Pacific Northwest Trip 2026- part 11

Monday morning, Jeremy and Marcus headed to another fair in California and I went for another morning walk, this time by myself.

I walked to the covered bridge that used to be the scene for so many pictures in the past- when it wasn't closed and you could actually reach it. Several of my nieces/nephews got senior pictures there.

I then walked down the road to a walking trail in the area. 

I got my juggling pics and videos.

June 29 was National Waffle Iron Day. Here's how I figure celebrating works sometimes- rationalization. My dad grilled hot dogs for us to have chili dogs. I figure that the grill has a lid that you close just like a waffle iron has a lid that you close. Boom. Celebrated.

After lunch, while Jr. and Jr. Jr. were playing frisbee, 

Jet, Nichole, my mom, and I celebrated National Camera Day by going on a "color walk" photo hunt. It's one of the activities for library Summer reading. Pick a color and take pictures of everything you see of that color as you go. We let Jet pick the color. He picked green. It's Oregon. We didn't take pictures of everything we saw.

When I showed him we could attach his camera to my selfie stick tripod, we was very excited and used it for the rest of the walk.

At one point, my mom showed Jet a line on the road where cracks had been filled in and he followed her following it.

This shows you're never too old to have fun.

 

When we got back to my parents' house, Jet said, "Let's do a family picture." I think he's been around me... and my mom. He set his camera up on the tripod with the timer and got his picture. 

Then when we got inside, he wanted to get another family picture with everyone so I just had everyone gather around Grandpa so he didn't have to move and Jet got his picture(s).

He really wanted to use the remote that goes with my selfie stick tripod, but I let him know it doesn't work with his camera. I let him take a few pictures with my phone on the tripod and he was happy.

Later while we were playing another game, 

Jet set up his camera on the tripod again and took more family pictures.

He even photobombed his own selfie. Did you know you could do that?

Jet certainly celebrated National Camera Day. It was terrific.

Jet's Flaming Gorge Pics

We're not often able to save Jet's pictures from his camera before he erases them. We were able to get pictures he took on our Flaming Gorge trip. Here are some of my favorites.

That last picture is fun. I was watching Jet watching robins hopping around that tree. I got a picture of him with his camera where he was taking pictures. If you look carefully at his picture you can see a robin to the left of the tree.

Our Vacation, Thy Creations, and Our Relations- Part 3

The next morning I was awake when I started to hear robins, then Swainson's thrushes, then other birds like Steller's jays. Amazing how loud birds can be in the middle of the woods in the early morning. I loved it. We wanted to get up early so we could pack up and get to Stout Memorial Grove before the parking area got too filled up.

 

Road trip! 

 

When we left the campground we did see a deer. It was fun to see something other than mule deer like we get in Utah. It's ears were so small.

 

After checking to make sure everyone had their jackets/hoodies before we left Oregon, we realized the one person who didn't have one was me. It was back at my parents' house. When we packed up in Utah, we left Jr.'s jacket behind but my parents had an extra one they gave him.

We got creative with me. We recently got a couple of car blankets and I was able to wrap one around me under my vest. We thought with how it fit it made me look like a character on Endor in The Return of the Jedi, which was appropriate because that was filmed in the Redwoods.

When I visited the Redwoods as a child, I remember looking up and thinking, "Wow. These trees are so tall." It was the same this time. Wow. Those trees were so tall.

Banana slugs! You saw my shirt, right?

The Redwoods are awesome.

We celebrated National Camera Day on June 29.

Family picture!

Have I mentioned the Redwoods are awesome?

It was a good thing we did go early because when we left, the parking lot was completely full and cars were parked all over along the roadway. We managed to get out, though, and drove up along the Oregon Coast on the way back to my parents' house, stopping at several places along the way.

 

Welcome to Oregon.

Harris Beach

Arch Rock

There was a Western Gull that on the car next to us when we pulled up and just stayed there for quite a while. Later, it flew off and the car left then it decided it was our van's turn. We had some fun before it flew off again. 

We also stopped for some nostalgia for me. Growing up, one of the places we liked to visit along the coast was Bandon. When cousins came to visit we would often go to the cheese factory there to get ice cream and squeaky cheese (cheese curds). The cheese factory is now Face Rock Creamery but we stopped to get ice cream and squeaky cheese. We found a flavor of cheese we like- Vampire Slayer and it's good as cheese curds as well. Since it was National Waffle Iron Day, we let the kids get their ice cream in waffle cones.

When I was younger we would also go to the beach at Face Rock in Bandon. It was tradition to get pictures of us facing up like the rock. This trip I shared with my family the legend behind Face Rock. Then I made my kids face up like we would with cousins growing up. Ah, family history.

Walking like crabs.

Don't you just love the ocean?

We eventually made it to our final destination of my parents' house again and we were exhausted after such a long but wonderful day.

 

I'll share more of our wonderful vacation later.