Sometimes the best family traditions are the ones you didn't officially plan to make happen. For me, that's going to Florence annually during the winter. That's Florence, Oregon. (Although, I have been to Florence, Italy once during the winter, too!) I'm a sucker for keeping the tree up waaay past its expiration date because I… Continue reading Whoa, look at that wave! Look at that spray!
Tag: road trip
Always stopping for cheese — and now ice cream
Another winter, another stop at the Tillamook Creamery. This is our fourth consecutive post-Christmas road trip down to Florence, Oregon. And we always make sure to stop at Tillamook for cheese. If you're a longtime reader (Hi, Andrew!), I'm sure you are familiar with these cheese stops. Like, this one from 2021, that yes, I… Continue reading Always stopping for cheese — and now ice cream
This looks like a good place to stop, right?
It was 5:30 pm so naturally it was pitch dark since it was December in the Pacific Northwest. We were driving back home to Seattle from our week-long getaway to the Oregon Coast. We were somewhere just outside of Portland and got off the highway while I searched for the closest city park on my… Continue reading This looks like a good place to stop, right?
Always stop for cheese
"But will we have time to stop at Tillamook?" I asked Bryce this question numerous times leading up to our departure for our Oregon Coast road trip. We would be driving from our home in Seattle to Florence, Oregon for a week getaway before Christmas. I was adamant that we stop in Tillamook at the… Continue reading Always stop for cheese
A vegetarian in the Southwest
To be honest, I started writing this blog post a few days ago in a text file and for whatever reason, I forgot to save it and I was forced to restart my computer so I lost the draft completely. I don't have the energy in me to rewrite everything word for word. I will… Continue reading A vegetarian in the Southwest
Carlsbad Caverns: caves that go down, down, and extend forever, forever
We walked, down, down ... and down. I couldn't believe how much "more down" we were going as we walked down the paved path at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. For reference, turns out we walked down the equivalent of 79 stories to get into the cave! Once we were in the cave, I then couldn't… Continue reading Carlsbad Caverns: caves that go down, down, and extend forever, forever
Roswell: they sure do believe
When Bryce planned our Southwest road trip, he knew from the beginning that he wanted to stop in Roswell. "Just for the morning?" I asked. "Yeah, we'd be there just for an hour, tops," he replied. OK, sure. Might as well go check out the home of the "UFO incident" since we'd be in the… Continue reading Roswell: they sure do believe
The checkpoint in the middle of nowhere
I just woke up from another nap. We were in the middle of the desert, New Mexico. We were on US 70 — do the locals call it Highway 70? Either way, we were headed east towards White Sands National Park. We were on a long straight-away and I could just see dirt to my… Continue reading The checkpoint in the middle of nowhere
Hiking, sledding and just in awe at White Sands
I was nervous sliding down that first sand dune. While I won't knock something until I try it, I tend to be a scaredy-cat when I think I could get hurt. Example: It took me until I was 22 years old to ride a roller coaster at Disneyland. Turns out I love them. (I even… Continue reading Hiking, sledding and just in awe at White Sands
72 hours in the Southwest — lots of driving and very worth it
I'm no stranger to long road trips. Or, lots of driving done in a short amount of time -- as was the case last weekend. Bryce and I had planned a few months ago to do a Southwest road trip. We would hit up White Sands National Monument Park, Roswell and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.… Continue reading 72 hours in the Southwest — lots of driving and very worth it
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