Team Sudar: Vancation: Cruising on the 101

On Monday, June 23rd we packed up the car again and said our goodbyes to the Stevensons. We were headed to Gold Beach, Oregon but made a stop in Salem for a quick visit with Robert's high school friend Sarah and her three daughters. We met at a local park where the kids played on the playground while the adults chatted. Before we left the park we went for a ride on the carousel. We stopped in Eugene for lunch and as we parked Reese asked "This is Eugene's house?" Ha! After lunch we drove for a couple of hours, made a pit stop, drove for another hour or so and then we were on the 101. The views were breathtaking. I had the camera strap around my neck and was leaning out the window to snap photos. So beautiful! We arrived at my Aunt Kate and Uncle John's house in the late afternoon. We hung out a little and then had nice dinner.

Emerson, Hanna, Sarah & Keaton, Emma, Natalie & Reese

We woke up the next morning, got ready to go and headed down to the beach. Emerson hadn't been to the beach since he was 2 1/2 and we took him to San Diego and Reese hadn't ever been. They were so incredibly excited and immediately started running around at the water's edge. Reese fell in the water early on and then promptly fell again in the sand so she was wet and COVERED in sand. It was so great to see the two of them running around and having fun. It wasn't sunny but it was an okay day and the view was wonderful. We played for an hour or two and then headed back to the house for lunch and naps. After naps went into Gold Beach and checked out the local bookstore. Aunt Kate made some yummy chicken enchiladas for dinner and then we all went to bed.

The view while driving on the 101

Reese's first time at the beach

Keaton at the beach. Surprise! He was sleeping.

Loving. Every. Second.

Aunt Kate, Keaton (yes, he was sleeping again!) & Uncle John

They were loving running around in the waves

Soccer on the beach

A sandy cheese!

12 1/2 years later and still madly in love

On the deck with our hosts with the mosts

Wednesday morning we got up early and packed up the van. Our plan was to head south and see some Redwoods on our way to Reno, NV. The night before Aunt Kate and Uncle John decided they would follow us down and join us for the redwoods portion of our drive. We arrived at Jedediah Redwoods State Park mid-morning. Fun fact we learned the night before, this is where they filmed the forest and Ewok scenes for Return of the Jedi. We parked and walked down to the river - what a pretty, pretty place. Then we went for a walk through the forest. It was incredible to be close to such huge trees. The kids were in awe and asking lots of questions along the way. It was handy to be with our aunt and uncle who had worked in the US Forest Service. They were able to answer a lot of questions and offer information. It was such a great experience and something we'll remember forever. We said goodbye to Aunt Kate and Uncle John and loaded back into the van and headed to Reno. It was a really pretty drive out of the redwoods, so lush and pretty. It was on this portion of the drive that Emerson got carsick. Luckily he gave us warning and we were able to help him. Poor guy. Surprisingly this was the only time anyone got car sick! We stopped in Medford, OR for lunch and continued on our way.