Wild Tales of…2012: A Year of Travel and Adventure

Our first full year of travel as a family and adventure of three proved to be chock full of new experiences,  and beautiful destinations both near and far from our Seattle home.  As I sat down to reflect on just what we were up to in 2012, it turns out we were quite busy! Each month seemed to find us packing our bags or at least a backpack in preparation for some kind of escape.

January

A rare month of staying close to home.  We explored local gardens, tromped in the snow (while it lasted), and most memorably checked out our local Roller Derby Team, the Rat City Roller Girls.

February

The wedding of a good friend from high school had us traveling across the country (Bergen’s 2nd trip back east) to the Washington, D.C. area, and my hometown.  Bergen had a blast at his first wedding, and even stole a dance; ergo carrier and all.  We also squeezed in a day of sight seeing around NW Montgomery County, MD, and fittingly spent President’s Day on the Mall in Washington, D.C. taking in some of the newer monuments.

March

Ready to escape the cold and rain, we traveled down to Bergen’s Gramma’s new home in the Phoenix area.  We made sure to coordinate our trip with the Mariner’s Spring Training schedule, and took in a few ballgames.  We went on our first true hike as a family; trying out the ergo as a backpack carrier.

April

April was another month of firsts for Bergen.  Bergen’s first cold.  Followed by and coinciding with Bergen’s first camping trip at Cape Disappointment on the Washington coast with a night in Astoria, Oregon thrown in.  Later on in the month, Bergen tried a new mode of transportation.  He went on his first train ride to visit friends in Portland, Oregon.

May

With more friends and relatives for Bergen to see and meet, we spent Memorial Day weekend in the Denver, Colorado area.  We visited Slaed’s hometown of Wheat Ridge along with nearby Golden,  took in a Rapids Soccer game, and squeezed in a day in the mountains.  Bergen and I even got to see Red Rocks for the first time.

June

While we wish a visit to New York and Connecticut could have been under better circumstances, it was quite special for Bergen to meet so many Aunts, Uncles, and cousins at my Grandfather’s funeral.  We miss Poppy so very much.  Not many photographs were taken during that visit, but this one with Bergen sporting one of his Great Grandpa’s well-worn, signature hats seems fitting.

July

Along with a crowd of friends, we set out on the road for Hayden Lake, Idaho.  I couldn’t stop looking at the view, and we really got the chance to practice relaxation by just enjoying our surroundings and company!

August

Summer in Seattle is the absolute best.  That’s when we kick back, and enjoy the hard earned days, weeks, and months of non-stop gray and drizzle in the winter and spring.  We got to explore many local and state parks in the spectacular August weather, but the most memorable was probably our gondola ride up Crystal Mountain where we were rewarded with unbelievable views of Mount Rainier.

September

By then, we were ready for another road trip.  This time to the Victorian town of Port Townsend, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.  A ferry ride offered Bergen the chance to escape from his carseat for part of the journey, and once we arrived there was so much beauty to enjoy.

October

Bergen and I decided to tag along on one of Slaed’s work trips to North Central Washington.  Even though it was just one day, we pretended like we were on vacation in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, sampled local beer and wine and searched for fall colors and salmon.  We even spotted a rattlesnake!

November

Getting there may have been tough, and coming home was even harder, but without a doubt, our vacation in Kauai was the highlight of 2012.

December

We braved the skies with Bergen one more time for a trip down to Truckee, California to celebrate Christmas with my whole family.  Bergen loved hiking through the snow, and even more, he loved getting to spend quality time with his cousins, two of which were born just a few months apart from him.

Busy, busy, busy, but really, we wouldn’t have it any other way.  We have much in store for 2013, some tickets already purchased, and some travel dreams just beginning to brew.  Stay tuned as Bergen hopes to add to his growing list of states (15 so far) visited, and we try to keep up!  Just what do we have in store? So far…a week in Washington’s San Juan Islands in just  few weeks, a repeat trip to the Phoenix area to see Gramma and more baseball, another train adventure to Oregon, two trips to Montana, and…many more adventures in the works.

Wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy 2013! Here’s to many wonderful travel memories!

What travel memories will you be creating in 2013?

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