We couldn’t let our summer visiting family in the PacNW pass without squeezing in a camping trip.
Lori and I have done more than our fair share of camping throughout the years. But this was our first time camping since we had kids. Which of course meant that it was the boys’ first time as well.
Our boys have had a wide variety of overnight sleeping accommodation in their young young lives – everything from airplane bassinets to thatch beach huts, river boats to dresser drawers. Noe even spent the night in a giant piano.
But camping has so far eluded them. Not anymore!
We spent two nights camping with Nanny and Poppi at Tugman State Park near Winchester Bay, Oregon. It was the first time at this particular campground and we really enjoyed it.
Nanny and Poppi are big crabbers. As you might expect, the campground is very close to some good crabbing, so we’re told. They usually head over to Charleston or Bandon, but opted for something new this time.
It’s nice to unpack our old pack tent. It’s been a good friend to us over the years, but was largely forgotten after we moved to Laos in 2016.
It’s a perfect all-season tent for the tropics, but we’ve never found ourselves with space to spare when heading back.
Noe and I will share these digs tonight. Riley and Mommy will be in the popup tent next door. The boys are very excited.
Nanny and Poppi also like to fish. And catch crawdads. Pretty much anything involving catching edible water creatures, they’re all over it.
Time to tackle up and head down to the dock.
Looks like we weren’t the only ones with the same idea.
Riley caught a bobber. Yay Riley!
Rain’s in the forecast, so the tarps go up. Now, there may be a bit of disagreement between father and son regarding how much rain is actually expected. But it wouldn’t feel like camping in the PacNW without a tarp or three fluttering in the breeze.
No camping trip would be complete without some good ol’ fashion s’more making. Unfortunately, there’s a fire ban in effect, which forced us to get a little creative.
Yep, a fire ban and rain forecasted. Welcome to camping in Oregon in 2021.
It’s crabbing time! We bundle up and head out to Oak Rock County Park and its 300 meter long wood dock.
You would think that’s plenty of space for everyone, but most crabbers seem to be congregated towards the end of the pier. Must be where the crab are biting, I guess.
Noe’s always loved crabbing with Nanny and Poppi since his first time at only a few weeks old. This time, he’s really into it, pulling up cages and even picking up crabs. He never once got pinched (but one did get me).
Of course, Riley can’t stand to watch big brother have all the fun.
All in all, a pretty good haul. More than enough for dinner. The boys have been looking forward to a crab feed for a while.
We made a quick stop at the Umpqua River Lighthouse thinking it might be something that would interest the boys. Not so much. Instead, Noe was in absolute awe of the giant whale bone on display across the street, demanding multiple picture with it.
Oregon Coast beach time at South Jetty. Lots of driftwood to explore.
Morning’s are chilly here on the Oregon Coast, even in August. Nothing that a hot cup of cocoa can’t fix.
We made a quick stop on the way back at the Elkton Education Community Center to check out the butterflies and local products they were selling. There weren’t a ton of butterflies when we visited, but enough for the boys.
One proud boy. I believe this is the very first “big boy” Lego set Noe’s put together, sight unseen, from start to finish with no help from daddy.
Before we moved to Sayulita last fall, I thought it might be time to dust off the box of toys I kept for the boys after our big clean-out before moving to Laos.
My 30-year-old Legos made the cut, fortunately. I hoped that one of my kids would be into some of the same toys I was into. I had no idea just how much Noe would be into the Legos in particular.
We brought a couple of sets out with us last year and planned to bring out another couple of sets this year. The pirate ship will stay behind due to its size, so I brought it out first during our break.
I’ve been working with him for a while on going step-by-step through instructions and not trying to skip ahead. Up until now, he hadn’t had the patience. Then one day, just like that, he sat and busted it out on his own.
After five years, we finally got our first night away from the boys. Well, with the exception of our last-minute ill-fated overnight attempt at getting Lori’s passport in Seattle last summer.
We’ve had plenty of evening sitters over the years, but never an entire night away from the boys, so we’re pretty stoked. We love our boys, but it’s nice to have time for the two of us as well.
Grammy, Grampy, Nanny, and Poppi are all splitting kid duty, so the boys are in good hands. If one of the grandparents gets tied up in a closet, they have three other adults to help.
Knowing that we had one night away, we opted for a closer destination. Ideally, we might have headed to Bend as we were just on the Oregon Coast camping, but didn’t want to spend 8 hours on the road round trip.
Florence seemed like an attractive option. We hadn’t been there in a couple of years and the weather was supposed to be about as nice as it gets on the Oregon Coast.
My family used to stay at Driftwood Shores back in the 80s. It’s one of the few hotels in the area right on the beach with beach views and cheaper than a comparable Airbnb. Best of all, all rooms at Driftwood Shores have ocean views (on a clear day like today).
Our first stop was Hukilau for drinks, then Waterfront Depot for dinner. The waiting list was an hour, so we headed across the street to Bridgewater, which was very good. No regrets.
The inevitable fog rolled in for the night and we fell asleep to the crashing of the waves through the open slider. We’ve lived in a beach town for the past year, but not close enough to the water to hear the waves.
We couldn’t leave town without ticking one last thing off the list. Jab #2 done!
The grandparents and boys had a fun time while we were away.
The boys could’ve easily gone a week like this. I’m sure the grandparents felt exactly the same…
More fishing! We head to Platt I Reservoir in Sutherlin for some down-home fishin’ and crawdad catchin’.
Nanny and Poppi love this place for the crawdads. We had no idea that you can literally see them scurrying around in the water along the banks.
Noe caught his first fish. A young bass, perhaps? Certainly much nicer than the Bluegill and Crappie I used to catch at his age.
Pulling up the crawdad traps with Nanny.
Could have sworn I got a pic of the multitude of crawdads caught, but guess not. But they’re in there.
Enjoying a relaxed couple of days in Roseburg before continuing south to California and back to Mexico.
Noe’s been wanting a ride in Poppi’s “race car” with the top down. He finally got his wish.
Of course, Riley caught wind of Noe’s adventure and wanted the same treatment. Poppi was happy to oblige.
Thanks for an awesome visit, Nanny-Poppi-Grammy-Grampy. See you in Mexico!
