Head to Suncadia for the 13th Annual Harvest Festival

It's FALL! Which means it is time for Suncadia's 13th Annual Harvest Festival. I was lucky enough to attend last year and had so much fun. 

Just 80 miles east of Seattle in the picturesque Cascade Mountains, Suncadia Resort, A Destination Hotel, is hosting its 13th Annual Harvest Festival the first two weekends in October.

Held at the historic Nelson Farm, the Harvest Festival is a celebration of the arrival of the fall season. Family-friendly seasonally inspired activities like pumpkin archery, hay mazes, and corn hole tournaments, as well as providing live music, beer gardens, food trucks, wine tastings, Pacific Northwest inspired dinner tastings, and a farmers market are a few of the offerings! 

To sweeten a stay this season, the resort is offering a “Falling for Suncadia” package that includes a nightly resort credit of $50 per night to dine, spa, or golf the day away (there are 3 par kid courses too!). Packages start at $250 - but the festival is free to attend. Let's go! 

*all photos credited to Suncadia Resort

California Dreaming

Just over three weeks ago, we packed up the trusty Subaru and headed south to California for a road trip. For the past few summers, Scott has had a week long work summit in San Jose and we've tagged along to take advantage of the hotel and pool. Because there is nothing the Mongrain girls like more than a nice free hotel and a pool. This year we decided to add on a few stops and extend our fun.

We started out by heading to Portland for a quick stopover on our way to Crater Lake. Crater Lake is about an 8 hour drive from Seattle so we decided to break up the drive and also because Portland has some amazing food choices. Scott has been talking about this one sushi restaurant for years with HUGE rolls. We decided this was the trip to try this spot out, especially since the girls eat sushi about twice a week.

The rolls were giant and we ordered way too much food. The kids took a fall for the team and ate until their bellies hurt. Then they asked for fro-yo for dessert. I'm pretty sure they have hollow legs. 

The next morning, we got up early and hit the road to Crater Lake! Scott and I went a long time ago on another road trip. We really wanted to show the girls how beautiful the lake is. The girls wanted to show us what our poor parents must have experienced when we were kids. Molly refused to get out of the car to view the lake and screamed that she was NOT GOING TO HIKE! Maggie asked how long until we'd be at the crappy hotel we were staying in Medford, Ore. Scott and I, however, saw the lake and all its beauty even if said lake was a wee bit hazy due to nearby forest fires. I also wrote about Crater Lake for Seattle Refined. 

After spending the night in Medford, Ore. at seriously not a great hotel, we got in the car for the longest day of our trip. We headed down to Hearst Castle which was a planned 9 hour journey but turned into a 14 hour extravaganza due to a big rig fire on Hwy 101. We were beat by the time we arrived. 

We did stop in Vacaville and discovered an awesome carousel and mini train ride at Nut Tree Plaza which gave the kids a chance to get some wiggles out. We also loaded up on Jelly Belly candies at the Jelly Belly store. 

The next morning after sleeping in a bit, we headed to the Hearst Castle. You arrive at the visitor's center and take a bus to the actual house. I had been once before when I was 16 but this was Scott and the girls first visit. Scott loved the architecture and design. 

After touring Hearst Castle, we headed down to check out the Elephant Seals. There were so many of them and they are so loud! It was really fun to check them out and learning more about these creatures. San Simeon doesn't have much in the way of other sights and restaurants but we made do. Our hotel had a great pool which the girls swam in for over 4 hours while I read and knitted. 

 

Our next stop was Yosemite where we explored the Pioneer Village, gazed at the Sequoias in Mariposa Grove and checked out Half Dome. There were so many amazing sights. The girls were getting tired at this point in the trip though so there were also some temper tantrums and tears. 

We were lucky to visit before the forest fires closed the park. They started a few days after we left. 

