At the very beginning of the month my dad came into town for a quick weekend trip and we loved having him! We took Henry to his first movie, Finding Dori, and he did really well! And of course we got some Korean food for lunch :) He left before the fourth, which was rainy this year, the first year I've ever had it be rainy on the fourth! We didn't really know what to do with the weather like that, but we ended up going for a nice drive and then getting out to look at a cool spot called Jordan Bridge. You cross the bridge and get to a really pretty spot on the river with a rope swing. We think it would be fun to go back and swim sometime! That night we went with Katie and Cody to the speedway in Monroe to see a demolition derby, and luckily the weather was great. It was so hilarious! I love the figure 8 races, especially the ones where they drag the boats behind them and the one with the school buses haha. And this year a crazy guy jumped his car off a ramp right into a bus!
The next week we had a big tip down the Oregon Coast and to Crater Lake that we had planned out for months, and we were so excited! But when we got there on the first day it was sooo rainy. I didn't want to camp in that, so we got a hotel instead. And then we found out that Crater Lake was calling for snow both nights we were supposed to camp there so we cancelled and decided to just rearrange the whole trip. Although it was kind of thrown together last minute and a little scatterbrained, in the end it was such a great trip! Thursday we slept in and then got in the car and drove down Highway 101 to Tillamook, where we did a little tour, got samples, and ate lunch. Then we went to Lincoln City where we got a hotel and stayed the night. We got take out from Mo's so that we could compare their clam chowder to Ivar's (Ivar's wins) and also got a yummy seafood alfredo and some macaroni and cheese for H. We went swimming in the pool and Henry was SO SO happy! Man, hotel pools have all of a sudden become a huge bonus again like when we were little haha. Henry loves to splash, but here learned that he also loved standing on the edge of the pool and jumping in so we could catch him. He just laughed and laughed and would do it over and over again. It was so fun to see him get so excited. Rusty would swim under the water and come out right where H and I were and surprise us and Henry thought it was hilarious.
Friday we drove to Boiler Bay and saw the lookout there, which is just incredible! These Oregon Coast views are outstanding; I could stay there all day. We also saw the Devil's Punchbowl and did the Otter Crest Loop. We were there at low tide, which was ideal for Yaquina Head but not so much for the Devil's Punchbowl... I joked with Rusty and told him the devil must have been thirsty and drank everything. Otter Crest Loop was really pretty, but the weather was pretty foggy so you couldn't see very far out. It did give the coastline a very ethereal look, which was mystical and beautiful.
The Devil's Punchbowl. It is HUGE. To scale it, you can see people down inside.
Our next stop was Yaquina Head to look at tide pools and walk around the lighthouse. I just love looking at tide pools, especially now after I have volunteered at the aquarium and I know more about the animals there. I even showed Rusty how the urchins give hugs :) We also saw tons and tons of the common murres (birds that look like penguins) and talked to a worker about them. There are so many of them, but the eggs get eaten by eagles so much so that only a handful out of thousands end up surviving into adulthood. I also thought it would be really cool to see some gray whales, but the guy we talked to said that because the water was so choppy we wouldn't be able to see them. So we decided to go and walk around the lighthouse. When we got there we were looking out at the ocean and I heard a man say, "Look, there they are!" and I looked out about a quarter mile away from shore and saw two gray whales, a mom and a baby! I was so excited! Rusty and I took turns watching them with the binoculars, and they were so close we could actually see the markings on them. Then two more popped up next to them! It was so great. They hung out for quite a while because they were eating, and they filter feed from the bottom so they end up doing a sort of bobbing movement while eating. We were lucky they were eating right in front of us because we got to have them there for a long time!
Gray whale!!!
Something I have always wanted to do was to see the Sea Lion Caves in Florence. I wasn't really sure what to expect, it sounds kind of touristy and gimmicky but even if it was I still wanted to go and check it out to see for myself. We were pleasantly surprised that the owners were actually biologists that were really interested in learning about them and keeping them safe. It was exciting to see them both outside and inside the cave; they are HUGE! You could hear them barking and we even saw two males get in each other's face a little bit.
After that we drove through Coos Bay and North Bend to Bandon where we were staying for the night. We got take out from a delicious Mexican place and walked around the town for a little bit before just relaxing in our room. It was a SUPER busy, SUPER fantastic day!
Saturday we went to the beach in Bandon and spent time playing in the tide pools and on the beach. Henry was just ecstatic, and Rusty and I loved the beach and how cool it looked! The rocks were huge, like at Canon Beach, but they were wiggly like a Dr. Seuss book. Henry got super wet because he just kept sitting down in the water. Rusty and I found some creepy looking armadillo things and looked them up later and they are sand crabs, but they were everywhere! It was super creepy.
Then we started driving North again, we decided we would just spend the last two days in Seaside, and stopped at Cape Arago and Shore Acres State Park. The viewpoints there are awesome, and when I got out to look I could hear sea lions barking! I looked over and saw a huge group of them! We looked at them with the binoculars and it was so cool. I just really love marine life haha. We also stopped at a cool spot to see the Heceta Lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse in the world, and I got a quick picture. It was really cloudy and foggy so it was kind of hard to see it.
