Vacation!

Road Trip 2010- So we just returned from a big 2 week road trip and it was fantastic! We drove from SF to Portland to Seattle to Vancouver and then took the coastal drive on the way back. I hate riding in the car and so do my kids, so I was a little nervous about how this would all play out. We rented a HUGE SUV and filled it to the brim. It ain't easy packing for 2 grown ups, 2 little ones, camping stuff and food (tons of food). We tried to keep the trip as cheap as possible, which meant very little eating out. Plus, I knew good snack food and treats would cure any boredom the girls and I would encounter. My husband and I loved the SUV. We tired not to, but it was just so... big. We will never buy one, but we sure did enjoy renting it!
Here's some general observations about the whole thing-
1. It's f*cking hot out there. Every city we hit was in the middle of a summer heat wave. The heat made us all a little irritable. Not a good sign for our upcoming move.
2. Cheap hotels are creepy. Gone are the days when I thought it was cool to stay in a grungy hotel. If people are fighting in line for the mystery dish at the free breakfast buffet, I'm outta there.
3. Portland rules. Love Voodoo Donuts. Love Powells. Love all the fountains for kids to play in. Transit was a little slow, but very clean. I didn't get to ride the air tram, but hopefully we can do that on the next visit.

4. Seattle has a great edge to it. I wish I could by all my food at Pike's and hang out at Left Bank Books figuring out how to take myself off the grid. To be honest, I found the transit a little confusing. I had a rude bus driver that didn't tell me that you pay getting on sometimes, and getting off other times based on where you get on. My husband had figured that out, but neglected to tell me and I instantly became the annoying lady with the loud kids that's holding up the bus line. I loved all the great kid's parks, and Gas Works Park was really cool. I was thankful to blogger, Carla for sending me some great travel tips!

5. Vancouver was nice. We stayed in a nice hotel there and the kids loved looking out the floor to ceiling windows to the city, 15 stories below. It's a pretty city with a lot to offer, but damn is it expensive!

6. The first night on the road we made it to our campsite at Creator Lake, only to find that it was snowed in (literally no where to pitch our tent or cook) and infested with freakishly large mosquitos. We had to ditch that site and set up shop about 30 miles away.
7. We stayed in a yurt on Loon Lake. We pulled up to find a bunch of college students partying right next to our site. They had like 4 pit bulls, kegs, and a racist bumper sticker. We were so worried that we had a shitty night ahead of us, but turns out the ended the party early, and even brought us a plate of food.
8. Camping on the beach was great, except for me freezing my ass off at night.
9. I ate too many s'mores  on our trip and never want to see one again.

10. The Oregon Coast is stunning. So are the massive Redwood Trees in CA. There is so much undeveloped land out there. It was refreshing.