Summer's over

To beat the Labor Day traffic we packed up and head for home on Sunday. This was perfect for me because I was stressed about the things I still needed to get done before school started on Tuesday. It also worked out pretty good that I had my own car. I flew home!

Beautiful day, wide open highway, radio tuned just the way I like it.

It has been an amazing summer spent on the road, one trip after another. Can't wait to get out on the road for my next adventure!

Lake Kachess

When I arrived Rob was blasted drunk. He had obviously been drinking most of the day. It's funny to see because he slurs his words and can't walk straight. 

My favorite thing about his being drunk is his smile. He actually smiles a real smile, not just a smirk.

We went down to see the lake when I arrived. It is a beautiful place. The water is kind of low this year compared to some of the years we've seen in the past.

The weather wasn't great over the weekend so we didn't spend a lot of time on the lake. I did get a good run in Saturday morning. I also spent some time on the shore with my laptop before the sprinkles started coming down too hard.

Finally on my way, but will I ever get there?

I took advantage of the quiet in the house Friday morning and slept in. Then I got in a work out and packed all the things the boys forgot. I realized I forgot something at school I needed to work on over the weekend so that was my next stop before heading out of town.

I was still looking to arrive at Lake Kachess by 5pm so I wasn't too concerned.

I thought it was weird that I had driven all the way to North Bend but GPS still said I had 1hour 20minutes to go. 

I hit the Starbucks for a boost of caffeine tea and the XM radio had a live GoGo's concert playing so I was happy as can be. Although I was going 80mph most of the time my ETA kept getting later and later. I was baffled until I hit the wall.

It took me an extra hour and 30 minutes to go 25 miles. 

See ya later

This was the view I got of my family leaving without me for Labor Day weekend.

Life is rough when it's Thursday afternoon before a holiday weekend and you are stuck staying home for Open House at your school job while the rest of the family heads to the lake without you.

Short trip

We slept in this morning and lounged around until almost 10:30 before springing to action. Today's plan: get some last minute deals at the outlets and head home.

The kids went with the moms and the dads stayed back to pack up.

The store we set our sights on was at the very far end of the mall. On the way we tried a couple more shops to find shorts for Skylar. We found success and a ton of laughs in the Zumiez.

We were successful at the far end of the mall too, but after all that walking the kids were ready for a Hawaiian shaved ice. 

Grace had been eyeing that place all weekend. Pictured is the smallest size they offered!

Once we got back to the trailers it was time to pull out and say goodbye. Rittierodts found a spot to park in town to get some lunch. Lucas' have a favorite spot just on the other side of the Washington boarder called Mrs. Beasleys. They have an extended menu.

Gracie takes her processed meats seriously.

Traffic wasn't near as bad as it was on the way down, but we did see some real road rage. A soccer mom mini-van and an old man fishing pick-up truck got into it right in front of us. They were seriously trying to run each other off the road. It was scary.

One more weekend before school starts! We better make it a good one! We'll be on the road again, this time heading to the Cascades and lake Kachess.

Separate fun

We started the day with Belgium waffles. Skylar tends to use more whipped cream then the average human.

In a monumental move I made bacon for my friends. I wore gloves to do it, but it was a big hit and my efforts were appreciated.

After everyone ate and I went for a run the boys and girls split up. The girls headed to the outlet shops and the boys went to the drag race track.

The first round of shopping was a bust. I was trying to find shoes for Skylar and I. Gracie also had hopes and dreams dashed at the Converse store and the Build a Bear store.

Grace needed a pick me up before making another run at it.

With a second wind our luck got the same. We got great buys at these stores and the shoes I was looking for at famous footwear.

Some stores were out of control! Nike town was absolutely one of those.

Of course Grace found something she had to have in there so we not only had to fight the crowd but we had to wait in line too.

Totally worth it! Amazing jacket!!

Congrats on that silver medal in archery!

Next, it was time for a cool treat at Starbucks.

Before we know it we hear from the boys about there day.

They finished at the track and came over to the mall to help with our bags. Once Cindi and I are left on our own we finish up some very successful shopping. I found the white sweater I'd been looking for and Cindi got an amazing outfit at her favorite shop.

Slow road to Woodburn, OR

We set out mid-day and our sights were south. This road trip takes us on our 2nd annual trip to the Woodburn outlets just south of Portland, Oregon for a little school shopping and fun at the local drag racing track.

Traffic gave us trouble right out of the gate.

This is the first trip of the summer for S'more. He is enjoying the cars going by.

The farther south we got, the hotter it got! 

Traffic got even worse in Oregon. 

Portland traffic is always bad.

The worst is just south of Portland.

We were only 21 miles from our destination, but we couldn't get to it! Took us another hour almost! 

Both trailers settled in and we finally headed to dinner. It was easy to walk to the Red Robin next door, but that's what everyone else thought. The smallest RR in existence has the longest wait. Good thing they had Tangeray 10!