Where we're heading next:
Home Sweet Home
Quote of the Day
Peanut, "Wow, mom, now we can say we've been to all 50 states! What are we gonna do next?"
It rained all day yesterday but we made it down the coast to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Here's our lunch: 6 cheese samples, a scoop of ice-cream and a grilled sharp cheddar and swiss cheese sandwich with a pickle. We also learned that if a farmer has to birth a cow in the middle of the night he'll only get 2 hours sleep...
Our goal was to get to my brother's house in time to get ready for my nephew's wedding reception. How were we supposed to know that we'd spend so long at the world's largest wooden structure or that Meare's Lighthouse would be so exciting to the kids? We tried to call but lost cell service in the middle of the beautiful forest!
Luckily, my brother had left the house key with a neighbor and when we finally got inside and took over their living room, I yelled "STRIP!" Peanut goes, "Right here?" I screamed, "YES! Strip!!" And that's when we found the wee but oh-so-stinky gift Doodle had made in her underwear. Along with the comment, "I'll poop in the potty when I'm SIX!" Never the less, we had this traveling family turned out for the ball in less than 7 minutes. (I have always been able to clean-up in a hurry. Having a curly top helps.)
It was great to see my brother's family, especially my nephew, who even with his new bride will remain forever in my mind, a 3 year old little boy.
And on the way back to the house, who would have ever thought we'd pass a small Alpaca farm? Of course I freaked out and made Tomcat stop the car in the middle of the small road so I could traipse across the wet sod in my heels to meet the farmer and his wife! Peanut and Little Man followed their mama and it quickly became one of their best stops so far.
We hit it lucky at Haystack Rock. The moon was just right for the tide to dip to -1 below sea level. That means we could almost walk into the cave. It was truly a tide pool wonderland with huge rocks covered in mini-anemones, brightly colored sea stars and numerous other critters waiting for us to get personal. It was almost a mile walk out and so we were all worn out by the time we got back to the hotel.
Back at the room, it was time for naps, but only one of us slept. Tomcat, of course. Grandma and Doodle were "playing" in their room so I let Peanut and Little Man play at the beach while I hung out on the balcony. It got pretty exciting from up there when Little Man did an accidental back flip off a huge driftwood log onto the rocks below. I ran out there to find Peanut quite in shock as Little Man bled and bled and bled big droplets onto both of us. I carried him from the rocks, up the beach, over the grass, through a nice couple's room and finally into the hotel lobby where 911 magically appeared minutes later.
The nice couple had taken Peanut up to the room to wake Tomcat and we all drove to the E.R. in Seaside. Can you believe we walked right into a room and a doctor was waiting for us? That doesn't happen where we live! Anyway, he has a perfect puncture wound at the back of his head with one of those groovy "fill up the hole with $400 super glue" fixes, a sprained foot, and a strong urge to retell every detail of the story to everyone we've met since.
I want to take a picture of the kids under each "Welcome to State" sign and it occurs to me that this might not be as easy as I thought. The first Oregon sign was above us on the truss of a bridge. The next one was smack under a traffic light! I managed to get them all under that one though and when the light changed, I ran out into the intersection. Picture under State #1, a success! Good example for the kids, maybe not.The Oregon coast is absolutely breathtaking, especially in spring. Every flower and tree is blossoming and the new foliage meanders in and out of all the evergreens on the mountains. When I think of Oregon, I think of Tree Huggers and Hippies and as you drive through these forests, it's easy to see why. The scars of logging are truly an eye-sore in this beautiful part of the country and long gone are the old growth forests. Still, it's beautiful country to drive through, even in the rainy season. Do other states' State Patrol wear shower caps on their hats?Remember the movie Goonies? Our kids are too little to see it, but we enjoyed going to Astoria where it was filmed. The kids enjoyed old Fire Station #2, running circles around the Astoria Column and especially Fort Clatsop. Next stop was the little aquarium in Seaside and finally Cannon Beach where I have always wanted to go. We stayed at The Ocean Lodge with a view of famous Haystack Rock. It's the kind of place where the employees love on your wet beach dog and then correctly point you to the hot chocolate and cookie jar in the lobby.
Early in the planning process, I admitted that I'd need an adult rider with me. Unfortunately, Tomcat works hard for the money (so hard for it, honey) and he can't just pick up and go like we think we can. He's here for State #1 along with Grandma and let me tell you, the car is crowded. And it's loud.
I also know for a fact that the more adults you have, the easier it is to lose sight of the kids and what they're doing. So that's how it is that in the above picture of us crossing the bridge into Oregon, Peanut is seen without her seatbelt. And that's also how later we manged to find Peanut and Little Man locked in the car down the street after entering the hotel with just Doodle.
So far everyone is still alive and smiling. Doodle hasn't pooped in 3 days so her smile occasionally looks a little strange, but I hear you don't actually have to worry about that until Day 6.
Oregon dirt sample.
People are surprised and perplexed, but mostly excited for our family as we embark on this adventure to see all 50 states within a year. When they find out we intend to do the majority by car, without movies or other electronic distractions, they clearly think we're nuts. They also want to know why. Why do this now? It seems there's a litany of reasons why we should rethink this: Gas is so expensive right now. The kids will miss school. Doodle won't even remember the trip! And the best reason by far, "The kids will be miserable and you won't even like them by the end of it!"
We shall see.
