Where have you been?

 

I have obviously been on a blogging hiatus for the last month.

Sorry about that, but it's been for a very good reason.

Summer Vacation!

This year we took a 3 week road trip and traveled over 4000 miles 

from Phoenix, Arizona to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and back.  

We saw some of the most beautiful country 

I've ever seen.  

There were places where you could swear we were in Hawaii, 

then the Rainforests along the equator, Parliment in the United Kingdom, 

and some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.  

Almost a world tour.  

The water was freezing cold for sure.  

The water temperature never got above 55 degrees F.  

But since my kids are related to their Dad, 

they went swimming wherever they could and for as long as we would let them.  

Not me.  I'm a super baby when it comes to cold water.

But let me share a little of our vacation with you.

We were going to stop at Lake Tahoe, NV but didn't quite make it.

We spent too much time at a Vegas Breakfast Buffet on the way up.

That trip will have to happen later.

We did get kicked off a military base somewhere near Area 51.

Yes that place really does exist.  I've seen it.

My uncle was pulling a 30 trailer and a piece came off.  We stopped to

fix it and let the kids play on what looked like an old abandoned lookout tower

while the Dad's fixed the part.

What we didn't realize until we got in trouble was that it was a highly secret

military base and they didn't want us taking any pictures and to leave immediately.

Kinda scary, but oh so cool!!

After Nevada we stopped at Crater Lake.

If you haven't been, definitely add it to your bucket list.

I didn't even know it existed until I flew to Portland, Oregon and

the pilot tipped the plane as we few over so we could see it. 

Then and there I decided we had to go.

Crater Lake is an imploded volcano that is only filled with rain and snow.

It's also the deepest lake in the USA.  

The water is so clear and so blue it's indescribable.

                                      

Next stop was Portland, Oregon.  There are a series of waterfalls along the

Columbia River.  This one was Horsetail Falls.  We hiked up and could play

behind the falls.  It looked very close to Hawaii.

We spent a few days in Seattle with family, then up to Vancouver, Canada.

From there we took the ferry over to Victoria, BC.

These are the Butchart Gardens in Victoria.

55 acres of breathtaking gardens.

This is the Parliment Building in Victoria.  

I really felt like we were some where in the UK

exploring some ancient architecture.

From Victoria, we headed south back to the US.

This sunset is on the Pacific Ocean at the Dungeness Spit.

The Spit is a 5 mile sand bar with a Lighthouse at the end.

It's a little known place that is one of my favorite places to be.

Crescent Lake, WA is another favorite place for me.

I love the blue of the water and the tree line that goes right up to the water's edge.

Simply breathtaking!

North Head Lighthouse.

There are actually 2 lighthouses on this penninsula of Cape Disappointment, WA.

This one was my favorite.

There's a soft spot in my heart for lighthouses,

and I feel drawn to see as many as I possibly can.

There will definitely be some projects comming soon with my lighthouses.

Cannon Beach, Oregon.

The beaches along the Oregon Coastline are some of the most beautiful beaches

I've ever seen.  I love the huge rocks that stick out randomly along the coast line.

Have you seen the old 80's movie The Goonies?

This is Goonie Beach.

It's actually called Haystack Rock.

We were lucky enough to time it right at low tide.

The base of Haystack Rock is a huge set of tide pools full of starfish,

sea anemone, rockfish, hermit crabs, etc...

It was so fun to play and explore the tide pools.

This was a new discovery for our family.

It's called Fern Canyon in the Redwood National Forest.

It's a tricky drive to get there and you have to ask for directions because

it's not on the usual maps, but definitely worth the drive.

The walls were probably 3-4 stories tall and completely lined with ferns.

Beautiful.

This was my favorite picture from the trip.

We happened to stop at just the right time to snap this beauty

in the Redwood Forest.

I think God spent some extra time crafting this area.

I believe it's some of His best work!

Where did you go for summer vacation?

Now what do I do with all the stuff we collected along the way?

Come back soon.  

I have some fun projects comming up to showcase your vacation treasures!