After Yosemite, we headed to San Francisco! Scott had never really explored the city so we decided to have a tourist weekend in the city. It was a grand adventure with a visit to Coit Tower, The Palace of Fine Arts, Dim Sum, Cable Car rides and my favorite, a trip to the Museum of Ice Cream. The museum might have been our favorite part of the trip! We were also able to have brunch with some friends which was nice. 

After an exhausting weekend in San Francisco, it was time to head to Palo Alto where the girls and I relaxed and Scott headed to work. We did also make time for visits to the Monterey Aquarium and Santa Cruz. 

After a long 18 days away from home, we headed back to Seattle. We were tired of each other, had spent way too many hours on our devices and longed for home. It was an amazing trip and we can't wait for our next adventure! 

San Diego Dreaming

A few months ago, I took the girls to San Diego to visit a friend. We had literally returned 5 days before from our big trip to Sydney, Australia but with mid-winter break bearing down upon us, I knew we needed to get out of dodge again. Additionally, I had planned our San Diego trip before finding out about our opportunity to visit Australia. I packed up the girls and myself and we set off for San Diego and left Scott to hold down the home front.

After an airport adventure where we literally ran through the airport for our flight and landed in our seats with sweat pouring down our faces, we were off! Well, almost. As I got everyone settled and buckled in, the first officer came on over the speaker and said our flight would be delayed due to an injury suffered by our pilot as he entered the plane. Our plane was actually quite awkward to board so I wasn't surprised that someone had gotten hurt but could not believe it was our pilot who was injured. Our gate had been transformed from one gate into three which meant we had to walk down a ramp out of the airport to a maze of stairs, through two tunnels and then back up these skinny stairs to our plane. All of this was incredibly awkward as I juggled luggage and two kids. I stupidly decided not to check our luggage on the way to San Diego but rectified that on the way home. I decided it wasn't worth saving $25 in order to strain my body, lugging luggage and kids through the airport. Also my friend, Meg told me not to be so cheap so I listened to her.

San Diego's car rental services have vastly improved since I was there last which was wonderful. They now have a central reservation building which is accessed by shuttle bus. We took the shuttle bus over with each kid being in charge of a suitcase or bag. I had the huge carseat bag on my back and was thankful that Scott is usually the one carrying the carseat. After renting a car, we headed to my friend's place. The girls were both unhappy that I had gotten neither a mini-van or an orange car. I was pleased to have an easy to drive car that fit the three of us nicely with room for our luggage for a not too unreasonable price.

Upon arrival, we all decided we were starving and headed to Liberty Station and enjoyed delicious poke at Poke 1*2*3. The staff was impressed with how much poke my kids packed away. After that we headed to the grocery store to stock up on snacks before heading to my friend's house. 

We spent the next few days hitting the beach and hanging out with my friend. My kids adore her and her kids so we had a great time. My kids also spent an absurdly amount of time in her backyard soaking up the sunshine. Molly spent a lot of time reading to my friend's baby and "taking" care of her. It was so sweet to see her taking on a protector role. 

I made time to take the kids to Old Town in San Diego even though my friend is completely over the area. The girls had a great time checking out the area and I loved the photo opportunities. 

We also visited Communal Coffee which was amazing and again, full of great photo opportunities. I love a great wall with text and pretty plants. 

We spent an afternoon driving around and hitting up beaches. My favorite is up in La Jolla and the girls had the best time running around, chasing the birds. 

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Legoland. We did it in one day and that felt just perfect. The girls had the best time riding rides and building with legos. They also liked that I let them each bring home a lego set. 

And then before we were quite ready, it was time to come home. I read an entire book on our ride home and the girls watched more shows on their kindles than I thought possible. Our annual girl's trip was fun and we are thinking of taking another trip to San Diego later this year. We all miss my friend! 

After we came home, I wrote up a travel guide to San Diego for Seattle Refined - San Diego Travel Guide: The Do's and Don'ts

Down Under Adventure!

