Dad Can Travel

Madison’s Broken Arm, Warming the Soul with Old Friends and Parke Diem Electronic Music Festival!

We are on a 7,000 mile Great American Road trip. You can catch up on our last post: Seal Rock & Oregon Dunes – Whale Watching in Depoe Bay, Finding Starfish in Yaquina Head Tidepools and Cruisin Oregon Coast Highway! here.

Daddy Yoda

Well folks! We hit our 5,200th mile on the trip odometer on our way to Seattle requiring a quick oil change on the “Daddy Yoda“. Yes – the Toyota Sequoia finally has a name.

Our trip from Oregon cut inland through a mountainous area in Oregon, right by Oregon State University in Corvallis (Go Beavers?), onto the 5 north through Portland into Washington.

Fort Vancouver

A quick stop at Fort Vancouver makes for a nice lunch and a nap break. The fort is a historic site for the Hudson Bay Trading companies’ hub in the Pacific Northwest. Their main product is Furs. Beavers, Bears, Foxes, whatever was soft, they wanted it.

Fort Vancouver was a diverse place. Hawaiians, Native Americans, French, Germans, Americans, British and many more came to work here.

Bonus: Pearson Air Museum

Nearby Fort Vancouver is the Pearson Air Museum. You see five early 20th century planes.

Issaquah Washington

Issaquah, a suburb of Seattle, is our home base for the next 3 days. Our friends thankfully hosted us at their house, where they had an electricity hookup, hot showers, free wifi and the BEST company! We are so grateful.

Madison’s Zip Line Mishap

Our son, Madison, 3 years old fractured his wrist on a playground. He is ok. Dad and Mom learned an important lesson too in finding medical care and scheduling follow up appointments on the road. It ain’t easy!

At the doctor Madison is very brave. He stoically handled X-Rays, doctors inspection, and embraced the cast and sling. Cheers to Indigo Urgent Care in Covington for taking care of our kiddo.

Snoqualmie Falls

About 20 minute drive from Issaquah are the gushing Snoqualmie Falls. You can access the top of the falls from the foot bridge from the parking lot across the street. The falls are a source of hydroelectric power for the area. Hydroelectric power is one of the earliest form of clean energy dating back to the early 1800s.

At the top of the falls, you can take a ~1 mile hike down to the river level beneath the falls. The elevation gain is significant, so it’s not recommended for small kids, unless they are well equipped with shoes, water, snacks and bug spray – we had none. Halfway through the hike we made an wise decision to turn around.

Interesting Tree Forms – an arborists paradise on the hike down from Snoqualmie Falls

Exploring Seattle

From the views in Kerry Park you can see all of Seattle. Our guide, Shai took accompanied us on our journey.

Klondike Gold Rush National Monument

In the heart of Downtown Seattle about a mile from the space needle, a stop at the Gold Rush National Monument takes you back in time. This National Park focuses on the gold rush and it’s impact to the Pacific Northwest.

Lincoln understands the only true way to prosper during the gold rush is to fulfill the insatiable demand for mining equipment

Parke Diem Festival

Parke Diem is a free, family friendly Festival dedicated to electronic music and hosted at Seward Park. We used the opportunity to catch up with some old friends, who live in the area, jam to some music and let the kids run wild.