Leaving Jason's house, we headed north to Washington to meet up with Paul's cousin Lauren and her kids at Cape Disappointment. It got rainier and colder the further we drove, and we soon realized we were not prepared for the weather. We brought some sweatshirts, and long pants, but nothing for rain or cold... Whoops! The kids got to check another state off their list!
Lauren has the same energy as Paul, and although we had never met, I felt like I already knew her! So fun! They chatted and reminisced and had a great time. We saw bald eagles flying above us, and splashed in puddles. They talked the entire time.
Our kids made friends immediately. It was so fun to watch. We went on a few hikes, first to a very cold and windy lighthouse, then in the forest, then down to the water.
Sully and Evie are about the same age and really got along well. It was cute to see them walk everywhere together. They're even missing the same teeth!
Leto loved to pretend to be a dinosaur and stayed in my shadow most of the time, sweet thing.
We continued on our adventure and went on up to Oregon. We stopped at a beach on the way. The bright yellow flowers really stood out on our walk there. It was really foggy, and chilly, but the sand was still warm. We hunted for shells, and talked and played. It was so nice.
We found a nice little forest to picnic in for the day, and more exploring.
We found some funny things along the way, including this giant statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe at the Trees of Mystery.
Then we found a camping spot that was really secluded. There was one other camper family at the other end of this huge meadow. The kids played in the little stream, set up their tent, and the hammocks of course. We only stayed here one night and headed on to Portland after that.
I am usually the driver, which both Paul and I prefer. He likes to nap while I drive. I have pictures and videos of him sleeping in every state we've been in together. :)
Before getting to Portland, we stopped at the Sea Lion Caves on the coast. It was amazing how many there were! We took the elevator down to sea level to see them closer. Inside the cave at sea level there were lots of little museum displays to see and learn from. It was really cool.
Lots of interesting flowers to see on the way to the elevator too.
The kids all got little souvenirs from the gift shop, and we got Paul some "sea lion poop" which was really toffee peanuts. Ha ha ha.
Solace loved entertaining the rest of us by drawing pictures while were driving. Then finally we got to see Paul's Uncle Jason in Portland. Portland is beautiful and we walked from his house to a fun little food truck place for dinner.
It made me laugh to see that at the Viking Soul Food truck, one of the things sold was lefse, which I haven't eaten since I was a kid. So fun! Didn't know I was a Viking! :)
The kids loved staying with Uncle Jason, he has all the best movies, and toys, and sweet pets. Thanks Jason for the great visit!
