Disclaimer: The sheer number of pictures in this post should make up for my total failure at posting pictures recently :D. Click on all the collages to make them bigger so you can see the individual pictures.
Chris and I were able to score a free weekend stay at a hotel in McCall, Idaho a few months ago through the referral credit at a daily deal website. The only thing we had to pay for was our gas to get there and food.
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| The Hunt Lodge |
I am so glad we did! Averie did better than could ever be expected on the 8-hour drive there and back, which is probably because she looked like this most of the time in the car :).
And when she wasn't doing that, she was being entertained by this:
And when she wasn't doing that, she was being entertained by this:
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| Best purchase. EVER. |
We checked in and scored some fresh-baked cookies and a bottle of Martinelli's to enjoy during our stay. We got up to our room and were very pleasantly surprised! We knew we were getting a suite but didn't know how spacious it would be! It had a living room where Averie's crib was set up, so Chris and I were able to have some privacy after all :).
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| "My jacuzzi?" "Sorry, but no." :) |
After checking in, we immediately headed down to the hotel pool.
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It was an indoor pool, but the water was still a little chilly, which felt great to Chris and me, but Averie was less than thrilled. We only stayed about 30 minutes, and planned to go back down to the warm spa later in our trip, but we got so sidetracked with other activities that we never made it.
The first night was pretty rough on Averie, creature of habit that she is, who did not like the hotel crib (and we didn't either, since she kept trying to climb out of it!).
The second day was our "activity day." We started with a big breakfast at The Pancake House across the street from our hotel.
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| Averie reading while we wait for our table |
There, we discovered plate-sized pancakes and cinnamon rolls as big as your head! It was all deliciously homemade and the prices were amazing for what you got.
We drove back down to Boise (2 hours from our hotel) and visited the zoo. Averie loved getting up close to the animal exhibits. Unfortunately, most of the cats were either hiding or sleeping...
She loved sitting on the "animals" and trying out the Fennec fox ears.
She was dying to try out the giraffe slide, but the metal was too hot :(.
We did see the real deal sampling a tree though!
She was a little unsure about feeding the goats at the Zoo Farm.
She loved pressing her face to the glass to see the Komodo dragon, watching the tortoise eat his salad, and getting up close to the colorful birds.
Her favorite exhibit was the meerkats (Timon, anyone? :D) and the meerkats loved her, too! We got her a stuffed one at the gift shop as a souvenir.
We ate lunch in a park nearby where the seagulls hovered around our table with hungry eyes. There was a lone squirrel scouting for food and Chris was able to get him very close and feed him! The squirrel then proceeded to taunt the seagull with his bit of bread. LOL.
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| Squirrel is the light brown spot near the top of the tree |
After that, we went to this AMAZING playground called Adventure Island. I am so sad we don't have anything like this near us. Amazing slides of varying heights and steepness, including a twisty slide, a climbing area that Averie adored, and swings. Check out this collage -- our camera has a continuous shot feature, so I was able to get lots of pictures of her "in motion" on the slides and swings!
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| Beginner slide |
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| A little bit bigger and better |
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| Twisty slide! |
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| Biggest and best! :) |
The best part was a splash pad! Averie ran through in her clothes (good thing we always have a backup outfit!) because we forgot her swimsuit.
Halfway through, Averie lost her pants because they were so weighed down with water!
It was a great way to cool down after how warm the zoo was. We are planning to take her up to the similar splash pad at The Gateway. She will love it!
We stopped in at the Children's Museum, but it wasn't as geared toward children (or at least not toddlers) as we'd hoped. Chris and I enjoyed a couple of the exhibits and Averie "shopped" in the Discovery Market.
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| Pedaling to turn the lights on, a histograph, and Chris writing his name using the mirror |
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| Averie shopping. The chocolate milk was the first thing to go in her cart! :) |
The second night back at the hotel went much better than the first. That could have been due to the fact that we absolutely wore Averie out during the day! :)
Our last day there, the hotel let us check-out later than usual so we could sleep in. Yay! We drove in to Boise and the drive between McCall and Boise is like driving through a painting. It is so beautiful and scenic.
We stopped at Baja Fresh for lunch, which is like my California version of Cafe Rio here. There used to be one in Salt Lake, but they closed it, so I was ecstatic to find a Baja on our trip.
After lunch, it was time to start the rest of the drive home.
Chris and I were grateful for the mostly empty roads that allowed us to get home a little bit faster than the GPS had calculated (which bases travel times on speed limits)....
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| My lead foot got away from me.... |
This trip was our first ever vacation as a family of three and I am so happy with how it went. There were more frequent stops for food and diaper changes, but we all had such a wonderful time. I hope we can do it again soon.
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