Wordless Wednesday
Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood – Day trip from Portland
We spent a few days in gorgeous Portland this September and while there’s plenty to do in Portland for first timer visitors, we wanted to drive to the Gorge and explore surrounding areas. If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know how excited my munchkin gets on spotting waterfalls, and there are plenty of those along the historic Columbia River scenic byway so he was pretty excited about heading out even though we woke him up early. We told him that after the waterfall hike, we’ll try and head to the Hood River beach for a lunch picnic and he was all excited for the drive and the long day ahead of us. We left from downtown Portland early in the morning – a quick spot to pick up coffee and we hit the gorge area before the crowds got in. Unfortunately, it was drizzling for the first hour or so of our trip, so we weren’t able to take advantage of the early start. It got much better as the day progressed and by the time we reached Mt. Hood, the weather was gorgeous too! Although its best to spend a day each at Mt. Hood, but if you are in a time crunch and are trying to fit in both in a day trip, here’s a recommended day itinerary.
Vista House at Crown Point: Our first stop was at the Vista House observatory. It had amazing views of the Gorge even on a drizzling morning. I can imagine it being picture perfect on a bright sunny morning.
Columbia River Gorge – Waterfalls Hikes: After leaving from the Vista House, we headed to Latourell Falls. Its a pretty short hike to the base of the falls and can be easily done with a toddler. Our next stop was Multonomah Falls, and finding parking there was a nightmare because they are the most famous falls along the loop being the second tallest in the US. If you are short on time, and don’t plan on hiking to the top of the falls, I would skip going up to the bridge and rather pick a hike to Wahcleella which is toddler friendly.
Bridge of Gods, Cascade Locks: Bridge of Gods spans across the river connecting Oregon and Washington and we decided to drive on the steel truss instead of getting out since it had started drizzling again.
Bonneville Lock and Dam: This was an unplanned spot, but we found out there was an option of spotting fish through the fish ladder at the Bonneville Dam and N wanted to see some “fishies”. A pleasant stop to spot some fish :).
Historic Columbia River Gorge Hotel: Another unplanned stop was at the Historic River Gorge Hotel. This is a nice place to sit, sipping coffee and enjoying the spectacular views of the river.
Waterfront Park at Hood River – The best stop of our day trip: This was an absolute gem. Away from the crowds, more popular with the locals, the Waterfront Park has a nice sand beach with shallow waters for swimming. Hood River is THE place for windsurfing and kitesurfing in Oregon and Waterfront Park is THE place to watch the windsurfers and kitesurfers. Plenty of restaurants at walking distance from the park for lunch and some food trucks if you want to do a picnic lunch at the beach. There are breathtaking views of the gorge from this park. Ideally, you could easily spend an entire day here.
Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood: After a late afternoon lunch, we headed to Mt. Hood. En route are plenty of orchards for apple picking, but our kiddo was napping so we decided to head directly to Timberline Lodge. If you are headed to Mt Hood post lunch, don’t forget to stop for some freshly baked goodies at one of the orchards/bakeries on your way. The route itself is quite scenic. After spending some time at the Timberline Lodge, we headed up the hiking trail. N was excited to climb the mountain. Although it was chilly, he had the energy to pace up the trail.
Timberline Lodge has picturesque views of Mt. Hood and it was worth every bit of it. We headed back to downtown Portland after a wonderful day in the gorge and Mt. Hood! We did spend a lot more days in downtown Portland, but this day trip was a highlight of our mini vacation for my son – waterfalls, swimming at the beach, sand play, climbing mountains (well, for him that’s what it is even though it’s barely a mile or half of climbing :)). Can’t ask for more, right?
Riviera Maya and Cancun diaries: Toddler calls it home!
Kids look forward to birthdays, and when its a week of celebration with sun, beach and sand, its’ likely they’ll never want the celebration to end. Last year for Thanksgiving, we planned a trip to Cancun to celebrate N’s second birthday. After our week long trip in the Mayan Riviera, when we were packing bags to head back, my toddler tells me ‘I like this home, I don’t want to go back to the other home! Can we stay here?’ I told him we will be back when he grows up a little, but it was a trip he talked about for a long time after coming back. And going back to day care after the vacation was not easy. I don’t remember him calling any other vacation spot that we’ve been to as ‘home’ so I have a feeling he had a blast!
