Sunday Coastal Road Trip

by | May 20, 2014 | Field Trips, Nature, Pacific Ocean | 23 comments

Early Sunday morning, following a late night at Vegas in the Valley (the annual Hadley Hope Fundraiser) with my husband, four of the children and I headed to the coast to surprise their friends with one last visit before they started their long drive back home.

After a busy few weeks, I had planned to spend the weekend at home resting… Despite lack of sleep and the pouring rain on the windy road heading over, it ended up being such a beautiful and refreshing day!  It was so nice to spend time having fun with just these “middle children” of mine. I posted quite a few pictures on Instagram during our little road trip, but I have more to share here on the blog. You all need to come visit. It’s so gorgeous here!

.: Early Morning Walk on the Beach :. 




.: Surprising Friends :. 

.: Playing on the Beach :. 

.: Whale Sightings :. 

.: Dressed up for Mass :. 

.: Fish & Chips :.

.: Beautiful Views :. 

.: Driving Home though the Redwoods :. 



.: A Stop at Stout Grove :. 









.: Rainbows :.




.: Dinner Out :. 

23 Comments

  1. Erin

    Those redwoods are incredible!!!!

    2014-05-20 22:11:08

    Reply
  2. Jessica Gordon

    The Coast Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world! They really are incredible!

    2014-05-20 22:18:24

    Reply
  3. Andrea Yancey Reyes

    I love the Redwoods! I have driven through there early in the morning- nothing beats them.

    2014-05-20 22:41:24

    Reply
  4. Melissa S.

    Camped at Jedidiah many times growing up…miss the West coast so much – thank you for sharing your lovely pictures as always!

    2014-05-20 22:49:13

    Reply
  5. Rosie

    Oh my goodness, how beautiful! What an amazing place to live!!!!

    2014-05-20 23:07:43

    Reply
  6. jbc2789

    What a wonderful place-just gorgeous!

    2014-05-20 23:21:14

    Reply
  7. Elizabeth

    Wow! Great pictures Jessica! My sister and her fiancé are getting married this weekend and going to Portland and Oceanside for their honeymoon. Any great tips?:)

    2014-05-21 01:59:14

    Reply
  8. Janet

    What a wonderful day! Thanks for sharing the pictures with us! Happy Wednesday!

    2014-05-21 09:53:19

    Reply
  9. Sunny-Gem

    I really like the dresses your daughters are wearing, modest but bright and fun at the same time.

    2014-05-21 10:28:36

    Reply
  10. MimiP

    It always blows me away just how truly opposite a place the Northwest is compared to my south east. We live on polar opposite ends of the US with us being in south Florida but what absolute beauty we both experience. Two ends of a spectrum! Thanks for sharing your corner of the world!

    2014-05-21 11:16:21

    Reply
  11. Grammy Ginger

    Yes, I would like to know where she got them, so I can get some for my granddaughters. Thanks for sharing this lovely pictorial journal. The forest is amazing.

    2014-05-21 12:48:43

    Reply
  12. Jessica Gordon

    Thank you! The dress my oldest daughter is wearing was a hand-me-down from friends. The black/white/yellow dress that Chiquita is wearing was one of her birthday gifts last month. I purchased it at Gymboree, in a size larger than she usually wears for a little extra length. I'm not seeing it online any longer, but it might still be available in stores. They are both sleeveless so my girls either where a short she eve shirt underneath, or a white sweater over. 🙂

    2014-05-21 15:53:45

    Reply
  13. Kimberlee

    Oh my goodness, so much amazing breathtaking beauty out there! Taking in all the natural wonders, and family and friends too! What a blessed day! (rest is good, but all that must be good for the soul too 😉 ) Wow!

    2014-05-21 13:35:01

    Reply
  14. Liesa Gonzalez

    Lovely!!! What a beautiful place you live in. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos!

    2014-05-21 13:38:54

    Reply
  15. Jessica Gordon

    Congratulations to your family on the upcoming wedding! You know, I really don't know the Portland area very well, and haven't been to Oceanside since I was a teen. I've been wanting to take the kids on a field trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (just inland from Oceanside – at least I had before I found out I had to cut out all dairy from my diet again…). Whenever we are in Portland we try to make it over to Holy Rosary for Mass. On one of our next trips we are hoping to visit The Grotto and The Oregon Zoo and Rose Garden. Multnomah Falls is absolutely gorgeous, but it's 30 minutes east of Portland. I hope that have a wonderful time!

    2014-05-21 15:07:30

    Reply
  16. Bernadette

    What great memories (and photographs!)! 🙂

    2014-05-21 16:08:35

    Reply
  17. Matily

    Oh Oregon, how much I miss thee! Thank you, Jessica, for sharing this beauty… it fills up my senses! =) And Holy Rosary… home away from home!

    2014-05-21 16:58:09

    Reply
  18. Krista

    Can't wait to study Oregon in our State-by-state study for next year!!!! It looks like there are so many things to do there outside to explore and being close enough to the coast is an added plus! It's *almost* as beautiful as Vermont! 😉 We're going to be getting the Sleeping Bear Press books again this coming year in the state series and we're working around the country base on location – New England state were first this year (since this is our part of the country) and we will continue along some of the coastal states, Alaska & Hawaii! It will all tie in nicely to using "Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day" for science! Thanks for sharing you adventure with us! Blessings!

    2014-05-21 19:04:25

    Reply
  19. Sonja

    What amazing pictures! The ones of the redwood Forrest reminded me of the classic Disney movie, "The Knome Mobile" 🙂 Absolutely breathtaking scenery!!

    2014-05-21 22:43:31

    Reply
  20. katie

    Wow, how beautiful nature is on the west coast. Amazing how no matter where God has us in the world, His beautiful creation is to be found everywhere! I love trips to the ocean!

    2014-05-22 03:24:14

    Reply
  21. Jessica Gordon

    So true! I am always amazed at God's creations and the beauty all over the world!

    2014-05-22 03:28:58

    Reply
  22. ELMsTreehouse

    Love all the pictures! Can't wait to see what comes off my camera… Love that you kept exploring after we left… wish we could have stayed longer! AND – I think that I LOVE the restaurant you were eating in. Not certain of the name of the one I remember eating in, but the decor is sure familiar!! Miss you all already as we are in Idaho Falls tonight.

    2014-05-22 06:55:38

    Reply
  23. Amy

    Beautiful pictures. I love the redwoods.

    2014-05-22 13:05:14

    Reply

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