PNW

Sat. May 7th

This was my first trip to the Pacific North West and what made it even more fun was spending it with family. Travis has been going since he was a little boy and was so excited to finally be able to share those memories with Liam and I. It's probably one of the longest road trips I've had to do and definitely the longest with Liam, but with lots of snacks, toys & Peppa Pig we were able to pull it off!

Our first night we stopped at a Motel 6 in Baker City, Oregon. After settling in to the hotel, we went into town for some dinner and got to walk around a little. We were all exhausted from the drive, but it was a cute little town and we also checked out a grocery store outlet in the area before calling it a night.

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Sun. May 8th

Today was Trav and I's 7 year anniversary! We're kinda counting this trip as our anniversary present to each other, but Trav also wrote me a beautiful card. He knows my humor so well ;)

Today we made it the rest of the way to Portland, Oregon, Gresham to be more exact, where we were greeted by Travis' dad's side of the family. His grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins were all there in anticipation of our arrival. Liam had so much fun playing cars with his little cousins and it was so nice to finally meet some of the extended family. After some family photos and lots of old stories and memories shared, we headed to our final destination— Manzanita. An adorable little beach town just 20 mins south of Cannon, Beach.

The house we rented was an adorable wood beach home with lights, a fire pit and a cute upper deck for outdoor seating. There was plenty of room for all of us and after settling in we made a quick trip to the local grocery store for some dinner ingredients before eating and heading to bed. It's been a long 2-day drive, but we are so relieved to have finally made it and excited to explore this little beach town!

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Mon. May 9th

Today after breakfast we headed to Manzanita beach to walk around and collect seashells. I can get used to life in the PNW: early morning walks on the beach, people playing fetch with their dogs and a warm cup of oregano chai in my hand. We headed to a local spot called Big Wave Cafe where we got our first taste of the amazing Oregon seafood. We walked around the shops in the main part of town buying souvenirs and local treats before heading home for the rest of the evening to snack and watch Schitt's Creek back to back.

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Tue. May 10th

Today's first adventure consisted of visiting a nearby spot called Short Sand Beach. It was a beautiful hike through the most lush and mossy green forest I've ever seen! Giant trees, mushrooms and the stuff of fairy tales surrounded this easy hike down to the water. Once on the beach Liam had his fill of playing and digging in the sand while the rest of us walked around and explored the tiny waterfalls and took in the gorgeous scenery that surrounded us.

Then we drove up to Cannon beach to check out the famous Haystack Rock and do some more souvenir shopping and stuff our faces with more crab and seafood. We even saw an elk walking around the town! Cannon Beach was definitely more busy and touristy, so we were happy to visit, but to be staying somewhere more calm and laid back like Manzanita.

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Wed. May 11th

Today Trav, Katie and I took a drive down to Ecola State Park while grandma & grandpa took a break and hung out with Liam at the house. This spot was super cool because a lot of movies have been filmed here, including scenes from Twilight! You could see a lighthouse in the distance and the waves were really kicking up so the local surf scene was poppin'!

Later in the afternoon we drove over to The Jetty Fishery where we were able to pick up some crab and manila clams for dinner. While we waited for them to boil them up we walked around and looked at all the wild life at the marina which included seals, seagulls and the two cutest otters you ever saw playing and snuggling on the boardwalk. While the crabs were getting cleaned, after being cooked, we each got to taste the crab heart which looked like a little star fish! Super tasty.

We enjoyed our crab and clams with some potatoes and all the lemon garlic butter you could eat. It was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip!

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Thurs. May 12th

Today was the rainiest day of the trip. So we kept our activities to the indoors and headed over to the Tillamook factory. We got to see how their cheese was processed and made from milk to cheddar. We got to sample cheese, take some fun pictures and, of course, buy more souvenirs!

We did some last minute souvenir shopping back in Manzanita as well before going out for our last taste of that amazing Oregon seafood for dinner. Packing up to leave this adorable town was so hard. But I love that we have special place we can always come back to when we want to get away.

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Fri. May 13th

Today we drove back through Portland for one last visit with grandpa Roberts and the family. On our way there we HAD to make a pit-stop at Voodoo Donuts to share with everyone. After all that souvenir shopping I realized I didn't get anything for myself so I couldn't help, but buy a t-shirt as a little memory of our trip.

After our visit with family we made a stop at Multnomah Falls before checking into our hotel (which was much better then our stay at the Motel 6 on the way in). I got up first thing in the morning before Liam and Travis were awake to enjoy a little alone time at the hot tub. Then we had the waffle continental breakfast before driving the rest of the way home. Another great trip for the books and memories made!