Maiden Voyage to Bay View State Park

We finally got to take our new toy on its maiden voyage!  We packed up the family and headed to Bay View State Park in Mt Vernon.

Coulee was a little hesitant at first, but she ended up being a great camper.  She wore herself out every day and could barely move by the evening.  Needless to say she slept really well!

We lucked out with decent weather.  We were able to set up camp and hang out for a while before it started raining.  All of the RV campsites were around a big loop that the kids were able to ride bikes and scooters on.  There was a big field in the middle that was great to play catch on.

We could walk to Padilla Bay from the campsite.  It was windy and cold, but so pretty!  The view from our campsite was pretty too.

The kids had so much fun in the camper.  They loved having their own little space.

Saturday we drove to Deception Pass State Park to check it out.  We walked along the beach and looked for rocks and shells.  Lance helped the kids make bow and arrows out of sticks on the beach.  They worked great!

The state park was great.  We will definitely be back!

After the park we stopped at Flyers for some beers and lunch.  It was a cool place, all aviation themed on the inside.  The food was tasty too!

All in all it was a great maiden voyage!  We all loved it and booked another trip a couple weeks from now!  🏕  Can't wait for all out camping adventures to come.

Sunshine and palm trees are good for the soul- AZ 2021

We just returned from a trip to Mesa, AZ to visit my parents.  The weather was not as warm as we were hoping for, but we still got some sunny days.  It's just nice to get away from every day life.

We stayed at the Hyatt Place Phoenix/ Mesa again.  We love the pool!  The kids swam almost every night.  

We visited my parents every day.  The kids discovered pickleball and became obsessed with it!  We played lots of games and the kids swam in the pool while the adults had cocktails poolside.

One rainy day we took the kids to Makutus Island.  We go almost every time we're in AZ.  The kids love it!  The spent hours running, climbing and sliding.  Its such a cool place.

My parents got a (new to them) golf cart.  The kids spent hours riding and driving around, usually with Papa.  They loved it!

We did one hike while we were there.  The hieroglyphic trail in Apache Junction.  It was a good hike, about 3 miles round trip.  The hieroglyphics on the rocks at the end were pretty cool.

We visited Riverview Park on our last day.  It is probably the coolest park we have been to.  So many different activities for kids and adults!

My parents took us to Vitos on our last evening.  The pizza and sangria was delicious!  Perfect way to end the trip.

Another snowy Manson getaway

Carson wanted to go to Manson again for his birthday for more skiing.  We booked the trip right away and were counting down.  Sadly, a week before our trip we found out that Echo Valley ski hill was closed for the season.  What the heck?!?  It was too late to make new plans so we decided to go anyway and find some adventures.  Carson was a little disappointed but made the best of it.

We stopped at our favorite coffee shop on the way.  Look how much snow they had!  Even though it was cold and snowy Carson still had to have an ice cream!  😄

Our first stop after checking in was to Wapato Point Cellars.  Chelan and Manson were celebrating the "month of love" so they had wine and chocolate pairings.  SO delicious and such a treat!  Lance and I wine tasted inside while the kids played in the snow outside.  Perfection.

We decided on pizza in the hotel room for dinner while watching a movie.  Carson's choice!

That night the kids hung out in the hot tub while Lance and I sat by the fire with a cocktail.  It was so beautiful with the snow and lights!

This is a video of the kids doing a "polar bear challenge."

The next day we walked the Chelan Riverwalk Park loop.  The lake was so pretty with the snow surrounding it.  There were giant icicles everywhere!

After our walk we ate lunch at a mexican restaurant in Chelan and then drove up to Echo Ridge to try and find some sledding.  We ended up finding a great hill just off the parking lot where the kids made a great sledding track.  They spent hours playing in the snow and sledding.

After sledding we stopped at Tipsy Canyon winery for more wine and chocolate pairings.  It was our first time at this winery.  It was so beautiful and had great views of the lake.  There was a great outdoor area and a little hill where the kids could sled.  We will definitely be back!

That night we ate at the Lake Chelan Brewery and had more hot tub and fire time.  We ended the night with a movie in the room.  

We had to stop at 97 Rock House on the way home.  Did I mention it is my favorite coffee place?