Family Vacation in Oregon

Tweet

Last summer we went to Oregon for our big family vacation. I realized that I never shared the trip here on the blog and now that summer is here-- I have a little more free time. So I am sitting down and sharing all the details about the trip with you! Vacations have become something that is really important to our family. I know that everyone has different opinions as to what things a family should invest in. For us, we like the vacation experience. Making memories, trying new things, and just having fun together is something that we want to give our girls. And luckily, my husband really likes to plan our travels! So last July, we headed up to Oregon.

My husband grew up in Oregon. And since the girls and I had never been, he wanted to show us everything! So our trip was broken into three parts- his hometown, the coast and the city.



First up, we checked into a hotel in his hometown of Lake Oswego, OR. Then we put on our running shoes and headed to Multnomah Falls. The falls are 611 feet tall and breath-taking! The hike was moderate- lots of incline and switch backs. One thing about hiking with kids, it takes lots of 'pep talks'. Lol. But we stopped and had fun along the way- dipping our feet in the icy water and finding treasures.

And of course, we had a little treat to celebrate when we got back down.



The entire time we were in Oregon we drove around in a rental car. So this is my PSA-- make sure your kids are in carseats or boosters if they need them. Even when you travel! My youngest is 'needs to be in a booster' age. But to be honest, I didn't always bring a booster due to size etc.

Then I found this --it's called the mifold booster. It is 10x smaller than the average booster but just as safe. Instead of lifting your kid to the position of the adult seat belt, mifold adapts the belt to your kids.  And it is so small- it fits in my purse! I wanted to mention this because now there is no excuse not to have a booster on hand when you travel this summer.  Your kiddos can always be safe, no matter whose car they are in. (This is not a paid post, I just wanted to pass along the tip!)

While we were staying in Lake Oswego, we visited family and drove to all of Jeff's old favorite places. (like his high school!)

We spent one day rafting on the river. I didn't bring my phone because I was afraid I would get it wet. But it was amazing. And I actually did fly out of the raft and 'self rescued'! It was crazy scary!!

Another day was spent at Ski Bowl on Mt. Hood- where we bungee jumped (only Afton & Jeff!), did zip lines, climbed through tree bridges, rode the ski lift, and did the alpine slide. It was a great day!

The next morning, we headed up to the coast. Along the way we stopped to eat the biggest cinnamon roll ever at Camp 18. 

Before going to our hotel, we took a detour to go hiking at Ecola State Park. 

This was by far my favorite part of the entire trip, because we almost died. No seriously, we almost drowned! It all started when we took a precarious path down to the beach. 

No one else was down there and we saw the most incredible star fish, shells, and tide pools. We walked and walked forever. 

Then Jeff noticed that tide was quickly coming in. We began looking for a path back up, but we were so far from the trail. The water kept rising and we started to panic. Jeff and I knew we could climb up some of the rocks, but they were all too steep for the girls. We began running....

And then we found a rope and with pure adrenaline, the girls climbed up. We made it out.

Nothing like a little 'life or death' scare to spice up your vacation! After that we checked in at our hotel, cleaned up, had lunch and relaxed.

The hotel in Cannon Beach was fabulous!! I can't say enough good things about the SurfSand Resort. It was beautiful, family friendly, and very very nice! And it had the best view of Haystack Rock. 

While in Cannon Beach, we had yummy food, played, shopped/toured the town and the girls even tried swimming in the frigid waters.

The best part of our hotel was the personal smore's fire they set up for us at night.

I didn't ever want to leave. Where else could you go and see these sights on a regular morning run?!

Our final leg of the Oregon trip was to Portland. We wanted to see the city and experience all that it had to offer. We went from chilly temperatures to warm ones.

While in Portland we walked a ton! I think we literally walked 10 miles each day.



We visited the OMSI museum. The girls loved all the hands-on science.

We toured the International Rose Test Garden and then hiked the trails in the nearby park.

We ventured off to find Jeff's favorite hamburger- at Stanich's.  And let the girls play in the city fountains.

We found the Powell's Books- the world's largest independent book store and read, shopped and read some more. 

And no trip to Portland is complete without donuts. (The line for Voodoo was toooo long, so we got these mini donuts from a food cart called Donut Byte Labs!)

Our last night in Portland was filled with pizza and a sunset ride on the Aerial Tram.

And then we had to go home. It was such an amazing trip. I don't know what Oregon is like year-round, but you can't beat a summer there. I came back to Texas and immediately wanted to sell my house and move.

I included links to pretty much every place I shared in the text above, just click the links. If you have any other great suggestions for Oregon, share them in the comments below. Thanks to my Jeff for giving us such an amazing trip. This summer we are Lake Tahoe & Yosemite bound- so stay tuned!

  
Like this post? Join the thousands of other readers that have subscribed to Crafty Texas Girls.
Click below to get your free subscription delivered directly to your inbox.
Subscribe to crafty texas girls

Keep in Touch with Crafty Texas Girls
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Blog

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
All photos and text on craftytexasgirls.com are copyright protected. You may not copy entire articles or posts (even with a link) without my express written permission. Email any requests or links used to craftytexasgirls@gmail.com.