Summer Vacation plans anyone?

[O-So-Squirrely]

I was wondering if anyone has any exciting vacation plans for the summer, or are you perhaps a stay-cation summer planner?

We're usually have stay-cation summers, that's why we pay the high beach town taxes after all lol. But THIS year, I'm taking my first trip out of the USA and it's territories, and going to visit my daughter, her fiance and my perfectly perfect 2yr old grandson in Australia for 3 months!! I'm ridiculously excited, so much so I can't seem to get a darn thing prepared for the trip. Getting my passport at 60 was pretty darn exciting alone, but I've got insurance issues to deal with (I'm disabled) and medications to get approval to bring in the country. I need new luggage (world traveler and all that) and I have to find an outfit for their wedding in September!! So I sit here and scrap when I should be preparing - well, SOMEthing lol.

 

[Laura Burger]

How exciting for you get take this trip and you better find that perfect dress!

We are bringing out Grandson and family to Disneyland and the San Diego for a week, excited and scared to death all the excitement of a 5 year old could kill me though. I can barely handle him 6 hours in one day LOL.

 

[O-So-Squirrely]

Oh I can totally 'get' that Laura, it's not easy on us at times lol. Your little one will be nice and tired though at the end of the day, just like you!

 

[Fayette]

Sounds like an amazing trip! I hope you find the perfect dress, and that you can get all of the details taken care of so you can enjoy your time away.

We just got back from a short trip to San Francisco. I love that city (lol, but I wouldn't want to live there. I'm a country girl!) We have a couple of camping trips planned with the grandkids, but other than that, we're going to just do some short weekend trips this summer.

 

[Mother Bear]

It's Winter here...yay! School has just finished for 2 weeks so I have 2 weeks with no work.
Where about in Aus will you be visiting? I hope enjoy your visit here and September is Springtime.

 

[O-So-Squirrely]

Julie I'm actually going to almost right around the corner from you, I noticed that the other day. I'm coming into Brisbane airport and they live on (or 'in'?) the Gold Coast.

 

[O-So-Squirrely]

Oh I LOVEEEEE San Francisco too, but haven't been there for about 20 yrs so I may not like it as much now lol. And I love those little getaway weekends too for recharging and clearing your head. Sometimes they're even better than a full vacation, not much packing and planning involved lol.

 

[Scrapdolly]

We are off on a huge trip this year.
Flying from the UK to San Fran - driving up through Oregon to Washington and then back down to San Diego includingt he following highlights of the trip
Mount Shasta, Shasta Damn, Boeing factory in Seattle, Pike Place Starbucks (a bit of a pilgrimage for us) Mount Rainier, Mount St Helen's, Portland, Mount Hood, The Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, Klamath, Redwood National Park, Humboldt State Park, The Lost Coast, Sausilito, San Francisco, Los Gatos (we loved it so much we have to make that detour) Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Hearst Casle, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Anaheim including Disneyland of course, an Angels game, Big Bear Lake, Laguna, Dana Point, San Diego (for the zoo) and HOME!!!


It is a mammoth trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and my very early (honest) retirement and my husbands 60th

 

[Fayette]

Wow, sounds like an amazing trip, Karen! I've been to many of the stops you listed. Oregon is one of our favorite states to visit. I was stunned by the haunting devastation at Mt. St. Helens. We were there about 15 years ago, and the devastation still seemed fresh. It would be interesting to see how mother nature is recovering now.... and well, I may have mentioned that I LOVE San Francisco Have a wonderful trip! Happy Anniversary!

 

[Scrapdolly]

It's interesting Faye - we really don't like San Fran at all and are literally passing through. We spent 10 days there a few years ago and it is the only place in the US we didn't like.

I remember the news stories about Mt St Helen's vividly

We have family in Oregon so will be staying with them too and also have family at Dana Point so seeing them as well. Plus we add two new states bringing our total up to 32.

 

[Fayette]

Lol, lots of people probably wouldn't like San Fran that much...everywhere you walk, it's uphill We loved the diversity. We could pick ANY kind of restaurant or shop that we want to go to, and it was always easily within walking distance. The wharf was an interesting area, but I liked watching the people there as much as anything. I loved Japantown & Chinatown...but I know it's not for everyone We have family just south of Portland, so we make regular trips to Oregon. We loved Crater Lake...breathtaking! We usually stay in Newport & Lincoln City (took the kids on a whale watching expedition and they were NOT disappointed. We saw so many right next to the boat - totally worth the expense. On the south, west side of Oregon we stay at Gold Beach. If you have time, you should take the Rogue River jet boat trip at Gold Beach (https://www.roguejets.com/). We took all of our grandkids there last year, and they LOVED the trip...gorgeous scenery, beautiful wildlife & quirky little restaurants that you stop at up the river. Very fun! I haven't counted the number of states I've been to, lol, but you may be ahead of me! When do you leave?

 

[Scrapdolly]

We go first week of September ... Couldn't leave it any later as we might not be able to access the roads at Crater Lake. I think I am looking forward to that more than anything else.

Sad and we won't be there at whale watching time. I would love to see them.

Its the the first time I have ever been away outside of school holidays ... The joys of retirement

 

[Tami Miller]

I lived in Montana when Mt St. Helens blew and even in NW Montana the ashes were falling like snow. I remember running around with a scarf over my face.

 

[heathert]

Oh my gosh!!! You'll be in my territory--if you want to come along the Oregon coast a bit, I'd be so happy to meet you! We live in Yachats... and it's stunningly beautiful here. What a wonderful trip--you're really packing it in!

 

[heathert]

Omg Faye, Newport is where I do my grocery shopping (25 miles north of us)...

 

[heathert]

There are whales here year 'round--in fact, there was a pod of orcas just off the point 2 nights ago =) Plus, we have some resident gray whales.

 

[LBickford]

Our big vacation this summer was a drive to Maine (we live in Alabama now) to visit friends and family for 2 wks. And we did it in a big RV we just bought spur-of-the-moment, and took delivery of the day before we took off! And we had to do it in a huge hurry, as we needed to get there for a funeral. That was a whirlwind! 26hrs with hubby sleeping only 3 of those. On the way home we stopped for 3 nights, and did something at each location (we planned where we'd stop). It was far better.

 

[Scrapdolly]

Oh Heather that is marvellous news - so we may see whales.

We are not hitting the coastline until we get as far down as California - at Crescent City - we are inland in Oregon and Washington - but I will wave from a distance. It would have been so cool to have been able to meet you

 

[Scrapdolly]

WOW - that was a holiday of a lifetime.
3500 miles (a lot for us as the UK is so small those sort of miles could never be accomplished) and 6500 photos. We loved Oregon - such a beautiful beautiful state.

 

[Fayette]

Heather, I'm going to have to stop and meet you next time we're up that way. I don't think we'll be up there until the summer of 2018...but hey, that will be here before we know it!