I don't get to see my high school bestie, Iris, and her daughter, Wren, very often since they live in Oregon, so I vowed to plan a trip to spend time with them before the year was over. The kids had a long weekend in November for fall break, and since I had taken Dutch on a solo trip this summer, I decided it would be perfect for Jude to tag along with me. He and Wren are close in age, so that made it even better. We flew out on Friday night so we could spend both days of the weekend with them and then come home on Monday.
Our adventure-packed Saturday started with a visit to Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge. The views are spectacular, but Jude was not thrilled about the drop-off! He didn't think there were enough safety measures in place, lol.
But, have no fear, any place with a gift shop and hot chocolate is alright in his book.
Next up we drove to Multnomah Falls. This place was breathtaking! You could take in the falls from ground level, or hike up to a higher bridge to get a closer look. Jude was adamant he would not participate in that endeavor, but once we got to the bridge he was a great sport. It was loud!
We got caught in a downpour, so we took respite in the nearby Lodge Restaurant. The kids took turns standing by the fireplace to try and dry their clothes! That was unsuccessful, so we all ended up buying Multnomah Falls sweatshirts in the gift shop. Definitely felt like cheesy tourists from that point forward!
From the Falls we drove to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. I was very pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this stop was! We got to explore the grounds and see a lot of salmon trying to swim upstream (not always successfully). We also fed some salmon and the occasional duck that wandered over to us.
When it came time to make dinner plans, Iris informed me that the annual
Verboort Sausage & Kraut Festival was taking place that night. As a vegetarian, I don't eat sausage, but how could I pass up a one day a year event in a small Dutch community in Oregon?? I was game to check it out and Jude was a good sport as well. Unfortunately we got there too late for the bazaar, but the food was good nonetheless!
Sunday's first stop was to the
Tillamook Creamery. We took the tour, sampled some cheese, and visited the gift shop, but the kids' favorite activity was taking silly pictures in the Tillamook VW van!
Too many to post, but this one might be my favorite.
More than ten years ago I visited Iris in Oregon and she took me to Tillamook. We took a funny picture in the van at that time, so of course I had to get the kids to recreate it!
From there, we trekked down the coast to Florence, OR to see the
Sea Lion Caves. Unfortunately the sea lions were not hanging out in the caves at the time of our visit, but the views were still top notch.
For dinner we stopped in Newport and were so pleased to find that a bunch of sea lions were taking up residence behind the
Clearwater Restaurant! Jude was in heaven. Not gonna lie, I was too. I think these creatures are hilarious and I could watch their antics for quite a while. We discovered the restaurant's website has a live feed of the sea lions, so I told Meezy about it and he pulled it up and saw us on the dock nearby. Go
check it out - it's fun. Also want to mention that the food was fantastic!
Unfortunately this was the last stop of our amazing weekend and we had to call it a night. I loved this experience so, so much. It was wonderful to have special time with my youngest and of course make memories with loved ones. Take trips, y'all!
