Day 26: Portland to Salem to Corvallis to Newport, OR, July 25, 2017

We went to the Toyota dealer to get Ruby an oil change, we have gone 5,000 miles so far. While we waited, we ate brunch at Bridge City Taproom. The food was so good and they opened early for us! We drove to Salem to see the State Capitol. We got the Dome Picture and walked to the Riverfront Park. Leia got to run around the park. We walked back through town and got cold drinks and a Gluten Free Brownie. We drove to Corvallis and got out near their football stadium to find the Beaver statue. Leia touched her first football field and so did I. It was AstroTurf and very hot. We drove to the coast and stopped at Devil's Punchbowl. Leia got out and ran all around the beach. She loved chasing all the crows, seagulls, and sticks I threw for her. She met lots of other dogs here. We had dinner at Momiji sushi because Leia could wait in the car since it is so cold here. We ate great sushi. We went to the motel, did laundry, I finished a book and we went to bed.

In front of The State Capitol!

Leia with the beavers.

The beautiful lilies.

Kicking Oregon State's football. I'm a Beaver!

Selfie on the Field.

The Small Little Beaver Statue!

Leia and I exploring the rocks and tidepools! (Where's Leia?)

Leia is so happy being free. It's been a long time since we saw the ocean!

Leia and I.

Kisses from a happy Leia. This is her way of telling us she is so happy!!

Leia and a new friend investigate a log.

Leia loves the beach!

Digging in the sand and turning the water black. I was so messy!!

Day 25: Portland, OR, July 24, 2017

We went to The Tin Shed on Alberta and put our name on the waiting list. We walked around the area and got Leia dog food an treats. She was so happy!! We got our table and ate such good food. They even had a dog menu where we ordered Leia a doggy dessert. Sadly, we weren't there on a Tuesday, because dogs eat free. Leia absolutely loved her "ice cream" which was yogurt, honey, peanut butter and mashed bananas. We loved having food there. After, we drove over to Kelley Point Park, which our waitress recommended for dogs. Leia ran around and met lots of doggy friends. She even met another Catahoula, which looked a lot like her. It was a purebred and we believe Leia is a Catahoula lab mix. We took Leia back to the hotel to rest because she would not have liked the busy downtown. We went at got 4 chocolate truffles at Moonstruck and sat under the St. John's bridge and ate them. So yummy!! We drove downtown. We cooled off in the nearby fountain. We got acai bowls for a late lunch. We walked over to Powell's bookstore and got lots of books. We took funny pictures with the funny books. We went and saw every room even the rare book room. They have a book printed in 1480, it cost $12,500!! We went and bought 7 books and then walked to DarSalam where we ate dinner. Wonderful Iraqi food. We loved it so much!! The whole menu is gluten free minus the flatbread and two desserts. This is the first time we have eaten a meal inside in weeks!! We walked to back to see the Animals in Pools sculptures, which are Northwest animals in fountains. We walked to the car and went back to the hotel to see Leia. She is so tired.

Breakfast at The Tin Shed. Best meal this trip- even Leia had a menu and loved her Doggie Dessert!

Kelley Point Park for a swim and a dig!

Leia met so many new friends!!

Cooling off in the Teacher's Fountain downtown.

We found Zeus Bar!!! Love that dog!

We had way too much fun in the bookstore! This one's for cousin Carey!!

The Preteen Bible!

Exactly!! You just have to get out and experience it to really understand how true this is!!

Dinner picture at DarSalam, yummy Iraqi food.

We finally found the animal sculptures!

Leia is out cold after her day at the beach. Can you find Mommy in this picture??

Day 24: Walla Walla, WA to Columbia River Gorge to Portland, OR, July 23, 2017

We had breakfast at the Maple Counter Café. The apple pancake is meant to be a breakfast but in my opinion it's an all day meal. It was able to feed me for seven hours and I get very hungry. We drove to Whitman College and walked around and cooled off in the water. Leia got to run and wade in the creek. We drove to through the Columbia River Gorge- WOW! We stopped at Horsetail Falls and saw the falls and waded in the water at the bottom. We drove Multnomah Falls which were very crowded so we didn't stay long. We drove by Bridal Veil Falls on the way to Latourell Falls and did the two and a half mile hike. We saw the incredible falls, both the Upper and Lower. At one point we walked through the river to cool off. It was a wonderful hike with stunning views! We got to Portland and checked in our motel. We went out to have dinner at Bollywood Theater . The food was great!!

