Our family just returned from our biggest Oregon road trip yet, traveling just under 1200 miles in 10 days together.
There were lots of "firsts" for our family on this trip, as we traveled down the entire Oregon Coast, spent the weekend in the gorgeous California Redwoods, visited the spectacular Oregon Caves National Monument, reminisced in Ashland, delighted in the wonder of Crater Lake National Park, basked in the beauty of Bend, and savored the scenic miles on final trek home along the Columbia River.
It's not the miles that feel impressive though, it's the fact that I truly feel so much more connected to my family, and in awe of the beautiful nature that surrounds us. You would think that we would be sick of each other, instead I'm feeling inspired by my vision for our family, which includes experiencing as much as possible of this amazing state.
Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of natural sibling rivalry along the way, but true fights were intercepted and many lessons were learned along the way. The best part of the whole trip was seeing the big kids work together as a team to become Junior Rangers. Teagan's focus was on building excitement for her upcoming 3rd birthday, showing nearly every stranger her three proud fingers.
As we prepared for the trip, I was feeling testy and disconnected from Kevin after a summer apart (I had already been traveling for nearly five weeks). Thankfully, by the end of the trip, we were both feeling rejuvenated and reconnected.
Aside from our own "reservation" at Olivia Beach, we actually did the entire trip without any reservations. This was a first for our family, as Kevin usually plans a tight itinerary, down to the menu and activities. Yet, after traveling with Miel on our Yippie Chicks adventure down the entire California coast, I was convinced that we would be less stressed to not be beholden to a set schedule. Even though I knew that it was a risk, I wanted to create room for family adventure. As it turns out, we experienced "camping magic" more than once. :-)
Day 1
We packed up to leave after Kevin was done with his City Council meeting, little did we know that it wouldn't let out until past 10.
Day 2
We had arrived at Olivia Beach past midnight, which made for a tired first day, where I worked and everyone else watched more than their share of the Rio Olympics. Plus a much-anticipated family dip in the outdoor heated pool next door.
We celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary early, and I should get some cred for finding a great babysitter who lives in walking distance to Olivia Beach. (I've always envisioned finding a babysitter that we could recommend to our guests, and thankfully now I can!) We spent our "date night" with dinner at Kyllo's, our favorite fine dining place. Dinner at Kyllo's was wonderful, complete with grilled artichokes, crab cakes and a bottle of Willakenzie Pinot Gris. I was a very windy and cold beach walk. It was hard to believe that the rest of state was having an extreme 100+ heat wave, as we braced ourselves against the wind on our frigid walk back along the beach.
Day 3
Our big family excursion was hiking Cascade Head Nature Preserve, which was marvelous. We hadn't hiked the trail since before kids, and it was even more beautiful than I remembered. It's absolutely the most beautiful hike along the Oregon Coast! The kids did fantastic, and the weather was perfect.
It turned out that we had more family business that I had hoped for (sadly I had promised the family that I wouldn't work, but it was unavoidable. I was reasonable and only put in 4-5 hour days, not like our typical beach business trips, where we put in long hours of sweat equity). We had just hired a new cleaning company, so we needed to meet our new vendor/partner to make sure our mutual expectations are clear. We are also trying to schedule a remodel of the lofts to build a dormer and exterior stairs, so I needed to meet with our contractor. Plus, the typically trip to Ace for batteries and to Bi-Mart for supplies (we used to purchase on Amazon and will go back to that as we as we can...) Back when we built our beach cabins, I had envisioned relaxing the pool. Instead, we poured cocktails and weeded together as the kids splashed nearby. Thankfully, we had celebrated our the night before. I had spent most of our last visit weeding as well, and I'm more than ready to clear up my weeding karma. (we are committed to not using herbicides, which has made for lots of work). Still, I felt grateful, having accomplished our beach cabin dream so much sooner than we ever thought possible. My goal is that by next year we'll finally have the weeds under control and still be keeping vendors and guests happy.
Day 4
We packed up, wrapped up the final business and managed to hit the road by 10. The kids had been on their best behavior with the promise of going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. As a kid I was truly fascinated by marine life, and did a distance class through the OSU in high school, and then focused a year of studying marine biology and ecology at Denmark's International Studies Program. So, it was a big deal for me to show the kids the aquarium.
There was a bit of line, and next time I would pre-purchase tickets online. We missed the otter feeding and got there just in time for the seal/sea lion feeding. The animals were a lot of fun to watch, and way more entertaining than the wild sea lions the kids see on the docks of Astoria on a regular basis. The best part was when the kids had a chance to get a sticker by answering questions about what they had learned about the difference between seals and sea lions. Kieran was asked which animal is louder, and he easily knew that sea lions bark loud enough to be heard at our home, six blocks from the river! Makenna was craving negative attention and kept filling my sandals with pebbles, after a frustrating/embarrassing time out, we were able to enjoy the rest of our aquarium visit. There was plenty to see and I only wish that we had more than two hours explore.
