Pacific Coast Highway

Upon leaving Portland, Stephanie suggested we take the longer route to San Francisco and later to San Diego to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Pacific Coast Highway.  Thankfully, we decided to follow her advice and take the slower, longer, windier route down the coast of Oregon and California.  For the trip to San Francisco, we got a somewhat late start, but had just enough daylight to catch some amazing ocean views, complete with cliffs and even some ocean spray on the windshield in the lower spots.  We opted to leave the PCH for a 31-mile stretch of the old Highway 101 now lovingly called Avenue of the Giants, which parallels the PCH.  And giants we saw.  Huge, awe-inspiring redwoods on every side of the vehicle.  It was very slow going, but so worth it.  Unfortunately, we didn't stop to take pictures until it started getting dark, so they aren't that great.  But, I will never forget standing at the base of the giant and staring up with my head as far back as I could get it in order to see the top.  Some facts about coastal redwoods for your reading enjoyment:  They are the tallest trees in the world, reaching as much as 350 feet or more.  Some weigh as much as 500 tons!  Most live 500-700 years, with some living as long as 2,000 years!  They only live on the west coast of the United States.  Okay, now that I am done with my little science report, here are some pictures that we were able to capture with our finicky camera.

Monster Tree!

There's that tongue again!

We also enjoyed viewing Sonoma Valley and all the beautiful grapes from the RV with sadly no stops.  Are they generally accepting of babies and big dogs at wineries?  We thought not, so we carried on.  Our stay in San Francisco was largely uneventful.  Partly because I was in mourning for leaving my nice house and friends behind in Portland, and also because of the foggy, cold, rainy-ness of it all.  We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge with me singing the theme song to Full House and Sean directing me to "clench your fist and punch yourself in the face as hard as you can."  He even showed me the motions as he described it.  Stand back ladies, he's all mine.  Sadly, we couldn't see much from the bridge, and the fog persisted much of the week.  We were both happy to hit the road again after the event in San Francisco.  Back to the PCH it was for us.  I spoke with a competitor's wife, who lives in Monterey, who urged us not to take the PCH through Big Sur.  She told us it would be a nightmare with our large vehicle and trailer with all the hairpin twists, turns, and up and downs.  We didn't listen.  And despite the drenching rain for the next two days as we drove through, which made it difficult to see much of anything, we were still happy we took the PCH for two excellent events that transpired.  First, we drove by an overlook that gave us a view of a cove at the base of huge cliffs.  The water in the cove was turquoise blue like you would see in the Caribbean.  And to top it all off, there was even a waterfall as I exclaimed to Sean that was "straight out of Lost."  Okay, it was more of a squeal than an exclamation.  In any case, I insisted that we turn around, find a spot to park, and hike down to the waterfall despite the drenching rain because you only live once. Lucky for me, Sean shares this philosophy on life (hence our crazy, somewhat risky adventure).   As it turns out, you can't hike down to the waterfall.  Something about trying to preserve it for all to see and enjoy.  And, Sean did make fun of me for calling it straight out of Lost, as it is somewhat narrow, and it does look like it could be coming from a drainage pipe with all the pouring rain.  BUT, I did win that debate because it is in fact created by a spring-fed creek.  And it is gorgeous!  So even though visions of standing beneath the waterfall mist were crushed, there was a nice trail that led around to a perfect picture-taking view of the falls.  It really was beautiful--even in the yucky, cold weather.  In case you are interested, the falls is called McWay Falls located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Hiking out to the overlook.  Daddy and baby in his rain covering.

So wet!

McWay Falls

Not quite as pretty as in person! 

Fun in the rain

My loves and the waterfall!

On the way back to the RV

Another of the reasons that we were happy we took the PCH was because on our way to just another RV park for the night, we glanced down from the highway to a road that paralleled the ocean.  Parked along this road were many, many RV's.  We're talking oceanfront property.  We saw it and had to stop.  The sites had no electric, water, or sewer hook-up.  Thus the cheap $27 per night price tag.  Rincon Parkway, can we stay forever?  We picked a spot, parked, and enjoyed this view from my seat in the RV:

No zooming in--this was what we looked out our window to for two days!

If he didn't love the beach so much, he probably wouldn't have made it.  He went halfway down and back up several times.

