Back when the weather was cold and rainy, (no, not last week, further back, like 6 months ago) Michael and I came up with plans for a big camping roadtrip to California to visit family and friends. We spent hours pouring over maps and searching state park websites as we created our 18 day adventure.
Well, we're back and we not only survived,
but we enjoyed ourselves too!
2,431 miles
432 hours of non-stop adventure
5 State Parks
2 National Parks
2 much-needed hotel stops
11 mosquito bites (Holden 4, Iona 0, Michael 2, Julie 5--the sweetest?)
3 States (WA, OR, CA)
Water in all forms--snow, fog, rain, mist, ocean, lake, river, creek
4 happy campers
Before our trip we tie-dyed t-shirts--Team Tie-Dye!
This picture was taken in our driveway the morning we set out.
We pulled our vintage Boler behind us, which was perfect for changing diapers and nursing.
Iona and I slept in the Boler, while Holden and Michael slept in the tent.
And speaking of sleeping, we tried to do most of our traveling while the girls napped. This worked out pretty well most days and Holden would declare it was "like magic" whenever she woke up in a completely different campground.
The first day of our journey we headed to Raymond, to stay with my aunt and uncle and family on their farm. On the way we stopped at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to stretch our legs. There are some great trails at the Refuge and we hope to return when we have more time to explore.
Once on the farm, Holden wasted no time in checking out the cows. She even got to feed them carrots, much to her delight. I was just a couple years older than Holden when I first started staying on this very same farm in the summers; doing farm chores and playing with my cousins. I even had my own cow named Buster. And then we had Buster Burgers.
Surprisingly, this is not why I do not eat meat. :)
When Holden wasn't feeding the animals, she was glued to her cousin's side. Sydney is 10 and was great with Holden. After playing together all afternoon, she read Holden books before bed.
Iona took to Uncle Johnny quickly!
Iona, of course, smiled the whole time. Above she is pictured with Aunt Barbo and Cousin Susie.
We were completely spoiled with not only babysitters but also with food. We never even opened our ice chest the whole time we were there.
I kept telling them if they kept it up we were never going to leave.
Unfortunately we had to go; our adventure was just beginning.
It was great spending the first two nights with family, as we adjusted to being away from our home
we were still at home with them.
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