Fall travel meep

[wordplay]

carrie: So just to keep it all straight
carrie: we have planned
carrie: Sept 30-Oct 1 - Cumberland MD
carrie: Oct 20-22 - Virginia
carrie: Nov 23-26 - Kentucky
carrie: December sometimearoundthe18th - NYC
M: Oct. 27 - Boo at the Zoo
M: Sep 24th - A's birthday party
M: Nov. 5 - Presumbably O's
carrie: halloween in general
M: Oct.14-15 or Oct. 28-29 Fearfest at King's Dominion
carrie: what an insane last half of the year.
carrie: By New Year's we're going to be EXHAUSTED
carrie: and then it just KEEPS GOING
carrie: that week around March/April - Atlanta/Sacto/Seattle/Van
M: March sometime - Maple sugaring

...

I'm exhausted just reading it all, and that of course doesn't count all the little, one day things - the meetings and parties that will accompany the beginning of school, the everyday stuff. Autumn does this to me every year - it grabs me with its wonderful and drags me all over the place. It doesn't help that Halloween is just this insane time with children's activities, and that their birthdays are six weeks apart and on either side of it. The time between the beginning of school and Christmas is just one big blur.

That March/April week, by the way - the plan is for me to fly to Atlanta for the dezzikitty/jiggery_pokery nuptials at the same time that M takes the kids and flies out west to see his family. (Yes. I am making him fly from the east coast to the west coast by himself with the children. Yet another reason M should be the world's first atheist saint.) I'll join them after the wedding weekend for a day or two in Sacto, then drive up the Pacific coast through Oregon and Washington, ending up in Vancouver. It's a part of the continent I've never explored before and I am beside myself with excitement. I just want to DRIVE and SEE. Thoughts/recommendations/ideas? Stuff to read? Good city blogs?

Comments

[shewalksonroses.livejournal.com]

Ooooh...the Pacific Northwest. I may have to tag along with you next April. :D And not just because I want to see the kiddies!

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

:)) The weekend of the wedding is the first weekend of spring break. We were going to go to Wales for break this year, but the wedding was a major priority and so I didn't want to do a transatl flight with the kids for fewer than 9 days. And besides, we NEVER make it to Cali to see M's family, and his sister will have a new baby by that time, so this should work out well. And new part of the country, whee! A win all the way around, I think.

Also - holy crap, Meg! I can't believe it's happening! I'm so excited for y'all!

[locumtenens.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yay. So barring any unforeseen disasters at least I'll be able to see you at the wedding!

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Yes! Once Meg gets relocated, I think we should start poking her more for hotel and b&b recommendations so we can get accomodations sorted. :D

[vertigo66.livejournal.com]

What are you doing in Cumberland? A couple of years ago we did the scenic railroad up there in October...

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Yes, that - and also, it's a Day Out with Thomas. :)) The kids really want to go do that again, and I think it's almost the end of Thomas time for our household, which is a bit sad. So we'll go up there and do the train thing and hope to catch the first bit of autumn while we're there.

[vertigo66.livejournal.com]

My kids still like Thomas, as old as they are!

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

O is really quite over it, and A never really took to it with the mania that O did, so I think it's likely on the way out here. Every once in a while they still play "train wedding", where Thomas marries Lady and all the other engines attend, but she can usually only rope him into that when he's REALLY bored. :))

[sundancekid.livejournal.com]

Granville Island in Vancouver is adorable -- big public market with lots of artsy vendors and such. I'll ask castorandpollux what else she recommends, as she lives in Vancouver.

Aww, no Marc or kids at the wedding? :(

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's fantastic, thanks for that.

And no, they'll be off doing their own thing. Besides, kids at a wedding can be a source of great joy or a complete pain in the ass, and I am really looking forward to enjoying myself without having to worry about keeping my kids out of everything. :D

[misscake]

Psst. Don't forget about the thing for you-know-who on September 16th.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Dude. See? This fall is going to eat my brain. I need to get some kind of new organizer thingy for the new job, I think. I retired my Filofax last year when my favorite cover was so bedraggled I got embarrassed to pull it out and couldn't find a replacement I really liked. I've been using a Washington Diary I picked up that kind of rules because it has the Metro map printed inside, along with restaurant phone numbers and all that, but the backing is really stiff and the slots are small and it generally kind of pisses me off. I can't carry a Blackberry into work with me, I'm pretty sure. I really need to get this sorted.