The Yaquina Lighthouse. I was so excited because this is considered the most photographed lighthouse and when we were here last time it was too foggy to see it.
We stopped and had dinner at Abby's Legendary Pizza and it was really, really good! Then we finished the drive to Seaside and checked in at a hotel right on the water called Hi Tide. We got a cheap room and moved our stuff in, when the guy called and said that he could give us a room with a balcony facing the ocean for no extra cost the first night and just $20 more the second. We said heck ya and moved over! The view was INCREDIBLE. Right out over the prom and all you could see was ocean. I LOVE SEASIDE. We got all comfy in the room and got some free cookies and taffy and some movies to rent.
Sunday
I took Henry to the water this morning so that Rusty could sleep in. We walked around for about an hour before going back to have breakfast at the hotel with Rusty. Then we all went to the beach and the weather got so nice that we actually wanted to swim! I was shocked! I don't remember it being so sunny and hot in Seaside, but it definitely made up for the bleak weather we had had on the rest of the trip. Henry had an absolute BLAST and loved playing in the water and chasing the birds. We fed the seagulls and he would squeal and chase them and was so, so happy.
Then we went and cleaned up and walked around downtown, eating ice cream and obviously visiting the taffy shop. We went to the mall and rode the carousel, which is just my favorite, and then went back out on the beach; this time dressed in swim suits.
Monday we got up and went out on the beach to swing on the swings and walk around. We found lots of sand dollars, and even some that were still alive that we threw back in the water. Then we went and ate at the Pig n Pancake, and ate so much we couldn't move. For one final time we went and sat on the beach before getting in the car and driving home.
Apparently we just couldn't get enough of Oregon, because we went back a couple of weeks later for Washougal and a weekend in Portland. None of us had ever visited Portland before, so we were pretty excited to get there. The traffic was pretty awful, so we didn't get there until late in the afternoon even though we left pretty early. For dinner we went to the food truck square and got delicious gyros before walking over to Powell's City of Books. To end, we walked over to Voodoo Donuts, where we were greeted with a huge line. And I mean HUGE. So we decided to skip it and head to the Grotto, a cool garden area. Then we went and checked into the hotel for the night. Rusty and Henry went swimming, but I forgot my suit so I just watched. Henry had a blast!
The next morning it was WASHOUGAL!!! Ahh! Washougal! Rusty was so excited that he just kept chanting that over and over. Apparently I had a hard time remembering what to pack I guess because I didn't pack Henry's giraffe or his blanket. So Rusty gave Henry his ear muffs to hold. Washougal was great! We moved around to a few different places and saw the track from a bunch of different angles. We even saw someone crash right in front of us! Crazy!
The next morning we decided to go and explore Portland, and it was wonderful! We went back to VooDoo Donuts (a different location) and then we went to the Saturday Farmer's Market. After that we went to visit these beautiful botanical gardens just outside of Portland. There was a really big park that we played at for a while. We loved spending the day outside in the sun and walking around and seeing all of the flowers!
Our last stop before our way home was Multnomah Falls. I've always wanted to visit here and we finally got to get here! It's beautiful.
Later in the month Henry and I went to Meridian to see my family, and Rusty had to stay home to work :(. It was sad to be away from him, but it was so good to see everyone! I got to see Ang and all of her kids, and Henry had only met Lyla so he got to meet the rest of his cousins! Later Jessica came and so did Beckie and Olivia. It was SO wonderful to have everyone together. Ang, Lyla, Beck, Mom and I went and got a pedicure and dinner, and we also all went shopping. One day we went to the splash park and Henry wasn't sure about it at first but then loved it! We had BBQS and played in the backyard, went through our old things, and just had lots of fun talking. We talked about hard things and happy things, and I was so grateful for my family and their love and support. Henry played so cute with Milo and Ollie, and everyone was cute with him. Everyone just gave him whatever he wanted when he said please haha. Beckie chopped all my hair off and colored it, and then gave Henry his first hair cut. Rusty barely recognized us when we got home ;)
The day that I left I got to see my friend Stephanie who happened to be visiting from California and meet her new little baby girl and have her meet Henry.
I had my last day at the aquarium, which was a bittersweet thing. I felt like it was time to move on, but I had truly enjoyed it! There couldn't have been a better way to go out though. My parents came down and Rusty and Henry came too, and I was able to do the octopus show for everyone. Then we got to walk through the aquarium together and then get some dinner at Ivar's.
While my parents were still here we had a chance to go to Forest Park to have a picnic, play in the splash pad, and visit the petting zoo. Henry loved the animals, and in fact just walked right up to a goat and pinched its bum hahaha. That poor goat ran away so fast and Henry was left wondering where his new friend went haha.
Grabbin the bum
They were walking out the door and he started running after them and had to go to the store with them. He loves his Grandma and Papa!
Henry's Highlights
- His first molar has started to pop through. Poor little guy is being a trooper!
- Got his first hair cut from Beckie at home
- He had his first hamburger on our way home from Boise! To say he loved it would be an understatement. He was dancing and stomping his feet smiling the whole time.
- Henry colored on the walls for the first time. He just looked so remorseful haha.
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