Seattle - Rain, Rain, Go Away

We left Grandma's house early the next morning, and headed off to Seattle.  On the way, we stopped to see Connor's friend, Hunter, in Portland.  Connor and Hunter have been friends (online) for a few years, and we stopped to see him last time we came through Oregon.  It was certainly nice to see him again.

Then we headed towards Seattle, where we hit the rain and the traffic.  This was pretty typical of our time in Seattle--rain and traffic.  Justin had to work at the GoDaddy office in Kirkland (about 20 minutes from Seattle), so we had to spend a few days there.

We arrived to find that our campground was extremely cramped and muddy.  We pulled into the campground, set up, and grabbed some dinner.  Then we made sure Justin knew how to get to work the next day, and went to bed.

The day was consumed by driving and rain, but we made the best of it!

Newport, Oregon - Day Two

On day two of our visit to Newport, we decided to visit the Yaquina Lighthouse.  After our disappointing visit to Heceta Head Lighthouse, we decided to take a chance on another lighthouse visit.

Yaquina was a MUCH better experience.  The lighthouse itself wasn't open for tours, as the national parks are a little short staffed this time of year, but there was a great visitor center for us to explore.

From the visitor center, we took a short trail down the the tidepools and the lighthouse.  The tidepools were amazing.  We explored them for a good hour or more.

The kids enjoyed exploring the shore looking for anemones and sea urchins.  We even spotted a few fish, crabs, and sea slugs.

Rylee was especially interested in all the organisms we found in the little tidepools.  She and Justin spent a good long while scouting the shore for more sea life, and she wasn't shy about touching anything.  Connor was less interested in touching things.  We took a lap around the lighthouse, where we even saw a few gray whales off the shore.

Then we took the trail back down to the car and headed to downtown Newport for some lunch.  Most of us had this amazing clam chowder that was topped with butter and baby shrimp.  It was SOOOO good.  Then we did a little shopping.

We spent a pleasant afternoon in downtown, then we headed back to Grandma Kathye's.  Grandma had bought some local salmon and crab for dinner, and the girls helped her make crab cakes for dinner.  They were delicious, and the salmon was the best we have ever eaten.  

The girls played cards with Grandma and Mark, and Connor played a little guitar while Justin and I checked out some local campgrounds for next time.  It was a little sad to spend our last night together, but we are so glad we had the chance to hang out with Grandma and Mark.  They were awesome to open their home to us, and we made some great memories.

Newport, Oregon - According to Tatum

It was so awesome to stay with Grandma Kathye in Newport, Oregon. After getting a full nights sleep, we ate breakfast and hit the road to see the Oregon Coast. Our first stop was Thor's Well, a beautiful site that Connor really wanted to see.The well is a large hole in the cliff where the ocean water fills and empties. There was a short hike down to the well, full of lush greenery.

The well was gorgeous, and the whole family seemed to enjoy the visit. After this visit, we headed further north to explore the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

As we arrived at the lighthouse, we took the trail up and got ready to go on a tour of it. The tour ended up being the most boringest thing we would ever do in our whole entire lives. All we did was stare at bricks and listen to a man talk. We didn't even get to go to the top. I think that everyone learned that they should have jumped into Thor's Well to avoid the lighthouse tour. Nah. I'm just kidding. We most definitely enjoyed our first day in Newport.

//Tatum//

Oregon - Day One

This was the view behind our campsite at Collier State Park.  We got up early and ate breakfast.  Then we packed up the camper as quickly as we could, so we would have time to enjoy this amazing scenery.  The water in the river was crystal clear, and the landscape was beautiful.

There was a fun logging museum just a short walk away from the campground.  Since we were all packed up, we took the short hike across the river to check it out.  It was actually a gorgeous walk, and the museum was pretty interesting, too...  unless you ask Tatum.  She thought it was one of the most boring parts of the trip.

The girls had fun goofing around, though.  They actually enjoyed themselves quite a bit, and there was a cute gift shop at the end of the trail.  They had quite a collection of antique chainsaws, which Justin found pretty interesting.

After we kept Tatum there as long as she would allow, we headed back to camp.  We hitched up the camper and headed to Grandma Kathye's house in Newport, Oregon a day early.

We made it to Newport just in time to enjoy a walk on the beach before dinner.  Grandma made us an awesome dinner, and we settled in and watched a few hours of American Pickers before heading off to bed.  Not a bad way to end a day.

2017 Road Trip - Plan B

It's that time of year when the Richardson kids head out on a long roadtrip!  This year we are headed north to Canada, eh.  We'll be on the road for about three weeks with planned stops in Oregon, Washington, Vancouver, Banff, Glacier and Utah.

It always feels like a scramble right up until we pull out of the driveway.  This year was no different, and we usually spend the first day on the road remembering all the things we forgot.  For example, Justin forgot his jacket.  But who really needs a rain jacket when traveling through the Pacific Northwest?  What are the chances we would actually encounter any rain?  After a bit of research, it turns out it's 100% chance.

The original plan was to drive all day to Fallon, NV, which we did without incident.  We stayed in a hotel the first night, as we wanted to get as far away as possible.  Day two was supposed to take us to Lassen National Park.  We've been told its is like a "miniature Yellowstone." Since it sounded pretty cool, we had made a reservation early on.  Once we arrived at the hotel, we checked the weather and found SNOW and freezing temperatures in the forecast... like real freezing... in JUNE!  Needless to say we were not equipped for that, especially since Justin had no jacket. 😒  So we decided to do some "free-styling" and kept heading north to find a new place to camp!

We pulled into Collier State Park in the late afternoon and were pleased to find out they had an open spot for our little pop up.  It would have been perfect except that as soon as we stopped, the heavens opened up and dumped rain on us. So, the first camp set up was tons of fun, especially for Justin (with no jacket).  But, the good news is it stopped raining as soon as we finished setting up. ☺

We're glad to be back on the road again as a family.  Even when things don't go as planned, it always seems to work out for the best.  We'll see what we can find tomorrow!