A few months ago I got a bee in my bonnet that we didn’t travel the way we used to before having Clare. On one hand, this is obvious since having a toddler makes traveling more difficult and last minute weekends to San Diego or quickly planned trips to NYC aren’t in the budget nor as easy as they used to be (think naps, car seats, car rentals, pack’n’plays…oy!). That’s not to say we don’t travel, Hawaii comes to mind, but it’s not the same as the way we used to travel. Besides, we hadn’t ever taken a trip just the three of us. Now we love our families (LOVE OUR FAMILIES) but it’s different when it’s just us. Besides, J and I were working a lot, always on the go or on our laptops, phones, or watching TV (often all 3 at the same time) and I decided we needed a break from technology/the outside world to just be together.
So, that’s the long story for how J, Clare and I packed up in the car last week and went to a cabin on Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest. It fit all of our criteria – a (relatively) short drive away, somewhere we hadn’t been before and could therefore explore, and was removed from technology and our jobs. I told everyone we didn’t have cell phone access (ultimately we did, but no one called us). And it was lovely. We may be doing that more often.
Lots of hiking – usually we were the only ones on the trail. Clare loved her backpack and was surprisingly happy to stay in there rather then get out and hike on her own. Fortunately J’s back held up well 🙂
Clare and J by the “Big Cedar Tree”
The family inside the “Big Cedar Tree”
More hiking amidst the cedars
Clare’s first canoe ride on Lake Quinault! At first she declared it “sca-wy” (scary) but then she decided it was fun. For about half an hour, and then she decided we should “get out.” Unfortunately for her we were in the middle of the lake…
Clare throwing rocks in the lake – this was before she fell in the lake. (The water was about six inches deep and J and I saw the fall coming and immediately pulled her out. We used it as a lesson about water safety.)
Then we went to the beach!
In the past Clare hasn’t especially loved the beach. This time was a different story. Once she saw the big kids taking off their shoes and running in the waves she had to do it too. Fortunately Daddy went with her and they had fun doing that age-old beach activity of running towards the waves until the water barely touches your toes and then shrieking, and immediately turning around and running back.
