Sizzling in Spokane:
On Tuesday the girls and I packed up the car and headed on our 6 hour drive to Spokane, Wa to stay with my aunt for 4 days. School had just ended the week before and we were all looking forward to a relaxing get away.
Packing:
cowboy boots/barn boots
socks
sunscreen
shorts (for 4 days we needed just 2 pairs each because we could re-wear)
tank tops (2+)
board games
Go Fish
Coloring crayons/markers/paper
Ipads
chargers
sleeping bag and floor mat
bathroom necessities
underwear
PJs
reading book(s)
2+ re usable water bottles
long pants (1 pair each)
personal fan
DIDN'T NEED
personal laptop
TUESDAY
We left Lake Stevens around 9 am; the girls were not allowed to use their Ipads until there was only 2 hours left of the trip so the first 3 hours we played road trip games, road trip BINGO. I also packed some car snacks (granola bars, fruit snacks, etc). We took 90 over and the traffic was light and fast. We made it to Ellensburg for lunch at McDonalds and then a bit farther we stopped at a rest stop for bathroom breaks.
We arrived at Donna's in Spokane (Deer Park area) around 3 pm. We hadn't been to Donna's in a couple years (because of Covid) so it was nice to be back.
She lives on a small farm by herself; my uncle passed away last November 2020. Her brother in law, Bob lives with her for the time being while he is building his own house.
WEDNESDAY:
The girls and I got up and left around 8:30 to drive an hour to ValleyFord to meet one of my good friends, Melissa. I used to teach with Melissa at Cavelero Mid High. A couple of years ago, she and her husband moved to the Spokane area so I always make a point to see her while we are there. Lucky for us she wanted to join us for a fun day at Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.
Last year we went for the first time. Because of Covid, Silverwood limited entrance last year and we had the most magical day. We went the exact same day the year before so I was hoping it would be the same magical experience...however Idaho has relaxed most of its Covid restrictions so I had a bit of anxiety as we were going because if it was fully open, then the risk of the girls acquiring Covid increased.
We picked up Melissa and headed out on the hour drive to Silverwood. Now as a mom, I know the importance of using bathrooms before you leave because 7 year old bladders don't last long road trips. And sure enough, 20 minutes before arriving at the park, Adelyn had to pee...and not just sort of...she HAD TO PEE. Quickly finding a parking spot, we hurried to get in the bag check line. For some reason, I ALWAYS pick the wrong line and today was no different. OMG. Our bag checker lady moved at snail pace and the agony on Adelyn's face was intensifying. Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks.
Finally we made it through that line to race to the ticket line. Luckily for us, we got into a fast paced one and checked in quickly. Then we raced for the bathroom...only to wait again. I swear, Adelyn's ability to hold her pee deserves Gold Medal Olympic status. That girl was a trooper.
After relieving her worst nightmare, we made it into the park. At that point, Melissa and Adelyn went
We met up with Melissa and Adelyn and while the girls explored, Melissa and I got some adult time to catch up and visit. The Splash Pad was a HUGE hit last year...we must have spent 2 hours there alone, but this year...the girls wanted to move on after about 30 minutes...so off to the rides.
WEATHER AND PEOPLE
The weather was interesting. When we arrived it was in the low 80s but there was a cold breeze and overcast. It was actually a bit chilly especially after getting wet on the water side...but lucky for us the sun came out in full force. Melissa actually walked into Silverwood with a jacket. I am not sure the reason but there actually weren't that many people there. Maybe it was because went on a mid day or because Father's Day was the Sunday before (the park had a Father's Day special) or the "cold" weather? Either way, the numbers were low and I was thankful. 99 percent of the people there were without a mask but we were able to stay 6+ feet safely away from other people. We went to the water side first and there was ZERO wait for the rides. ZERO. We rode each slide ride multiple times without waiting more than 2 minutes. The longest wait we had was the walk back to the start of the ride.
RIDES: WATERSIDE
We started with the double tubes. Those continue to be our favorite. These ones are right by the
lockers...which we ended up getting two by the way...we definitely needed two.
