Last year we were confined to our motorhome for much of our Long beach trip due to torential rains. But this year the weather was perfect for sandcastles, kites, dune jumping, skimboarding, and making plaster casts of everyone's footprints in the sand.
We stayed at the Rodeway Inn, right on the midway in town across from the carousel and bumper cars.
it was great to be so near all the seaside shops and restaurants, but there was a bit of noise when a pack of about 50 cowboys from the Long Beach Rodeo got into a drunken brawl on mainstreet around midnight!
On Saturday monring, we took the kids up to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and Lewis and Clark Center. They enjoyed standing on the edge of the North American continent as we looked out to sea just like the men of the America Corps. The museum is wonderful and full of artifacts and hands on experiments for children. Levi , especially enjoyed the talk on lighthouse lenses and how they focus light into a beam that can travel more than 20 miles. 
Travel
August 01, 2008
June 03, 2008
Leavenworth
We usually make our annual pilgrimage to Leavenworth in the Fall, just in time for the glorious colors of the Autumn Leaf Festival. This year we went in the Spring for Maifest and were treated to the rushing, snow melted rapids in the river and the dainty alpine flowers and birdsong. The hills were alive with music....
We always stay at the fabulous Enzian Inn, built and run by the Johnson family. Mr. Bob Johnson wakes us up each morning with his Alpen Horn, and then we partake in their outstanding Bavarian Breakfast Buffet on the 4th floor balcony. Golfing in their private, mini-course, along with the billy goats and deer, is always a mid-morning treat.
After a full day of shopping in town for nutcrackers and Christmas ornaments, it's dinner at King Ludwig's. Ira and Wyatt usually split the Bavarian Platter for two, while Levi and I split a big plate of Yeager Schnitzel with Rot kraut. Jed and Waylon prefer German hot dogs, and Nellie usually wants to dance to the live polka music bouncing in from the Beer Garden. It's wonderful to come back to the Enzian where fresh coffee and piano concerts greet us in the lobby. Then we change and head downstairs to their gorgeous indoor pool and hot tub.
Bob had a mural of the Biblical story of the Loaves and Fishes painted on the wall of the pool grotto. His grandson provided the model for the boy in the painting. It's a great family get-away, and it feels as if we've traveled much further than a mere few hours. Weather permitting, we're returning in December for the Christmas Lighting festival. Whoopee!
May 31, 2008
The Great Wolf Lodge
"It's ten times better than Disneyland!" This was the concensus of all four boys after two days at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound (a few miles South of Olympia). Ira and I booked our mini-vacation there for three reasons; it was close, they had rooms large enough to accomodate a family of seven, and only hotel guests could use the massive water park (which translates to: NO LINES). The entire experience far exceeded our expectations. The kid-cabin room had a built in log cabin with bunks and a flat screen TV for the kids, fridge and microwave, tub and shower, fireplace and couch. Very cozy! Great food could be found at the gigantic all you can eat buffet, the sit-down menu restaurant, the Pizza Hut Express on the second floor balcony, the Ice cream and dessert bar adjacent the video game lounge, or the snack bar inside the water park itself. (I'm still dreaming about the fried peanut-butter and banana sandwich with sweet potato fries that I had for dinner.)
The waterpark is fantastic. The air temperature is a balmy 84 degrees, so many parents and grandparents were simply relaxing in the abundant lounge chairs as they watched their children play. Lifeguards were plentiful and did their job well, occasionally howling like wolves as they communicated from station to station. (Nice effect) Ira talked me into trying the Tornado. It's a tube slide where a four person raft drops from great heights down into a giant funnel. You spin and slide all around inside the funnel until you lose momentum and are flushed out down the pipe. Talk about your wild rides! Nellie enjoyed the little kid pool which went from zero to almost 2 feet in depth, complete with fountains, slides and squirting toys. Of course, the Great Bucket Dump thrilled the boys as 1,000 gallons of water crashed over them every ten minutes or so. Our wrist bands made it possible to enjoy the water and park and hotel without having to carry anything around. It was our room key as well as our "wallet". Parents could use their wrist bands to buy food, souveniers, arcade tokens, or even a nice cup of joe from Starbucks.
In the evening, there was a musical fireside show with animatronic animals in the lodge's great room...much in the style of Disney's "Pocahontas". Nellie was facinated with the talking moose. But the boys found the ultimate scavengerhunt/interactive video game in Magiquest. We purchased magic wands for each of them in the gift shop then the boys had their wands registered in the Magiquest headquarters. This programed their names into the hotel's game. You meet a video wizard under a big tree and he gives you a quest...certain tasks to complete to earn runes (points). It requires searching through five floors of the hotel for devices to activate with your wand...a picture on the wall, a stuffed animal, a treasure chest, a crystal sculpture, a bronze statue, ect. All come alive with the right command. The ingenious game keeps track of your progress and posts the results on cable TV in your room at night, so you can see how you compare to other guests! After you have completed enough tasks, you earn the right to fight the dragon...who can be found in his own room (cave) on a giant video screen. He big and red and shoots fire at unworthy challengers. Ha! We saw as many adults waving their wands and playing the game through the hotel as kids. It was hilarious.
