RV trip Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Small Things Are Big Things

July 23, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Voodoo Doughnut is the Best I’ve had

Voodoo Doughnut is a MUST see in Portland. It’s open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week so there really is no excuse NOT to go. And the doughnuts are amazing.
The best I’ve ever had.
B.E.S.T.
We went later in the evening and the place was packed with a line out the door. I felt like it was more of a seedy part of town, but I also felt very comfortable there even with the kiddos in tow.

The building is painted with gold sparkles. The kids loved it, and I always adore places that go over the top with their chosen décor.
Life is short.
Paint the walls with gold sparkles.
Hells yeah.

The kids were tired and Eli was throwing up. But they were super into it.
(SIde note: He randomly throws up ever 3 or 4 months. Weird, right? Any suggestions about what it could be?)

Then we ate doughnuts.
And it was good.
I tried the bubble gum, maple bacon, oreo, the fruit loop one and the plain chocolate one. My favorite one (by far) was the plain chocolate. I’m a simple gal.
It was sooooooo yummy I’ve thought about it way too many times since our visit.
I love doughnuts.

If you’re looking for a wedding location… they have that at Voodoo too! Here’s a funny Voodoo wedding story one of my instagram friends, Jenn, shared with me… The night before her cousin’s wedding the officiate got very sick. They couldn’t find a replacement on such short notice, so the whole family went to Voodoo Doughnut early in the morning for the official wedding. Then they had the rest of the day as planned.
How rad is that memory? If I could go back to my wedding… I wonder what I would do… maybe Voodoo.

Nature and Nike in the morning.
Organic dinner and Hopworks.
And midnight donuts at Voodoo Doughnut.
I’d say we nailed this Portland thing pretty well.
We sadly left our friends the next morning… after Mrs R made breakfast… of course.

View our whole trip here:

July 21, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Hopworks Urban Brewery is for Kids and Beer

If you happen to be in Portland for dinner and are looking for a casual yummy place, I recommend Hopworks Urban Brewery. It’s yummy, kid friendly and organic. VERY organic.

I’m not sure if you are familiar with the many Portland stereotypes.
I wasn’t.
Our friends introduced us to the show Portlandia and it has this great bit (below) about Portlandians going out to eat. After seeing the clip then reading the Hopworks Urban Brewery’s menu I was in stitches. People in Portland don’t just dabble in organic. They bleed it… humanly and in a natural cage-free environment.
Obviously.

Hopworks is a yummy place to eat and it as an entertaining little kid area. Some restaurants just get it. Parents like to eat too. And they will order more, if they get to sit and chat while their kids play.
True Story.

Get the Pint O Pretzels. You won’t regret it!

And if you need to know a little more about Portland or just need to laugh so hard, you can’t breath, watch this clip… like 20 times.
I’m crying because I’m laughing so hard…

View our whole trip here:

July 20, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Tualatin Hills Park and Getting some Nike Love

We are blessed with great friends.
But sometimes they move away to follow their dreams and it’s bittersweet. Bitter because you’ll miss doing everyday life with them and sweet because now you have a free place to stay on vacation.
We called the Riffs en route (as was the nature of our RV trip). They are the kind of friends described above, who had moved to Oregon and they were totally open to have all 6 of us for dinner that night (need that chicken recipe Lynne). AND they were up for entertaining us for a couple of days.
We have good friends.
The next morning Mrs. Riff made us breakfast, which was pretty rad, then we putzed around till lunch time when we decided to picnic at the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District. If you are passing though Beaverton Oregon (or live there) this is a great place for a day out.
Mrs. Riff packed us lunch and we met Mr. Riff on his lunch break to eat.

The Tualatin Hills Park is 1,300 acres of natural plant habitats and is filled with fun trails. They also have some great events, classes and nature-y things. We walked and explored and climbed and just had fun. The kids get along great.
And they are cute.

Especially these two. They are just a month apart but could be twins. Except for the hair color… opposite twins. They walk and talk with the same mannerisms and voice inflections. AND they are adorable together.
Like cute overload.

