Summer Vacation 2015 Part 2

On Friday, July 31st we packed up all our belongings into our van and trailer and were ready to hit the road from Colorado when Matt discovered that the trailer bearing was all but gone on our left side. There was also some damage to the axle. We were grateful that we discovered this before we got very far into our trip to the Oregon coast for Smith Reunion.

 Matt got some quotes and thought about timing and determined that it would be best to leave the old trailer until we came back to Denver and purchase a new trailer. After some time spent trying to get all the wiring properly functioning we headed west. Friday we made it to Orem Utah.

On Saturday we made it to Nevada when we started feeling the van's transmission slip. We were so grateful that we were just a few minutes outside of the town of Winnemucca. We looked for a mechanic, but with it being late on a Saturday evening, no one was available to look at it immediately. We decided to get a motel and see if one of the mechanics would have time the next morning. We definitely were on the clock since Matt was in charge of this year's reunion.

Here we are on the salt flats.

Sunday morning a few guys outside our motel noticed Matt inspecting the engine and were able to give him some advice. Matt cleaned off the engine and added transmission fluid and drove it to see if there were transmission fluid leaks. Everything seemed to be working fine (we think that the fluid perhaps got very hot and bubbled over) and we weren't sure if the mechanic was even going to have time to look at it. The rest of us went to a local ward for church and after much prayer, Matt decided it was ok to get back on the road. With little to no services for many miles we prayed that we would have no further problems. We were able to make it to Yachats, Oregon late Sunday night without incident, quickly set up camp, have a quick dinner and "hit the hay." Thank heaven for guidance and protection from above!

Monday, August 3rd we were happy to see so many of the Smith clan, including Matt's Aunt Martha, his cousin Ryan and his family, Casey, and Matt's Aunt Karen.
The morning started with banana slug races, which left many of the kids with slimed fingers.



Then we went to explore the coast's tide pools.



Then we went to see Heceta Head lighthouse.



Then we explored more of the coast, including Devil's Churn.



The kids went on a hike to see the biggest tree on the Oregon Coast. Two of these photos were taken later in the week.



We were also happy to celebrate Ivy's birthday. What a gorgeous day!









On Tuesday part of the group went to the Newport Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Science Center . . .




. . . and the others went out on a fishing charter. They were fishing for salmon and crabbing. Unfortunately only one salmon was caught, but they caught over 50 crabs. They had them cooked up and we enjoyed them for dinner.











In the evening we also enjoyed making rain sticks and eating s'mores.

On Wednesday, August 5th we spent the day on the sand dunes.  Most went out on dune buggies and ATVs, but the little ones played on boards and slid down the dunes.  They also enjoyed the water.

In the afternoon we enjoyed hiking on the beach again and collecting blackberries.

Christian loved these berries and ate them as we picked.  They were a great bonus to our campsite.

On Thursday the 6th we headed up north to the Short Sands beach.  It was a beautiful day for a picnic and playing on the sand.

On Friday we went to Portland and enjoyed some rose gardens there and also saw a fish hatchery.

After this we went to the Dalles and stayed in a hotel for the evening.  We did laundry, had a nice dinner at the hotel, and then Matt and I went down to a car show/parade in the evening with his cousin Ryan and his wife Tanya.  Afterward, we shared a shake.

This is where we separated from the Smith Family and began our journey back east.  This concludes part 2 of our vacation.

We were so grateful that we could spend time with beloved family members.  We always consider it a treasure!  We are also grateful for all the support that was given.  It was a beautiful and fun time!