Throughout our time there, we took several walks on the beach:

Little's Little's first trip to the Pacific Ocean

 Cooper got to give the death stare to lots of seagulls:

My favorite part of Rincon Parkway was that we had the opportunity to see the sunset because the rain finally stopped for the day that we spent there.  I am a tad embarrassed to say that I can't recall a time I ever really watched the sun set.  And I am quite positive that I have never seen a sunset over the Pacific Ocean.  So, I insisted that we pull out some chairs and enjoy the incredible sunset.  And of course, we couldn't do that without Sean throwing together some appetizers.  He put together some veggies and a yogurt dill dip as well as crackers with jalapeno jelly and mascarpone cheese.  Oh my goodness.  Have you ever had that jelly and cheese combo?  It is like heaven in your mouth.  It was the perfect little day (oh, I forgot to mention I actually slept every time the baby slept that day.  That was a first, and it helped this exhausted mama immensely.)  And of course, we enjoyed an amazing ending as the sun slipped beneath the horizon.  We count our blessings every day.

Our sunset and snacks!

It wasn't really that cold, but Sean dug out the suitcase from the trailer for something, and it was like Christmas!  Yay warm, snuggly coat!

My favorite snuggle buddy

Okay, bear with me.  I took a lot of pictures of my first sunset!

So high up in the sky, but it set so fast!

My favorite pic!

Don't go yet!

Almost gone

View of Channel Islands National Park.  We thought they were clouds the first night we were there. 

Finally, before we left to visit our great friends, Cate and Jerry and their sweet kids outside of San Diego, Sean had to jump in the COLD ocean for a quick swim.  

Doubting his decision as he quickly lost feeling in his calves.  Chicken dog making a great decision to stay put.

And, he's in!

We will be heading to San Diego this weekend for more fun times after a great week with Cate and Jerry's family.  It's always so hard to leave our friends!  But, we are enjoying every minute!

Perfection in Portland

From the start of our trip, Portland has been a little Mecca we have been looking forward to.  Besides the excitement of taking in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Portland is home to one of my very best friends.  Stephanie is one of those forever friends.  You know the type--the kind of friend you could talk to three times a week or once every six months and though one phone call may last longer than the other, you are always in the same, comfy best friend place.  I have been blessed to have quite a few forever friends--you know who you are--and I love you all!  I can't quite put my finger on exactly when Stephanie and I met, but we grew up going to the same church, serving on Appalachia Service Project together each summer, and playing field hockey in high school on the same team.  With the arrival of my Little Little, and some big transitions in Stephanie's life, we haven't been as in touch as we would have liked.  So, my entire week last week was spent having girl time and catching up.  To put it plainly, it was perfect!  We were also finally able to meet Isaac, Stephanie's boyfriend, after only hearing wonderful things about him since they met.  How great are these two--they actually installed a 30 amp electrical outlet on the outside of their house so that we would be able to stay with them and keep the RV charged.  Who does that?!?!  Well besides my mom and dad, who else does that!?  We arrived late Sunday afternoon and were excited to find out that Stephanie and Isaac would be hosting the weekly dinner they enjoy with their friends every Sunday night.  Of course, Little Little had to get ready for the party, so a bath was in order.  In fact, this was the first time he took a bath like a big boy without his baby bathtub tiny little basin.  (On a side note, Stephanie is an extremely talented and humble photographer. She will always blame her incredible shots on either her camera lens or just dumb luck.  All of the pictures in this blog except maybe one or two were taken by Stephanie, and I am sure you will agree with me that she is amazing!)

Steph, though she has no children, instantly recognized the need for "first big-boy bath" documentation.  A natural!

All dressed and ready for the party, Beckett discovered a new toy!

I love this toy!  Thanks, Dad!

Gimme!

I could not figure out how to close the toy once I opened it.  When given just a minute, Beckett promptly closed it!

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner of chicken cordon bleu, cooked by Isaac, and had a wonderful time meeting some of Stephanie and Isaac's closest friends.  It was so nice to be in a house and meet some fun, new people.  

