This year, for our Morris Family coast trip, we decided to stay a little closer to Portland area to make it easier for everyone to get there. We were able to rent a beach house in Pacific City through a friend of mine, and it was perfect for the week. We missed having Becky and Nate and their family there as they were still in Luxembourg, and Dave and Liz and their girls as they were finishing up Dave’s internship in Texas.
At the Beach House:
The beach house is on bay, just about a mile from the beach. It has a great backyard where the kids had fun playing games, going on treasure hunts, playing badminton, and watching Jake swim each day for his triathlon training. They didn’t mind the big TV downstairs with the comfy couch either, and we would find them hanging out there most mornings. We adults liked it too as we watched the Olympics each night we were there. Stacey and I were able to go on a couple of runs, and the boys were able to go on a bike ride and a run too. My mom set up the guidelines for the Grandma and Grandpa store, and the kids worked hard to pick up, obey, brush their teeth, and go to bed when they were supposed to so they could earn money for the store. She also had fun treasure hunts to find kites, hats to decorate, and other goodies.
Tillamook Cheese Factory:
We made a trip one afternoon to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Because it was the middle of the week, we actually got to see them making and working a lot more than we normally do when we’ve gone on a weekend. We enjoyed the samples and, after eating lunch on the picnic tables outside, some delicious Tillamook ice cream. We also stopped at the Blue Heron Cheese Factory on our way back, where the kids had fun seeing the animals and the old tractors.
Drift Creek Falls:
Another day, we drove a little south towards Lincoln City and did a hike to Drift Creek Falls. It was a great hike for the kids, and except for Asher needing to be carried for most of it, the rest did great and had fun hiking and seeing the amazing suspension bridge and falls.
Devil’s Lake:
After we went on the hike, we drove over to Devil’s Lake to go swimming. Asher was a little tired and fell asleep before we even drove one minute. The lake was perfect, and we were the only ones there most of the time. The kids had fun swimming and having Grandpa pull them around on the boogie boards. Once it started to get late, we packed up and ended the day with some dinner at Mo’s. Shane and I ended up at a table with all of our kids and most of Jake and Stacey’s, and one couple asked, “Are those all yours?!?” We do have a lot of kids, but luckily not that many that close together.
Beach!
We were able to spend lots of time at the beach. The kids love this more than anything else, and spend hours digging in the sand and jumping in the waves. They also love to climb the huge sand dune at the beach in Pacific City. Another hit this year was flying the kits, and Asher and Kallie even figured out how to lie down while holding onto the kite.
Carnival:
The last day we were at the beach house, my mom had a fun carnival planned for all the kids, with a fishing game, dart shoot, football throw, fishing, ring toss, and more. The kids had a blast going through all the stations, and then the kids each ran a station while the adults went through. That evening, after a day at the beach, we roasted marshmallows and admired the amazing sunset.
Nestucca Bay:
Saturday morning, we checked out of the beach house, and the Pinders and my parents had to get going since they had a long drive ahead. We decided to try out a new beach and spend a few hours there before heading home since our drive was under two hours. The ocean was kind of a long walk,and a few of the kids were a bit upset at how far the ocean was, (one in particular was in tears but we’ll keep him unnamed), but there was a fun river at the beach that the kids had fun playing in before heading home.
It was another great year at the beach. Can’t wait until next time!
