The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... but mostly The Good

The year was 1993. My parents were taking my brother, Matt, and I on a family vacation to the Pacific Northwest. Our destinations were Mt. Hood, Oregon; Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, Washington; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, Canada. We were finally old enough to do some more physically exerting treks through the mountains. My parents had never shied away from taking us on vacations that were not specifically "kid-friendly," but small children do have their physical limits. 

Our first stop was Portland, Oregon where we did some sightseeing. I distinctly remember the beauty of the Japanese Gardens and Washington Park (definitely Good). (My parents have always prioritized real life experiences over specifically kid-oriented activities. An opinion we have adopted with our own children.) A couple of nights into our trip, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. 

I'm going to stop here and preface this story with a fact about myself: I have a serious allergy to nuts. All types. Yes, peanuts, too. But back in 1984 when I was born, people were much less versed in food allergies. My parents learned the hard way when I had an anaphylactic reaction to a milk derivative in a formula my babysitter fed me as an infant.

Fast forward to 1993, and we had learned by then that although I had grown out of my milk allergy, I was allergic to peanuts and walnuts and a few other varieties. The dish I selected was penne with pesto. I had never had pesto before, but my mom assured me that pine nuts were not real nuts, so I didn't need to worry. Poor mom. What a mistake that was. (Although she's not wrong that pine nuts are in their own, separate category.)

 Not 3 bites into my pasta but my mouth started "tingling." I reported this fact to my mother, but was reassured that being a new flavor, I should "eat some more." A few minutes later, my mouth was really itchy and my lips had swollen to 3 times their normal size. (Stop laughing, Matt!) After my parents took me to the bathroom and saw the red hives covering my body, they knew it was time to take me to the hospital. Unfortunately, the nearest one was across the state border in Washington. So we squeezed ourselves into a cab and made our way to the hospital. 

One epinephrine shot and one IV later (the Bad), and we were back on our way to vacation bliss. 

After Portland, we headed for Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Rainier National Parks. Mount Saint Helens was incredible, in the literal sense of the word. Our visit was 13 years after the massive eruption that altered the landscape forever, and even though many things had begun to grow back and return to the area, the devastation was evident. Even as an 8-year old, I could appreciate the incredible power and inescapable determination of nature. 

The first thing we did on Mount Rainier was to go for a hike to see a few of the ancient glaciers. I remember feeling somewhat lightheaded and tired and a little bit queasy, but my parents explained that altitude sickness can make us feel that way. Later that night, as we were having dinner at our hotel restaurant, I reported to my dad that I wasn't feeling well. He thought it was just my body still trying to adjust to the altitude change. Note to parents: don't ignore your children when they say they might throw up. Needless to say, my father had the rather unhappy task of cleaning up (really Ugly) while I was whisked away to our hotel room to convalesce. 

After a fitful night of hallucinations, fevers, and more nausea, my parents took me to an urgent care center where they diagnosed me with Strep. 

A few good doses of the "pink stuff" later, and I was back on my feet and we were back to sightseeing. I recall being completely enamored with Seattle. The iconic Space Needle (which we got to eat in!), Pike Place Market (people THROWING fish at each other?!), the Museum of Flight, and the underground tour of Old Seattle in Pioneer Square (they built an entire city on TOP of the old one?!). My 8 year-old mind was blown. (Good, definitely Good!)

Seattle Underground Tour

Finally, we finished off our two week vacation in Vancouver, British Columbia. This beautiful city also did not disappoint. We rode the skyride up Grouse Mountain, took a ferry to Victoria on picturesque Vancouver Island, and explored the world-renowned Butchart Gardens. On our last night of vacation, I celebrated by treating myself to fettuccini alfredo. My 36 year old self can hardly stomach the thought of so much rich cream and pasta, but 8-year old me had no qualms. 

I should have. Had lots of qualms. I should have stopped eating well before I was stuffed to the gills. I definitely should have waited before sprinting up to our hotel room to change into my bathing suit and racing my brother back downstairs to the pool. Let's just say fettuccini alfredo + being thrown about by your older brother  ≠ sleepytime peace. 

So, my parents cleaned up after me and tended to my misery for the third time on this memorable trip. ( ...again.)

After all that, you would not be surprised if I told you that we were put off traveling, would you? We surely took on too much. My parents should have waited for me to be older. But in actuality, it reinforced our resilience, in my parents minds. We made it through those fiascos with quite a wonderful, treasured vacation under our belts? We could make it through anything. 

Naturally, I remember each illness with clarity, however, it wasn't those negative experiences that formed my memories of that vacation. The rest of the trip is what stands out in acute detail, even though 28 years have passed since then. Even the set-backs took on a humorous aura after the fact. How often can you say you were beset by so many problems on one two week vacation? My parents resolutely kept their chins up and journeyed on. 

Kids bring complications, whether your traveling or not. But to have the chance to expose your kids to worlds beyond their own is a treasure they will never relinquish. It will form them. It will embolden them. It will teach them to appreciate people and customs different than theirs. 

So. We made it. We experienced the Good, the Bad, and the (really) Ugly on that trip... but what stands out the most by far, is the Good. 

Keep checking back here for tips on traveling with kids, highlights from our adventures, and more ridiculous travel stories.

You have kids (or maybe you don't), now travel!