Throughout the week, we started our mornings late, took our time getting ready, and had fun playing with Little Little, who was quite cranky due to the arrival of his first two teeth.  (I think we managed to convince Stephanie and Isaac not to have kids for about 12 years :) )

Family time with Coop keeping guard

Assuming the typical mealtime position

Swings are for naps, not cute little smiles, Little Little!

But, who needs a swing, when you have Stephanie?  She is WAY more comfortable!

I wish I could keep her.  Beckett does too.

And since it is fall and all, Beckett had to have his first playtime in the raked leaf pile.

What is this???

Leaf pile changed to big, green blanket once the leaf pile became a baby snack

Mama's get tired sometimes, too.  Thank goodness for comfy boxer butts!

Flying baby!

One of the highlights of our visit to Portland was when Stephanie and Isaac took us hiking to Multnomah Falls, the second highest (at 620 feet) year-round waterfall in the United States.  This was the most breathtaking hike yet.  Chicken Dog started the trip showing his true colors, terrified in the covered bed of Isaac's truck, with his head as far through the window as he could make it.

Poor Chicken Dog

Looking up at the amazing view

Standing on the bridge seen in the picture above

This is the top of that gorgeous waterfall.  Quite dizzying if you ask me.

Trying to get Chicken Dog to drink from the little pool of water.  Sadly, he lived up to his name.  No water for him.

Ok, so here is where this blog entry becomes painful.  The hundreds of gorgeous pictures Stephanie took are clearly too many to post on this blog that is quickly becoming its own book.  So, I am forcing myself to only choose a handful.  But to make myself feel better, I will post some more of my favorites on Facebook later.  Ok, back to prettiness!  After we reached the top of the falls, we ventured off on another trail that was completely off the beaten path.  We left the tourists behind and entered a world of solitary beauty.  Our eyes were met with moss covered rocks, bubbling creeks, and what seemed like endless waterfalls.  Oh, just look--pictures are much better than my banter!

Green-ness and waterfalls everywhere you look!

My forever friend

Little loves the outdoors and his cool ride!

Doesn't it seem like it's from a storybook?!?  It doesn't seem real!

One of the many waterfalls we enjoyed on our hike

The hike provided amazing views of Columbia River Gorge below

Looking at these pictures make me want to go back again right now!  Sadly, we had to leave, but more fun was to be had!  This fun involved baking homemade chocolate chip cookies for Isaac and the other firefighters at the station.  

Steph pretty much did it all, and I snacked on the dough and fresh, out-of-the-oven-best-cookies-I've-ever-tasted while trying to keep my fusser happy.

I even got a nice tour of the firehouse and Beckett got to see the firetruck and engine close up.  Lucky baby!  Another of my favorite events was when Stephanie and I took Little Little to pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch.  I am a firm believer in picking the perfect pumpkin at all costs.  We were there to get Beckett his first pumpkin, so since he isn't yet at a good age to pick his own, I took this responsibility very seriously.  My rules for a good pumpkin are that it must be orange (no green!), it must be round enough so that it can sit up on its own (no crookedness allowed!), and it must have a nice stem.  It took us a while, but we finally found Beckett the perfect little pumpkin--straight off the vine.  Have you ever picked a pumpkin from the vine?  It's prickly!  Owie!

Even the pumpkin patches are beautiful in Portland!

That's a lotta pumpkins!

My lil' punkin

Some Beckett sized pumpkins!

The fun just continued as Stephanie and Isaac adopted a sweet, little puppy whom they named Camden.  Beckett and Camden became friends...until puppy discovered baby fingers are fun to gnaw on.  After that, Chicken Dog gladly took over as number one puppy friend.

Puppy, meet Beckett.  But, be careful--don't nibble too much!  Sometimes he's a dragon!

Watch out little puppy!  I am a fire-breathing dragon!

Mommy got me the perfect pumpkin!

Enough with the paparazzi!  I am trying to focus here.

And of course, my favorite!  He never stuck his tongue out until this week when he started getting his two bottom teeth.  Perfect timing for his costume, of course!

If you made it through this book, thank you!  As you can see, Portland was a fantastic time for our family.  Thank you, Stephanie, Isaac, and Camden for welcoming us into your home, cooking for us, giving us a big, comfy bed, an awesome shower, and pretending that you didn't hear our screaming baby every 2-3 hours each night for a week.  You are the best!