After getting a chance to go through some more photographs from when we drove up to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I feel the need to share more. We went to so many amazing places. We all had a so much fun. There are also some places I would like to recommend, so if you are ever in the area, definitely stop by and check them out. It is definitely a VERY kid friendly part of the country, and there are endless opportunities for educational fun, and the scenery is just amazing.
We went to a lavender field near Hood River, OR. It was super hot the day we decided to go (like 90 degrees..which is HOT to us 
), and of course it was the middle of the day in direct sun, but it smelled AMAZING. There was also a great view of I *believe* Mt Hood in the distance.
My sweet daughter:
Walking with her daddy:
Lovely view of Mt Hood behind the lavender field (we also got some homemade lavender soap and other goodies while we were there..let’s just say our car smelled *so* good on the way home!):
The beautiful Columbia River Gorge (there was a wedding taking place when we stopped by here, it was absolutely gorgeous, the *perfect* wedding location!):
We drove the Oregon coast on the way home..it was awesome- so many different scenic stops, each one unique. These were some coastal sand dunes on the way down:
A lighthouse on the Oregon coast:
If you are ever in Oregon, don’t forget to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Both of my kids really enjoyed it. It’s free, and you get to see some of the cheese making process (along with free cheese samples, which were delicious!). They even have a cafe inside (again, yummy!), a store with tons of fresh goodies, and fresh ice cream(SO many flavors to choose from!). We all had fun
A drive north wouldn’t have been complete without visiting the amazing Redwood Forest in northern California. There are 2 drive thru trees on the way down, and the one we prefer is the Chandelier Tree (the other one was a disappointment..it really looked like the totally butchered the poor tree..). It was interesting watching some of the larger vehicles go through it (and some a little too large..). My son thought it was just amazing that our van fit through an actual tree. The redwoods themselves are absolutely beautiful and the air smells so fresh out there.
The beach along the coast of the redwood forest was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. The sand was gray/black and SO soft. It didn’t feel dirty even though it was dark in color. There was so much fog, and just seeing the trees along the coast was amazing. The kids had fun playing in the sand and we got to see some neat sea life while we were there (oh and dig holes as well ).
Of course I have many more to I would love to share, but the photo opportunities in the Pacific Northwest are just endless. I will share some *must visit* places in my next blog post for my readers who are local to the area, and for those who plan or hope to visit the area one day.