Last month, the Mongrains headed to Sydney, Australia which was literally a dream trip for me. I've been dreaming of heading down under since I was 8 years old when I had a giant Koala stuffed animal collection and sang Kookaburra Sits in The Old Gum Tree and Waltzing Matilda on repeat. 

Scott has to go to Sydney for work quite often and after missing his first trip there, I announced that we'd make it work the next time and we did. I don't believe in pulling kids out of school for many reasons but this trip of a lifetime had me pulling Molly out faster than she could blink. 

I was very worried about how we would handle the 15.5 hour plane ride. I knew I would be able to entertain myself but I wasn't sure about the girls. They did amazing! We took a short jet ride from Seattle to Vancouver where we had a 4 hour layover. We used that time to grab dinner, fill up our water bottles and stroll around a bit. We sat at our gate for awhile and I found a fellow passenger's passport and tickets. I kept my eye out for him and when he came rushing back to the gate, I was able to hand him his stuff with a smile. He was quite appreciative. 

As for the plane ride, we were able to endure the second 15.5 hour ride with style. I packed a few new toys to keep the kids entertained which worked well combined with the inflight entertainment system and the constant delivery of food. We also scored a red-eye flight which meant we slept a fair amount. 

We landed at 11 a.m. and I quickly put everyone on Sydney's schedule to avoid jet lag. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel before heading out to find some lunch options. We stayed at the Notvotel Darling Harbour which was located across the street from a shopping centre and two blocks away from a ferry dock. It also had the best breakfast buffet and every morning when I wake up and it is not available in my home, I am mad. 

After eating at Grill'd (which had some amazing burgers!), we opted to  jump aboard a Hop On, Hop Off bus. I love Hop On, Hop Off buses when visiting a new location. Yes, they can be a bit cheesy and overly touristy but I love how they quickly allow me to get my bearings and provide a broad overview of a city. We road through Sydney and I mentally made notes of places I wanted to visit over the next 10 days. Maggie fell asleep on the bus so we decided to hop off near our hotel and head back to our room. Everyone else was able to stay up until about 8 p.m. when we drifted off for the night. 

On our second day in Sydney, we headed out of the city to The Blue Mountains with a tour group. Our tour guide, Dave was hilarious and kept us entertained. The Blue Mountains are about an hour west of the city and are covered in eucalyptus forests giving them a blueish hue. Our first stop was at Featherdale Wildlife Park, a wildlife conservatory where my childhood dream of petting a Koala came true. Scott quickly rushed me to the "Pet a Koala and Photography" area. He laid out the absurd amount of money required for this venture and I GOT TO PET A KOALA. Our koala was named Victor and I don't think he cared about us at all. Ha! I, however was on cloud nine and my kids were amused by my excitement. Featherdale Wildlife Park is packed full of amazing animals including kangaroos, wallabies, crocodiles, Australian birds and all sorts of other animals. After Featherdale Wildlife Park, we headed toward the Blue Mountains. It was a long ride but a beautiful one and The Blue Mountains were breathtaking. At Scenic World on top of the mountains, we took two gondolas before embarking on a ride up the steepest railroad in the world. I was a bit (ALOT) terrified as we headed straight up the mountain on the railroad. 

After lunch and a ride back down the mountain, our tour guide dropped us off at the Sydney Olympic Park where the 2000 Summer Olympics were held. From there we hopped aboard a passenger ferry to head back to Circular Quay. It was the first of many ferry rides, we'd enjoy over our trip. I often lamented, Why doesn't Seattle offer ferry rides like this? as we rode around. I know we have some passenger ferries but they are cumbersome and not easy to take. Sydney's ferries were abundant and easy to ride. Sydney has an extensive train system, buses, soon a light rail system and, my favorite way to travel through Sydney, passenger ferries which sail over Sydney Harbour offering spectacular views of Sydney. Rideshare bikes were also abundant and unlike Seattle, most provided helmets for their riders to use. 

