Reliving Jon's Childhood on the Oregon Coast

Jon has officially retired from military service; his last day as a member of the Army Reserves was on Tuesday, 02/22/22.

Congratulations, Jon!

This means a lot of things, of course, but what is most immediate to our family is that now he no longer has to train for 2-3 weeks in the summer. So, what to do with this bonus time together as a family? Take a vacation!

We knew we wanted to visit family in the Northwest, and we hoped we could combine it with a visit to some dear friends in California, but we weren't initially sure what to do to connect those dots. But then Jon realized that we could relive all of his childhood trips on the Oregon Coast, it was full-steam ahead on the planning.

As detail-oriented as I am, Jon is our family travel agent, and figured out a great itinerary. After a too-short visit to California, we boarded a plane headed to Eugene, Oregon. A quick note about our amazing travelers first. The kids did awesome on the airplane(s)...even though on one flight, the airline algorithms tried to seat Erik all by himself in row 31 behind the girls who were placed in row 30. Jon and I really wanted to stay in row 19, where our tickets were located, but we straightened it all out and had calm, uneventful travels. Being able to order hot chocolate certainly helped; I even was able to close my eyes for a bit, which was a treat in and of itself!

After arriving in Oregon, we rented a car and headed for the coast. Erik only threw up once, which was actually kind of a win considering the roads were a bit twisty and hilly. For our first night, we sprung for a hotel right on the beach in Florence, so as soon as we dropped off our stuff in the room, we (literally) ran straight for the ocean. The joy on the kids' faces as they splashed in the water and felt the sand between their toes was magical.

 

We played in the waves and the sand for a bit and then checked out the hotel pool (the ocean is too cold for swimming). We somehow managed to get all three kids into one bed, but the fact that everyone was exhausted from travel and play certainly helped with that. As expected, the smallest one took up the most room, but everyone got a decent rest regardless.

Vacation looks different once the kids go to bed

It was imperative that we take another beach walk in the morning before continuing our travels north, so we tromped around in the sand for a while before heading into town for a delicious--and expensive!--breakfast. It was at this point that Jon and I remembered that we weren't in the Mid-South/Midwest anymore and resigned ourselves to a diet of ramen and macaroni and cheese once we returned to Memphis.

Our next destination was Newport, but we had some stops to make along the way. First up were the Sea Lion Caves. We joked that sea lions smell like popcorn because for some quirky reason, the gift shop/entrance to the caves had a popcorn machine. I wish they did actually smell like that, however, because sea lions are stinky! And loud.

Sea lions outside the cave

Sea lions inside the cave

Sea lions in their natural habitat

We continued up the coast, checking out various landmarks along the way, including some Jon had never seen before. Drawn in by the cars parked along the side of the highway, we ventured down to an impressive sinkhole named Thor's Well. According to the interwebs, it is a sea cave that collapsed that appears to swallow the seawater and then shoot it out again. This is not to be confused with the Spouting Horn nearby that features impressive sprays of water with each large wave. Very, very cool. It was extremely serendipitous that we stumbled upon this area during low tide so that we could (safely) get close enough for a great view.

Our homebase for the next several days was Newport. After the necessary exploring of the Air BnB right on the bay, we set out to do some window shopping and find dinner. We were expecting to find more touristy shops full of trinkets, but we stumbled into a couple fancy art gallery-esque stores, and I am happy--and relieved--to report that we didn't break anything. Dinner that night was at a Rogue Brewery taproom where there was something for everyone (I'm looking at you, root beer float).

View of the bay from our AirBnB

Before we left on our trip, Jon had shown the kids some videos of things to do on the coast, specifically Newport. Lena saw something about a science center and from then on was adamant that we go, especially because they had a Lego "salami" (tsunami) wave simulator. The "Lego salami" (she quickly figured out that it was actually "tsunami" but we continued to call it that for the rest of the trip) did not disappoint, nor did the octopus and other exhibits at the Hatfield Marine Visitor Center. We went looking for lighthouses and clam chowder next and were successful in both endeavors.

Octopus at Hatfield Marine Visitor Center

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Our coast tour continued to Depoe Bay where we got to see some whales--and harbor seals--from the Whale Watching Center. We also managed to find some saltwater taffy, which was actually better than Jon and I remembered. Next stop was kite flying on the beach in Lincoln City where Jon learned that when the kids say they want to fly kites, they really just want to launch them and let him fly them while they do something else. That something else involved getting alternately soaking wet and covered in sand. The fact that they were not wearing swimsuits did not slow them down in the least. We returned to our Air BnB for a dinner of salmon purchased right off the dock.

Kite flying in Lincoln City

Crossing the D River, aka the "shortest river in the world"

Northwest cherries!

We packed up the next morning en route to Astoria. Along the way, we made the obligatory stop at the Tillamook Creamery to see how cheese is made and packaged...and eat ice cream, of course. So good! I'm not exaggerating when I say that was our most expensive gift shop stop of the entire trip.

