The great thing about the house we stayed at was watching the ocean out of the front windows, be able to hear the waves when we opened the front door, and have such a short walk down. We also enjoyed having a living room to congregate in, the kitchen fit us all with the addition of a little picnic table for the kids, and eating real food out of the kitchen every day.
Sunday we went to church and then took a nap which was much needed. That evening we walked down to the beach and enjoyed being at our destination and the break from our everyday lives.
Monday we all drove down to the Tillamook cheese factory. We enjoyed looking at the displays, sampling cheese, and eating yummy ice cream. After the cheese factory we all went different directions. Our family went to the Air Museum where we ate at the café and then looked at all the airplanes. The kids liked climbing in the old simulators. And Jacob just wanted to know how many people could sit in each of the planes. The structure itself was pretty amazing. It’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest free standing all wood structure in the world. After the museum we drove out to the Cape Meares Lighthouse which was the only lighthouse we visited. We couldn’t go up in the lighthouse because two vandals shot it up in January. While there we also saw the octopus tree which is the largest Sitka spruce in Oregon (I think). It’s a crazy looking tree.
That night someone set up the wii and started playing Dr. Mario and that’s the game that got played almost continually whenever we were at the house. Most of us played on level 15 and we’d all take turns. All the adults played except for Angelisa. It was lots of fun although it did prevent us from playing any of the many games we brought with us.
Tuesday morning Jarl, my brothers, and I went surfing at the beach in Oswald State Park because. It’s a cove and therefore protected from the wind which made it more enjoyable to surf at. We had a lot of fun and of course everyone stood on their boards except me. I did mostly stand up once but that was it. Otherwise I rode on my stomach and knees and had a good time. It’s an awesome feeling to have the wave push you through the water. I would love to try it again sometime. Some of us got chafed around our necks from the wetsuits. I still look like someone tried to strangle me.
Thursday morning my parents went with us into Seaside to browse the shops. The kids rode the carousal and Jarl rode too to hold Kaley onto the horse. My mom bought fudge at my dad’s request and he taught the kids how to appropriately eat it by savoring it as it melts in your mouth. That afternoon my dad stayed at the house and watched our kids while brushing up on his Dr. Mario skills. We and others went and saw a movie. It was fun to go to a movie and take a break from being a mom for a while.
Thursday Aaron went with us to Ecola State Park. After looking at some of the overlooks we ate lunch and then hiked the Clatsop Trial. The hike was gorgeous and there was plenty to look at for the kids. The hike was 2.5 miles and went up 800 feet and then back down and it took us 3 hours to do. Kaley was a trooper in the backpack and dozed much of the way. We saw massive trees, slugs, wind damage, and beautiful scenery. This hike was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Unfortunately it was foggy so we didn’t get to see the Tillamook Lighthouse at the overlook. After hiking we walked on Indian Beach and then headed back to Seaside.
Friday we ate fish, chips, and chowder at Mo’s since being on the coast is the best place to eat that and Jarl really wanted to go. This was the only sunny day we had all week so it was a good day to be at Cannon Beach and to let the kids play on the sand. They had a good time making sand angels and playing. Jarl enjoyed flying a kite. We finally hit low tide at Indian Beach Friday night. The kids had a good time climbing all over the rocks and seeing the sea stars and sea urchins. Sergie even found a crab for us all to check out. It was nice to be on the beach in just shirt sleeves for a change. That night we ate leftovers and cleaned up and got ready to leave early. It was also the only night we saw the sunset into the ocean. Beautiful.
Saturday we drove to Mount St. Helen’s. We toured the main visitor center and then drove up to Johnston’s Observatory. The movie there was really cool and helped me understand the eruption so much better. It was cool to see the area, the destruction, and the recovery 30 years later. Jarl and I both said that we wished we’d had a whole day there and will make sure we visit the next time we’re up that way. Jacob thought it was extra cool because they week before our trip he’d learned about volcanoes on Dinosaur Train and then he got to see one.
It was a fantastic trip. I’m ready to plan another one.
No comments:
Post a Comment