Final Stop -- Bend, Oregon

Our final stop on the tour was to Bend, OR.  I was hoping on our way from Portland to Bend that we could stop by Salem and McMinnvillee and show the girls where we used to live and work, but didn't have enough time.

We started slowly making our way higher and higher and finally Mt. Bachelor

came into view.

We made it to Bend and got all unpacked. We were staying at my Uncle Carl's

house there and it was so nice.

We just hung out and chatted with everyone and then us ladies

went to downtown Bend to shop and look around.

We played bingo and ate a lot of ice cream :)

The next day, we took some family pictures.

All the photographers.

Uncle Carl and Aunt Tami had to go, and then the rest of us drove

to Mount Bachelor.

We took the ski lift up to the top to check out the view and have some

lunch. We got to play in the snow for a minute too.

On the Fourth of July we went to the annual pet parade that is held in downtown Bend.

I loved it! The girls loved it too. We all thought it was great. Then we went to a park and

walked around a festival .

Our first date was on the 4th of July.

The rest of the 4th we just hung around the house. Grilled out and waited

for it to get dark. We drove to a parking lot to watch a fireworks show

that the city puts on.

Waiting for dark.

We all floated the Deschutes River. It was so much fun, but took quite

a lot of effort to get the inner tubes because it was just so busy.

I didn't take my camera because, Water, but it was a fun day.

We spent our last full day in Bend at the Museum.

It was a great place to visit. We spent all day there.

And then some random pictures of the town and neighbor hood and sunsets

and sunrises and flowers.

So many round-abouts in Bend!!

Our flight home was delayed in leaving Bend by two hours.

We then landed in Salt Lake City and ran our legs off to make

the connection to Atlanta.

We landed in ATL and all the luggage made it!

Went to pick up our car and get home. It was 1;30 ish

before we got to bed.

A really fun and interesting trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Travelling takes time and effort and money. But it is worth it.

To show our kids and ourselves other places and people is always

a good idea.

Also, it is good to be home!!

First Stop -- Seattle

At the end of June we flew out to Seattle, WA.

We were meeting up with family in Bend, OR and

decided to make it a tour of the Pacific Northwest.

We hadn't been back to Washington in 10 years and wanted

to show the girls where we used to live.

We stayed in Airbnb the entire time. It was a cute house in West Seattle.

After we dropped off our luggage, we drove over to Maple Valley.

We wanted to show the girls the houses we lived in .

The bottom house was a house we rented while the top house

was being built. We were also able to stop in on some

neighbors and talk for awhile.

The next morning, we ddrove into Seattle to see the sights.

First stop was the Space Needle.

Checking out the view.

The day started a little cloudy and cool, but the sun came out!

We added our name to the electronic map of the world that is in

the Space Needle. It shows all the people from all around the world that

have visited. Pretty cool.

Then we walked right next to the Needle to visit the

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

It was amazing to see the glass art and the gardens were beautiful.

We had lunch and then a very quick trip through the Pacific

Science Center. We learned about dinosaurs, bugs, the human

body, butterflies, etc...

We also learned about gravity, pendulums, the power of water.

We rode this bike. It was scary, but fun.

We took a ride on the Monorail to

downtown Seattle area. We were trying to get to the very

first Starbucks, but it was a walk, and we were short on time.

So we stopped at a regular Starbucks for coffee break,

We rode the Monorail back to the parking garage and then drove over

to Safeco Field to see a Seattle Mariners baseball game.

It was a perfect night for a baseball game.

The next day we headed down to see the famous Pike Street Market.

Of course, we watched them throw the fish!

The Market is amazing, but sensory overload.

We made our way to Gum Alley.

It is a little back alley way next to the Market.

People chew gum and stick it to the wall. There are 1000s of

pieces of gum. Gross, but kind of cool too.

We took a ride on the Pier Ferris Wheel.

There were some amazing views of downtown Seattle and

the water front.

We finished with a visit to the Seattle Aquarium.

I know walked around the water front and Pier 66 area.

We ate The Red Robin and visited the Old Curiosity Shop and ate ice cream.

We went back to the house and packed up because the next morning we were heading to

Portland, Oregon. On our way to Oregon, we made a quick stop in Puyallup.

We went back to the very first house that Raphael and I lived in.

Loved that little house.

Lots of good memories there.

We brought Rachel home from the hospital to this house.

And Lola joined us here too.

Next stop...... Portland, Oregon.