It was time. We hadn't had a decent vacation in years, and it was time. We packed up the car and hit the road in the middle of March, and didn't come home for three weeks.
This wasn't any ordinary trip, though. This was special. Mom and Dad figured that this would be one of the first trips Connor would remember for the rest of his life, and so we wanted it to be as memorable as possible. We had no real schedule. We could go when we wanted, stay if we felt like it, and never needed to hurry (except for the occasional emergency bathroom stop).
The first leg of the trip took us from Denver to Boise. We took two days, rather than drive 14 hours all at once. That was nice. Uncle Sam and Aunt Lori were kind enough to put us up for the night. We played in the park, did a little catching up, and spent a very relaxing day-and-a-half. Flying Pie Pizza was the order of the day.
After Boise, it was time to move on to Seattle. Dad's immediate family lives there, and it was great to see Uncle Rick and Aunt Julie (and baby Jacob). Rick and Connor talked at length about both Legos and Star Wars from the first moment to the last...and we're pretty sure that Connor held his own with our family's Star Wars expert.
In an effort to make the trip as memorable as possible, we did some "touristy-type" things. Highlights included a ride on the Washington State Ferries with Grandma Chris (from Edmonds to Kingston and back), our first trip up the Space Needle (with Uncle Sam, who just happened to be in Seattle that week), a few visits to new homesites (with Grandad Joe and Grandma Marlene), and plenty of Seattle's incredible liquid sunshine.
We had a great time with Dad's family, and are again reminded of how far it is from our home to theirs. Dad loves the rain, and didn't mind walking around downtown Seattle with Uncle Jeff to visit the Music Experience and (especially) the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and Museum. That was an unexpected treat. Despite some water problems (and internet problems) at the hotel, the Seattle trip was almost perfect. Legos with cousin Megan, meals with Grandad Joe and Grandma Marlene, meals with Grandma Chris, meals with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Marie and cousin Megan, and getting to use the cool hotel keycard seemed to be big highlights for Connor.
We were surprised at how many of our friends and family shared Connor's passion for Legos. They were often the center of activity, and sometimes the last thing to get packed up. Connor didn't bring a very significant percentage of his Legos...only enough to "get by". Mom and Dad figure the retail value of "getting by Legos" is probably several hundred dollars, which was enough for everyone to build something fun.
When it was finally time to move on, we headed south...toward Portland. Dad made one quick phone call to Aunt Penni and a mini-family-reunion was in the works. We all had a good time, and were especially grateful to have had a special day with our family in Portland. Thanks to Uncle Paul and Aunt Penni for opening your home, thanks to Jennifer and Jessica (and the rest of the crew) for coming, and especially thanks to Uncle Harry (Tony) and Aunt Barbara for making it an extra-special day. We'll all remember it fondly.
We slept in Aloha that night. The next day's drive to Roseburg was too long to start right away, and we found a great little hotel with a giant jacuzzi tub for cheap...everyone took a turn soaking up the luxury. Bright and early the next morning, we were on our way to a new town, right after another stop at Shari's. After driving for five hours in the driving rain, we finally arrived at the home of Mom and Dad's good friends, Brian and Shannon. Connor had a good time playing with Kaana and Stormi, and it was nice to catch up with all of them. Roseburg is a cool little town, and they have a nice restaurant right on the railroad tracks. Imagine our surprise when we found that this little town is also home to a wildlife safari park! We jumped at the chance to drive through and see llamas, cheetahs, lions and tigers and bears OH MY, humpty-back camels and chimpanzees. Okay, we didn't see chimpanzees...but there were tons of other cool animals there. We'd recommend this trip to anyone!
We couldn't stay in paradise forever, though. We moved on, driving through Santiam pass for the first time. It snowed...quite a bit. Connor really loved making yellow snow. Giggles all around. We were surprised to find a very convenient McDonald's at the top of the hill, and took advantage (not for the first time). We spent the night in lovely central Oregon, and a somewhat long day from there to the Idaho border. We made a quick stop to visit Diana, Chantay, and Carson in Oregon Trail Country, and then hustled back to Uncle Sam and Aunt Lori's house.
We spent an awesome final week with them. Their hospitality is always appreciated, and we miss seeing them as regularly as we used to. Connor had fun playing at the park, playing fetch (and keep away) with Buster, playing Legos with Aunt Lori, and planting potatoes with Uncle Sam and our friend Lani.
No trip to the Treasure Valley would be complete without a trip to NNU, and another visit to Flying Pie. We spent a few really fun hours with Tyler and Katrina (and their parents, Scott and Michelle). There's no doubt that Connor would spend a lot of time with a good buddy in New Plymouth if we lived close.
After three long and glorious weeks, we headed home to Denver. We were ready to get back to the routine, and ready to stop driving everywhere. We were even tired of figuring out which restaurants to eat in! It was nice to return to our own beds, and to take a few days off. While Mom isn't in any of the pictures (she took them all), we all had a great and memorable vacation. We can't wait to do it again!
04.07.07 | Send E-Mail to ConnorJulian