We decided to stay in Riviera Maya over Cancun because of its proximity to few of the attractions we had planned for our trip. Here are highlights from our trip – things that we were able to do with a 2 year old in Mayan Riviera.
Private tour to Chichén Itzá, Valladolid and Ik Kil Cenote: We opted for the private tour to Chichen Itza over guided group tours, since its a 2 hour drive from the resort area and it definitely makes sense to go there early to avoid the crowds and pick your stops, especially when you have a toddler with you. This option also gives you a chance of stopping for tequila tasting that most guided tours don’t offer. Within Chichen Itza, we decided to stick to a route and missed out on going all the way to the Sacred Cenote, but were able to cover a lot of the ruins. The trails are stroller friendly and that was a huge help :). The town of Valladolid is vibrant and reminded us of the streets of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico! We did go to the Ik Kil Cenote but it was quite deep and decided against jumping in with our 2 year old. But if you are traveling without kids, its a great way to cool of the humidity. We saw several folks diving in!
Dolphin Interaction: There are plenty of eco-parks in the area including Xel-Ha which offer activities for older kids, but we opted to visit the Dolphin discovery center at our resort for an interactive tour since its more suitable for younger kids. My son really enjoyed his encounter with Plata – the dolphin. He was hesitant at first but then did not want to come out of the water.
Mayan Ruins of Tulum: A trip to the Mayan Riviera is not complete without a visit to the ruins in Tulum, so we opted for a half day group tour of Tulum since it was only 30 minutes from our resort. The beach at Tulum is one of the best! Though we didn’t carry a hiking carrier with us so were not able to explore the entire area within the allocated tour time! If there’s an option drive there instead of the tour so you can explore as well as spend quality time at the beach.
Sand castles and serenity of white sand beaches: Nothing excites my 2.5 year old more than a sand pit, so the resort’s beach was a perfect way for us to relax at the beach while he immersed himself in the sand.
Pool fun, especially if you have a water baby like mine :): I can see why staying at all inclusive resorts is a great idea after you have a baby. With more than 5 pools with plenty of kiddie areas and water slides, we couldn’t get enough of pool fun! Seriously, if we had an extra day or 2 there, I would have opted to have him in the pool rather than going any place else because being in the pool brings out a mile wide smile on his face every single time he splashes in the pool!!!
And much, much more: Carousels, shopping, eating, kids club, vibrant statues and Christmas decorations – These were all part of our trip but my memory fades! Looking at the pictures makes me feel very nostalgic 🙂
What we saved for a later trip: We got great valuable input from the resort staff and they suggested saving XCaret, Xplor, snorkeling at Akumal and Coba ruins for a later trip since those are more suitable for slightly older kids, especially if you want to enjoy majority of the attractions.
I know the kiddo is not going to remember his second birthday blast except for the pictures and videos, but it was a good one! M and I will surely cherish it :).
Sketch Sundays
Last Christmas, Santa gave me a very very thoughtful gift. I must have been good that year!!! What was the gift you ask – some pens, thick paper tiles and an apprentice instruction CD to get me start zen-doodling. This was one of the nicer gifts from Santa, so I sincerely hoped to use it well. I started learning Zentangle early this year and have been doodling with my Sakura and Micron pens on and off the past few months. This is one of my first non-tile Zentangle sketches. Still at a very basic level, and inspired from pinterest but its definitely a start :).
Hopefully my next Sketch Sunday post will be an even more elaborate tangle as I continue to learn more intrinsic techniques…Until then, keep doodling!
A lazy weekend at Bodega Bay, California
I have missed writing and can’t express how happy I am back doing things that make me who I am – blogging being one of them. For all those of you who messaged/emailed/asked when my next blog entry was going to be, here it is! Thank you for being patient and making me pick it up again. A lot has changed around me since my last entry so I figured a new theme and appearance to the blog was in order too. Change is indeed the only constant!
