Portland Fairview RV and a visit with the Flowers family - 2022/07/11-20

It's another travel day and this time we're heading to a place we're really looking forward to!

We've had a fun time with the Alpacas at Lone Ranch, but it's time to be moving on. Today we've got about 6 hours ahead of us as we drive from the south side of Oregon to the very north side of Oregon. 

Here's where we're staying. The Portland Fairview RV park. It was easy enough to get to our pull-through and park the RV, and even though we're here for 10 days, we're not actually going to be spending much time here.

As soon as we unhooked the RV, we hopped back in the truck and headed even further north. Wow! It's Mount Hood! 

Welcome to Washington! We've driven through quite a few states and we're always excited to see the sign that welcomes us to the state. Even though we're on a major interstate, the sign here is very utilitarian. Entering Washington. 

But that does mean that Ian and Alli get to update their map of states they've visited. Washington! 

Why does Theresa have 4 pizzas and crazy bread on her lap? 

Because we're going to see my brother and his family! They used to live in northern California, but have moved to Washington in the last couple years. And this is the first time for us to get to go see their house! 

So good to see you guys! There's been so many adventures since we saw you in June 2021. 

We know their old cat. She warmed up to us. 

And here's a new addition! A kitten! Soft and fluffy. 

But the belly is always a dangerous place to rub. 

But after a bit of playing, she's all tired out and ready to nap. 

What a view from the living room window!

Playing some Dos with my sister-in-law Jessica. But where are the kids? 

They're out back! The backyard is high on a hillside overlooking the city. They have a slip-n-slide set up!

So much fun, though after a little bit the splashdown pool at the end popped. It still worked out great! They had a blast. 

Their yard backs up to a hillside, which is perfect for shooting BB guns! My brother Jon set up a string with lots of soda cans hanging down from it. 

Everyone had a go at taking shots at the cans. 

Mmm, a little bit of ice cream after a long afternoon of playtime. 

We all headed to the local theater to watch The Rise of Gru. 

With popcorn and icees of course. 

The little kitty watching Theresa play the guitar. 

Hearing how the slip-n-slide popped the day before, Jessica went out and bought 2 more! Their yard is just big enough to put all three in a row! Better stop before the bushes though! Those are blackberry bushes and they are full of sharp thorns! We put up a barrier for protection. 

They had a great time!

A few clips of them. 

Mmm, Jess makes fantastic bread! I was happy that she kept making more and more loaves as we were there. 

The evenings on the back deck were wonderful. Sunsets with a firepit as the nights cooled down. 

In the evenings, we headed back to the RV resort for the night, then would meet back up the next day. Yikes! These triple trucks make me nervous to drive beside. 

We've been to a few different Chuck E Cheese restaurants this summer. Let's see how the one in Washington compares! 

Jess and the kids are joining us today too! Everyone is getting a full hour of unlimited playtime! 

I love that they have different games at all these different Chuck E Cheeses. Like a giant Space Invaders!

A four player game where you harpoon fish for tickets. 

A stacker game! Ian got really good at it, winning the jackpot quite a few times! 

It's a pretty simple game too. Later on, I challenged the kids to use their computer programming skills I'm teaching them (in Scratch) to make the game themselves! 

Alli found a claw game where you can win prizes!

After many times with the claw just dropping the ball, even after a perfect grab, Alli finally got one! And then right after, she snagged another one! 

There's the classic skeeball. 

Nice! A piano game, similar to one we played with Megan and Patrick at The Summit. 

Setting high scores! 

Everyone had a lot of fun playing games together. 

Alli and I are really getting good at the Ghostbusters game. We capture enough ghosts to make it to the final round. 

And in the end, we battle Stay Puft to win bonus tickets. How many times did we beat him Alli? 8 times! And when we do, we always yell TOASTED! 

Ooh, look at all those prizes. What looks good? 

Ah, I see cotton candy. 

Actually everyone wanted to get cotton candy! We have so many flavors! Ian and Alli said that means we need to have a Chuck E Cheese Cotton Candy Taste Test! Sounds good to me! We'll do that next! It's great being here with family!