Day 1: Vale to Wallowa Lake
After packing what seemed like the entire house (hey, my motto is that I'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared) we loaded the car (I am slightly embarrassed at how much stuff we packed for a few nights) and prepared for our journey. Vale to Wallowa Lake is roughly 4 hours away with lots of places to stop along the way (important with a recently potty trained toddler and feed-me-every-two-hours infant.)
(Rocco on the trip-- fueling up before taking off)
We left in the morning after Ruby received her bottle and hoped she would fall asleep in her car seat. Rocco had slept well the night before, so we were hopeful for a positive attitude and easy travels from him. Oh, and having a portable car DVD player with lots of kid movies also helps! After filling up with gas and grabbing some brunch, we were on our way. Ruby fell asleep rather quickly and Rocco peacefully watched movies. All was well until we got to North Powder...
(Ruby-- the calm before the storm!)
At North Powder, Ruby decided she had enough of her seat. She was hungry and had a wet diaper. We stopped. The boys peed. I changed Ruby and started feeding her a bottle before I went in to potty. I was hopeful that she would have a full belly and contently drift back to sleep. WRONG! She threw her first and only major fit for the trip-- from North Powder to Imbler. That's roughly 40 minutes of crying and fussing. Not super fun! Anywhoo... we kept going and tried to appease her, pulling over once to swaddle her, which seemed to help-- or she was just so exhausted from the 40 minutes of crying that she wore herself out-- and we continued onto our destination: Wallowa Lake!
As we got closer and closer to the lake, we could see the weather change from slightly sunny to grey and rainy. We spent the entire trip at the lake in the pouring rain. Regardless, it was still beautiful. I wish I could have gotten better shots of the mountain peaks-- they are really breathtaking. I forget just how beautiful it is up there. After settling into our cozy and cute little cabin at the lake, we went and bought some groceries and settled in for a bit. The boys braved the weather and went for a walk while Ruby and I stayed inside.We grabbed some lunch at Embers Pub-- and I ran into one of my former students by surprise. We then met our friends, Sadie and Hanley, and their little girl, Edie, at one of our favorite places-- Terminal Gravity Brewery and Ale House. We sampled some of our favorite beer while the kiddos played and caught up with our friends. It was a great way to end our first day of vacation.
(Ruby and her daddy relaxing in our cabin at the lake)
Day 2: Wallowa Lake & Joseph & Enterprise
Bright and early the following day, we went into Enterprise to see whoever we could catch at the school. I was able to see many of my old friends and colleagues, which was great. I missed a few, though, so I will have to make sure I see them first thing the next time I go. It was uplifting to hear some of my students say, "Come back, Miss R!" and remember me. I truly had such a wonderful experience when I lived and taught there and made life-long friends within the short 9 months I was there. I have already decided that we're taking a family vacation every summer to visit.
(Wallowa Lake and gloomy weather)
We then took Rocco into the playground in Joseph so he could blow off some steam. It was rainy, rainy, rainy, but he and Todd managed not to melt. Ruby and I strolled around the down town area and shopped. We hit up Bee Crow Bee for some yummy smelling salt scrubs and some balm for Aunt Stephanie. We popped over to Mad Mary's to find some cool toys for Braiden and Madi for their birthdays. We ordered lunch at La Laguna and picked up chocolate truffles at Arrowhead Chocolates while we waited. Ruby was quiet and took everything in while everyone commented on what a cute, sweet baby she was.
(Jumping in the puddle-- so much fun!)
We headed back to the cabin, ate some lunch, and the kiddos napped. After a little rest, we loaded up and braved the lakeside in the rain. Rocco and I explored the creek, threw rocks and sticks, and jumped in puddles before getting to water-logged that we had to leave. After getting all cleaned up, we jumped back in the car and headed to my friend and former colleague's house for dinner. She had an amazing spread for us-- smoked chicken, salad, chocolate cake, mashed potatoes, bread, and wine. A couple of other friends from my teaching days joined us and Rocco played with Colby's boys. It was a great way to end the second evening of our trip.
(I love this boy!)
Day 3: Wallowa Lake to La Grande
Back on the road bright and early! And oddly enough-- the rain stopped and the sun came out. Darn! Another rough travelling experience-- both Rocco and Ruby were cranky and sick of the car. I lost it. Todd lost it. It was no bueno. BUT... things settled down after we got to Josh and Katie's house-- Rocco could play with the toys and Ruby could be held, so they were happy. We picked up gyros from Yia Yia Nikki's-- and, after hanging out with the Burrights for awhile, we went back to our hotel room for a little rest before dinner.
Dinner at the Burrights was the best part of our trip-- yummy food and great company. Our friends, the Wolcotts, came over with their kiddos. Kenny came over, too. The kids ran and played and went crazy in the backyard while the adults talked, ate, and drank a little. We talked about funny kid stories--toddlers pooping in front yards, teething trials and tribulations, and more. Kenny swears he will never have kids-- ever-- after this night. (I think he will change his mind... eventually!)
It was a great way to end our vacation-- and the kids slept awesome that night :)
Day 4: La Grande to Vale
We unfortunately cut our trip short by a day due to funerals being held back home.
After breakfast at the Burright's house-- home made biscuits and sausage gravy-- we did a little swimming at the hotel pool, then off to the world's best park. The park is HUGE and looks like a castle. There are swings, slides, fireman poles, rock climbing walls, ladders, merry go rounds, a motorcycle, and much, much more. The kids ran their hearts out and had a blast. I ran into an old art professor whom I adore and talked for a bit. It was sunny, warm, and perfect.
The morning ended with a lunch at NY Richie's-- pizza, Viper Sauce, and salad.
Back on the road to get home sweet home. Both kids crashed. When they woke up in Farewell Bend, I jumped in the back seat and kept them calm for the rest of the trip-- I was uncomfortable, but it kept our sanity!
Home never felt so good-- for everyone.
Over-All Thoughts on the Trip:
Todd gives the kids a solid grade of a B or B-. He says "Ups and downs. It was fun. It was good to see everyone. I would give it a B- to a B. The kids struggled with being off of their routine. There were fun things for them to do, but it was good to be home at the end."
I give the trip a C. It was awesome to see friends and revisit our favorite places. It sucked to travel with kids-- cranky toddler who was off his schedule and a cranky infant who hates her car seat. I was very happy to get home.
I will leave it at that for now :) Are there family vacations in our future this summer? We will see...
(Todd is thinking FML)
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