On a recent jaunt to Orlando, I was willing to consider any park in the Orlando area to take my family of 7. Should we go to Disney? Universal Studios? Islands of Adventure? Legoland? I would guess that hundreds of thousands of other individuals are facing the same decisions each day as they plan and prepare for their vacations. The truth is that none of those parks really hold much appeal to me. It’s a well-known fact in my...

(I just came across this story I wrote for a college English class 12 years ago.  Jared and I had just married in the Spring, and had honeymooned to Alaska for summer jobs. Apparently still in the honeymoon stage, I let him drag me on an unexpected adventure! Photos follow the story…) “Stop! There’s one right there!” “Where?” “Right there! See it? Slow down!! Shhhhh! Oh, I hate these brakes!” As I point...

If you’re driving East on I-84 from Portland (about 30 minutes away along the Columbia River), you can’t help but notice the towering Multnomah Falls cascading down the the cliffs next to the freeway. I first saw these falls twelve years ago when Jared whisked me away to the Oregon Coast for our honeymoon. We didn’t stop then…and, in fact, I’ve never been able to get him to stop since. We’ve usually...

I’ve never been golfing before. I’ve been hesitant to try–as I’m not always the most coordinated with my hands. I grew up as a soccer player–and feet–I can handle–but hands? Clubs? Ack! Perhaps these could work to increase one’s sports skills. My husband’s family is from Central Washington, and nearby to his hometown is the tourist destination of Crescent Bar–a little island on the...

We’re suckers for “Discovery” or “Children’s” museums. Quite frankly—they feed our kid’s appetites for both activities and knowledge (while keeping us adults fairly entertained, as well). So, as we drove along the Columbia River on the Northern border of Oregon (with Washington just on the other side) in August 2014, we decided to make a stop at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and...

Now that the weather is turning cold in Southern Oregon, I can more-happily reflect on record-setting summer temperatures that recently exceeded 100 degrees. Temperatures that high tend to drive us either indoors or out of town! As mentioned in our previous post, Brookings, Oregon is a favorite escape where we can quickly be at the beach and Redwoods or simply enjoy some hiking for the day. This summer we decided to try our hand at...