Part One of Our Big Trip

We moved into a hotel on February 2nd and drove out of San Diego on the 6th.  Since then, we have been traveling and living out of hotels.  I must say I am very proud of how well  all of us did on this big trip.  We rolled with the punches and made the most out of each stop.  Here is the first segment of our trip:

Our first day of the road trip was the least fun due to LA traffic but we did finish strong that day with a stop at the gates of Neverland Ranch at sunset.  It was quiet and beautiful.  Like others before us, we left our mark on the rocks.  In case you are wondering why Jack's name is not on the rock, he was passed out in the car for that entire stop.

Day two we made it to San Francisco and John shared his favorite pizza place with us, Little Star Pizza.  It was incredible.  We stayed at a hotel right downtown, which had its pros and cons.

Day Three was a gorgeous drive up the Big Sur to Monterey.  We stopped at John's favorite little town of the entire trip, Cayucos, for cookies. We saw Elephant Seals and a waterfall.  The kids blessed us with a little quiet by napping in the car.  It was at this point that I realized this trip was going to go well; Lydia and Jack have become good travelers.

Day four we drove the Redwoods and I have very fond memories of that day.  The trees were gorgeous and everyone was in a great mood.  Sadly, the Xterra with cartopper would not fit in the drive-thru tree.

Day five we hit the Oregon Coast and stayed in Bandon.  I was so happy to be out of California!  Unfortunately I slacked off and do not have any pictures of the following day in which we met up with my high school friend, Caitlin, and her new baby, Emilia.  After spending the morning catching up, we drove to Yachats and finally saw some rain.

  

  Day seven we drove through Newport and had a fun afternoon of Mo's and souvenir shopping.  That night we stayed at Otter Crest, just north of Newport.  John and Lydia enjoyed the sunset together on the beach.  

Day eight and nine were spent in Northern Oregon and again I slacked off on picture-taking.  We stayed at a great hotel directly on the coast in Rockaway Beach and the following day explored Astoria.  At that point in the trip, we were starting to drag a bit.  Perfect timing to head to Dad and Dana's in Portland.

Megan