Paul and I drove 860 miles to visit all our favorite places in the Northwest. Paul grew up in Vancouver, WA. While the kids were young we would drive up to visit Paul's parents every year or so, and we loved those trips. Grandma and Grandpa were great to be with, and there were so many fun places to visit. Our favorite was the Summer Place, Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in the Cascades. Paul actually built this cabin for his folks almost 20 years ago, and all the rest of us helped out. Mary, who was age 5, remembers picking up the nails that fell--that was her job. We camped out in tents and a small trailer for about 6 weeks while Paul built. It was pretty wonderful to come back to this cabin and enjoy it and the beautiful area surrounding it.
Here is the area just outside the cabin, with huge picnic table that Grandpa Hedengren built long before the cabin. The trees are probably 100 feet tall. So green and beautiful.
Here I am at the "Little Creek." The cabin sits on a kind of ridge, with "Big Creek" or Trout Creek in the back and the "Little Creek" or Martha Creek down the hill in front. Little Creek is a magical place, where our children would hunt for salamanders and fairies, experiment with dams, and on at least one occasion create an original one act play, performed to great acclaim.
Paul and I also visited his brother and his sister. We had a great time with them--but unfortunately I forgot to take photos. (How could I!?) Both siblings have recently remodeled their homes, with beautiful results. I should have photos. Jean has bought the parents' house, and it was really fun to see how she has brought it up to date.
We also went to see Mount Hood, went shopping in Portland, and went to dinner at the Old Country Buffet (where Grandma and Grandpa always took us.) Sorry--no pictures.
Dad and I drove to the coast for a few days. One of our first stops was Fort Clatsop, where the Lewis and Clark expedition wintered over. Paul has recently read a book about the expedition, so it was really fun to see the recreated fort.
Here's Paul on the beach at Seaside, a town where we stayed one night. I love the Oregon Coast, chilly, foggy, spectacular.
We also went to Newport, where we went on a "Discovery Cruise" for 2 hours. Here is what we discovered: an actual whale. It surfaced about 30 feet from our boat, so surprising! It surfaced once on our right, then again on the left, and then again at the stern, circling us. What an experience!
Here are a bunch of sea lions on the wharf at Newport. We also saw harbor seals at the mouth of the harbor, and murres and cormorants out on the waves.
Here's an old lighthouse along the coast. Beautiful setting.
Sunset over the Pacific. We had a wonderful trip. It was a little bit difficult to come home!
