Road Trip

Last week we went on our first road trip with Sydney. We drove up to Oregon to visit Matt's family. Normally the drive to OR is about 12 1/2 hours and it took us 14, which isn't too bad because we had to stop so often to feed Sydney. Sydney actually surprised me with how good she was during the drive. Matt's younger brother Jeff rode up with us, so he sat in the back and entertained her which was nice.




Once we got to Oregon we enjoyed relaxing and just spending time together. I think that sometimes the best vacations are the ones where you don't have to do anything but relax. So it was nice to have a break from our every day worries. Sydney enjoyed spending time with her mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. She loved playing with all of the toys, and especially liked pulling herself up onto chairs. Because she kept crawling into the kitchen to pull herself up on a chair, we finally put one in the middle of the family room so she could play there.



We also went to a Scandinavian Festival, which is a Page family tradition. It was Sydney's and my first time going. It was fun to eat the yummy food, walk around the festival, and hear stories about Matt's family and the fun times they have had at the festival.





For the drive home we decided to break the drive up over 2 days, and we drove home a different way, through Reno. The drive through Reno is longer than the drive through Boise, but it was nice to stop and spend the night in a hotel and sight see along the way a little bit. We stopped at Crater Lake in Oregon. It was beautiful! It is one of those sights that just takes your breath away. Crater Lake is a natural lake that was created when a volcano erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. It is 5 miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high. After the collapse of the volcano the lake formed by filling with rain and melted snow. At 1,943 feet deep, it is the deepest lake in the United States and is one of the deepest in the world. It's known for it's intense blue water. The pictures do not do it justice.





We stayed in Reno for the night, which was Sydney's first hotel. She slept better than I imagined in the hotel crib. We stayed in a Casino, ate at the buffet for dinner, and had fun watching t.v. (the Olympics) in bed! Sydney loved looking at all of the lights and things in the casino. It was fun to include this short stop as part of our trip, and do something that was just with our little family of 3.

Matt & Sydney in front of a fountain

Sydney playing in the hotel crib

The drive from Reno to Salt Lake was actually the shortest amount of time, but it felt like some of the longest part of the overall drive. Much of the drive is just desert. Every time we would drive through a little town I couldn't help but think about the people and farmers that live there. I couldn't imagine living in such a secluded place. I drove most of the drive this time, but Matt drove the whole drive from Salt Lake to Oregon, and from Oregon to Reno. I actually kind of liked driving because it was not quite as boring.





We made a special stop on the way home in Elko Nevada! I used to live in Elko when I was little, so we found our old house and ate lunch in Elko. The city has grown a lot since we lived there, and from what little I can remember, is very different. It was so fun to be able to see our house. When we got home we showed the picture to my brothers and sister and it was fun for them to see where we used to live.

Sydney & me in front of our old house!

The drive from Elko to home is about 3 1/2 hours. As I drove it I was shocked that my mom used to drive that far by herself with her kids, just to go to the doctor. When we lived in Elko my mom was pregnant with Tim, and had to come all the way to Salt Lake to go to the doctor. Matt sat in the back with Sydney for a lot of the drive and played with her, because she was having a much harder time at this point. Here are a few pictures of the last part of our drive...


Sydney LOVES playing peek-a-boo! She kept playing with Matt while he was sitting in the back seat with her. It was so fun to listen to her laugh and laugh (instead of cry). Sydney's laugh is my favorite sound in the world!


Cruising along...

Two things that made the drive so long... construction & being stuck behind big trucks!

Even though most of the drive was desert, there were still a lot of beautiful sights. When we got to the Salt Flats we knew we were almost home!!!

No matter how enjoyable a vacation is, it is always nice to be home! Sydney was so excited to get back to her normal surroundings and out of the car seat. She crawled around the house laughing and talking as happy as can be!