Seattle, WA to Missoula, MT
Breakfast with family, Rick and Beth, was the end of our time in Seattle. We truly enjoyed a last meal with our Seattle family, without them this tour would have been much harder. Having family so close is a luxury to a Navy family, and we feel blessed to have had them. We ate at 14 Carat Cafe where we’ve always enjoyed the specials on the blackboard menu, only this time we got there so early we did not even have to fight the Saturday morning crowds. We were on the road at 9:45 a.m.
The views in the Cascades were beautiful, it was in the 40s and sunny with the lakes just starting to show the water through the ice and snow. We watched ducks, swans and eagles fly by but so far no deer or elk, yet.
We had wanted to go to the Children’s Museum in Ellensburg, WA as a stop, but Papaya’s nap was delayed as she enjoyed her new status in her forward-facing carseat. She slept right through Ellensburg and our first stop was farther down the line. In Moses Lake, WA we found little to do with a one-year-old so we made our one-hour stop a tour of the local Safeway Grocery Store. We fed her a slice of cheese from the deli counter, she took big girl bites between activities. She filled her basket with cheeses, bread, and anything else on her level as we smiled and walked behind her. After about thirty minutes of walking she got tired and we sat at some tables near the Starbucks (inside the Safeway) and ate our Safeway sandwiches for lunch. We stocked up with bottled water for Papaya’s sippy cup and a few Calcium-enriched Goldfish crackers (these came in handy later).
On the road again Papaya napped as we drove on through Spokane, WA and into Idaho where we stopped just off I90 at the Silver Mountain Ski Resort. To ski? No! To let Papaya run around in the public area/recreation room and blow off some steam. We came in just as the gondola was closing but wish we had made time for the “longest gondola ride in the world.” Papaya enjoyed watching big kids walk around in snow boots and played peek-a-boo as she giggled and walked all over the carpeted recreation room. We asked parents who were there and learned that around two and a half years old you can “harness” your kid and let them learn to ski on their own. I’m guessing the harness lets them ride down the hill in front of you and get a feel for it all, but maybe that’s all in my head.
From there we pushed on through, despite Papaya’s objections that came too late into the Mountain Passes to be honored, to Missoula, MT. We’ve changed our first time zone and added an hour to our clocks! Papaya cried for about 40 minutes in the carseat which was way too long for Adventure Dad and I, but it happened in an area where stopping was not an option. In the days ahead we’ll try and stop by nightfall (we got to Missoula at 7:30 p.m. PST, 8:30 p.m. time in Missoula) and start out a bit earlier. No o-dark-thirty here though, this is our version of a vacation!
Tomorrow, we want to go to Big Sky Brewing to add to Adventure Dad’ pint glass collection and unfortunatly we’ll miss out on another Children’s Museum here in Missoula. I swear, in the next few day’s I’m going to get Papaya some hands-on play fun that does not include emptying the tissue box in a hotel room. Really. I swear I’m a good Mom.
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I’d love to do a road trip in America!
What an adventure you are having! I know you will find a balance between getting miles behind you and finding good activities for Maya. You are a wonderful mom.
Great entry! It makes me want to be on a road trip, as well. And, even though she had a bit of a cry, it sounds like Maya is a travellin’ champ.
Depending on how long you guys stay on the East Coast… perhaps, when Xan is a bit over a year, we too can take a cross-country road trip (my parents & brother’s family live only about 4 hours south of where you’ll be) with our final destination being Chez KTM :]