The Clarks Grand Tour: We made it to Washington!

Our last day of driving was only 4 hours but it sure felt like 8. We slept in and breakfasted at the hotel and then headed towards Snohomish. Stopping for lunch we decided to do drive thru for the kids and then eat at Chipotle for the adults. We're classy (and smart) like that. There was only one small meltdown about who got which dog toy and only a few people turned to stare at us.

Finally in Washington the kids had fun exploring Gramma and Grandpa's house and yard. They played on this cool airplane teeter totter, picked blueberries from the garden, wild strawberries from the forest and played in the tree house.

Every time we're home we look through all the Disney antenna balls that my mom and aunt have collected from Disneyland. Vivian loved all the shiny pink ones and had a hard time putting them back in the bins.

When in Snohomish, you must got walk down First Street and see the antique shops. It is the Antique Capital of the Pacific Northwest. Steve and I left the kids with Gramma and browsed around with Cindy and Tim. Sadly, most of the antique shops have closed and are more boutique style shops and bars now.

My hometown floods. A lot. 

Huge slug. 

The first night we arrived my parents hosted the rehearsal dinner for my brother's wedding at the house. It rained and I took zero pictures. The next night we hosted an informal weenie roast in the backyard and it was so fun. All of our family from out of town came and a lot of Vanessa's family were able to come too.

Vivian found the perfect seat for munching on hot dogs.

Grandpa and Tim did most of the hot dog roasting. Henry tried a bit but was nervous about getting too close to the fire.

Cindy and Tim did an amazing amount of work prepping food and keeping everything running smoothly. We had quite the spread with hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit and lots of cookies, lemon bars and a huge carrot cake.

There was also croquet to play and I got second place but only because Steve became poison and targeted everyone but me. Overall it was a fun and relaxing night. Well done, Mom and Dad.

The Clarks Grand Tour: Oregon Coast to Portland

Day 3 started with a pivotal stop to buy Henry a new coloring book because I didn't realize he would want a new one too. He had asked for a blank sketchbook. So Vivi and I dropped off the boys at Fred Meyers while we went to get gas. I get a call a few minutes later asking if I thought Vivian would have to have a new Mickey Mouse coloring book if Henry got one. Of course she would freak if he got one and she didn't have one either. Apparently there were no other coloring books. So $12 later--$6 each we are ready for Day 3 and everyone is happy.

We decided to drive up the coast and stop at a beach around Lincoln City for lunch and playing. We were hardly up the coast when we had to stop to see this beautiful view of the lighthouse and the sea lions below. Oh the Oregon Coast stole my heart.

Oh and it was cold.

Tiny sea lions. I had actually researched this cave you can go to to see them but we decided it was too expensive and were glad to catch a small glimpse outside instead.

We drove along the coast and it was mostly lovely with a nice blend of sea views and woods but also quite a few coastal towns. And there was traffic too which isn't great. We stopped for lunch in Lincoln City and headed down to explore the rocks and tide pools.

I loved poking these anemones and seeing them close up.

Henry could have explored for hours and I think we all could have stayed all day. Plus it started warming up and it was the perfect temperature.

For our road trip north we had planned on picnicking for lunch and the kids enjoyed lunchables to their hearts content. Actually by the end, they were tired of them and we were ready for something better than sandwiches.

Henry is so sweet and made this sign in the sand all by himself. He said it was for Maya and me.

After the coast we headed inland to Portland. One trick we mastered was making the dvd player accessible to both kids. Here it is wedged between the front seats so they can both see it. Hooray for Mickey Mouse keeping us all sane.

We spent a couple of hours in Portland and stopped at Powell's Books which is so huge we needed a map and it was too overwhelming. Henry loved the Minecraft selection. And one thing I love about Henry is he is not afraid to go up to an employee and ask where the minecraft books are. He knows how to get what he wants.

Portland had a great vibe and I would have loved to spend more time there. I have also never seen so many people on bikes. It was kind of crazy and inspiring.

We spent our last night on the road in Vancouver, Washington. Across the street from our hotel was a great burger place with a huge kids play area. It was like our kids hadn't seen toys in months (3 days) but the reprieve was nice for Steve and I. The milkshakes were great too. Back at the hotel, Henry and I swam in the pool, Vivi ran around the pool in her swimsuit and Steve watched fully clothed. I got Vivian to fall asleep while Steve and Henry went for a walk and then Henry fell asleep watching HGTV.

The Clarks Grand Tour: Crater Lake and Florence

Welcome back for Day 2! Even though this hotel smelled funky, it had the best breakfast. We love a hotel that includes a complimentary breakfast and this one was delicious. 

Our first stop of the day was Crater Lake. The lake was gorgeous as you will see in a minute but so was the forest surrounding the mountain.

Quick bathroom break.

So beautiful and blue. Nothing but rain and snow in that huge crater. It literally looked fake.

We just kept it simple and walked around the path along the rim by the visitor's center. With two small kids and other things to do for the day, we only spent about one hour at the lake and that was plenty. Can you tell who didn't really want to be in the picture?

I was so worried about cliffs and drop offs but these two stayed away from all danger. And once I got closer I realized that that tiny wall wasn't the only thing keeping my kids from falling to their deaths, most areas had grass and sloping land before the steep fall to the water.

After the lake we took a little detour in the forest because I took the wrong road and our GPS was out. Luckily we had a map of Oregon and knew how to read it. On to Eugene and the coast.

We stopped in Eugene, Oregon for a quick leg stretch and to see University of Oregon. Some of the campus was closed for Olympic pre-trials but we wandered around a bit and checked out the bookstore. Our detour in the woods cut into our time but it seemed like a nice town.

From Eugene we headed over to the coast and settled for the night in Florence. Look at that amazing bridge. We ate pizza at a restaurant down by the river and then took a freezing cold stroll along the area. We had a few tantrums at dinner over silly things but we survived. One thing we realized early on is that we were going to need to be more flexible with the kids and the changing routines. We were also all going to have to try harder to be nice to each other.

I took Vivian back to the hotel to change her diaper and warm up and Steve and Henry went down along the docks and saw some mini jellyfish.

Back at the hotel we settled in for some relaxing youtube time.