From YVR to PDX: Our first family bike vacation...Day 5, Home Again

As we woke up to our last day in Portland, things were feeling bittersweet. We've spent the last four days preparing for getting out into the city and exploring, but now it was time to pack up our things and get ready to return home to Vancouver. I will admit that personally, I was ready to get back to a routine, and my own bed, but the kids were sad to leave, saying they were going to miss Portland several times. It's nice to know they had fun!

Coralie and I waiting patiently to cross

So after packing up our things and loading them on our bikes, we set off. We had until about 1:00pm to get to the train station, so we killed a bit of time doing a bit of last minute shopping for the kids. Then it was time for one last stop. We had been promising the kids since Wednesday that we would try to stop for donuts once more before we left, and so we made a small detour to the second location of Voodoo Doughnuts on the east side of Portland. It really wasn't that much of a sacrifice for Chris and I, they are fantastic doughnuts!

They taste like awesomeness...really!

After that, it was to the train station and onto the train for our return trip along the coastline. There's something about trips home that seem so much longer. I feel the same when we travel back from visits with our families back East. Maybe it's because the vacation is over, or knowing that it's back to work the next day, or because we all know it'll be a while before our next big vacation. It might be a combination of all three, but either was, it is always sad to end an adventure.

One last bridge crossing on the Burnside,
I believe that made four bridges crossed: Broadway,
Hawthorne, Steel and Burnside

Arriving at Union Station, ready for home

Now we're home, and it's the day after our five day bike vacation, and here are my final thoughts on our little experiment on two wheels. First and foremost, we need to be better prepared next time for minor bike hiccups. I haven't mentioned yet, but I also go a flat on Friday. Thankfully, a quick repair with a patch and the use of our hosts' bike pump had me up and running again, but from now on, we will always have extra tubes, a patch kit and a pump on us when we are travelling by bike. 

Our bikes stored in the baggage car, all
working perfectly again and ready for YVR

I also know that we made the best decision possible in terms of our accommodations. Yes, we were a bit out of the way, and perhaps next time we'll research our proximity to transit a bit better so we don't have a 20 minute walk with a 40 lb sleeping child in our arms, but having a cheap place to stay with a kitchen allowed for two things staying in a downtown hotel wouldn't have. We got to experience the quieter side of Portland while riding along the side streets on our bikes, and we were able to eat on a budget by preparing most meals ourselves. Eating out is always a nice treat, but as anyone with a family knows, even breakfast can turn into an expensive ordeal when you're feeding two hungry, growing children.

There was a lot to take away from our experiences, but I think the biggest thing for me was learning to relax and go with the flow. Our kids are amazing little globetrotters, having travelled throughout Canada, the USA and Europe in six short years. However, they remain one thing, kids. They get tired, they get grumpy, and sometimes, they just don't want to walk or ride anymore, as evidenced with Etienne's mid-ride nap. So when that happens, even if we had plans for what to do next, we need to able to modify them. There will come a day in the not so distant future when our kids will be able to keep up with us and sight see all day long. But until then, vacations will have to be flexible, and we have to be willing to not see or do something we really hoped to for the sake of the kids. The main thing about vacations are spending time doing something different as a family, and I think we succeeded wonderfully. 

Now it's time to rest up before our next bicycle adventure and the perfect way to end the summer...camping on the island! Hopefully we can take some of the lessons learned this past week to help make our long weekend a success. Stay tuned!

From YVR to PDX: Our first family bike vacation...Day One

Coralie and I heading into the station in
YVR at the crack of dawn

It finally happened. After over a year of being in Vancouver nearly every day, the family and I were finally heading out of the city for a proper vacation. Don't get me wrong, I love Vancouver, but as anyone in any city they love can attest, sometimes, you just need to get out and experience something different. Being a budget conscious family, we decided to take our car-free selves to Portland, OR. This will be our third visit to the city, and each time gets less and less touristy and more just about getting away and experiencing something new. So on our bikes, bright and early (5:30am to be exact), we set off from our place in East Vancouver to Pacific Central Station to board the Amtrak Cascade line to Portland.

Our family of bikes being loaded onto the train

The last time we took this train line, we were only going so far as Seattle, and the trip was at night so we couldn't see any of the beautiful landscape along the Cascadian coastline. This time around, since we were leaving as the sun started to rise, we got to see everything. This coastline really is spectacular, with the gorgeous mix of blue sky, clear waters and luscious, green trees. Watching it all go by from my window was so peaceful, and for the first time in months, I felt relaxed and like I truly was on vacation.

My seat with a view

As the stations rolled by on our eight hour journey, the kids switched up between watching the world go by, colouring or doing some back-to-school math refreshers, and watching some retro cartoons, Ghostbusters to be exact. As we moved more inland, Etienne noticed all the farmland and the grazing animals, and was fascinated. It then dawned on me that he actually hasn't spent much time outside of a city environment, and so wasn't used to the sights. That is something we will have to remedy.

The kids having some downtime with Dr. Venkman

My bike, safe and sound in PDX

In the late afternoon sun we arrived at Union Station in Portland, and our bike adventures began. We rode from the station to our home for four nights in the Alberta Arts District, Etienne behind Chris on the trail-a-bike, me on my bike and Coralie pedalling along on her own. It is important to note that we did bring our bikes to Portland during our second visit, but Coralie was still on the trail-a-bike at that time, and Etienne in the trailer, and we drove down. This time, we are relying completely on public transit and our pedal power to get us around the city, something that was very exciting for all of us and a new adventure to add to the books.

Our first sight as we arrived in PDX

Coralie and I biking over Broadway Bridge 

Our home away from home...thanks to Airbnb.com

Chris' bike will live to see another day...
and hopefully a new inner tube

That's when things went a little sour. Just after we had settled into our home away from home, we went to head out to grab some dinner when Chris realized he had a flat on his front tire. Ok, no problem...I managed to remember to bring a patch kit. However, I completely forgot to bring our pump. Thankfully, our host had one to lend us. Unfortunately, Chris' tube has a presta valve, and the pump wouldn't work, and we also managed to forget our adaptor for just such an occasion. With it being after closing time at all the bike shops, it looks like fixing our minor hiccup will have to wait till tomorrow. Not the best start to our bike vacation, but on the bright side, lessons have been learnt, and it can only get better from here!