Oregon Trail: Umpqua Lighthouse State Park & the Long Road Home

It was great fun visiting with friends and enjoying the comforts of a welcoming home, but the open road was calling.  From Eugene we drove West to Haceta Beach, an expansive beach that reminded us of home.  We paused to eat our blackberries and build sandcastles, then we were off to our campsite.

While I thought I had booked a "deluxe" yurt (complete with electricity, bathroom, and refrigerator), it turns out I reserved just a regular old yurt.   Our 7th night on the road, the kids knew the routine: collect wood, start fire, don't get burned.

After dinner we whipped out some cards, and played a child version of Crazy Eights.  I normally hate card games, but I was willing to overcome my strong aversion for the sake of quiet family fun time.

 
Despite being woken by rain (what's that?!?) in the middle of the night, we all slept well in our cozy yurt.

After breakfast we took time explore a nearby trail that encircled a small lake.

 

We loaded up the car then headed to the beach. The boys loved running up and down the steep sand dunes.

Perhaps the best features of the beach was the squishiness of the sand, followed by the shells, seaweed, and dead things deemed "collectible" by little Magnus.

Mattias took a little time to stroll the beach himself, noticing the weather worn driftwood and boulders.

After observing a school of minnows and building a sand castle with our collectibles, we were on the road again.

This time, we were homeward bound, and luckily we know how to tire them out before we start driving. Lake Siskiyou made for a perfect lunchtime pit stop.

I wanted to end our trip on a fancy note, a belated birthday present of sorts, so I booked our last night at Bothe-Napa State Park.  Located on Highway 29 between Calistoga and St. Helena, Bothe offers yurts in the middle of wine country.

The drive from Mt. Shasta to Napa was a doozy.  I'll be honest, the kids were losing their shit and I lost my shit, too.  7 hours in the car on I-5 will do that to anyone.  Wine fixes all.

The next morning we passed by the French Laundry, and since we forgot to make reservations, we had to come up with alternative lunch plans.

The garden across the road, which grows the vegetables for the restaurant, was a wonderful place to explore.

After talking with a staff horticulturist and chef in training, we learned that any produce that fell to the ground was fair game.  French Laundry foraging was on!

Mattias tracked down a nearby taco truck and brought back this tasty feast of lengua and el pastor tacos for us to enjoy in the garden.  So technically, we can say we ate at the French Laundry.

I got to do some tasting at Grgich Hills while the boys played outside with Mattias.

Here's the resident cellar Bernese Mountain dog, and me with Mike Grgich himself.

After visiting just two wineries, I was a little tipsy and Mattias was reduced to driving home  4 obnoxious family members.  In no time at all, we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

When we finally arrived home we were both exhausted and comforted.  We had a full car (of booze) to unload and really smelly laundry to wash.  As you can see from Magnus' feet below, we were all in need of lots of soap and water.

This vacation, that we thought was going to be loads of work, turned out to be just that.  What we didn't expect was how capable our boys were of participating in, enjoying, and appreciating the adventure.