Day 3: Ginkgo Petrified Forest
Cool to see the petrified wood …
amazing how it was changed to stone… heavy… awesome stone.
it was hot.
we did not tarry long.
Day 3: driving, driving, driving
so many wind farms. rEally cool to see.
Max found a balloon in his backpack full of road-trip goodies.
Liza had a hard time sitting so long … enter – sucker… a big huge yummy sucker. smiles.
we see mountains … beautiful green mountains.
Day 3: Wanapum Dam
Jimmy really wanted to stop and see Brownlee Dam but it was way off the beaten path. We happened upon Wanapum Dam which was cool to see. The water from the Columbia River came out of the Dam so forcefully. There were loads of fisherman in the calm water hopefully catching all the fish hiding there. So interesting!
Day 3: A Fruitful Place
It was so fun to see all the orchards and vineyards. So many apples, cherries, and grapes! We stopped at a roadside stand and taste-tested so many Rainier Cherries that we felt obligated to buy some. I wish we would have bought more. They were so yummy. Liza especially loved them. Plus I loved that they weren’t staining bright red cherries!
Day 3: Columbia River Temple
The favorite part of the Columbia River Temple for the kids was the fountain. Water in a hot place is always awesome. My favorite part was the pretty stain-glass windows. Most of all – the temple is just a great place to be.
Day 3: a morning walk by the river
Saturday, July 6, 2013. It’s so interesting that the kids run with all their energy and smiles to a playground while on vacation in a new place. There might be a million other new things to see – but a playground – that is glorious to a kid.
Day 2: Oregon Trail: “Let’s jist get goin’.”
History day today. Let’s learn about those who traveled 2,000 on the Oregon Trail.
Eaten alive by mosquitos at the Snake River.
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Asked the boys to act like a sheep herder. It was a little bit more ninja than sheep herder. It would be so hard to be a pioneer. There was hardship and grief in their faces (ok, I know they were only replicas… but still). They learned to tie on that bonnet, oh so tight!
I got many a good chuckle out of the pioneer’s diary quotes. Poor them! Waiting for their ‘promised land’ and they arrive and are very disappointed. There was one lone tree in the valley. And then an emigrant chopped it down for firewood. The weary and hot travelers were not very pleased about it.
Our family went and walked a little ways on the Oregon Trail. Tru’s balloon blew away. It was very sad for him. We would have died as pioneers. Oh wait – that’s not true! But boy-howdy it would have been hard. Liza was scared of the buffalo statue. Imagine the real thing! I’m so glad for those who came before who showed us that we, as a people, can do hard, hard things!
Day 1: More Driving & Sleep ZZZZZ
We only drove to Boise this first day because we knew a 5 hour drive turns into a 7 hour drive with all the potty stops.
The Boise Hampton Inn Spectrum was our favorite hotel. The swimming pool was grand. Hot free breakfast. 2 queens, a sofa bed, an extra chair and ottoman turned into a bed for Tru, fridge, microwave, with enough space for our family of 7 (we soon realized that not all hotels were as friendly with a family of 7).
Day 1: Shoshone Falls
We stopped near the temple in Twin Falls to see this sight. Hurrah for the Snake River. And Hurrah for awesome waterfalls! Shoshone Falls turned out to be cooler than we thought. We even saw a rainbow in the water.
Day 1: Twin Falls Idaho Temple
Though the gates were closed for Independence day, it was neat for me to stop and see a lovely Idaho temple. The kids were hot & tired. This was 1 of 4 temples we visited on our trip.