Vacation 2014

This past week we took our first family vacation. We drove pretty much the length of the state of Oregon, beginning in Medford and ending up in Hood River which is nestled right on the shores of the Columbia River Gorge. It was super fun and super exhausting, just like a vacation should be :).

Day One:
We started our trip by leaving at 8:30am in order to make our first stop in Eugene for lunch. We made great time and ended up pulling off the I5 around 11:30. We had a quick lunch at Cafe Yum, then got back in the car to travel another hour or so and made a stop at the Enchanted Forest. We had taken Declan there two years ago, but he was only 10 months old at the time and didn't really appreciate all they have to offer. Even this trip at almost 3 years old, he was only able to appreciate some aspects of the visit.

We arrived at our destination, Hood River around 5pm that evening and settled in to the vacation home we had rented for the week.

Day Two:

After a rough night of not much sleep for all of us (the house didn't have air conditioning so it was super hot and uncomfortable), we headed out to explore downtown Hood River, do some shopping in the cute stores, and have lunch. After we all napped, we headed out again, down to the the Columbia River to play in the water.

Day Three:

Our third day of vacation consisted of driving into Portland (about an hour west of Hood River) and going to the Oregon Zoo. This wasn't a huge hit with the kids...I think they are still a little young. Inara just wanted to get out of the stroller and run all over the place and Declan was more interested in playing with the zoo key we bought him. Oh and they loved watching the trucks and tractors working on making a new exhibit for the elephants. After the zoo we met our friend Jenna at a nearby coffee shop, napped the kids in the car as we headed back to Hood River, stopped at Multnomah Falls, then after dinner, we walked downtown for ice cream.

Day Four:

This was the one day of our trip that Declan was the most anxious about. We got to ride the Dinosaur Train! Mt. Hood Railroad was holding a special Dinosaur Train excursion and it turned out to be a huge hit for the kids. This was also the day that my mother-in-law had joined us, so Sean and I got to go out on a date that evening.

Day Five:

Our final day of vacation was spent at the Portland Highland Games, held every year at Mt. Hood Community College. This was our third year attending the games and it was the best one yet. We had a fabulous time enjoying all the Scottish Highland culture!

Day Six:

This was the day that we packed up and headed home. We were eager to hit the road and get back to our house and our own beds. But we did make a stop in Eugene to visit our friends, Grant & Jeanine and their boys. It was a wonderful time, where we were able to relax in their home, eat some yummy food, fellowship, and watch the kids play together. What a fun time we had!