Well, I am picking up blogging again after more than a year of lazing around, so I am going to start with an entry on my lazy weekend getaway last year with the best people I have the pleasure of knowing – My family :). With an active toddler in the tow, VRBO offers the best options when picking for a place to stay in my opinion. So, we booked a lovely hill top home with great views of Bodega Bay.
Staying at Dubloon was the best decision of the trip. The glass doors have great views of the ocean and the deck has views of the green patches of hills. Although it was a little cold when we went, the house was quite cozy and fully stacked up with necessities. We went with my parents and sister and they absolutely loved it. The house is not baby proof or baby friendly, so we had to move a few things around to allow ample of playing space for my son and carry everything that was needed for him. Nevertheless, it was in an excellent location – close to the beach, close to restaurants as well as a gas station! I did not post a lot of pictures of the house, but check out their VRBO link, the owner has plenty posted there.
The whole idea of the trip was a relaxing family retreat, but here’s a quick list of toddler approved things that we did on our Bodega Bay trip.
Whale watching at Bodega Head : This was a mere co-incidence, but we were glad to spot a couple of grey whales at Bodega Head during their southbound migration. They were extremely far off, so we never managed to get good pictures, but my dad was the most excited – I am sending him whale watching at Monterey Bay on his next trip :D. I don’t know if I can handle all the sea sickness but he’ll be up for it. I know the whales are much closer to the Bodega Bay shore during the north bound migration which happens during the months of March through June, so spring would be another great time to visit. I can see why Bodega Head is such a popular spot of the Sonoma Coast State Beach. Breathtaking views in all directions and the vastness makes it serene. In spite of it getting colder, we made sure to stay for the sunset before heading back to our villa.
Doran Beach : Bodega bay has a bird walk coastal access area that we were able to check out. It was quite foggy and not a lot of birds but may be summery and non-foggy days are better. Doran beach is also a great area to hangout with a kid who loves playing in the sand and making destroying sandcastles 😉
There’s plenty of stuff to do at Bodega Bay but our favorites were playing in the sand, watching whales (which we did not expect on our trip) and spending quality time with people that matter most.
Yosemite National Park: Now and Then….
Yosemite National Park is one of our favorite places to visit in California. I know I have said this a gazillion times but this is what comes to my mind every single time I sit to write about Yosemite. Our first visit to Yosemite was way back in 2006 during Thanksgiving break and our latest in June of 2015. Yosemite is a place for all seasons and for all ages. All our previous trips to Yosemite were either camping trips or hiking trips which did not require a lot of planning when it came to reservations. But last year, when a friend asked us if we wanted to book the Yosemite lodge for this year since it would be more convenient staying in a lodge rather than camping or staying at Curry Village, especially with babies, we agreed and got reservations at the Yosemite Lodge for the first week of June. And I am so glad we did! I was able to see Yosemite in a whole new way..So here’s Yosemite for you: Now and Then…
YOSEMITE NOW (Year 2015)
On our way to Yosemite, I told my son he was going to see waterfalls and he picked up the word so quickly that we heard ‘waterfallls.. waterfalls..waterfalls..” a million times. Okay, I am exaggerating but the point is that it worked and it kind of made him look forward to the trip. One of the advantages of staying at the Lodge is we could walk to Yosemite Falls! On our trip to Yosemite back in 2009, we climbed up the rocks at the Lower Falls and went as high as up we could go. Fast forward to 2015, we were running around after my 18 month old to make sure he did not cross even a single rock. It’s surprising how parenthood changes you! Of course, M, N and I will definitely climb to the top of the falls once he grows up a little. For now happiness is at the base of the falls 🙂
When folks ask us “What do you do when you go to Yosemite?”, the answer is always the same: Hike! But this time around it was going to be slightly different. We were a group of 5 families with 5 toddlers in the mix so we had to pick activities other than hard core hiking. We did the usual strolls and the walks, but here are a couple of things that we enjoyed doing on this trip with N.
