The Twilight Zone

When I started planning our road trip north I decided I couldn't pass up a trip to Forks, WA. I'm a big Twilight fan and I just couldn't resist passing through the town where it all started. My husband indulged me and agreed to an overnight in The Twilight Zone.

My first thought upon entering this sleepy little town was how pretty it was. Forks is a tiny little hamlet on the Olympic Peninsula in Northwest Washington State. It's very isolated and pretty much comes up out of nowhere on the 101. My second thought was that it's literally been taken over. Every single establishment in town has some sort of homage to Twilight. While you may think that's a bit of overkill, it's actually pretty smart. The people of Forks have figured out what's keeping them on the map right now and they're capitalizing in the biggest way. They've whole-heartedly embraced their transformation into American Pop Culture and they're having a great time. The people of Forks are friendly and outgoing and love to talk to the tourists. From the Twilight inspired menu at The Lodge Restaurant to the Twilight gear and souvenirs available in every store, to the vintage "Bella" trucks on every corner, Forks is every Twilighter's dream.



If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Forks, it's worth a stop. Even if you're not a Twilight fan, you'll enjoy the friendly people and the quaint little slice of the Pacific Northwest.

Going, Going, Going...

I was really hoping to be able to blog more on this trip, but so far I've either had no time or no internet. I finally have a little of both so I thought I'd post an update.

We are still alive!

We left Fort Irwin and drove to Lemoore, California to visit with Chris' grandma and some aunts and uncles for a few days. While we were there we got a remote start system installed in the car. It's great, except for one thing - it included a car alarm that for some reason I keep setting off. It is really fun to scare people with it though. I started it in the check-out line at Walmart today only to come out to the parking lot to find some dude staring at my car like it was possessed. Good times.

After Lemoore we drove up to Sacramento to see Chris' brother. We also took the boys to the California Railroad Museum and had a good time walking around Old Sacramento. A day there and then we headed up to Crescent City to my inlaw's, which is where we are currently. We all went bowling today and Jack managed to score a 91. How is it possible that my 2 year-old beat my best score? We are having a good time with the family and Aiden is getting so worn out every day playing with his cousins that he just collapses in the bed each night without telling anyone and I have to go search him out!

I've also discovered that Dramamine is wonderful and I will never be without it again. It manages to keep both my little travelers from getting sick. It knocks Jack out for several hours, but of course Aiden is immune to all sleep-inducing drugs and I've gotten a combined 30 minutes out of him the whole trip.

Anyway...a few more trip details to iron out and then we'll be on our way again on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll get a chance to blog more and keep you all updated on our progress!

Friends in All Places

It's our last night here at Fort Irwin, and I'm feeling sentimental. As excited as I am about hitting the road tomorrow to head out on our latest and greatest adventure, I'm also sad. I have loved my time here in So Cal, and there is a lot that I will miss. The great weather, the shopping, Disneyland...but most especially I'll miss the wonderful friends I've made here. I love moving to new places and experiencing new things every few years, but it's bittersweet at times.

The absolute BEST thing about Army life - in my opinion - is that we end up with friends all over the place. I feel like I'm part of a special sisterhood, and I've been lucky enough to have met some truly special women. To all of my Fort Irwin Sisters-in-Arms, I'll miss all of you and I hope we can meet again somewhere!

Okay, enough with the sappy Hallmark stuff. Time to get this party started! I'll try to update as much as I can from the road, but I'm not sure how much internet access I'll have once we get on the ferry. I can't imagine there being a lot of wifi along the Alcan Highway. Anyway, I hope you'll all follow along with me here and on Facebook - it's sure to be a heck of an adventure. After all, where we go - craziness follows!

Alaska or bust!!