The Apple Pancake in Walla Walla. An All Day Dining Experience!

Wandering around Whitman and staying cool.

Splashing in the sprinklers; it was 100 degrees.

Having fun with the sculptures.

Splashing in Horsetail Falls.

Multnomah Falls- this place was packed so we moved on.

Hiking to Latourell Falls.

Not many people hiked with us! It was wonderful!

Dinner at the very popular Bollywood Theater on Division. Love this town already!

Day 23: Coeur d'Alene, ID to Walla Walla, WA, July 22, 2017

After a nice fire and a yummy huckleberry pancake breakfast, we packed up and drove to Bell Bay. We reserved a camping spot for our neighbors who were still packing up at Beauty Creek. We found the last available spot and reserved it. It was a beautiful site so we made lunch under the trees before they arrived. We all went down to the swimming docks and swam in the lake. They inflated the giant unicorn float, which was fun to ride and chase. We swam and jumped off the dock for a long time. It's always nice to meet new neighbors. We wanted to spend the night there, but we did stay still 5, swimming and pushing each other off the dock. Bell Bay is definitely a great swimming and camping spot.  We said goodbye and were so sad to leave. We drove to St. Maries and had dinner at Burger Express which consisted of fries, a huckleberry lemonade and a huckleberry shake. We drove the scenic byways through the National Forest in Idaho and the wheat fields in Washington to Walla Walla. Washington is not a new state since I visited Seattle when I was younger.

Riding the Rainbow unicorn around Lake Coeur D' Alene- This is summer!!

Chasing the Unicorn!

Jumping off the dock with new friends!

The amazing family we met from Boise.

In addition to her many talents, Leia makes a wonderful pillow.

The lake. My mouth is full of water because I'm about to spray someone!!

Azariah a.k.a Thor! 

Day 22: Coeur d'Alene, ID, July 21, 2017

We went to the Seven Stars Alpaca Ranch. We met the pregnant donkeys. One is due in one week and the other is due in 5 weeks, soon there will be lots of baby donkeys. We got on the ranch owner's ATV and I got some driving lessons! By the end, I think I could've driven us home. We went and saw the horses and mini horses. They were beautiful!! At the end, we had to beep the horn because they weren't scared of the ATV. I drove us to the bigger field with the sheep, alpacas, goats and cows. All the animals get along very nicely and can even go in the horse area since the gate is left open. The alpacas are very sweet and we saw the newborn baby. I drove back to the bottom down a hill on the windy road. It was very easy since I'd had lots of practice. We went to the alpaca shop and got some alpaca socks. They are so comfy!! Mommy drove to the lake access and we swam for awhile jumping in and Leia even swam after we pushed her off the dock. Leia was a little scared but she was happy to be cooled off. We went to Coeur d'Alene and had acai bowls. We saw a sign for 89 cent root beer floats so we had to stop. We went back to the campsite and met our new neighbors who turned out to be very nice. We played Charades with them by the fire. We stayed up really late making s'mores and watching stars, galaxies and even satellites pass by.

I'm driving!!! (this isn't staged)

Visiting with the pregnant donkeys.

Loving on the beautiful horses.

Yep, I'm still driving!!

Amazing place!

The dry creek at our campground.

Turned out to be a great stay despite the lack of water!

Jumping in the lake!!

Day 21: Missoula, MT to Coeur d'Alene, ID, July 20, 2017

We had breakfast at the Shack which had great pancakes!!! We walked down to the river and waded in it while we watched a guy try to surf Brennan's wave. We rode on the carousel, which is said to be the fastest in the world. Mommy got the brass ring, which meant she got a free ride. We gave the tokens to another family because we couldn't go again. We went to the Smoke Jumper museum and learned how they fight fires. We drove to the town of Wallace, Idaho and had lunch and walked around town. I got new earrings in the silver store. We hiked the Pulaski Trail, which lead to the Pulaski Tunnel where men were rescued during the great fires of 1910. It was a four mile hike and we climbed 800 feet!! We drove to our campsite near Coeur d' Alene and set up, had dinner, and made a wonderful fire.

Leia learning about quirky city ordinances.

A surfer attempting Brennan's Wave!!

Leia chasing sticks, but wise enough not to try The Wave!!

The super fun carousel in the downtown park.

One of the best public art installations ever!!

Learning all about the Smoke Jumpers!!

Gorgeous 4 mile hike along Pulaski Creek.

We made it to the top, which means we made it to the mine!! Fascinating history in these hills.