Once again, we started off late. It was only 15 minutes later, but it was still late. I'm starting to think this may just end up being the norm.
As much as miss living in Seattle. I hate its traffic! To quote Judas, "Seattle has the worst transit system. Their solution is to keep building roads ABOVE roads!" Keep that in mind when wanting to drive through it. Give yourself extra time.
Our first stop was in Tacoma, WA. Now, this was a first for me: Going onto someone else's private property to look around as a break. See? Sounds weird, right? Well, it kind of was. But cool too! The gentleman who owns Midland Mosaics opens up his own private yard to the public for FREE to view his handmade statues and artwork. There's not tonnes of pieces, but the ones there are fantastic to view. We asked permission, just to be respectful and had free range to walk around his yard. Along with the art is a garden, and my children's favorite, a chicken coop. It was quite a nice little break from driving.
As much as miss living in Seattle. I hate its traffic! To quote Judas, "Seattle has the worst transit system. Their solution is to keep building roads ABOVE roads!" Keep that in mind when wanting to drive through it. Give yourself extra time.
Our first stop was in Tacoma, WA. Now, this was a first for me: Going onto someone else's private property to look around as a break. See? Sounds weird, right? Well, it kind of was. But cool too! The gentleman who owns Midland Mosaics opens up his own private yard to the public for FREE to view his handmade statues and artwork. There's not tonnes of pieces, but the ones there are fantastic to view. We asked permission, just to be respectful and had free range to walk around his yard. Along with the art is a garden, and my children's favorite, a chicken coop. It was quite a nice little break from driving.
Once back to driving, we started noticing a questionable smell. It was horrible! This nothing quite worse than driving around with stink that could make you puke. We finally had to pull over at a random Wal-Mart. The "trail of stench" led straight to "Donut", who was the first of the "diaper explosions". Ugh. "Banana" followed. He saw that and raised him! Double ugh.
It's funny the things you talk about while on the road. It's really a place to get to know your family more. Right now, the boys are really too young to have deep conversations, but I have my husband. Anyone who knows him, knows there's no end to his amusing antics. However, little know about his love for all kinds of movies, even emotional ones. Somehow, he got on the topic of "Untamed Heart", which I have never seen. He was explaining the plot...AND HE TEARED UP! heehee
I have an awesome husband! And I still have no desire to watch that movie.
During this trip, I've been trying to update on Twitter since it's fast and simple (you should be following!! @familyenroute ) The problem? I have stupid iWireless for my mobile service this month (check out our tip about mobile service). Their 4G sucks to "high heaven"! So, my postings are not happening like I want them to, if at all. I'm stuck with them though until June 29th. I also book all of our stays the day of, because I don't want to be chained too much by a schedule. But with this phone mess, it's making a terrible time of it! I curse often.
Our next 3 points of interest were in Portland, OR. I LOVE PORTLAND! Just throwing that out there. It is a place I could easily move. Yes, if you've watched Portlandia (and EVERYONE SHOULD...it's on Netflix), it's definitely on point. But the place is beautiful. To us, it's a mixture of Seattle and Victoria.
We ended up arriving there during their Rose Fair and right before their Rose Parade. People were lining the streets with their chairs and blankets and the whole bay/marina area was full of rides, concession stands, food trucks, and people...lots of people. We by-passed all of that and headed to the Freaky But True Peculiarium.
It was awesome! My kids, what the hell?! ALL of us enjoyed looking at all the oddities, movie memorabilia, and sci-fi kitsch. The guy working that day was humorous and welcoming. Other little ones may be spooked, but not mine, with the exception of the Zombie Brain exhibit. They loved seeing all the creepy things. SCORE FOR PARENTING!
It's funny the things you talk about while on the road. It's really a place to get to know your family more. Right now, the boys are really too young to have deep conversations, but I have my husband. Anyone who knows him, knows there's no end to his amusing antics. However, little know about his love for all kinds of movies, even emotional ones. Somehow, he got on the topic of "Untamed Heart", which I have never seen. He was explaining the plot...AND HE TEARED UP! heehee
I have an awesome husband! And I still have no desire to watch that movie.
During this trip, I've been trying to update on Twitter since it's fast and simple (you should be following!! @familyenroute ) The problem? I have stupid iWireless for my mobile service this month (check out our tip about mobile service). Their 4G sucks to "high heaven"! So, my postings are not happening like I want them to, if at all. I'm stuck with them though until June 29th. I also book all of our stays the day of, because I don't want to be chained too much by a schedule. But with this phone mess, it's making a terrible time of it! I curse often.
Our next 3 points of interest were in Portland, OR. I LOVE PORTLAND! Just throwing that out there. It is a place I could easily move. Yes, if you've watched Portlandia (and EVERYONE SHOULD...it's on Netflix), it's definitely on point. But the place is beautiful. To us, it's a mixture of Seattle and Victoria.
We ended up arriving there during their Rose Fair and right before their Rose Parade. People were lining the streets with their chairs and blankets and the whole bay/marina area was full of rides, concession stands, food trucks, and people...lots of people. We by-passed all of that and headed to the Freaky But True Peculiarium.
It was awesome! My kids, what the hell?! ALL of us enjoyed looking at all the oddities, movie memorabilia, and sci-fi kitsch. The guy working that day was humorous and welcoming. Other little ones may be spooked, but not mine, with the exception of the Zombie Brain exhibit. They loved seeing all the creepy things. SCORE FOR PARENTING!
Judas picked up some spicy flavored meal worms to share with the boys and we were off to the Children's Museum of Portland. This was our second time going (the first being "Baby Tour 2012"). Man, it seemed so much bigger when Meatball was so much smaller! Anyway, our boys loved it. Parking was horrible, but the place is worth a stop if you are traveling with young ones. You can also make a day of it and visit the zoo next door. We decide to stick with the museum, and good thing! The boys' favorite part is the new Outdoor Adventure part. It basically turned into a spray park and they were soaked. So, be prepared with extra clothes or a towel!
We didn't get to go to our third place, the Rimsky-Korsakoffee House. The address had led to a house...so we thought. Turns out it was the place, but we were confused. I don't think the boys would have done well in it anyway, but I really wanted to try it. If you go, let me know what you think!
Thanks to Hotwire.com, we found the Phoenix Inn in Salem, OR to rest our "weary heads" I was completely exhausted after getting in and then taking the boys swimming in the hotel pool and letting them experience a hot tub for the first time. I actually fell asleep before the boys, before 9:30PM. Being on the road is tiresome. I still not quite sure why.
Thanks to Hotwire.com, we found the Phoenix Inn in Salem, OR to rest our "weary heads" I was completely exhausted after getting in and then taking the boys swimming in the hotel pool and letting them experience a hot tub for the first time. I actually fell asleep before the boys, before 9:30PM. Being on the road is tiresome. I still not quite sure why.