Washington trip- On the way home- Aug 13 & 14

Saturday, August 13th-

Molly at the park at Fort Vancouver

Today was a hot, fun and sad day. First, we met Josh and his kids at Fort Vancouver for a little tour. Silas and Josh remembered going there when they were young. It wasn't quite what they remembered but it was still an interesting place. It was similar to going to houses at Nauvoo, except the tours aren't quite as organized as they are at church sights. There was a blacksmith's shop with a few blacksmiths who were really fun and taught the kids some things. Elaina even got a little hook made by one of the more enthusiastic men. The kids were especially interested in the canons that were in the turret, which we visited last. Before leaving, our kids finished up some activities in a little book provided by the Fort (which is a National Park) and they were able to earn their Junior Ranger badges. The boys have gotten one from Zions before as well, but Cora hadn't gotten one yet so she was SUPER excited.

After the fort, we stopped at a local beach where the rest of the family had gotten together this morning. We decided we didn't want to get wet and sandy before driving all day so the kids were bummed to see their cousins playing in the water again but we wanted to see everyone once more. We only stayed for a few minutes and then headed for some lunch at a yummy burger place called Burgerville in Camas, WA.

Me and Molly-moo

The we were on the road...except we meandered for a few hours. We stopped lots of places that we were interested in and enjoyed some of the sites. We took Highway 14 in Washington which follows the Colombia River. There is an Interstate on the other side of the river, which is in Oregon, but Sarah suggested we take 14 if we wanted to see some sites on the way. It took a lot longer, but it was worth it.

Garden outside Fort Vancouver

Kids by cool house Fort Vancouver

Wall and turret at Fort Vancouver

Ryan and I by the turret

Fun at Fort Vancouver

Getting sworn in at Fort Vancouver as Junior Rangers

Saying goodbye

We stopped to look out at the Bridge of the Gods which is a huge, white bridge. Right before we stopped there was a MAGNIFICENT view of the bridge and the river and the hills, but the road was narrow and winding so we weren't able to stop and get a photo. I'm actually really sad because it was breathtaking and we only got to see it for a few seconds. Sometimes I am in awe at the beautiful things the Lord created for us to enjoy!

We also stopped at a place called Stonehenge. Someone has built a replica of what they assume Stonehenge in England looked like when it was originally built. This Stonehenge is a War Memorial so their are plaques with names of local men who died in combat. I only noticed ones who died during the First World War. We walked around for a few minutes before continuing.

As we drove we saw lots of LONG trains, went through at least 5 tunnels and saw TONS of para sailors. At one place there were at least 100 para sails within a few miles radius. It was amazing to see.

Molly loved her ketchup flower

The Bridge of the Gods

Stonehenge

Silas & I by the Stonehenge memorial

Kids around Stonehenge

Beautiful drive on Highway 14

Looking back at Mt. Hood in Oregon

Para saliors! 

When we got hungry we stopped at a Wal-mart and went in for lunchables and yogurt. We also bought each of the kids a travel pillow. I had gotten on during the trip to see what we thought of it and all the kids loved taking turns with it, so I decided it was worth the investment. They were much happier trying to relax with them. I wish we would have had one, at least for Cleod, during our drive to Washington when we went through the night. Cleod was miserable and couldn't get comfortable and Molly's head was floppy the whole time.

After our Wal-mart run with their travel pillows

Molly craziness: Whenever we are at a restaurant, Molly always asks for "a baby one" of whatever she wants. Like a baby ice cream or a baby hamburger. It's pretty darling.

Sunday, August 14th-

Utah!!!

This stretch of the trip we opted to spend the money to stay the night somewhere and get a good night's sleep. It really made the trip more enjoyable. We stopped right at the Oregon/Idaho border at a Quality Inn. It was a nice room and the beds were comfortable. Because the kids had slept a little in the car by the time we arrived (around midnight) the boys were wide awake and we remembered that the Olympics are going on right now. So some swimming and track and field on the TV and stayed up until 2am! Luckily we didn't have to wake up early to get home in good time. We slept in until after 9am, with a little time for the hotel breakfast and were off again!

Today we didn't stop as much, except for gas, food and potty stops. Oh, and to take a photo at the Utah sign. We didn't get any photos with the other states, which would have made more sense, but I was SOOOO happy to be back in Utah that I made Silas stop.

We got home before 9pm, unloaded the van and got right to bed. This girl was HAPPY to be home.

Cedar City sign!!!