Yosemite Valley Moonlight tour: We signed up for the nightly open bus valley tour along with a bunch of other friends. It’s a two-hour long tour which begins at 9 pm. Everyone is asked to dress up warmly and carry blankets, especially with babies. N was extremely excited at first because he thought he was riding in a dump truck. He started with saying bye-bye to the moon and trees. Eventually he dozed off. We really enjoyed the tour and some of the highlights were viewing the climbers at El Capitan in the moonlight. We could only see their head lights but it was stupendous! There are a couple of stops where you are allowed to get down (Tunnel view before Glacier Point and the Swinging Bridge). The skies were glowing with stars and the view from the Tunnel Point Vista was surreal. We could see the Half Dome in the background. Truly picturesque! Since I was holding N in my arms, I did not get down at any of the stops but all in all it was a fun tour.
Biking: The last morning of our 3 day trip, we rented bikes, my son calls them “bikal” – still don’t know if it’s a mix of bike + cycle or if he just skips the ‘see’ when trying to say bicycle (by-see-kal). Anyhow, once the bike trailers were loaded with tiny passengers, we set out. It took me more time to get used to the bikes than my little one in the trailer. Having learnt how to ride a bike in India, I tend to pedal backwards when I don’t need to accelerate. Here when you pedal backwards, it acts as a brake. I find that so annoying and it always has me on the edge every single time we rent a bike.
YOSEMITE BACK THEN (Years 2006 through 2014)
Although I have shared a couple of stories previously, for anyone that missed reading it, here goes the list our exciting Yosemite Stories 🙂
Car lockout Thanksgiving 2006: Our first trip to Yosemite was unforgettable, because 5 of us got locked out of our car on our way to Tenaya Lake at a random vista point and it started snowing. Our jackets were in the locked trunk, and we only had 2 phones with minimal battery with us. Ranger calls, waiting for AAA, rescue by a family from San Diego, and a white Thanksgiving! How can it not be memorable 🙂 Read more about it here.
Driving a car with almost failed brakes and a lost campsite: Back in 2007, we camped at June Lake which is at the other side of Yosemite valley (toward Mammoth Lakes). Gorgeous scenery and secluded locations, but here’s the fun story associated with the trip. Ever reached a wrong camp location because it was pitch dark and GPS signals were pretty bad in the national park? And then forced someone out of their designated campsite? Well, we’ve done that!!! Not only did we end up staying at a different campsite than the one where we had our reservation at, but we also set up our tent at 11 in the night because we had to drive a rented car on the windy roads with almost failed brakes 😦 The entire next day was spent in Mammoth Lakes trying to get the broken car fixed. We hardly spent time inside the valley, but the story definitely comes up on all our Yosemite trips. Read more about it here.
The Vernal/Nevada Hike: 5 of us hiked to the top of Nevada Falls via Vernal Falls back in 2009. This was a practice run to see if we had it in us to hike the Half Dome some day. I can say this has been my only trip where we things didn’t go a bit haywire.
The Epic Half Dome Hike: 7 of us hiked to the top of Half Dome back in 2011. I have no idea how I pulled this one! But it will be a story I will cherish my entire life. Read more about it here.
Be it our 2006 White Thanksgiving trip or our 2011 Half Dome trip or our 2015 trip with the kiddos, they have all been memorable. I heart Yosemite National Park. I will end this the same way I began: Yosemite National Park is INDEED one of our favorite places to visit in California 🙂
Fingerpainting fun for babies and toddlers
As a kid, I remember drawing/painting at school to be my favorite subject. Well, if you ask my parents they would definitely say painting came after Math when it came to favoritism but to tell you the truth, I outgrew Math pretty quickly. Painting still remains a favorite – though not as a subject but as something that I always look forward too just like I used to when I was a kid. Painting is also one of the first few words that my toddler learnt to speak. He points to all my glass painting around the house saying “paintin” and anything and everything that is on the walls as “paintin” even when it is not. So I decided that for mother’s day this year we were going to do our first art project together 🙂
He is too young to use crayons and a coloring book so I thought finger painting would be a great idea. Painting with babies this young can get messy so a bunch of friends decided to meet at the park and have some fun 🙂 Initially, I had decided to make edible paints since my son puts everything in his mouth and colorful paints would definitely be intriguing to a 17 month old but due to time constraints we ended up using the non-toxic ready made paint I bought along with the special finger painting glossy paper.