Things to know, if you go…

It’s free. Great for a rest stop if you are traveling or for playdates (hello mom’s groups) if you live close to the park.
It’s shady but light, so you can get some great pictures (hello family pictures).
Bring food because there isn’t a snack shack or restaurant… but I think I remember a drink vending machine.
There isn’t an actual playground, but there’s dirt and sticks and bugs so kids won’t get bored.

We got home for naps then went to the Nike company store. Mr. Riff works at the Nike World Headquarters. Remember that dream-following I mentioned way at the beginning? Yep, his took him there.
I’m just gonna say, if you don’t have a friend who works at the Nike World Headquarters, you should get one. Just stand outside the office and try to meet people (maybe bring baked goods), because they get 50% off at their company store. We picked up a hat for Cora Jane because she put in on and has daddy wrapped around her little finger looked so darn cute.

And I picked up some running shoes, in a size 12. Yes, 12.
My foot was a size 9 before kids and now it’s not. I think they were the only women’s size 12s in the whole store. Good thing I liked them… and I like being seen from 3 miles away.
Hello neon yellow.

Then we had some adventures in Portland.
I’ll tell ya next post!

View our whole trip here:

July 4, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Multnomah Falls is Lovely and I want to Live There

We go to church every week.
Even on vacation.
We are those people.
While on the road and around church time we googled churches in the area and found Calvary Chapel Ontario, Oregon.
So we went.
Great message. Awesome people. And we met a rad family and almost had lunch with them at their house, but we wanted to get on the road so it didn’t work out.
True story.
After church, we got back in the RV and continued our trip toward Beaverton, OR to stay with good friends.

While in route, one of our friends mentioned Multnomah Malls. I googled it and it looked AMAZING!!
So we went.

kids in front of Falls

Oregon is green with trees everywhere and I just love it. It’s like all the extra oxygen makes you happier. The Multnomah Falls Footpath leads to the Benson Bridge, which was built in 1914. It’s only .2 miles and easy for kiddos to hike. Tess insisted on walking the whole time… it was annoying adorable. There is another path that leads to the top, but it’s a mile and we were just there for quick trip. I’d really like to go again and explore all the trailheads (there are 6!) because it’s just that beautiful. And I want to go inside the Multnomah Falls Lodge at the base of the Falls. It was built in 1925 as a rest stop for travelers and looks lovely!

Things to know, if you go…

Parking is tight. There is a lot near the lodge but you might need to search for a parking spot or park farther down the road. RVs can park in the reserved bus parking.
It’s an easy walk to the first bridge so no hiking shoes are needed. But if you plan on hiking one of the 6 trails, you won’t want to wear flip-flops.
You can pack snacks for the hikes but the Multnomah Falls Lodge at the base of the Falls has a restaurant, visitor center, coffee shop, and hot dog stand. So you can grab a bite there if you like.
Tons of photo ops. There is greenery everywhere and the tree coverage makes for great lighting.

We got into Beaverton just in time for a homemade dinner with old friends. Don’t you just love friendships that can pick up right where they left off?
It’s the best!

Day 10 – Traveled 438 miles

View our whole trip here:

July 4, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Old Faithful is Old and Nature is Pretty Amazing

We couldn’t leave Yellowstone National Park without seeing Old Faithful.

The weather was cold and rainy and snowy but we were blessed with 4 hours of sunshine while we were at Old Faithful.
It was pretty sweet.
Since Old Faithful is… um… faithful, the park rangers post predicted times for the next geyser explosion – Intervals range from 60-110 minutes. We had quite a bit of time so we went exploring at the Old Faithful Inn and then to the visitor center to learn all about geysers.

Then we watched the show.
Cy was super into it.
Obviously.

