With the relentless wind, a rainy forecast and a desire to explore places we have never been, we left the coast and headed east. After the drive from hell (those darn kids) we arrived at lovely Crooked River Campground at Cove Palisades State Park on Lake Billy Chinook, about an hour north of Bend, Oregon. Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir, with three rivers flowing into it.

We spent our days at the lake either playing at the beach or out canoeing. Our favorite paddle was up the Deschutes River, where we canoed far enough to see the canyon walls narrow and the water turn from green lake water to clear river water. We went as far upstream as we could, until the opposing current was too strong to paddle against. We found a beautiful spot to pull up on shore and enjoy a picnic lunch. Becca even braved the icy temps for a short swim in the river.

We also spent some time hanging around camp, where the kids had fun playing with the other young campers. Jay tried out skateboarding and Becca had a go on a Ripstick. There was also lots of bike riding, tree climbing, frisbee tossing and running around.

But, without a doubt, if you ask the kids, the highlight was our last day when we rented a ski boat! For four hours we zoomed around the lake and the kids had a great, crazy time being towed in a tube behind the boat!

Grandma met us for a week of celebrations in Astoria, Oregon, the first US settlement west of the Mississippi. Our first celebration was Jay’s fifth birthday. The day began early – as all our days do – with lots of balloons and presents, and the family birthday cup filled with chocolate milk.

Later in the day Jay enjoyed swimming in the pool at Grandma’s hotel, and eating his birthday cupcakes.

A few days later we celebrated Father’s Day. Andy planned the day’s itinerary, which included a visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum and lunch at a brewpub, where he enjoyed a hoppy IPA.

And two days later there was yet more celebration … Grandma’s birthday! For her special day we visited the Astoria Column, a 125 foot tower painted with scenes from the Western exploration and settlement. Grandma joined the rest of us in climbing up the 164 steps to enjoy the phenomenal views from the top. The day also included birthday treats at both lunch and dinner.

When we weren’t celebrating, we were enjoying exploring Astoria. We walked along the Riverwalk, which followed the Columbia River, rode the trolley along the same route (where Jay got to ring the bell!), and explored the shops along Commercial Street. We also sampled the many delicious restaurants in town.

Grandma’s flight departed from Portland, so the kids and I decided to add some fun to the two hour drive. We spent the afternoon at an Aquatic Center, where Becca had fun on the three water slides and diving board and Jay loved being knocked over by the waves in the wave pool and having buckets of water dumped on his head in the splash pool.

We finally made it to Oregon! We stayed at the absolutely lovely Emigrant Lake Campground. With our lakeside camp spot and our quiet neighbors, we dubbed it “Shangri-La”.

We spent the majority of our time paddling the canoe (aka the Tomato) around the lake, and pulling up on different beaches to swim in the warm water and play along the muddy shore.

One afternoon we ventured into the groovy town of Ashland. Though Becca described it as, “just another tourist town, with little shops”, Andy and I enjoyed wandering about and people watching. In beautiful Lithia Park we serendipitously stumbled upon a gentleman playing the cello. We all enjoyed listening to the music, before eventually moving on, first to dip our feet in the chilly river and then to get some icecream.

So … apparently the blog has been restarted … who knew?!

As Andy said, our Davis campground had tons of peacocks roaming around. It was fantastic!! Here are some photos ….

The other highlight of our visit to Lake Solano Campground was its location on the Putah Creek … a fantastic place to canoe!

When we weren’t on the water, we were enjoying our visit with Grandma Helen!

We all had a lot of fun in Vegas … but that is all I will say … because, afterall, ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ ….