A Small Shot of Stolee: September 2012

The numbers and photos of an Oregon adventure and everything in between.

So, Weston, KJ and I took a road trip from Las Vegas to the Oregon Coast with some stops along the way.....we saw family, friends and many other things. It was a great trip and I say that because it is over. I must admit that when I decided to do this trip with an 8 month old baby and a 1 year old dog, I didn't think about the disasters that could have occurred, but as the leaving date got closer and closer, those thoughts crept into my head a lot more. I was definitely nervous on the morning that we left because I knew that the first day would set the tone for the rest of the trip. If it went well then I would have happy thoughts going into the next day and so forth, but if it was disastrous, I don't know how I would have faced the return trip, but alas everything was successful and everyone behaved themselves the entire road trip time.

So without further adieu, here are the numbers of our trip:

Time away from home: 2 weeks exactly

Miles traveled: 2,200+

Hours in the car: 40+

Hotel Stays: 2 (Thank goodness for amazing friends along the way and back.)

Stops each driving day: 3+ on average

Gas Stops: 9

Hours of Crying: 4+ (Sadly, most of that was done on the last day of the return trip due to teething.)

Teeth Cut: 2 (Teething hurts everyone, especially when trapped in a car.)

Dead Sea Lions Sniffed: 1 (KJ got a little too close for my comfort--ewww.)

Deer Chased: 4 (KJ didn't realize that she would NEVER catch them, but she tried for a bit with me running behind her yelling--off leash privileges were lost due to this incident.)

Hours Spent Outdoors: 20+ (So wonderful be able to do that!)

Number of times I thought I would fall off the stand up paddle board during yoga: 4

Number of actual falls: 0

Amount of Sand Eaten: 0 for Weston and who knows with KJ

Dog Hair Shed Inside Car: Let's just say we could make a coat out of the white hair that we are still pulling off the black interior of my car

Number of Pictures Taken: 617 (No, I will not share all of them or most of them below--you are welcome.)

Brothels Passed: WAY more than I thought actually still existed in the "Wild" West. (I am glad Weston isn't learning how to read!)

And, now the photos from the trip:

On the way out there, we stopped for just a night in Klamath Falls, OR, and stayed with our good friends the Gaudinskis who live two houses down from other good friends, the Giampietris, and Weston got to visit with his good buddy, Jack.

When we arrived at the beach house on Thursday, Weston was very mesmerized by this strange bearded man who we kept telling him he was related to. I can understand why it didn't make that much sense to him being that the guy he has spent the most time around doesn't have anywhere near that much hair on his head and face! (Great Uncle Jeff has now been renamed Bear as it is much more appropriate, don't you think?)

Michelle found this Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga class in Pacific City and after 3 days in the car with a baby and a dog, I jumped at the chance to partake.

It truly was a fun and interesting experience. It wasn't as unsteady as I thought it was going to be--the board has a steel bar running down the center and the top is made of yoga mat material.

Weston really enjoying meeting and snuggling with his Great G'ma Turner.

GG'ma T called Weston her Great the whole time, I took a liking to that.

Mom, Great and GG'ma T

4 generations enjoying the wonderful Oregon Coast and it's cool temperatures.

Weston and his first pumpkin from his Great Uncle Randy and GG'ma T's garden.

Walking down on the sand and enjoying the view of the rock (Shout out to Awhoo for keeping Weston's head warm!).

Down on the beach with GG.

KJ sort of posing for a picture with Michelle, Weston and Mom.

Weston really enjoyed his Great Aunt Michelle--she allowed him his own space and time to just read.

Buddies enjoying the same adventure in the sand....sniffing and touching.

Making the most of the beautiful weather in Oregon and visiting Crater Lake National Park with Adalie, Cec, Sadie and Jack.

Weston and Mom at Crater Lake--national park #2 for Weston in his first year of life.

Weston goes camping

Weston had his first ever camping trip and since it was to the Grand Canyon, he decided to let us tag along since none of us had ever been there. We are so lucky to be part of a squadron that loves to be outdoors and wants to do fun trips and welcomes the fact that 29 people (adults, kids, and babies) can make fun memories. Oh and we are also lucky to have a group of understanding individuals who didn't make us feel bad about having a whiny baby since he was getting a cold (oops--I am sure the outdoor air did wonders for him).
At any rate, we survived two nights at a campground on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and were so happy to have trees above our heads and green surrounding us that the fussy baby didn't stop us at all. We drove about 5 hours to get there (note: a baby who is getting a cold doesn't really appreciate altitude change) and stayed Friday night and Saturday night. We left fairly early on Sunday morning due to said fussy baby, but we are so happy to know that a natural phenomenon exists just a few hours up the road. Vegas has it's own type of beauty but I truly do miss the trees above our heads and we could tell that Weston has missed out too because he seemed mesmerized by the sound of the wind in the trees and probably just the sight too. Beyond being fussy from his cold, he did quite well in the hiking pack and seemed to enjoy his view point while staring over the edge into the abyss! :)
We loved the trip and will do it again, I hope, before we leave here so if anyone wants to join us, come on!
Here are some photos from our camping adventure. Enjoy!

Beyond just camping in general being entertaining for Weston, he had lots of "bigger" friends around to entertain him. It was either the baby or the goofy looking guy holding him.

Our rather larger home while camping--it was definitely bigger than others who had 4-5 people sleeping in them but with the pack n play set up inside, it worked perfectly.

But, the pack n play was not the preferred camping location for Weston as you can see here.

Weston apparently already attracts all the ladies in pink.

Before we left for our hike.

Still before we left, hanging out was exhausting.

Truly an amazing thing to see in person.

Happy family at the top of the Grand Canyon.

We just couldn't get over how beautiful it was--I have said it before, but it was a reminder of how small we are in this world and yet so lucky to be part of it.

Mom got her turn to carry Weston--he spent most of his time playing with my headband.

Enjoying the sunset from Dad's back.

Grandma and Grandpa Stolee Visit the Heat

Oh and of course Weston too! The Minnesotans wanted to know what Vegas summers were like so they paid us a visit in mid-August. It was prime heat and they suffered through it by enjoying the pool everyday and showing Weston AND KJ how to enjoy it as well. They also allowed Andrew and I a great night out to dinner with friends, and we even caught a show! Thanks for coming to visit and we will try to turn the heat down for your next visit!