Northwest Geocaching

The last few days have been a lot quieter as we coast into the end of our vacation. I had lunch with my old boss from Fairchild AFB, Stacey met up with a few friends, and we said goodbye to both of her brothers that don't live in the area. 

Last night we had a picnic dinner at Audubon Park with the Wisers - a boyhood friend of Pat's. Ryan and Melanie are teachers in town, but I share other things in common with them. Ryan is a big soccer fan and Melanie grew up in Security -  a few miles south of where I grew up and currently live.

At the end of the picnic Ryan suggested we hunt for a cache with the kids. I hadn't been geocaching for probably 10 years, since I last lived up here.  Funny how things come full circle. We drove to the nearest cache and the group of us all looked for it in the bushes. I finally found it after scraping up my hands and arms. I'm obviously allergic to that type of evergreen bush.

Julia was really excited and gave me a big hug for finding it. She kept a little backpack for B, Jonathan left with a little car, and Jonah a spaceship. This was their first ever geocache and both of them seemed to really like it. I think they liked it because it was a little bit of treasure hunting but mostly because they got toys out of the deal. Julia keeps asking to do more, so we'll hit up Manito Park tomorrow morning.

This was my first time geocaching with an iPhone. It was really easy and convenient.  Obviously it's way more interactive now then ten years ago when you did it with just a handheld GPS unit.  Assuming you have service, you can use the phone to navigate, read the description and hints, post comments, log your visit, and upload photos. Pretty fun and nerdy.

I bagged three more today - this time in Coeur D'Alene while Stacey and the kids met with Shannon. Like hiking 14ers, I don't really care that much to find the actual cache or reach the summit. That will be for the kids. For me, forgotten until now, the best part is that they usually take you to great places and views that you might not otherwise know about. If it weren't for this, I probably would have never hiked up Tubbs Hill. I probably would have just stayed around the hotel and wasted a few hours.

Chuck E. Cheese Party

In the morning we stopped by John's office to help them celebrate his birthday. In the evening the family headed up north to Chuck E. Cheese for Jonathan's big birthday party. Neither of the kids had ever been, so they've been excited for this night before we even left for the trip.

The first thing Julia did when she woke up was turn to Jonathan, sleeping next to her and who had also just woke up, and say that his party was today. Half asleep, he got on all fours and stuck his diaper covered rear end in the air and waved it all around like he just didn't care. Julia and he did it a few more times until we were all laughing at their antics.

There were many screams of joy throughout the day, before and during the party. Most of them were initiated by Julia, who at first towed Jonathan around as if it were a party for her. She was just too excited to contain herself. Eventually Julia got her new best friend, Brooke, from John's office, to enjoy the games with her. Julia learned how to play ski-ball, I set high scores on all the games, and Stacey hit the 125 ticket jackpot.  Throw in a few coupons and help from everyone else and we ended up with 1,825 tickets by the end of the night. We closed Chuck E. Cheese's down we were partying so hard.  It ended up being a three hours affair.

Julia was given some presents, but obviously Jonathan was the birthday boy. He was very happy about all the cool things he got, especially the yellow bulldozer that Julia picked out for him. It was so cute to see him open all of the presents. He was so excited but in such a sweet way. He was smiling a lot.

It was so much excitement that the kids didn't fall asleep until 9:30. They were too wound up. All throughout the next day Jonathan carried all of his toys with him in a bag as big as he, and played with them every chance he got. Sounds a lot like someone who slept with his big red plastic car when he was a kid.

Liberty Lake

We all slept in this morning after our late night cruising up Mount Spokane in the convertible. We got a late start so we were only able to drive out to and around Liberty Lake, WA before lunch at the Olive Garden. Liberty Lake is the last town before you hit the Idaho border, about 15 minutes east of Spokane.

Aaron and Brenda live in Liberty Lake, as do the parents of a friend of mine, so I was curious to see what it was like. Hardly any of the houses in this town are actually on the lake. Most are situated near the golf course. So, we took a drive for a few minutes out of the developed area to see the lake.  It was pretty windy and cold so we didn't stay too long.

We met up with the rest of the family for lunch at the Olive Garden. It was the first time Julia got to meet her cousins (Aaron and Brenda's girls), since she was too young the last time we got together to remember. Lunch was nice, but John and I had motorcycles on our mind.

After lunch John and I went for a ride on his motorcycles. He's trying to sell one of them, but for now having two worked out well. I hadn't been on a bike in seven years and had never ridden a cruiser before. We took it up to an empty parking lot for me to practice before going for a ride. I was on his Suzuki Boulevard and he rode his Harley Fat Boy. I was surprised how easy the bike was to handle. The Suzuki is a little lighter, which helped. Even still, after five minutes of riding around in slow, tight circles, practicing hard braking, and starting and stopping, I was ready to go. It really came back fast.

The ride was a lot of fun. I really enjoy riding motorcycles, I just wish they were safer. On one hand I want to be smart but on the other hand, I want to live a little. I definitely got the motorcycle itch again.  We'll see after we go for our real ride on Thursday with some of his friends how I feel about it. It sure was a good time.

Saturday in 'Pokane

Today was pretty low key.  The kids slept about eleven hours and then took a two hour nap over lunch to catch up on some sleep they had missed over the past few days.

We met Pat and John at a bakery and coffee shop on the north side of town in the morning.  I ordered a yummy french press - bold and two cups worth. Today was really about going to Cannon Hill Park with Laura's family, Stacey's childhood friend and neighbor, to honor twenty years since her father died in an accident.  Stacey spent almost four hours outside at the park while we came and went for lunch and naps.

