Welcome to Sunsets and Sand Dunes!!

Hello everyone, and welcome to "sunsets and sand dunes", our most recent travel blog. I have blogged twice before - our trip to South East Asia and my volunteer experience at the 2010 Olympics. And each time, I recall having some difficulty with actually getting started. This time - a chronicle of our driving trip down the Oregon and California coasts - is no different. It is a trip we have thought about since moving to Vancouver in 2008, and started to plan once Dave's retirement became a reality. But how to start the story ...

So last night when I was reading The Cat in the Hat to Teggan (2 1/2 yrs old) and that wise, old somewhat troublesome cat said: "Look at me, Look at me now, It's fun to have fun, You just need to know how!"  I immediately thought - that's it!!!  My start!!  Dave and I are always wanting to have fun, and if anyone knows how, it's us!

And another reason why a quote from The Cat in the Hat resonates with me so?  Perhaps because we just happen to be living with Thing 1 and Thing 2 right now (aka Teggen and Finnegan Murphy) :

After 3 amazing years living in the Commercial Drive area of Vancouver, Dave retired as the Athletic Director at SFU,we sold our condo - and, while waiting for our Oregon/California adventure to begin, we relocated to the North Shore to bunk in with PJ, Ria and Thing 1 and Thing 2.

So goodbye to the funky, fun and very eclectic Commercial Drive area:

And hello to the beautiful, peaceful and scenic North Shore:

... our home base for now - allowing us to do some exploring of the west coast until our return to Nova Scotia, probably in the spring of 2012.  Huge thanks to PJ and Ria for taking in two vagabonds and a labradoodle (oh yes, did I mention that Guinness is coming with us on our costal adventure??).

Now, on to what our coastal adventure looks like.  We plan to camp/hotel our way down the Oregon and California coasts. Bright and early on Tuesday morning it begins.  Our plan is to load up the car - suitcases, camping year, necessary technology, yoga mat and dog crate - and cross the boarder into Washington State.  Our destination that day is Cape Disappointment State Park (south western tip of the state) - via a store or two to pick up some camping essentials, food and maybe a little bottle of wine :) .

We are hoping this first night of camping goes better than our "trial run" in the backyard.  Dave was concerned about how Guinness would make out in the tent (never having done it before) - and figured there was only one way to test the waters - out came the tent.  Teg and Fin became very excited about Da and Nan's little "sleepout", so after some serious negotiations with their Mom, out came their tent - and our experiment turned into a multi-family adventure.

To make a long story short - Ria did well, Finn did Great (Teg wasn't given the option to sleep in the tent), Dave slept like a baby, and Guinness proved to be a rock star!!!  Me - well, not so much.  At 2:10, after 40 minutes of my brain screaming, "... why are you out here awake when there's a perfectly good bed awaiting you inside!!??!!", I gave in.  Suffice it to say, I paid dearly for it the next day - even the dog teased me.

So now with a few adjustments (earplugs, and a brand new set of sheets/puff), I'm going to give this camping thing another try.  And hopefully the name "Cape Disappointment" will not prove to be a reflection on my ability to stay in the tent all night - I'll keep you posted on that.  My reward; the carrot on the stick; the light at the end of the tunnel ... is a reservation the next three nights (14/15/16) at the Cannon Beach Inn, Cannon Beach, Oregon, a location and accommodation that have been very highly recommended to us by a number of friends.  We're not completely sure on the distance between Cape Disappointment and Cannon Beach, but think it may be about 4 hours, or so.

After Cannon Beach, our only other plan "set in stone" is to meet up with law school buddies, Chris and Jane Spiteri, in San Francisco on October 13/14th.  Jane is running the 1/2 marathon (Chris too maybe - I can't remember).  We've agreed to participate in their pasta load, and have committed to keeping the red wine away from them :) .

Between September 16th and October 13th, we plan to MEANDER (isn't that a great word???, meander - I love it!!).  Follow our noses, find a spot we like and stay - or not.  We'll see.  Wherever we go, whatever happens, it's all good and not a day goes by that we don't thank God above and our lucky stars for having the opportunity to set out on a "sunsets and sand dunes" tour.

Before concluding this first post, I must take a  moment to express our gratitude to the following:

• Simon Fraser University for not extending Dave's contract for another year
• Our East Coast family for allowing us just a little more west coast time before returning home
• Alan & Christina and Garth & Dee for tons of great travel advice
• Vivian Garfinkel for sleuthing out the Inn at Cannon Beach
• Alan & Christina (again) for the dog friendly travel website
• and all of you for taking the time to "follow along" with us.

In just 2 more sleeps it will be time to get ready, set, GO!!!!!  We'll "chat" again soon.  Lots of love to all,  N&D  xoxoxo

(PS - all subsequent posts will be shorter, I promise!)