We were on a travel timeline though, and needed to get down to Sunset Bay to get a campsite. Thankfully the kids were tired after a parking lot picnic lunch, and Teagan napped nearly the whole drive. We put on our "camping magic" as we round the curvy coastal bends, and arrived just after four to find the dreaded "Campground Full" sign. Miraculously, they still had an RV site left between to the fish cleaning station and the woodshed. We all jumped for joy and quickly pitched our tents. My meal plan included driving back up the road to the roadside fish and chips place that I spotted on our way (check out my Google Local Guide review of Oceanside Beachfront RV Resort). It turned out to happily fill everyone's bellies, and I would highly recommend it (review to be posted soon!)
We got back to camp in time to go meet Smokey the Bear. Makenna had met Smokey in her first grade class, and Teagan was very excited to meet him for the first time. Kieran was given a book by his great grandparents called Saving Li'l Smokey when Makenna was a baby, so all the kids have heard many times about the danger of wildfires to animals.
We enjoyed a safe campfire and tucked ourselves into bed to read around 9. :-)
Day 5
We got up early the next morning to go on a ranger-led tour of the tide pools as Cape Arago. It was at these same tidepools that my fascination for sea life first began, and it was a pure pleasure to explore with the kids. It had been a full moon the night before, so the low tide was extra low. I somehow managed to keep Teagan balanced on my hip through most of adventure. We saw plenty of Oregon tidepool favorites, including lots of sea anemones and sea stars. I remember finding a lot more sea stars as a kid, but I didn't spoil the experience by comparing the time that I found a rare nudribranch. We trekked all the way out to the sea urchin beds, near the sea kelp forest. Once again, I was only a little sad that we didn't have all day linger and explore (this trip easily could have lasted twice as long...if only Kevin had more time off!).
We headed south toward Bandon, picked up grocery supplies at the local IGA, and found our way to
Cranberry Sweets, the candy store we visited nearly every trip as kids. They have lots of samples of their unique jellied candied. While I love sampling them, I knew that the rest of the family wouldn't really eat them. So, instead we stocked up on salt water taffy and an assortment of gummies. The kids were delighted, and it was fun to "play Mom" and remember my own inner child. We had forgotten bread at the store, so we stopped by the Bandon Baking Company. It was a pretty traditional American-style bakery, and since I'm more of a European bakery lover, it kept me on task to just buy bread. We picked up a few really quality bagels and a round loaf of cheese and chive bread. I only wished that I would have bought a few more bagels for the road. They were very decadent with cheese and artichoke and cheese and bacon, so it was probably a good thing. ;-)
We coasted south past Face Rock, where my family spent several spring breaks with close family friends. It definitely inspired me to plan a reunion with families who I have so many fond beach memories. Bandon is indeed a beautiful beach town, and once again, I would have loved to stay for a full weekend.
Yet, the California was calling our name. The drive down the coast was absolutely beautiful, easily as gorgeous as Big Sur, which I had just traveled earlier in the summer. This particular section of the coast feels like you are on the edge of the world. Wonder fills you as the waves crash against the coastline. I don't know if the kids appreciated the drive enough, but we parents didn't take it granted. Kevin was only disappointed that we didn't have time to hike
Humbug Mountain, which we had hiked at our first winter holidays together. Instead, we sufficed with a picnic lunch in the parking lot.
I had been wanting to camp just north of Crescent City, at the
Tolowa Dunes State Park, but we couldn't find the campground (it turns out the campground that I had researched was at a whole different park, but I couldn't get online to find more details). We had just passed the turn off to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State and National Park. Truthfully, I had only not planned to go there because I was afraid of not getting a campsite. We arrived around four and once again found a "campground full" sign. Our camping magic worked though, and we managed to get a cancellation for the next two nights.
This put our traveling minds at ease, as we headed down for a swim in the lovely Smith River. I had swam upfront from here with Miel earlier in the summer, and this was by far a superior swimming hole. Perfect in all regards. There was a warm "kiddie pool," deep green pools and nice rocks for jumping and diving. The current was very calm, and the temperature perfect after a refreshing moment.
Day 6
Once we settled into our campsite, suddenly lots of memories camp flooding back: camping during spring break with our new puppy, going on a 4th grade field where a few brave kids joined the "banana slug club" by kissing one, and rafting down the Smith's emerald and aquamarine pools in college with the UO Outdoor Program. There were lots of Oregonians at the campground, most in RVs with week long reservations. The evening ranger programs were really interesting (I think we all had a crush on Ranger ??). The kids earned both a Junior Ranger pin and a special "EdVenture" badge for following the nature trail clues and reading/learning along the way. Kevin lucked out at managed to snag the last spot on a kayak tour led by Ranger ??. I was jealous, but swimming as they paddled by, I couldn't really complain. Hilariously, but not so surprisingly, spunky Teagan gave the whole kayak tour a show, having stripped naked and smacking her bootie vigorously as they paddled past!
