We finished out June with our first family road trip to Bay City, Oregon. Given that Dominic is used to car rides under 30 minutes long, it was not surprising that the four hour drive took eight hours. In addition to stopping to eat and stretch our legs we also visited Astoria, Oregon. Astoria is the location of the Goonies House and the jail house from the movie opening. We rented a house in Bay City and spent most of the week relaxing at the house. The first day we were there it was in the 90s so Dom tested out the kiddie pool in the yard. The rest of the week it cooled off so we took a few short walks up the hill behind the house in between naps.

Adventuring beyond the house we started with a short hike out at the Cape Meares Lighthouse, then visited Tillamook the next day. Dom saw chickens for the first time and ate Brie at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. Then after lunch we stopped by the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream.  We saved the longer car ride up to Cannon Beach for mid-week. It was about an hour drive North and Dominic’s reward for the time trapped in the car seat was finding a new friend at the playground. After lunch the sun came out and we all went to the beach. Dom LOVED playing in the sand and watching the kites, so it was a successful day.

Our last adventure before heading home was a short hike over the sand dunes along the Bayocean Spit. Once again Dominic had a blast playing in the sand. The beach was almost empty and not too long of a walk from the parking area so we would recommend checking out the beach to anyone visiting the area.

After an enjoyable week away we returned home. We learned lessons on our drive down, and the drive home went much better. It only took us six hours, with lunch at Wendy’s and a stop to crawl about at Starbucks on the way. Dom will never remember this adventure, but I am glad we started traveling with him early so he will be used to it as he gets older.