Chuck's: the perfect organic store

When my aunt said we're going to an organic store called Chuck's, I thought it was going to have a couple of sad looking apples on a fruit stand. Was I ever wrong. This store is phenomenal in size, class, selection, and price. The produce is so fresh you would think they must have a farm behind the parking lot. The decor is so classy you would think they cater to cliental that have breakfast flown in from Paris. The price is ridiculously cheap -- we bought 4 lbs of strawberry for $5. You can get all sorts of crazy stuff like cactus paddles, aloe stems, yellow and pink broccoli, local yogurt, and almond Roca cake! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this store!!!

Review on the run: Portland Japanese Garden (3/5)

This garden is a bit expensive for what you get but it's well kept and has a good view of Mount Hood. It's a relaxing and shady refuge for a hot day. The water areas are charming and the kids enjoyed the little bridges. The "treasure map" for kids make it a bit more fun than an ordinary garden.

Review on the run: Multnomah Falls (3.5/5)

We are spoiled by the Johnston Canyon waterfall in Banff. Don't get me wrong, Multnomah is beautiful, but if Johnston is a 5/5, this is a 3.5. It is neat to see the falls from a bridge though. My 2 yr old imagined it was the bridge that the Monkey King crossed to get into the cave behind the waterfall. The lush scenery made the area feel like a rain forest. What a nice treat after seeing hours of flat dry farms, though the Columbia gorge area is pretty west of the Dalles. Kudos to the state for lining miles of wind turbines along the river. It's a neat sight and it's clean energy!

Review on the Run: Spokane River Front Park (3 of 5), Mobius Children's Museum (3 of 5), Manito Garden (3.5 of 5)

We reached Spokane after a 9 hour travel day carrying 3 kids and a senior.  All we wanted to do was crash.  We got to our rental and found it already occupied... Hmm the first thing that goes through my mind is 'What the #$%& are you doing here?' And 'Get the #$%& out'.

After suppressing my Bruce Banner and talking to the rental agency, it looks like they screwed up and we got moved to another locale.  Long story short, things ended up working out but I was totally not impressed.  Onto some reviews...

River Front Park (3 of 5)
Built during Expo 74, the area was nicely renovated and it now serves as the core park and lifeline for families in downtown Spokane.  Since Spokane is quite small even at the parks busiest times is less than an average day in Calgary.  The amusement rides are nice, the park is quiet and clean... Exactly what we were expecting.  Recommended for all families.

Möbius Children's Museum (3 of 5)
For adults this is quite disappointing, but this is not the main audience.  The kids absolutely loved this place despite the small size.  To give you a scale, this place is about the size of one exhibit at a normal kids museum, but it doesn't matter.  This was a great way to beat the heat and to kill 2 hours.  Recommended for families.

Manito Gardens (3.5 of 5)
These gardens are more our style.  Its had less people, more locales, and more outdoorsy surrounded by huge climbing trees.  Between the playground, duck pond and talking to Spokanites, the Manito Gardens are a smaller (much smaller) version of a Stanley Park.  Recommended for families.

Review on the run: Woodburn Premium Outlets (3/5)

Oregon is great for shopping because it's tax-free. There's nothing extraordinary about Wood burn outlet but its got the usual Premium Outlet stores. It's the best outlet near Portland. The kids were happy to see a giant tree house there.  We were happy to see Stride Rite shoes, which is about the only brand of shoes that fit my kids ' wide duck feet.

Review on the run: Portland Rose Garden (4/5)

The Rose garden is spectacular, especially if you love roses and FREE attractions. We walked into an oasis with harp music coupled with rose fragrance in the air. We parked ourselves on the grassy stage area while the kids collected different colored petals on ground.  Literally stop and smell the roses here.

Fernie in the summer

Fernie was our first pit stop . This place is great for finding superb lodging for a reasonable price in the summer. We stayed at Lizard Creek Lodge. Our 2 bedroom condo was a palace. So fancy that the dining table had cloth napkins!  :)

The outdoor pool had mountain views, a heated pool and hot tub. The mountains are more grandiose in Banff but these ain't bad. 

The Armpit of America

The drive from Spokane to Portland is like driving through the armpit of America -- ugly and stinking hot. It even geographically mirrors the armpit area on a map.

You know you're in armpit country when there isn't a single rest stop for 150km stretches. We brought a potty just so we can survive this stretch.  
Another sign?  When you do pass some sign of life, the local model has a permanently painted Vacancy sign on its sign.  Yikes.

There is nothing that anyone would want to make a pitstop for between Spokane and Pasco, and between Pasco and The Dalles. If you don't have kids, you can push through in 5 hours but with kids, you might want to stay a night at the Pasco Holiday Inn Express. It has great air-conditioning and the pool is warm enough for a 7 week old baby to sleep in. The next day we unleashed the kids at the Boardman park, which is 1hr closer to Portland and the last potty you will find for the next 2 hours. It has nice trees, playgrounds, clean facilities, and lots of sprinklers to run through if you're lucky!

Review on the run: Coeur d'Alene City Park and Gardens (4/5)

There is a great memory that I have of this place from when I was a kid.  My parents took my family on one of the few vacations we were able to go on when I was 6.  They took me to City Park by the lake and all I could remember was this beautiful lake... So clear, so clean, so peaceful.  I really wanted to show my kids and give them this same memory and if not at least try to recreate it for myself.  Mission accomplished.  The park and lake was just as pristine as I remembered them, except add in an over abundance of wannabe gangster rap teens which were harmless.

If you have a family, the massive playground is a must. The full shade made freakish hot weather very enjoyable.

We wish we had more time to spend there... A full day at least.

Onto Spokane!

Review on the Run: Cranbrook Canadian Museum of Rail (1 of 5)

This museum was a disappointment. The only way to see the trains was to go with a guide on tours that would have lasted an eternity. That's like asking kids to watch paint dry and don't touch anything for 2 hrs. However, the train cars' pictures do look impressive ... Just don't bother bringing your kids.