Our Washington trip: Part 1

Warning: This will be a long post filled with tons of pictures. We could not find our regular camera. These are all cell phone pictures.

We have been planning this New Mexico/Washington trip for almost a year. My dad and I made plans and we put a loose itinerary together. We bought our airplane tickets in March. We booked our hotel stays in May and in June, we booked our rental car. The fun part, my mother-in-law was coming with us! She has never been to the Southwest and we were excited to show her the sights. We left Brooklyn on July 3rd and arrived at my parents' house later that evening. We had a family BBQ. I seen family that I have not seen in years and to be honest, it was a nice surprise. We ate, talked, and watched the kids play. It turned into a late evening. We were leaving for our trip to Washington the next day. I don't know who planned it this way (me). I couldn't sleep that night. I was so excited. I woke up and could not go back to sleep. I finally got out of bed around 6:00. I got ready and started loading things into the car. We were going to follow my parents in their truck. My dad started loading up his truck and we set out around 7:00. The night before, I asked my grandma to come with us. She said yes!! I was even more excited. After we picked her up, we had a quick breakfast and we were officially on the road by 9:00. It was my mom, dad, grandma, and Joey in my dad's truck. My mother-in-law, Tony and I in the rental car. Wwe stopped at a kitschy little rest stop/gift shop a few miles outside of Moab, Utah. We stretched our legs for a bit and got back on the road. The drive through Moab was spectacular. I wish we took photos. I am not sure why we didn't. We kept going until we reached Spanish Fork, Utah. We stopped for a late lunch at Cafe Rio. It was delicious! We quickly ate and had to get moving. Our overnight stop was Boise, Idaho. We were still six hours away. The drive through Utah was lovely. Tony and I were amazed at how many churches we saw. We started a little game to see who could spot all the churches. That kept us busy. The most wonderful views were the temples. I loved seeing them right up against the mountains. The mountains were incredible! I had never been past Moab until we were on this trip. So, from here on out, the scenery was new to all of us. We finally reached Idaho and by then, I was starting to get tired. The last hour before we hit Boise was a killer. Finally around 10:00 p.m., we made it to our motel. We were all very tired and ready to get some sleep. 

Our route to WA

The next morning, I felt refreshed and ready to go. We had another long day of driving, but we would reach our destination by evening time. The drive through Idaho was pleasant. There were a lot of hills and fields. We were amazed by all the wind farms. We decided our lunch spot would be in Pendleton, OR. Along the way, we pulled over at a rest stop that marked The Oregon Trail. It was very cool to see we were on the route of the pioneers. We had lunch right outside Pendleton, OR. From there, we stopped to look at the Pendleton Mills wool shop. It is very pricy, but it was fun to browse. We set off and drove through the Oregon towards the coast. I thought it was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. We saw Mt. Hood. Along the way, we stopped to see the Multnomah Falls. It was amazing! It was definitely worth a stop. From there, we drove straight in to Lacey. We checked into our motel and went to my brother's apartment. I finally met my nephew, Tyler. He is one and a half and very cute. It was awesome to see my brother and his family. We all went out to dinner. We had a nice time eating and chatting. By the end of our meal, we were all very tired. We decided to take it easy the next day and head out to see the coast.

Somewhere in Oregon

Pendleton, Oregon

Pendleton, OR

Mt. Hood

Joey and  Tyler

The next day, we drove to Ocean Shores, WA. It's a small coastal town. After a quick lunch, we drove onto the beach. Yes. We drove onto the beach. It was awesome! The day was perfect. The Pacific ocean is a completely different ocean from the Atlantic. I was surprised to hear how loud it was. The waves were huge. It was breathtaking. It was also the first time my Grandma has ever seen an ocean. She was amazed. It was sweet to see her kick off her shoes and walk on the beach and into the water. She loved it. Joey and Tyler were ready to jump right in. They both got soaked, but they had a blast. It was a great day. From there, we drove around the surrounding area and did a little shopping. My cousin Allison lives north of Seattle in Marysville. She drove down to meet us and she took Grandma back to her house for the night. We had a nice dinner at this yummy pizza joint. Joey got to meet his cousin, Ryan. They hit if off immediately and I felt bad that we had to leave.We would meet up with them the next day in Seattle.

To be continued...