We had a quick lunch at one of the cafes because we wanted to get on the road and to our next destination.

everyone smokes in wyoming old skis repurposed into bench

Things to know, if you go…

If you want a seat to see Old Faithful erupt, then get to the viewing area early.
The eruption times listed are just predictions and can vary quite a bit in time. We had many countdowns and I was praying that when my littles got to “3…2…1” it would explode. It didn’t.
Stay on the paths while walking around. The ground in certain areas is thin and has scalding hot water/mud underneath and can kill you. I have no idea why this scared the poo out of me but it did. Maybe because Cy runs and doesn’t listen (EVER) and is like a ninja when he disappears from our side.
There is all sorts of food around Old Faithful. Quick, like the café or sit-down restaurants that serve bison meat. Yum! But I would bring food next time if we were doing a fast meal again.
The visitor center is fun.

We drove till late at night and I had mentioned our progress on facebook. One of my childhood friends commented that if we were in her area we should stop by… um… we were going to be in her area in a couple of hours. And needed a place to park the RV.
That was easy.
We pulled into Boise, Idaho late at night, got to chat for a bit then went to bed. The next morning we left just as the sun was rising. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I’m so thankful for the visit!. (Congrats Julie on #4!! 4 kids is the best ever!!)
Below is a lovely Idaho sunset…

Day 9 – Traveled 424 miles

View our whole trip here:

July 3, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

National Museum of Wildlife Art is Just Right for Kids Too

The day we drove down to Jackson Hole we saw a strange building.
So we went there.

It turns out the “strange building” is the National Museum of Wildlife Art and houses the largest collection of wildlife art in the nation (maybe the world according to one docent). The museum started when two families gifted each other with wildlife art. As the collection grew they decided to put it all together. The actual museum building was modeled after ruins of Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
I love stuff like that.
LOVE!!!
Big pink-puffy-paint-heart love.
Hey, we have lots of nice art.
Yeah.
Let’s put all our rad stuff together and start a museum.
OK.
But instead of a regular museum, we’ll build the ruins of a Scottish castle in Wyoming.
Hells yeah!
At least that’s how I like to imagine the conversation went down.

The art was lovely, but we spent our time in the small but power-packed Children’s Discovery Gallery. The whole area is interactive, complete with an art area, animal dress-up costumes puppet show stage, and a reading nook.
Dear National Museum of Wildlife Art,
It took all my restraint to not snip a few of those amazing leaves in the entry to the kids area, and pop them into my purse. They are just lovely and I want to fill the celling of the kids playroom with them.
Sincerely,
Kara Noel (who would never actually steal anything from anywhere)

Outside there is a great trail with almost 30 outdoor sculptures and a marmot den. See if you can find the marmot a couple of pictures down…

Things to know, if you go:

Walk the sculpture trail around the museum.
Upon entry they will give each child an age appropriate satchel – called a Critter Case – filled with fun stuff to keep them busy in the museum. It’s awesome! Four satchels was way too much for my young kids and I ended up holding everything. If you have older kids or fewer kids you’ll be fine.
There is a café in case you are in a bind for food.

View our whole trip here:

July 2, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The Grand Tetons and Animals in Yellowstone

We arrived just outside Yellowstone National Park late at night. Instead of driving into the park in the dark we spent the night in Cody, Wyoming, just outside Yellowstone. The kids were super stoked we were finally at our much anticipated destination…

They were more excited after they were fully awake!

We checked into the our RV park, Fishing Bridge – it was actually in the park. Did you know in mid-May there is still a solid bit of snow on the ground in Yellowstone National Park?!? Three feet in some places.
We didn’t.
I hadn’t packed socks, remember!
So instead of hiking with flip flips in the snow we took a drive to Jackson, WY with a stop in the Grand Teton National Park. I had read that Jackson Hole was one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was.

The Grand Tetons are breathtaking…

All throughout our Road Trip we saw beautiful scenery, but we had been promising our children animals in Yellowstone.
LOADS of animals!
“In Yellowstone there will be so many animals we’ll lose count of them.”
”We’ll drive past whole herds of buffalo, and elk and see deer crossing the roads.”

To this point we had seen one buffalo.
ONE!!!

Don’t get me wrong, it was up close and amazing and huge and a majestic wild animal.
But it was one.
And the kids (and me) were anticipating so much more.
After dinner, around sunset (which is like 10pm that far north), we started back to camp and the animals started coming out.
Lots of them.