We picked the picnic area at the park and covered the area with packing paper so that the surface would not get stained with color. Once the colors were out on the plate the kiddos had a go at it. N was only interested in smearing the paint in the plate rather than his paper. He mixed all the colors in the plate and was having fun doing that. All I was doing was trying to hold him back so that he wouldn’t go and smear my friends and their kids paintings! But it was fun nevertheless. My friend’s daughter picked up individual colors so I am hoping when N grows up a little, we’ll make a master piece.
After an hour of mixing up colors on plate and finger painting, we finally got the hang of it. All of us decided to just take hand prints of everyone and let it dry. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, I was happy with one where we got decent prints of M, N and me. I used the hand prints as trees and created branches and flowers later on! Here’s the final outcome of our first art project together. I am going to frame it and put it up in the nursery until we make another one!
I am sure this art work will be a great addition to N’s book of firsts. I really enjoyed every bit of it and I have a feeling N did too. Can’t wait for our next painting day together!!!
Bumble: THE PERFECT place for a weekend brunch with kids
Ever found yourself googl-ing “kid friendly restaurants around XYZ area”? I find myself doing that quite often. Too often actually!!! Most of the times, we just end up going to regular restaurants that really aren’t catered to babies or toddlers, but at least it keeps the foodies in us alive. When N turned about a year old, we started a family brunch/lunch outing almost every weekend. I can tell he really enjoys it and we try not to miss it. So one fine day while I was going crazy filtering the baby friendly restaurant search list to find a place for our weekend brunches, I stumbled upon a restaurant called “Bumble” in Los Altos. And what a find it was 🙂
Bumble is a kid-friendly farm-to-table restaurant in beautiful Los Altos downtown that features a playroom which the parents can use to check their kids in while they have a meal. Parents can have food for kids delivered inside the playroom and the staff helps them wash their hands and cut up food. Really the first of a kind restaurant that I have come across in the bay area.
I made reservations for our usual weekend brunch for a Saturday for the 3 of us. We also planned on checking him into the playroom for sometime so we could sit and enjoy our cups of coffee. When we entered there was a huge sand play area where plenty of kids were playing. Once inside, we asked if we could check out the play area. We took N inside and he had just woken up from his nap and refused to leave us and go to the play area. We thought we’ll have food and then check him in so we went back to our table and decided to order.
I did feel that the choice on the menu is limited, but with all the other perks that this place has to offer, it really doesn’t matter. We ordered a bowl of banana and honey nut steel cut oats, Huevos rancheros and the vanilla bean crepes for us and a grilled cheese sandwich for N. Food was good, very fresh. A special mention for their vanilla bean crepes with blueberry compote and mascarpone cream. M & N relished the very last bite of it 🙂
After a fabulous brunch, we took N back to the playroom and checked him in. He ran to hug the huge teddy bear that was lying on the floor. We were skeptical if he would stay there for even 10 minutes, but he soon started moving around. The staff was sweet enough to carry him around and give him a few toys to play with. We were watching him from outside while we sat and chat. We only used the playroom for half an hour, but I guess it was a good start. The next time we go back, we’ll try for a longer duration. Upon checkout I requested the staff if I could take a few pictures of the playroom and they were kind enough to let me do so. On our way out, N played for a few minutes in the sand box and then we headed home.
The team at Bumble have really thought out and made the place conducive to parents as well as non-parents. There is a separate adult-only patio where kids are not allowed for folks who wish for that and enjoy Bumble’s fabulous food. The restrooms have a supply of diapers and there are stepping stools for the little ones near the basin.
We’ll definitely be returning to Bumble soon – with a bunch of our friends and their lovely kids.
Day trip to the Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz
Two years, multiple surgeries and a plethora of ups and downs later we are back to doing things that we love. And I hope it continues this way. We kicked off 2015 with a short hiking trip. Our first hike in almost over 2 years and our first hike with our one year old was at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, California. I must say that picking a hiking spot was slightly challenging since we are trying to get used to carrying a baby on our backs and want to target shorter hikes. Nevertheless, our first pick find turned out to be a great one. It was M’s idea to go to Natural Bridges State Park to photograph the monarchs, spend time at the beach and keep it baby friendly. So off we were to Santa Cruz all prepared to introduce our little one to hiking.