In the evening we left the kids with Pat and Stacey's parents and took the Miata for another spin. This time we just kept driving until we reached the top of Mount Spokane. When we were dating we had picked up Subway, hopped on my motorcycle, and rode to the top for a picnic lunch. It's a good memory.  The views were great of the valley below.

The drive up to Mount Spokane is one of my favorite places around here.  It's pure farm country, but the landscape is a mix between rolling hills of green (wheat, at this time of the year) with the backdrop of foothills, evergreens, and mountains.  It's similar to Napa Valley and/or Switzerland in that sense. It's a very pretty combination of green rolling hills and mountains. I used to ride my motorcycle out this way a lot.

The kids did great while we were gone.  They didn't get to bed until 9:30...which is really late for them...but it's also when the sun sets.  It's hard not to enjoy the long hours of summer.

Coeur d'Alene

On Friday we drove a few miles down the road to the resort town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The lakefront, park, and resort is one of our favorite places in the area. We spent a little bit of time in the morning getting our feet wet, walking the shoreline, and walking around the world's largest floating boardwalk.

Over lunch Stacey worked from inside the hotel while I drove north to Hayden Lake while the kids napped in the car. After work and naps we headed back down to the beach. It wasn't a very warm day, but the kids wanted to get wet anyway. We had left their bathing suits in the car, so they got wet in their clothes. 

We changed them into their dry bathing suits before driving back home. Things just happen differently on vacation, which is why it's so fun. The kids are having a great time - they are so tired from playing so hard.

Happy Third Birthday Buddy!

Today was Jonathan's third birthday. We spent it at the park, and then at the water fountains at Riverfront Park, and then jumping on the trampoline at Papa and Nana's house. Michelle's gift arrived, so we opened it before dinner. We'll have his actual party at Chuck E. Cheese in a few days.

I decided to wear matching clothes for him on his birthday. You can see it in the pictures below. We woke up and met Pat at Manito Park before heading over to Rockwood Bakery for coffee. The kids played on the playground and sandbox while we sipped coffee at the park. I took Julia for a ride around the South Hill in the Miata.  She had fun but seemed preoccupied with the playground and building Jonathan a birthday sand castle. She is so task oriented and focused sometimes. Just like the day before, I went for a jog afterwards and met the kids back at the hotel for lunch.

We drove down to Riverfront Park after lunch, work, and naps. We left their bathing suits in the car, forgetting about the fountain, until we got there. We couldn't say no to playing in the water fountain, so they just wore their clothes and changed into their bathing suits for the ride home. They loved it. 

Pokane Vacation - Day 2

The first night in the hotel went well. The kids were tired from traveling and playing for 16 hours, so they slept well. We didn't have many plans other than Stacey's work and re-familiarizing ourselves with the area.

In the morning we drove up to Manito Park and let the kids play on the playground and in the sand box. It was nice being outside without wind in our faces.  The kids wanted to feed the ducks at the pond but apparently you are no longer allowed to do that. I took a jog up Manito and met the rest of the family back at the hotel.

After lunch we drove around a couple of newer neighborhoods that have been developed outside of town. I think there are a lot of people that still like living here but that want to get out of the rundown areas around downtown and up north. There are some pretty run down areas that no one wants to see or live in. It's monster truck rally bad. We found one of the neighborhoods a few miles outside of town to be very nice. It sits up on a bluff and has views in almost every direction. The rolling hills and valleys covered with trees and green grass are very pretty. The kids were getting restless so we stopped at another park for them to play at.

At night we had dinner at Stacey's parent's house and waited for Pat to get in from Seattle. After he arrived we took the Miata for a test drive on the back roads.  The back roads to the valley are very scenic.  Lots of views and trees and farmland, although you don't feel out in the sticks.  The sun was setting so it was very pretty. We had so much fun that we didn't realize what time it was until we got back. We're still not used to the extra daylight here. The kids love it since they are able to stay up much later. They got to bed at 9 p.m. and are still sleeping as I make this post.

Today was definitely a summer day in Washington.  

National Lampoons Spokane Vacation

We made it up to Spokane today. 

We had originally planned to drive, but at the last minute (after a couple of recent weekends driving for a few hours) we decided flying was worth it. The flights went well and we had no issues with them, the kids, or lost luggage. Our first impressions were how green the place is, how tall the trees are, but also that certain areas of town are pretty run down. It's only natural to notice these things first when you're coming from a newer, cookie cutter environment in the high desert.

The kids loved the plane ride. Although they've been on flights before, this was the first time they've been old enough to enjoy it. It's been a few years since we've flown with them...pretty much since Jonathan was born. Take off and landing were the best parts. Grandma had made them some fun activity bags that kept them busy.

After getting our rental car and lunch we stopped by John's new office. We met the staff, including Brooke, the kids favorite. She had them laughing and playing from the very start while we talked with Stacey's dad. I haven't seen Jonathan light up the way he did for Brooke before. He definitely liked her.  The kids scored a few suckers from Brooke too, which turned into a show and tell of tongue colors. Jonathan loved being the center of attention and seeing the pictures of his blue tongue.

Later on that night we had dinner at the Johnson's. The kids had a ball playing on the little trampoline that was in the back yard. I'll get pictures and video of it soon. They bounced and played with the beach ball that I would periodically throw into the netted trampoline area.  The game was who could get the beach ball and then throw it back out. Jonathan tackled Julia and jumped right in there to wrestle for it even though his older sister is stronger. It was hilarious to watch, and also listen, because when he wrestles anyone he says the karate sound, "kiai" (hi-ya), over and over again when mixing it up.