We spent our second day in Sydney, just walking. We took the ferry to Circular Quay and walked through the The Royal Botanic Garden, into St. Mary’s Cathedral (which wasn’t even finished until the early 2000s) and through Hyde Park. We snagged ice cream at the ice cream truck outside the church. We would soon discover that these ice cream trucks could be found all over the city. We ambled through the New South Wales Museum where Maggie announced some paintings were inspirational and others were not. We had a great day just roaming the city. 

The next day was Monday which meant Scott went to work. The girls and I walked him to work and then stopped at a grocery store for breakfast and snacks. The girls were dying to play so we headed to the Children's Playground at Darling Quarter where the kids played most of the day. The playground is giant and had multiple swings, a zip line, a large climber and two water splash areas. Scott met us after work for dinner at Betty’s Burgers where I had a fried mushroom burger with gouda and gruyére cheese. It was so good! Like most of the food in Sydney, our meal was crazy expensive though. 

Food is expensive in Australia yet so fresh and so good. A simple lunch of three sandwich entrees with drinks was usually around $65. To combat food prices, I started making everyone eat at our hotel’s breakfast buffet. The buffet was $30 for me and free for the kids. I'm still dreaming of this buffet that included the most amazing eggs, delicious yogurts, all kinds of breads and breakfast sweets along with sausages, mushrooms and more. We would seriously load up at breakfast and still be full at lunch. The kids loved this because I'd often let them just have ice cream for lunch. It was all we could fit in after that amazing breakfast buffet. 

The girls and I headed to Taronga Zoo later in the week. Built on the side of a hill with access via gondola, the zoo opened in 1916 and provides exceptional views of the city. I loved arriving via ferry and checking out all the animals. We spent most of our day exploring the zoo and having a grand time. 

Throughout the week, we also took a ferry to Manly Beach where we swam in one of the many sea pools. The Fairy Bower Sea Pool is not large but is such a great experience. Built by local residents in 1929, the pool is one of a number of historic pools cut and blasted along the New South Wales coast. Molly suffered her first jellyfish sting on the shores of Manly Beach. The sweetest Australian came to our rescue and helped flush Molly's leg with fresh water. I then found a shower and flushed it some more. After about an hour, she was back to her old self and chatting about her brush with the jellyfish. 

One day, we visited Luna Park for some old school amusement park fun. Located at Milsons Point, Luna Park Sydney is just 600 meters from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The original Luna Park was built in 1935 and has undergone a series of closing, renaming and openings over the years. I bought two ride tickets for the girls and off we went. There was a re-make of Cooney Island where Maggie made me go down the scariest slide of my life. Molly filmed my fear and we laughed for hours about it. 

After a week with just the girls, Scott finished up with work and was able to join us on our final adventures in Sydney for the weekend. We got up on Saturday and made the long journey to Bondi Beach. We walked from our hotel to the trail station and then took a bus for the final leg. Bondi Beach is one of Australia’s most iconic beaches and is gorgeous. The nearby Icebergs ocean pool is open year-round with admission open to visitors for a small fee. Scott marched us up and around the shores of Bondi before stopping at a beach where the kids were finally able to dive in. Unfortunately the rip tide flags were out so I didn't let them go in farther than their ankles. They were not impressed with me but I like living children so it was what it was. We played on the beach for awhile before using one of the many shower facilities to get cleaned up and changed into dry clothing. We made the hike back to the main part of Bondi Beach and found a place to get fish and chips. We took an Uber back to the hotel and started packing up for our trip home. 

I was not ready to come home at all. Seattle was cold and dreary. Sydney was bright and sunny. Who can resist enjoying summer in the midst of their winter? I am dreaming of our next trip and plotting ways to live in Sydney. We had such an amazing time and the girls were great travelers. I am honestly proud of great the kids did on our trip. They embraced all the new things coming at them and took them in stride. They did their best to be kind and did not get lost. All in all, great attributes!