We also went for a beautiful day hike. After the short crowded loop of Stout Grove Memorial trail (
National Parks' Trail Site), the connecting Mill Creek trail was virtually empty. I was really surprised to find such a quite trail. It was kid friendly, but not stroller friendly.
We could have easily stayed a week at this site. The sites were really spacious, and felt so secluded that we had to repeatedly remind our kiddos to use their "inside voices". The showers are coin operated, unlike Oregon's "free" campground showers. Best of all, our campsite was really dark and the view of the stars through the tree canopy was worth every mile of the drive.
Day 7
After a beautiful drive, we said goodbye to California and headed toward the
Oregon Caves National Monument. I had forgotten what a long windy drive up the mountain it is from Cave Junction. We had to go slow so that Makenna wouldn't get nauseous. I remember my Mom telling us stories about driving the school bus up there on class field trips.
Once we got there, I was reminded of what a hidden treasure this park feels like. Between the historic chalet and chateau, it feels like rustic village in the wilderness. Kevin told us about how it's listed as one of the
most endangered historic buildings, in need of restoration. We were happy that the timing worked out to take a ranger led tour of the chateau, where we learned all about it's unique history. It's definitely on our bucket list to come back to stay.
The cold dark cave peaking out of the mountain gave it's own adventure. We all had wanted to go on the
cave tour, but Teagan was too young, you have to be five years old. So, we sufficed by exploring the visitor's center, which included a mini cave, which she loved crawling through. The big kids were all smiles when they were done with their cave tour and worked together to earn their Junior Ranger badges. They were extra happy because they were made of carved wood, instead of the typical plastic badges.
It was the end of a heat wave, so were glad to enjoy the cool mountain air, before we headed on to steamy Ashland. As hoped for, we got to Ashland just in time for a happy hour dinner at
Standing Stone Brewing Company. I used to work there as a part time hostess, so it was fun/weird to go back with our family. The food was delicious, and I'll be doing a full review. :-)
We booked a last minute night at the Ashland Springs Hotel through Hotels.com and I was pleased to remember that this was the same place that had sponsored the Forest Activist Conference that I used to coordinate for Headwaters. The place had a new retro vibe that was very hip and fun. After almost a week of camping, the kids were eager to swim in the pool and watch a movie...while we parents washed laundry!
Day 8
We took the kids by our old apartment, the place where we were married, and on an obligatory visit to Lithia Park, but then it was time to head to Crater Lake.
We were too anxious about getting a camping spot to stop at the Natural Bridge as I had planned, but we did get a great campsite at Crater Lake. They have just 25% of the sites on a first-come basis, so we were happy to not have to find a campsite outside the park.
The kids were indeed in awe of the amazing blue water of Crater Lake. They were also quick to start working on earning their third Junior Ranger badge of the trip. Meanwhile, I head over to the lodge to book the last five spots on the boat tour of Crater Lake for the next morning.
Day 9
We had a VERY cold night, huddling in the tent, and rallied the kids out of their sleeping bags to head for the boat tour. I had gotten the time wrong for catching the shuttle, so we ran to catch it (without brushing our teeth or eating breakfast as planned...thankfully I had packed some snacks for the excursion!).
Our morning hike down to the water's edge increased our level of anticipation, as the water became more and more beautiful the closer we came to it. The boat tour was absolutely the highlight of our entire trip, and I would go again in a heartbeat. I had hiked down to the boat docks and even jumped off the short cliffs on a previous anniversary trip, but it was amazing to be out on the water itself. Next time hopefully they'll be offering visits to Wizard Island.
While we had planned to stay at Crater Lake longer, we unanimously agreed that we didn't want to freeze another night, so we headed north to Bend.
We arrived in Bend at happy hour and found our way to
Crux Fermentation Project. We had been once before in the fall without the kids, and they were amazed by the party-like atmosphere. In fact, Teagan lit up asking "We're going to a party?!" It took us a long time to get a table inside, but we enjoyed a sampler and games outside. By the time we left it was getting dark, so we crossed our fingers as we headed toward
Tumalo State Park. Blessedly, we got the very last campsite (again, there was a campground full sign up, but after sweet talking the host, it turned out that there was a single handicapped space left, and as it was 9, we could have it). We opted to put up a single tent and cozy together (especially after freezing!), but in the process snapped a tent pole (thank goodness REI does repairs!).
Day 10
With a broken tent pole and a decent night's sleep, we woke up in the morning ready to head to Black Bear Diner and make the trek home to Astoria. It was a glorious day, and even though we had a long drive ahead, we savored it, knowing that our trip would soon end. We went a route that we had never driven before, up toward The Dalles. It was wonderful to see the Mighty Columbia River again.
We celebrated the end of our road trip with some frozen yogurt in Hood River, and were ready to head home to Astoria.