Then we saw two grizzly bears.
TWO BEARS!!!
One was a mama bear trying to get her 3 baby cubs across a bridge. But the mama kept getting scared of the cars. The other bear was chillin’ in the middle of a meadow. Her name is Blondie, and apparently she comes out at dawn and dusk in the same area each day. We got to see her standing on her hind legs stretching.
Bears are big.
Super big.
I don’t ever want to be in the wild near a bear.
The sun was down so here is the best shot we got of Blondie.

A view of the Grand Tetons on the way back to Fishing Bridge.

Of course any kind of camping makes me think of some stand-up comedy from Jim Gaffigan about camping.
Watch it.
Now.
It’s exactly Brad and I when it comes to camping and the bear bit is classic!
Day 8 – Traveled 200 miles
(from our RV camp to Jackson and back, 100 miles each way)

View our whole trip here:

June 25, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Swetsville Zoo for a Sweet Rest Stop

My favorite part of our RV Trip was the feeling of freedom. We didn’t make many plans ahead of time and our friends and family were so understanding about the purpose of our trip. Not just for visits – we were refocusing as a family.
And we did.
One of our favorite stops was the result of a late night FB message from one of my friends. She sent me the link to Roadside America’s article about the Swetsville Zoo in Fort Collins Colorado. It was just about 46 miles north of Denver and exactly on our route to Yellowstone. So we cut our stay with family in Colorado down by one day and we were on the road early in the next morning.

The Swetsville Zoo, is a zoo.
With over 200 animals.
All made of car parts.
And it’s awesome.
This place represents everything I love about America. A normal guy, does something rad and unique, with something he’s already doing. Former farmer, Bill Swets, started making animals both real and imaginary out of scrap metal and old car parts as a hobby. He would put them in his yard and people started to visit. So he made Swetsville Zoo.

The Swetsville Zoo is a very easy stop if you are anywhere near Fort Collins because it’s right off the freeway. It’s free to get in, though the zoo does take donations. We left $20, and it was worth every penny. Each animal or piece of art has a number and you can read a little bit about them on the tour guide list. It’s really fun.

Things to know, if you go:

It’s free but bring at least $5 as a donation.
You can touch the art but little kids should be supervised so no climbing is involved.
It’s on a river, so keep a close eye on little kids. We skipped rocks.
This is a great rest stop for a picnic lunch or to stretch your legs after driving. Sit a the picnic table or bring a blanket and eat by the river.
It takes as long as you want it to take. We stayed about 45 minutes but could have stayed longer.

We got back on the road and drove all the way to Cody, Wyoming just outside of Yellowstone!
More soon!

Day 7 – Traveled 487 miles

View our whole trip here:

June 24, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Roadside America for Silly Family Fun on the Road

I waited till the morning of our 14 day RV road trip to pack.
We were on the road before we even knew where we were going.
I think it’s safe to say I’m not a planner.
(ahem)
So when a couple of friends suggested the Roadside America app, I was all in!
Roadside America is “Your Online Guide to Offbeat America.” They have a phone app with a location based map of all sorts of funny places. So you can be driving along and browse everything that’s close by, and stop when something looks interesting. It even has pictures and reviews from people who have been there.

Each stop makes for some fun photo opportunities.
The giant praying mantis in front of the Butterfly Pavilion was listed, so we got a picture. How fun would it be to do a road trip based on all the Roadside America locations and take a photo at each stop!?!?
Can I be 21 again please?

The app divides the country into regions and it costs $2.99 to unlock each region. But the online version is free (see the the screen shot of Southern California below). While this app is great for vacations, I’m thinking it will be awesome to use locally when our foreign exchange student arrives from Spain next week.

Oh. Did I forget to tell you we are hosting a lovely young lady this summer from Spain?
Squeeee… I’m over the moon excited.
And in September we should have a cool guy from China.
For a year.
We said if we ever had the space we would fill it.
Blessings abound!

Without Roadside America we would have never found the next stop on our trip.
Wanna know where?
Read all about it in the next post, but I’ll share a sneak peek…

View our whole trip here: