Family Traditions

Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of traditions. We had the usual holiday get-togethers where everyone congregated at my grandmother's home. When I was very young my grandparents on my father’s side took a two-week holiday vacation at Diamond Lake in Oregon.  They rented a cabin and took their boat.  It was always a highlight of my summer, but as they got older they stopped taking the trip.

When Doug and I married we were both in need of a new life and new traditions.  A few years in, he had the opportunity to interview for a teaching position in Astoria, OR.  We discussed sending him up to interview solo, but we decided to take in impromptu family trip.  We rented a very small car, reserved a spot in a KOA ‘Kabin’ for a few days, stuck a cute little two-year-old Jillian into her adventure seat and off we went.  Doug had not spent any time on the northern Oregon coast and I had hadn’t been there in 20 years, so we explored and fell in love with the area.  While we were there, we both imagined what our lives would be like if we moved and it was wonderful.  Doug didn’t get the job and we were actually kind-of heart broken, but we understood that the time was not right and we had other things left to do in Nevada.

Hug Point State Park, 2012

The following year we went back.  Doug had applied for a job in a different town, but we still went up to Astoria to visit.  He didn’t get that job either, but we continued to explore and fall in love with the area.  This time we spent some time in the ‘Kabin’ and we took our camping setup with the tents and outdoor kitchen. Jillian was a little older and starting to understand the beauty of the coast. We visited lighthouses, the Tillamook Cheese Factory, most of Newport and continued to fall in love with the coast.  Growing up in Oregon, I took many trips to the coast.  I always loved visiting, but as I got older I appreciated the community and culture even more.  Happily, Doug and Jillian were starting to see it too.  It felt like going home.

Cape Mears Lighthouse, 2013

The third year there was no job interview, we just went.  We adjusted the trip a little and didn’t go all the way up to Astoria. We Packed up the car with more camping equipment that you can fathom! We grabbed our hoodies and jeans and spent a week enjoying the coastal weather while Nevada was sitting in 100+ degree heat.  The trip was fun, but we decided that we needed to look into a tent trailer or a small trailer.  It was taking upwards of two hours to set up camp. Our fussy, now 4-year old was hard to wrangle and there was too much for one person to do while the other entertained Jillian. Jillian was now starting to really love the coast and looked forward to the trip.  It had become our family tradition for sure! Doug was developing a healthy taste for Rogue Ale’s and Jillian loved seeing the sea lions lounging on the rocks, docks and beaches.

Beverly Beach State Park - Nature Tour, 2014

In the next year Doug did a ton of research and we visited every RV Show that came our way.  We checked out Campers, Tent Trailers, RV’s and even wandered through the big 5^th Wheels and Class-A RV’s that were only a dream. Finally, in March of 2015 we were in a place to purchase a tent trailer that we could pull with our current small SUV.  We drove down to Turlock, CA to pick it up. We tested it out a few times prior to the Oregon trip and loved it! So much easier to set up and take down. Less than a half hour compared to the 2+ that the tent site took.  Much of the setup involved things that even Jillian could help with. Because of the trailer, we were able to head all the way back up to Astoria and even extended our trip to nine days! It was wonderful! 

Beverly Beach State Park - Sunset walk, 2015

As we round the corner into spring, we are planning out our vacation again.  We have booked our favorite spot in Fort Stephens State Park in Warrenton, OR and plan on taking advantage of our Thousand trails membership along the rest of the coast. This year we will go up through Bend and Central Oregon to get up north, hoping to avoid the awful heat and humidity of the Central Valley and I-5 Corridor. We plan to take 14 days this year, the most we have ever been away from home.  Jillian is already starting to plan out her toys and packing her must-haves for the trip.  She really wants to try her hand at fishing this year! Doug and I want to take advantage of the amenities our membership to Thousand Trails gets us and attempt crabbing. 

With a lot of patience and other necessary events between, we look forward to this year’s adventure! 56 days to go!