Back to the River

This vacation is brought to you by the letters B and L. It would not have been possible without Bella's easy going attitude and love of life. And it would not have occurred without lemons from which we made lemonade!

This was our first vacation since we drove out here a year and a half ago, our first visit back to our wedding location, our favorite getaway, Hood River. Due to some sad family events back home, my best friend had to cancel her trip here that we had been looking forward to for a year. And I started my stay at home mom schedule so Dave could go back to work, but he didn't finish the requirements in time, so he can't start until THIS Monday, leaving us a whole week to drive each other nuts. So in honor of our last week as a free family, we headed out of town!

We started out bright and early (uh, that's well after noon here). Three hours later we were headed down the beautiful windy Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. I've never been here in the spring, and it's surprisingly green and lush.







We did the quick deprivation fix cure: Scenic outlook, Multnomah Falls, Mike's Ice Cream (before dinner, of course!), a walk through town and some pizza! Home sweet home to our favorite hotel, the Vagabond!



We took a walk through the Columbia Gorge Hotel grounds as the sun fell behind the mountains. It was sweet, seeing everything in bloom. Walking the same steps we took just two years ago when we were married there. The air was sweet and the weather was exactly the same.





This may be our first family vacation, but it was not my first vacation with kids. I can't tell Bella just how much I appreciated her willingness to ride in the car, to be scooped up every other minute to head somewhere new just as she was settling in, to nap anywhere, to yield to my sightseeing whims and photo ops. We managed to forget her potty and she still EC'ed like a champ, rolling with the punches when her diaper was off and putting up with a wet diaper when it was on. (She even did a diaper poo. How do moms put up with cleaning all the poo? It's so much easier to sit and read a story and flush the poo away when we're done.) All this on top of her four top teeth coming in. And her left front tooth has caused a terrible blister that makes me cringe every time she opens her mouth. And yet she's still on top of the world 90 percent of the day.



And still somehow I was surprised that Bella didn't sleep. (Yes we were those people, the noisy ones next door that you're too pissed at to sympathize with.) Vacation without sleep? Not so much a vacation. Maybe it was the teething, but I'm blaming the smell of the hotel cleaners. I think since having gone green in so many respects, I have a much lower tolerance for unnecessary fragrance and cleaners. I thought my nose would return to its plain hyperactive state once my pregnancy was over, but it has stayed at the utmost height of heights in sensitivity.

It was weird waking up and not pricking my ears for wind, jumping to the window to see who's already out sailing. I missed the anticipation, but it was so relaxing to not be disappointed by the lack of wind. On dead mornings we head to our favorite diner. The one that no matter what year we arrive, the same woman serves us. She's older than me and my dad can recall years ago when she was a teenager. It's amazing for me to imagine the life she leads, watching the rise and fall of the windy season year after year. While we were eating, three more sets of baby + parent sat down to eat, filling the diner. Apparently we were the first of the seasonal rush, surprising in the same way that you look up from your feet one day and notice that all the leaves have popped green.

We browsed the main street a bit more. I got my vacation yarn (oh, you know you do it, too!) from Knot Another Hat and then we sat at our favorite coffee shop while Bella napped. They make their ice cubes out of coffee there, so as your drink melts, it gets stronger. Mmmmm. Then, (with a longing glance at Mike's Ice Cream - but fully knowing I was too full to appreciate another cone) we headed out of town.



On the way out we got some subs and drove past the Little Blue House (see above for view from said house), the, uh, aptly named little blue house where we spent many a summer day being kids. Eating cereal in the morning sunbeams, dancing in the sprinklers, and endlessly playing games, as any good vacation should go.



We stopped at the falls again on our way out. Oddly enough, it was the exact same time of day. We hiked just a tiny bit more, but this time the place was swamped with tourists. There were families of all sorts all over the place. Babies in strollers (on a steep trail, seriously?), babies on shoulders, babies in bjorns. And yet. I had Bella strapped to my back with my Moby Wrap and you cannot imagine the looks and comments I got. Well, perhaps you can. I don't think many people think twice about baby wearing in Seattle, though the back carry is less common. I wouldn't have expected the Portland area to be much different, although I suppose we were just far enough away and in just enough of a tourist area that it was uncommon again. I forgot how that can feel. Not in a terrible way, just out of place.



On our way out (yes we're still leaving, you see, we like to procrastinate such things) we stopped in Portland to meet up with a friend at a coffee shop. Oh holy yum. If you ever go to Portland, be sure to only go to a coffee shop that serves Stumptown Coffee. There's nothing better. Ask anyone.





So there we were, finally ready to leave, and Portland wouldn't let us. What the heck. We drove around Portland for 45 minutes following I-5 signs that only ever led us to I-5 South. Just as we decided to take South and turn around at the next exit, we found a tiny sign that said (405), which didn't you know is synonymous with I-5 North? We decided Portland had a beef with Seattle and didn't want people to find their way back. Of course, it is a nice city and we enjoyed our traffic tour and the sights and sounds of this lively city.



Half an hour later Bella declared herself Done With Traveling. She fussed, puked and promptly fell asleep. Dave and I enjoyed the beautiful spring sun setting on a snowy Mt. St. Helens. Few drives are prettier than one in which you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Rainier in the space of two hours. When Bella woke up, all sticky and pukey, we sang songs and whistled together to keep her happy. That last hour before you reach your neighborhood is always torture. We were all barn sour.

Until that night, I hadn't realized just how much our apartment has come to feel like home. The pillows smelled like us, the potty was there welcoming us, and our lonesome bunny did hoppy laps around the place just to show off his disapproval of our vacation.

Okay, I'm officially putting an end to this post. Awkward and abrupt: the end.