A Vacation to Remember

Last Wednesday we began our thirteen-hour trek to Grand Coulee Dam, Washington to visit my best grade-school buddy, Chantel. We were able to make a few stops along the way to visit some friends and family. Although it was a very long trip, we couldn’t have enjoyed it more. The kids were the best travelers!

DAY 1

We headed out around ten with Melba, Idaho as our first destination. Seth’s Aunt Betsy and Uncle Layne live there and graciously took us in. We made it to Idaho with a few potty breaks, one stop for lunch, and one fill-up of gas (approximately 6 hours). Arrival time: 4 pm. Betsy gave us the tour of their home and showed us our sleeping quarters. Then the fun began!

Her daughter, Camille, set up a slip-and-slide in the backyard and that made for an hour or more of fun. Afterward the kids ran around playing with Skeeter (the dog) and blew bubbles while Seth and I helped Betsy grill some burgers and hotdogs.

Betsy and Layne live on over 120 acres of farmland. They have loads of alfalfa, hay, corn, and more. Layne, Seth, Jake and I hopped on the four-wheelers and we got the grand tour. We put out gopher traps, fixed any of the water siphons that had stopped running (so much harder that you might think), dug potatoes, watched the cows being milked, and went to a friend’s farm and learned how spearmint oil was made. I feel fairly competent in most areas, but farming is NOT one of them. It was very interesting though and I loved seeing how everything worked.

DAY 2

The next morning Jake went out and did the farm chores with their kids. He came back insistent we buy a farm. He loved it! Betsy treated us with pancakes, berries and whip cream for breakfast. We also had bacon right from one of their own pigs! After breakfast, we cleaned up, packed our stuff in the car, and headed out. Next destination: Kennewick, Washington (4 hours).

This leg of the trip was probably the toughest for the kids. They didn’t get enough sleep the night before and Drew and Ellie whined and screamed a lot of the way. However, there was light at the end of the tunnel. We were arriving to meet our friend Joe. He is actually my mom’s boyfriend of ten years. We have all talked to him on the phone before but none of us have actually met him. Today, that changed.

Joe was so kind to us. There was juice, pizza, and dessert all hot and ready when we arrived. We loved touring his home, meeting his dog Toby, and the kids especially enjoyed watching part of Ice Age in 3-D. After a brief visit we headed out. Joe sent us off with a big bag of fresh fruit. It was so nice to finally meet him. Thanks Joe! Next destination: Grand Coulee Dam (2.5 hours)

We finally arrived at Chantel’s home around 6 pm. We were greeted with open arms and smiling faces from her and her family. The most amazing part was, it was never awkward. I haven’t seen her in seven years and yet we picked up right where we left off. It was so nice to have finally meet her little girls and to have spent time getting to know her life in Grand Coulee. She has a beautiful home overlooking the Columbia River.

We were spoiled rotten by her and her husband Jason. My family has never eaten so good. Every morning we had a hot breakfast. We had quiche, pancakes, breakfast burritos, bagels, you name it! My kids were in heaven. Not only did we have great meals, but she always had juice and goodies for the kids to eat. We never went hungry. As a matter fact, I noticed it on my scale too! 🙂

DAY 3

The first day we were in Grand Coulee, we took a tour of the Grand Coulee Dam. We got to drive across the bridge in a tour bus and take pictures above the dam. It is the largest dam in North America and the third largest in the world. It was pretty amazing and daunting. I got very nervous looking over the bridge. We also spent some time browsing around the visitor’s center.

Originally we were going to take the boat to the lake but a huge thunderstorm came blowing through and the rain was pouring. We even lost power for a little bit. We later found out that several large trees blew over in her town. It was crazy! When the rain finally stopped we drove out to a local park and the kids played on the playground and enjoyed a game of basketball (with a volleyball).

Coulee Dam

Chantel and Ellie with the dam in the background.

Playin’ ball at the park.

Pretty much every night we stayed up after midnight visiting. We did lots and lots of reminiscing of the good ol’ days. I quickly realized that my memory doesn’t hold a candle to Chantel’s memory. She can remember everything in such detail. It was pretty amazing!

DAY 4

This day was devoted to the lake. We packed up loads of food and beach toys and headed out to the lake. Jason took two trips driving us over to the perfect beach spot on the lake. The weather was beautiful and the kids had so much fun. They had invited two other couples and their kids, which totaled around 16 kids!

We played all day. There was tons of yummy food. Jason grilled up the best burgers for dinner! The kids spent much of the day playing in the sand, climbing the mud cliffs, and playing around in the rafts and tubes. Jason also took the kids out in their tube. Drew LOVED the tube. He kept putting his hand in the air and doing a “thumbs up” when we tried to take his picture. It was pretty funny.

After hours and hours at the beach we packed up and headed back to the dock. We loaded up the boat and went over to this cute little ice-cream truck for some ice-cream. The kiddos love the ice-cream and we enjoyed more visiting.

Emma, Liv and Ellie

DAY 5

Unfortunately Seth didn’t have much vacation time left so we had to leave Sunday morning instead of Monday morning. I wasn’t ready to leave, but I knew we had to go back eventually. We packed up and left around 10:30. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and we were off. We decided to make the trip home in one day. Surprisingly it went really well. The kids were phenomenal! We made one stop at Joe’s house, one stop at rest stop and another stop at a gas station. Otherwise, we were on the road for 13 hours.

We had a GREAT trip. The kids can’t quit talking about how much fun they had. We can’t thank Chantel and Jason enough for their hospitality. They treated us like royalty and that didn’t go unnoticed. We promise to return the favor when you come visit us!