Mmmm...Tillamook ice cream

Further north, we stopped at Cannon Beach to see the iconic Haystack Rock and "fly kites." Erik was thrilled to get more "sand time," and the girls played "tsunami" in the water.

Haystack Rock selfie fail

Our next destination was the touristy town of Seaside. Before even making it into the town proper, we stopped to ride go-karts, which was so much fun. Elsa wasn't quite old enough to drive herself, so she graciously offered to wait and watch while Jon and I took a spin with the littles. I left my phone thinking she would take some pictures and videos...but it turns out she filmed the whole thing on a video chat with her friend back home!

We do have some go-kart pictures after all

We then had to make a quick stop on the main drag--to find more saltwater taffy, of course, but also to visit the End of the Trail Lewis and Clark Commemorative Statue. History lesson complete, we continued on to Astoria.

Wouldn't you know, once we arrived there, we managed to find another brewery. What are the odds? We couldn't convince the kids to partake in any Goonies fan activities--they think the movie looks too scary--so we headed to our Air BnB for the night. It was actually someone's basement, but it was quite comfortable and had a sauna, so we tried to get the kids in bed quickly so we could enjoy it.

We capped off our vacation before visiting family with breakfast at Pig 'N Pancake, a local Denny's/Shoney's/Perkins-type restaurant. Not only was it quite tasty, but we may or may not have left with a pair of officially licensed socks and juice glasses.

We entered into the next stage of our trip full of fun memories from the Oregon Coast. I think we did Jon's childhood justice.

Elsa is NINE!

Elsa is nine and feelin' fine!

It has been another great year for Elsa with lots of exciting new experiences. The highlight would have to be her debut on stage in New Ballet Ensemble's Nut Remix. We may be biased, but she was totally the most gracefully precise dancing soldier out there. This was a big production complete with costumes, make-up, and bonus rehearsals, and I'm pretty sure she loved every minute of it.

Unsurprisingly, Elsa thrived at school and rocked every one of those timed multiplication tests that are still such a major part of 3rd grade. She made some sweet new friends in her class and maintained friendships from past years; I think everyone was so grateful to be back in school full-time with other kids that it was a harmonious experience for all. We spent as many afternoons at the park as we could, with a friend or two waiting for us on the porch when we rode home from school. It made my heart so glad to see a pack of kids running around at the park--what we consider our front yard--having fun. 

Elsa continues to devour any book she can get her hands on except now the books are getting longer and longer. She has discovered the joy in having quiet reading time after her siblings have gone to bed, and I must confess to being a bit of sucker when she begs to "just let me finish my chapter." A girl after my own heart to be sure. That's not the only way she has started to take after me, though. She also has a tendency to "mother" her sister and brother, which is usually with good intentions.

She still loves to ride her bike (with the promise of a bike with gears as her birthday gift) and play outside. I continue to be impressed with her ninja skills; she did not get her upper body strength from me. Climbing camp is something to look forward to again this year, and she has expressed an interest in basketball, so we'll see if that is something she wants to pursue in the winter.

But the birthday activity of choice this year was roller skating. After not having a true party for two years, we went all in on the skating party. Despite the chaos of our world, some things never change, and one of those is the roller skating rink. Down to the neon carpet, too-loud pop music, flashing video games...and even the smell. It was awesome!

Zipping around the rink

Thanks to a solid recommendation from the rink manager, we hosted the party on a Friday afternoon. The rink was not too crowded, and Elsa and her friends (and some little siblings) had a great time flying around the rink. Jon was apparently feeling very charitable and essentially turned himself into a token dispenser to the delight of all the party-goers. There was pizza and cake and so many tickets. We all had a blast, and the birthday girl felt very loved.

Elsa's birthday landed on a Tuesday, so we fit in all of traditional birthday activities around the school day. Lena and Erik were the first to wake the birthday girl with their gifts and cards before her birthday breakfast. She had trouble deciding between scrambled eggs or pancakes and wisely settled on both. This girl loves birthdays and had been planning for months, down to the "out of uniform" coupon she saved so she could wear her birthday shirt to school. Evidently the unofficial treat theme was Oreos because she requested an Oreo cake (poke cake to be specific) for her party, and she took Oreo cookies to school to share with her class. Thank goodness we had the foresight to hide them from Jon!

After school, Elsa was the guest of honor at a huge playdate at the park. That afternoon was the first really hot day of the spring, so we blew through two giant packages of popsicles, and there may have been some water games involved. Most of the regulars were there as well as some friends from class who were also eager to celebrate some more.

Although hot and tired, the birthday girl rallied for the customary Chinese duck dinner, cake and ice cream, and presents from family (thank you, all!). Oh, and we had to squeeze in the sheep photo shoot as well, of course.

How did that sheep get so small?

The day was so much fun that Elsa had a hard time falling asleep that night. I'd say it was too much birthday...but is that even possible?

Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Once upon a time, we thought that it would be easy to plan a spring break trip to visit family and friends in Arizona and California. Flights had been relatively cheap, and schedules aligned to make it seem like a slam dunk of a trip. We excitedly told the kids about the plan and got them appropriately hyped up.

Then reality set in.

Flights were not as cheap as they had been the last time we'd looked, and it was going to cost as much for one ticket as we had anticipated paying for the whole family. Sadly we had to scrap the entire plan. It was one thing for Jon and me to be disappointed as we are (supposed) grown-ups and can handle such things, but we were worried about how the kids would react.

Well. They totally surprised us by not only being okay with the change in plans but also coming up with an excellent alternative. Without a moment's hesitation, Elsa declared that we should go to Chattanooga instead. And you know what? That's exactly what we did.

Driving across the state was a much more feasible and easy trip to plan, so we found an Air BnB and started researching activities in the Chattanooga area. We knew we wanted to go to the aquarium and found some other promising indoor and outdoor activities to keep us busy.

Tennessee is a very long state, so we took the opportunity to stop in Nashville on the way. We talk all the time about how we need to go there as it's not far and we have some good friends to visit, so we used a raffle prize from pre-pandemic days as an excuse to stop by our friends' house. This porch drop-off turned into an afternoon-long visit and invitation to stop by on our way back to Memphis, so it was definitely worth it.

After our serendipitous afternoon, we hopped back in the car and drove the rest of the way. Our first stop was the legendary Chattanooga Choo-Choo train station. We didn't actually go on a train ride on this trip, but it was fun to see the way a train had been set up as a hotel. Thanks to a solid recommendation from our Air BnB hosts, we had a great dinner and then went to the house we'd be staying at for several days.

Always up for a photo op

We were not as smart as this "smart house," but we did eventually figure out how to turn the lights on. The kids had no trouble figuring out Disney+ though, which was probably their favorite part of the trip. Everyone was pretty tired at this point so it was off to bed in anticipation of a day of adventure.

On our first full day of vacation, we had a big breakfast before heading off to Glen Falls for a hike. This proved to be a great family hike as it was not too challenging for all the kids to walk, and it also had the reward of some waterfalls and a great view at the end. It was also a reminder of just how flat Memphis is because there were some serious hills.

Happy Hikers

Like any good hike, we went out for ice cream afterward. We also drove around a bit to check out the city before returning to the Air BnB for dinner...and Disney+. In all honesty, Jon and I also enjoyed showing the kids some classic Disney movies and were reminded just how funny the Disney version of Robin Hood is. 

The next day was rainy, which made it a perfect day to go to the Tennessee Aquarium. Years ago, Jon and I, along with Baby Elsa, stopped in Chattanooga for an afternoon and poked around inside the aquarium gift shop. While there, Jon picked out a small purple stuffed penguin, which he named "Topenguin," pronounced like Topanga from that 90s TV show (and the canyon in California). Eight years later, this is still a favorite stuffed animal, so she came along on the trip as well.

The massive aquarium did not disappoint. We touched stingrays, walked through a butterfly house, and saw giant tortoises and sharks. We watched otters playing and of course visited the penguins (although not the purple variety). There are two buildings, the ocean side and the river side. One side would have been more than enough to see, but obviously, we did both and were appropriately exhausted as a result. It was therefore necessary to refuel with pizza and beer from a local brewery (because it was Mom and Dad's vacation, too).

 

This was our last night, so we soaked up a little more Disney+ before collapsing into bed. The next morning we packed up, and on our way out of town, stopped at Ruby Falls where a cavern trail inside Lookout Mountain opens up into a magnificent underground waterfall. It truly was breathtaking (and not just because of the super-cool lighting effects, although they certainly helped).

So many cool cave formations along the trail

 

 

Thus ended our Chattanooga vacation. But spring break wasn't over yet, and we still had that invitation to return to our friends' house for an extended visit. Even though the kids hadn't seen each other in years (and hadn't even met each family's third child), they hit it off very quickly. Trampolines are good for that. It was so nice to reconnect for the adults as well, and it felt like we picked up right where we left off, which seems to be a characteristic of most Army friendships.

We'd planned to make a quick stop for coffee with another friend on our way out of town...but that also turned into an invitation to stay the night, which we gratefully accepted. These were our first friends in Memphis, and even though they only moved a few hours to the east, it had still been too long since we'd last seen them. We hadn't met their youngest child either!

But thanks to their warm hospitality (and another trampoline), everyone had a lovely afternoon and evening catching up. We were happy to be an excuse for them to prepare a delicious creole recipe for dinner as well. We enjoyed a leisurely morning full of good friends and good conversation.

It was finally time to return to Memphis and back to reality, but what a fun spring break we had! It didn't happen as we'd originally envisioned, but the added bonus of seeing some dear friends made it a most excellent vacation.