So what’s special about this state park? As per the state park’s website: The beach, with its famous natural bridge, is an excellent vantage point for viewing shore birds, migrating whales, and seals and otters playing offshore. The park’s Monarch Grove provides a temporary home for up to 100,000 Monarchs. From late fall into winter, the Monarchs form a “city in the trees.” The area’s mild seaside climate and eucalyptus grove provide a safe place for monarchs to roost until spring. The monarchs typically begin arriving in mid-October and have left by mid-February.
The GOOD: Lovely weather, clear skies and my excited little one who couldn’t stop muttering “fy-fy” and fluttering his hands like a bird when I explained to him that we were going to spot butterflies and they fly too, just like birds!
The BAD: Not being able to spot as many butterflies as we hoped too.
Before we went on the hike, I googled up the ‘Monarch Trail’ to find out what to expect and I was thrilled by the images I saw. It appeared as if it was going to live up to the hype that M had created. Of course, I knew that since we were going there towards the end of the season, the number of butterflies might be less since they migrate back. Google up images for monarch butterflies at natural bridges state park in santa cruz and you will know what I am talking about.
Unfortunately, we did not get to witness so many butterflies and the so called “monarch bokeh”. When we were on the hike, the rangers told us that the number of butterflies has been much much lesser this year. Even during the start of the season. They are dwindling in numbers 😦 I wish next year and the years to come are better! I never thought I would say this – NEVER and I really mean NEVER, but we need to preserve nature and our natural habitat, for the next generations. I am a nature lover and I feel a joy that I cannot explain when I go hiking and it would be nice if my child can experience it! The rangers at the state park are encouraging everyone to plant more milkweed plants because that is the only plant these monarchs feed on.
Anyhoo, after the hike we headed to the beach and spent some time there. There’s only one natural bridge now, but earlier there used to be three. The first one fell off in the early 1900’s and the second one around 1980 due to a storm. There is access to tide pools from the beach so we took a stroll there. All in all, it was a great day out and my little one loved it. Post our trip, butterflies have become a thing for him. He cannot stop saying “fy fy fy” and flutter his hands when he spots a butterfly in the book. Every time I see that, I feel the trip was worth it 🙂
Paint Nite at Vino Artist in San Jose
What is one thing that that you look forward to doing when you are extremely stressed out? A night out with friends, a day of being a couch potato in front of the television and doing nothing, a date night or even a good night’s sleep in your warm cozy bed. These are all ways of bringing those stress levels down. I have one more to add to the list. Pick up a paint brush and let it talk with the canvas! I have made this statement earlier, but I’d like to state it again. Painting is my way of relieving stress. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t always paint when I am stressed out. I paint when I am extremely happy too. In fact, I don’t need a reason to pick up a paint brush and sit in front of the canvas. But off late, I do not get a lot of time to paint. With a full time job and a hyper infant at home, its like I am working two shifts with very little “me” time. So when a bunch of us friends signed up for a Groupon deal for a paint night with Vino Artist, I started looking forward to it. Only two of us eventually made it for the night out, but the 3 hours and one beautiful painting later, I felt happy and relaxed! The kind of happiness that brought my stress levels down and was a lot of fun 🙂
Vino Artist Studios in San Jose offer paint nights with wine and snacks and is a great way to hang out with friends while letting your paint brush and canvas do the talking. No experience is necessary. We arrived at the studios on a Friday night. Our instructor Erica was amazing. She was patient, allowed for plenty of time before moving on to next steps and also helped rectify your painting if you weren’t happy with a couple of those strokes. And she had a great sense of humor.
Here’s the piece that I ended up painting. I did make a few improvements once I got back home since I wanted to smooth out the branches.
And that’s us posing with our masterpieces 🙂
And one more picture of the painting in a different light! The colors look so different with yellow lighting in the background.
If you are looking for a place to hang out with friends and come home with beautiful paintings, sign up for a paint night! I bet you will like it 🙂
Memoir's Galore 