Taylor and I are suckers for travel and family activities, so it’s a guaranteed good time when those two are combined.

We had a rare opportunity to travel with BOTH sides of the family on our Tri-State Vacation of Fall 2023. The locations included Nevada, California, and Oregon. Definitely a full trip but such a good time nonetheless.

Let’s start with Reno, Nevada!

Last summer, Taylor’s parents broke our hearts and moved to Reno. We’ve been dying to see what their new home looks like ever since. Well, as it happened, my parents planned a trip to the West Coast and were passing through Reno to get there. Luck was on our side and we finagled visiting the in-laws for a few days before meeting up with my parents.

Take off!

Look at those desert mountaintops.

The kids did well on the plane. We played cards, worked on our travel journals, and watched a nature documentary. Phase 10 is Arrow’s favorite card game of late:

The kids worked on their travel journals during the interims:

Nevada is not Utah lol.

Finally, we reached our destination and arrived at their beautiful home that evening. I didn’t capture a picture of the reunion but here’s Taylor lusting over sandwiches.

NEVADA DISCOVERY CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Sightseeing was a must-do, of course 🙂 We spent a long morning here at this place.

There were a lot of interactive environmental exhibits. Such as how the Truckee River sustains Reno, NV. (Hopefully we can visit Pyramid Lake next time we visit!)

Apparently, tree rings do more than just count the years:

Arrow loved this meal sorter puzzle.

Another interesting fact: the University of Nevada has a stellar marine biology program. Yup. Marine biology. In the desert.

Right now, researchers are searching for the largest river fish in the world. And lemme tell you, there are some baddies out there right now. Even in the U.S.! Good to know that if my kids want to study sharks, then there’s a closer option to home than California 🙂

Downtime enjoying ice cream and the pleasant fall weather:

That evening we picked pumpkins:

Arrow loved the “butt”.

So did Archer 😉

Sander was more concerned about hauling the wagon around. Which inspired envy in the other two.

Fortunately, democracy emerged from the bickering, and they decided each kid was allowed to pull X amount of steps. This is how the Soviet Union was formed.

PUMPKIN CARVING

My FIL had been away on a work trip until this point. We saved our pumpkin carving until he was home 🙂

The final results!

Hiking the Moon Rocks

This was a neat place that brought out the inner child. Nothing to do but explore and climb!

Sadly, our trip had to end. We finished it off with a Sunday morning service at my in-law’s church:

And then it was on to Part 2: California!