But before I worry about all that - this is going on the big calendar. :D

[misscake]

Maybe you'll get luck and work will give you a Blackberry? Also, I can totally commiserate because my weekends for the rest of August, all of September and parts of October and November are already booked too.

Latest post about the 16th is here.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

I don't think cell phones or any mobile technology are allowed in the facility at all. :( I'll be at the nonsecured site for a while and I'm hopeful I'll be allowed to keep mine on me there, but we'll see.

Autumn is insane. Also, posted at the other place.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

So, does the 'one day parties and things' means you might want to hit the RenFaire sometime this fall?

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Yes! I heard them talking about it on WAMU this morning, giving away tickets or something. We went last fall for a day and it was fine - I'd like to give it another go!

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Some friends and I usually wind up at Pirates' Weekend, but it's all good.

[pinkfinity.livejournal.com]

Your autumn looks a lot like my summer did. And I guess "NY in November" is going to be hard to shoehorn in there?

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was Veterans Day we were talking about? I mean, I think it'll be unlikely, but give me till after school starts - I just have NO feeling for how things are going to be around here under the new schedule.

[smilie117.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a whirlwind Autumn! Oooo I need to post about RenFaire *saw someone else's post up above*

Will you still be going to meet up Sunday? I wasn't sure how you were faring on your ankle =/ *hugs*

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Definitely still up for Sunday, and I'm looking forward to talking to you. The ankle is mending - I won't be up for a lot of walking on Sunday, but I should at least be able to hobble in for lunch. :D

[didi75.livejournal.com]

Does that mean you're not coming to Houston before starting your new job? *nudges*

Looks like you guys are going to be super busy. Exciting!

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. There's still a slight possibility I could make it for some random weekend this fall, but I don't know. Things are certainly filling up!

[til-midnight.livejournal.com]

No trip to the Carolinas?

[stephandra.livejournal.com]

Sorry that you don't know me, but I'm here via Allie, bc I love travel plans and reading about people going fun places!

For your trip in the Pacific Northwest, start with Portland, as you must go to Powell's books in Portland...it's half a city block of pure books, as far as the eye can see. So much fun. And their museum isn't bad either. Ooo, and def go to Mt. St. Helens on the drive up to Washington as it is smoking and ashing every day now, I think, and should continue to do so. THat will be fun for the kids.

I recommend driving up the ocean highway(101 I think), as it is gorgeous and takes you through Olympic National Park. It may be cold, but oh well. Kalaloch, right on the ocean, is a beautiful place to stay. Cabins will run you about 180 (high end) a night, or their campground nearby is great. Near the ocean and a must see is the Hoh River Valley rainforest, and very near to that is Lake Crescent, a gorgeous lake and one of the prettier things in Olympic National Park.

Obviously in Seattle, see Pike's Place. It is a good place for kids, as there is lots of food and things to see. They also have harbour tours which are quite nice (though with a ferry ride you can accomplish the same thing for much less). See Mt. Rainier, but see it from the Space Needle in Seattle, and save your mountain expeditions for the rest of the Cascades. Glacier Lake and the surrounding area have a lot of hikes and stuff that are great for kids. Drive up highway 2 to see it...it takes you through a lot of small towns and is so much nicer than the interstate. You could stop in Snohomish for good antiquing if you're into that.

And, a definite reccomendation are the San Juan islands...they are stunning and a short stop away from Vancouver on the Ferry system. I went whale watching there a few months ago, and, while the whales evaded us, the boat ride alone was gorgeous enough to justify the cost.

La, can you tell I spent pretty much every summer of my life in that area? Hope y'all have fun exploring.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

I meant to respond to this earlier to tell you how much I appreciate all your info! Thank you so much! Will definitely be referring back to this.