Sunday, August 22, 2010

West Coast Tour

We had a great time on our trip that we took. We were gone for 15 days, drove about 2400 miles and stayed with 5 different families. We left Lehi on July 30 and made stops in Nampa, Portland, La Pine, Eureka and San Jose. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson, Aaron and Jenny, Jim and Becky, The Smiths, and Grandpa and Grandma Lindsey for letting us stay with them on our adventure. We did so much at each stop and between that a blog entry that detailed everything would be about a hundred pages long. Here is a list of the things we did with some pictures sprinkled in.
  • Swim at the Nampa rec center
  • Nightly Quiddler matches
  • Visit to Larry and Tawana's with the Tophams
    • Delicious apple and berry cobblers with home made ice-cream
    • Checking out the animals with Hannah
  • Shopping
Fishing with Grandpa in his boat at CJ Strike
    • Everyone caught something
    • Joe caught a trash fish
    • Seeing a lizard
    • Blowout on the boat trailer tire
  • Ryan losing a front tooth in the car
Stopping at Multnomah Falls on the way to Portland
  • Wrong turn across Fremont Bridge
  • Giant bubbles with Trevor
  • Visiting with Aaron and Jenny and Christine
  • Finally a piano to play
Autobon Society Bird Refuge with Christine
    • Seeing salamanders in the pond
  • OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)
  • Portland Zoo
    • Nirvanah of finding the big snakes
  • Thai food
  • Domino Effect
  • Visiting Aaron at work and seeing the cool animation that people are doing
  • Ben and Jerry's stop in Bend
  • Throwing balls for Jim and Becky's dogs
  • Homemade pizza
Horseshoes



Floating the Deschutes River in La Pine

Marsha, Derek and Joseph tipping the canoe and falling in
    • Saving camera, keys and wallet, but losing a flip-flop
  • Dinner with friends
  • More horseshoes
Crater Lake
  • Jedadiah Smith Forest and the big trees
    • Skipping rocks 
Trinidad Beach (very cold)
  • Another piano to play
  • Blackberry picking


Sequoia Park
    • Banana slugs
  • Tennis with Alan Smith
  • Old town Eureka
Feeding / chasing pigeons
    • Gepetto's Toy Store no longer in business (we are so sad)
    • Chinese yo-yos
    • Carson Mansion
  • Feeding chickens and rabbits
  • Blackberry pie and ice-cream
  • Mark performing on piano and getting to practice Chinese
  • Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Fisherman's Wharf
    • Pier 39
Sea lions
    • Joseph riding elevators/escalators
    • Crazy hats
    • Crazy socks
Crazy sign (details upon request)
  • Ghirrardeli Square
Yummy ice-cream
    • Crazy singer with handlebar moustache (details upon request)
  • Fun with Meyers (rocket ball in back yard)
  • Back to school shopping at Valley Fair Mall
  • Bowling with grandpa
  • Ice-cream at Sweet Retreat
  • Trip to Oak Meadow park
    • Ride the carosell
    • Play on the fun equipment
    • Frisbee
Riding the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad
  • Visit to Meyer's in San Juan Bautista
    • Tramp jumping
    • Catch Phrase
    • Pulled pork sandwiches
    • Uncle Brad's famous smoothies
  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Body surfing

Sand crabs

Checking ocean current conditions
  • Ryan losing a second front tooth this trip
  • Home at last.
We had a great time. We have photos of most of the things listed above if anyone wants to see more.

5 comments:

Joe and Julie said...

Whew! We are exhausted after that whirlwind description of your adventures.

Janet said...

wow, quite the 15 days! sounds like another non-stop party! sad we couldn't be one of those stops! love all the pics! did marsha buy a chuy's shirt for mark when she was here? i think i remember that... i was wondering when i saw him wearing it in the pic! your kids are awesome!!! :)

Stefani said...

We are glad we were one of your tour locations. (you guys are cuter and funner than Justin Bieber -- oh ya, and cheaper;) We had so much fun, sad you had to leave and live so far away. Family is AWESOME!

Kristen said...

What a FUN trip. I bet you will have some great memories forever about this one!

karensumpter said...

I think Mark is actually smiling in one of those pictures!! What a cute family and such a fun trip. I love the diversity of activities you guys got to do! Something for everyone:)