Cannon Beach or Bust

Today was a good day. The Washington Walkers left snow covered Randle around 9:30 A.M. and we were out of Morton by 10:02…headin’ west/southwest toward the Oregon coast. We stopped in Longview for some fine midday dining at La Hacienda Real and then went on to WinCo to pick up some groceries. Before departing Longview, we visited a Starbucks where I wet my whistle with a Grande Green Tea Frappuccino and Tim sipped on a Grande Triple Shot Mocha. We made a few other pit stops along the way and pulled into Cannon Beach about 4:00.

The van ride here was enjoyable…some sleeping, some laughing, some singing, some talking, some listening, and some moments of silence. We all were entertained with a couple of episodes of Jonathan Park…The Adventure Begins (Vision Forum)….a most excellent way to help the time pass while traveling for long periods of time. During the 3rd episode, our CD player started to act up so we weren’t able to finish it. We will be kept in suspense until further ado.

Upon arrival in Cannon Beach, we checked in at the Conference Center and came straight to our room. We are staying in the Tides Building, room 201, a room that sleeps 8 and is just perfect for our family. We have a small kitchenette complete with fridge and microwave.

Soon after the van was unloaded, Justin, Matthew, and Lucas ventured off on their bikes to go exploring. They found a candy store and came back with bags of goodies. Tim, Katie, and Cayla walked down to the ocean where Katie found lots of “treasures”. Larah and I stayed behind and organized our home away from home. We put groceries away and found places for everyone’s stuff. Larah was excited to get her own drawer on her level. She joyfully put all her clothes away. Waiting for the family to return, Larah and I made a tent and played blocks…we looked out the window and cuddled on the bed.

Once everyone was back in our room, we cleaned up and went out for dinner. Mo’s was the restaurant of choice for tonight’s meal. And a fine choice it was. Tim and I had some delicious halibut (mine deep fried, his blackened) and the kids had a variety of other sea food…cod, oysters, clams and shrimp. Our waitress was pleasantly helpful and very attentive to the kids, which is always a blessing. After dinner, we came back to Room 201 where some played Blockus and others colored. Then all but Matthew, Larah, and I went down to the recreation center to play games and hang out. Matthew and Larah are now fast asleep and Tim and the girls just returned from playing putt-putt and kick ball. Justin and Lucas are still down at the rec. center, hanging out and being brothers.

I won’t be able to post this until tomorrow as we don’t have the password to get connected to the wireless network. But tomorrow will soon be here and so for now it is.....Good Night and Sleep Tight.