What do you do when “virtual learning” has everyone at their wit’s end? You stay in a TREEHOUSE… that’s what you do!
The Out ‘n’ About Treesort had been on my bucket list for a few years, but I hadn’t had a reason to take the drive… until NOW!
We were originally going to travel all the way up to Vashon, Washington to stay with some friends for a few days, but that trip was postponed until the spring.
The Treesort was scheduled for our path home, and I just couldn’t bear to scrap it (especially since it is difficult to book).
I was craving a real fall, (colored leaves, rain, and a chill in the air), so even though I faced approximately twenty four hours of driving in six days… I looked at my hubby (who had to stay home for work) and said, “F*** it. Im doing this!”.
So after their last school zoom of the day on a Tuesday, we hit the road at 1:30pm and knocked out the 5.5 hour jump to San Francisco!
We stayed at the Proper Hotel, which I admit was more for me than the kids. Anytime I can check out what Ms. Kelly Wearstler has done… I go for it. Her work is ENDLESS inspiration.
The San Francisco version felt VERY NYC (in comparison to Santa Monica). It is small and cozy, and located in a historical building with design “surprises” in every corner.
I can’t wait to visit the DTLA location when it opens!
Room service and a movie in the evening, and hot chocolate and muffins on the roof in the morning = not a THOUGHT about homeschooling.
After breakfast on Tuesday morning, we hit the road again for a 6.5 hour drive up to the southern tip of Oregon to stay at Out ‘n’ About!
I took the direct (less scenic) route to get us there faster, so we could really enjoy our time in the trees!
You know when you have “expectations”, and you really hope those expectations live up to real life?
Well I was a little anxious, after all of that driving… as I pulled up to the property.
This place better be RAD!
Not only was it rad… it was absolutely magical!
I found fall 🙂 .
And the kiddos found swings and ladders and bridges and horses!
The first evening we stayed in this double decker tree house (apologies for the blurry photo). The bottom level had one queen bed, and the top level had three “bunks”, in addition to a full size mattress at the tippy top. This entire structure slept seven!
Parker and Avery wanted me to spend the night with them, so of course I ended up in the “fort”, as we called it.
Thursday morning we woke up to a very chilly thirty degrees, but it warmed up nicely and we spent a beautiful day zip lining through the canopy!
This is a an “activitree” (there are copious amounts of tree puns) that you can book ahead of time. You can also schedule horseback riding!
For our second night’s stay, we moved WAY UP high to a structure 35 feet in the air!
We had to climb a few sets of stairs and cross three suspension bridges to access the cabin, and as I stated in my Instagram stories, it felt very much like the Ewok village from Star Wars, especially when the bridges were lit up at night!
The upper tree houses have toilets and sinks in the room, so you don’t have to make a precarious descent in the middle of the night to do your business.
This cabin had a bunk bed (sleeps two), and a queen size bed.
Everyone ended up with me by three in the morning, when rain and wind sent us swaying back and forth like a boat in a stormy sea. The creaking and crackling noises were so loud, we snuggled up tight and laughed and told stories until the morning!
Every evening we sat around the fire and made s’mores, and Avery and Parker ran wild around the property.
This place was a total mood reset… and it was exactly what we needed.
Breakfast was served “to go” (pastries, egg sandwiches, coffee) from the kitchen, and we traveled to Cave Junction for lunch, which was about an eighteen minute drive.
Two full days felt like the perfect amount of time here, especially if we had been able to horseback ride. The kiddos, of course, could have stayed a week 😉 .
If you have any more questions about this amazing spot… ask me below!
With rain POURING down Friday morning, we got back in the car… and this time… took the scenic route back to California.
This was my longest drive of the trip at a full seven hours, but it took just slightly longer because of some stops I planned along the way.
I happened to spy this black sand beach from my window and pulled over to give myself a jolt of energy and feel the wet, fresh air on my face!
Here we are on the Avenue of the Giants, a detour that took us off the 101 freeway and added about thirty minutes to our schedule, but it was SO worth it.
We spend a lot of time glamping in the coastal redwoods of Big Sur, but I can never get enough of these beauties.
I could have easily lingered another hour.
It was definitely a fork in the road worth taking.
By 5pm, we arrived in Pt. Reyes.
We stayed at the Olema House, an adorable “cottage” type hotel on a cozy downtown street with just a few restaurants and shops.
The attached Due West Tavern & Market was DELICIOUS, and we bought picnic items on Saturday for our excursion to the beach.
The twenty minute drive to Drake’s Beach passed by the Point Reyes Cypress Tree Tunnel, a popular spot for amateur and professional photographers to snap some shots. We stopped early-ish (9:30am?), and there were a few people there.
On the way home there was a LINE of cars parked on the side of the road.
I know that sunset is a popular time to go, to catch the light, but I would suggest the morning to get some quality “alone” time.
So many trees, so little time.
Drake’s beach was lovely and sunny, and we relished every bit of it (almost four hours!) on this last day of our adventure.
We built a driftwood teepee and I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of 2021 and exploits even more far-flung.
A girl (and her family) can dream, right?
Here’s hoping we can see more of the world soon!