The next favorite ride is the Avalance Mountain/Ricochet Rapids raft ride. It's a big circular raft and you can go down the open tubes side or the enclosed/open tube side. We did both sides, numerous times. Last year I was the one that got the "lucky" seat in which you get soaked each time and this year Melissa and Adelyn were the lucky chosen ones. They were. soaked. to. the bone. And when we reached the bottom, both girls begged to do it again. and again. and again.
off so there were able to play there without me and Melissa and I could relax in the lounge chairs. After the wave pool, we got a JUNIOR cone. I preface this with a couple things....one: get the junior cone...trust me...the name doesn't do it justice...and two: the weather melts the cone faster than you can eat it so get the junior one.
RIDES: RIDE SIDE
First...make sure you have a SHIRT on. They won't let you go on the rides without a shirt on and they will call you out in front of others. I had my tank top bathing suit on and it didn't "count" as a shirt so I wasn't able to ride on ride. After being a bit embarrassed, I bought a cheap shirt so I could continue to do the rides. I was too lazy to walk back to the water side to our lockers to get my actual shirt so buying a cheap one, satisfied my current need.
There aren't a lot of rides but with the minimal people, you could actually ride the rides numerous times so that's a plus. Our first ride was the Thunder Canyon. We knew we would get wet so that's why we still had our suits on....there was at least a 45-60 minute wait there however, with Clara's pass, we were able to jump to the front of the line. As the sign stated, we did get wet and had a blast doing so. After that one we went to do the log ride (you get wet there too) but I was denied because of my top. Melissa took the girls and I waited for them to finish. We were going to go back and change...but it was so hot, we dried naturally in about 20 minutes.
We did the ride side from about 3-6 pm and that was long enough (for us); we were exhausted, burned
from the sun and despite the girls pleas to stay, we had an hour drive back to Melissa's so I made the decision to head home.
MUST DOs AT SILVERWOOD:
-get the junior ice cream cone
-get the chicken strips...they look delicious
-claim a chair by the wave pool. Your towel is safe there all day.
-get a locker or two on the water side
-bring your own food/snacks (you'll save money)
-bring water bottles
-one day is enough for this family (11 am- 5 pm was our stretch)
THURSDAY:
After a great night sleep, the girls and I helped Donna with breakfast and then headed to my mom's cousin Anthony's farm about 30 minutes away. He has about 700 acres of blueberry fields and Donna was picking up a pony to bring back to her farm along with some hay.
His farm is beautiful. Besides being so hot outside, the green fields amongst the brown hills were a beautiful contrast. Anthony was so kind and showed the girls how to ride a kid's quad and treated them to a ice cream treat.
We were only there for about 30 minutes but the girls had fun saying hi to all the horses, emus, alpacas, chickens, cockatoos, and the dog.
We got back to Donna's and got the new pony settled.
It was super hot outside so the girls took a "cool break" for an hour or so and then we set up our water balloon fight and rock painting station. FYI the blue water balloons don't work as well during the water fight. They don't break on impact. The multi colored ones seemed to work best.
After dinner the girls (and I) got to ride CeeCee. Donna walked around the horse in the corral and it was the highlight of the trip for the girls. They just loved it.
FRIDAY
We started our journey home around 9 am. I decided to take Hwy 2 home since it is a prettier drive. It is longer though so prepare for that. It takes 5 hours driving time via I-90 but around 6 hours via Hwy 2 (and then add an hour to which ever way you take for bathroom breaks and food breaks).
Although it is a WAY prettier drive I can see why it is a slower drive...it is mostly a one lane road...so when you get stuck behind a slow vehicle or semi....it is hard to pass and you might be stuck behind them for awhile.
Same rule applied on the way home...the girls couldn't use their Ipads until we were 2 hours from home so they entertained themselves for the most part really well.
We stopped in Leavenworth for lunch and our air conditioned car didn't prepare us for the 95 degree heat as we excited the car. Clara and I are big time sauerkraut fans and Leavenworth is famous for their brauts and we knew we couldn't go wrong. Sure enough we found a place that hit the spot. Funnily enough, we ordered a braut and you couldn't even see it through the MOUNDS of sauerkraut on top. Clara was in 7th Heaven.
After lunch we had about 2 hours left so the girls dug into their Ipads and I rocked out to my music.
Overall it was a great trip and something we will look forward to doing every year.
