to view them again.

There are some crazy-talented Lego builders out there!

Climbing

That little pink blob at the top of the rope is Grace.  Grace loves gymnastics.  Grace loves to climb.  Grace has more upper body strength than I can ever dream of.

McCall

McCall is gorgeous.  McCall is close.  McCall is a cheap vacation due to generous family. Therefore, we visit McCall almost every summer.

Must take a picture on the bear statues.

Everybody was walking these logs along the dock.  It was much harder than it looked.  They convinced me to do it once.  Grace refused to leave until she had done it twenty times.  Literally.

Michael had to go into the McCall hospital and do a little bit of work.  The kids and I loaded up my bike and headed to the beach.  She works out well for a beach bike!

They took turns floating and dumping each other off these popsicle floats.  The girls found them in the drug store for $5 each.  They quickly deemed it money well spent.

Playing in the waves.

Stomping the waves? Grooving? Doing a rain dance? Your guess is probably as good as mine.

No trip is complete without a stop to Ice Cream Alley.

Or getting cinnamon rolls from the Pancake House.  We opted for takeout this year and ate at the cabin.  That is only half of a cinnamon roll.

While we were up there, we had the opportunity to ride the Brundage ski lift for one dollar a person during their summer grand opening event.  It was a rather fun (and slightly terrifying) trip up.  At the bottom it was almost ninety degrees.

At the top it was brisk and windy with a few spots of snow still holding on.

Sunset at the beach when Michael and I took a walk.

The sunset at the beach when we took the kids down the next day.

Standing on a random pole.

Everyone had to try.

There were some injuries, but only some discomfort when he landed safely on the pavement.

They convinced me to try.

Sam wonders what all the fuss is about.

We always bike up the road to this big rock.  The kids love playing on this rock.  It's more awesome than the rocks we have at home.

My mom and sister were with us, so Michael and I felt comfortable taking a couple hours to bike around the lake.  We covered twenty miles, with some good road and some miserable road, and lots of hills in just over two hours.

We found some beautiful falls.

And enjoyed the company and scenery.  That last two miles my bottom was not happy anymore, but nothing is perfect!

McCall, how we love thee.