We drove to Portland (actually Eagle Creek) to stay with my brother and his family for about a week.
We had a blast and it was a ton of fun hanging out at their place and spending time with his family.
We left in the afternoon on Friday 6/19 and drove pretty much straight through only stopping for gas a few times and dinner so we could all stretch our legs. We just wanted to get there ASAP.
Unfortunately the most scenic part of the drive was towards the end of our drive when it was dark
but the girls did pretty good and both slept for the last few hours. We arrived around 2:00 AM Sat morning.
Saturday We just hung around their house in Eagle Creek (about 40 minutes outside of Portland). They live out in the "country" and have 3 acres or so of land. There is plenty to do outdoors as they have a small Motocross Track (Yes!) Chickens, a swing set, and a tramp.
Avery and Mckenna really enjoyed playing with their cousins.
Sunday We attended their church and just relaxed around their house.
Monday we had planned to make a trip to the Oregon Coast. Andy planned a hotel so We left the house around 11:00 and drove West Bound. We decided to take a more scenic route on our way to Sea Side. We ended up going to Pacific City. Specifically we went to Cape Kiwanda Beach. It was cool as the beach has a massive Sand Dune. It was great as you could drive right up onto the beach (although be careful where you park, a guy in a 2 Wheel drive mini van got stuck and we had to dig him out). We had fun climbing the Sand Dune. Avery had a lot of fun and although the water was wayyyy too cold to get in all of the way, we did dip our feet in from time to time. The weather was great, holding at a steady 75 degrees and sunny. We left after a few hours and drove through Tillamook on our way to Seaside. It would have been fun to stop and get some Ice Cream or Cheese but we were all tired and wanted to make it to the Hotel in Sea Side. We stayed at a Worldmark resort right on the beach., They had a fun pool with direct access out onto the beach. We played in the pool and cooked burgers on the provided BBQ the rest of the evening.
There is a Statue of Lewis and Clark in Seaaide even though they ended their expedition at the Pacific Ocean north of Seaside at Astoria, OR. The monument commemorates the 18 month, 4,000 journey from Saint Louis to the Oregon Coast.
Aves drawing in the sand.
There was a massive Sand Dune next to the beach.
Avery and Eliza
Tuesday we explored the beach for a bit and then went to a small local Aquarium. It was fun to see some sea creatures, have the kids hold some small crabs and feed the Sea Lions. We grabbed some lunch and drove back to Eagle Creek which took around 1.5 hrs. Andy, Benson, Parker and myself loaded up and drove to a local Motocross Track that was only about 15 minutes from his house. It's called Mtn View MX track and is easily one of the most scenic tracks I have ever rode. They have great dirt and really fun obstacles you can build up to. We didn't stay for too long and went back to the house. That night we celebrated Averys 3rd Birthday! We had dinner and she opened presents, and we had cupcakes Brit had made. We wanted to get a Pinata but it was a little hard to find. We love our Avery so very much and are so thankful God entrusted us with her, and we want to do the best job we can raising her. She has so much energy and we can't wait to see what the future holds with her. Ok Ok, you can put the tissues away now.
Wednesday we again just hung around the house and watched the kids play. It was starting to get hot. With the humidity it felt pretty toasty so the kids played on our slip n slide we took as well as a pool they bought.
Thursday we had planned to meet up with an old family fried of Brit's. We met up with her in Portland at a park. Brit and her caught up and Aves and I took advantage of the parks swing set and slides. We all went to eat at "Panera Cares". Side Note: This is soooo Portland, but there are a few Panera Cares restaurants around the area. They are not to be confused with the normal Panera. They basically just say that if you go in a truly cannot afford the food, they will give it to you for free. Pretty cool concept of a Portland restaurant taking care of their less fortunate citizens. We had lunch and went our separate ways. On the way home we found a Winco and were able to buy a Pinata for Averys B-day. That night we all went to a local weekly Motocross race they hold in Portland. Its at PIR (Portland International Raceway). They track is a lot of a fun and they do a good job grooming and watering. I had decided to race with 2 of Andys boys; Benson and Parker. We all did pretty well; Benson and took 2nd in our own individual classes of Over 30 Junior and 50cc Junior, and Parker did an awesome job at his first race. All in all it was a fun/safe night, and i had a lot of fun racing with my nephews.
Who's kid is this anyways????
Results for the night were great, all three racers (Myself, Benson and Parker) walked away safe and Benson and I took 2nd in our respective classes.
Friday we made a trip to Blue Lake Park, they had a splash pad and a lake to swim in. By Friday it was getting in the upper 90's so it was a nice cool down spot for all. I ended up taking my mom to the Airport (which wasn't too far away) and rejoined everyone at the park. It was a lot of fun playing with everyone at the splash pad as well as in the lake. That evening we finally were able to fill up the Pinata with candy and let the kids have at it. It was fun to watch them all try and break it open.
Saturday morning we went and rode the local track again, it was getting hot to we wanted to get it done early. Luckily we avoided a bit of the heat wave with some good shade, and some overcast skies. The track again was a blast and we all rode quite a bit. We went home and drove just a few blocks down the street to do some U-pick Blueberries. One great thing about the location they live is all the U-pick fruit you can do yourself. The blueberries were only $1 per lb so needless to say we loaded up. The rest of the day was just spent trying to keep cool and watching the kids play.
Fun on the tramp.
Birthday girl.
I think Avery spent the most time on the tramp and swing set.
One evening we drove for about 30 minutes up to Government Camp, which is a small town at the base of Mt Hood.
Aves and Uncle Andy
Kennas!
Aves took a seat by this big fallen tree while we were picking blue berries.
The family at daddys race.
Birthday present: Popsicle molds
Ahhhh, the sweet smell of cash.
Pinata time for Averys Bday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=qwF_uzbNOWs
2 comments:
Such a fun trip! Love Kenna's big ear covers for race day. Love family time and glad you guys had a great time.
What a fantastic trip!!! $1 for blueberries?! That's a steal!!! Glad you guys knew what to do with them ;)
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