Oregon Coast ~ Heading West

Ahhhhhh, vacation!! A much needed break from the "everyday" stuff. Our boys are not what you would call "road warriors" so with a 4 hour plus trip to the Oregon Coast ahead of us...we were going to need some breaks...

First stop...Bonneville Dam...

well technically the first stop was for lunch at where else...McD's...a fan favorite for the three small people in our travel party...

Checking out the salmon in the holding ponds

Feeding the GIANT rainbow trout in the ponds

The birds were also pretty interested in the fish food

Not interested enough to eat out of the boys' hands though...they gave it a good try...especially William...he REALLY wanted to duck to eat it from his hand

Next stop the sturgeon pond...some seriously HUGE fish in there

They had a tagging station set up near the salmon ponds. The biologist working in the station let us come in and watch for a bit.

Big tubes sucked the fish up out of the pond. Sorted them by size and then tagged them accordingly...all computerized equipment. Very interesting...

Here John is looking in the machine that pulls in the fish to tag them.

Then up to the visitors center to look in the fish ladder viewing windows

Lots of fish in the river this time of year. Salmon and Steelhead returning from the ocean. These are mostly steelhead...the salmon don't hang around the windows long...
Next stop...Providence Medical Center...we had gotten the call early Monday morning that Aaron David Killingbeck had decided that August 17th was the day that he would join our family.

My brother, Kyle and SIL Anne's, second son...we are all boys, all the time in this family...

Welcome, welcome little man

My parents FIFTH grandson

After a stop for dinner in Newberg, we were on to the coast

We arrived just before sunset...and you MUST go down to the beach as soon as you arrive. Its a rule...

Nothing more beautiful than watching the sunset from the beach...it lasts forever...

I never feel smaller than when I am standing on the sand listening to the waves crash onto the beach. Such strength and power in the ocean...and yet peace...peace in knowing that our Creator is in control...that He controls the waves...AMAZING...every single time....

And back to our house to watch the rest of the sunset from the deck...seriously beautiful...