03-13-22 Sunday - Depoe Bay, Oregon (Oregon Aquarium Day Trip)

- March 16, 2022

03-13-22 Sunday

Depoe Bay, Oregon

Sea & Sand RV Park Good Sam

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 4

Drive Time: 0

Miles: 0

Arrived:0

Daylight savings time. Crazy weather day. Gusting winds. It hasn’t stopped raining for two days. Checked in with Ryan and Amanda. No breakfast. We decided to meet the crew at Rogue’s Brewery in Newport for lunch then to the Oregon Aquarium.

The Crew

We met everyone upstairs at the brewery. Ordered beer and food. I tried the only cider they had, and it was OK. Nothing to get excited about, which was disappointing. After lunch we went downstairs, and Barry purchased a few shirts and a flask.

Tucker showing off

Off to the aquarium before Tucker jumped out of his skin. What a great place. There is a section with jellyfish and was everyone’s favorite except Tucker. His was the sharks.

The jellyfish were in all different types of tanks, but we loved the huge round one. They are so mesmerizing as they float up and down the tube. From here we went into the tide pool area and the kids were amazed at the sea animals in the smaller tanks. The colors were so vivid. The area with the touch pool was closed for renovation. I think Tucker was disappointed.

Jelly Fish in the Giant Tube

Outside was the large bird aviary with local birds. Two volunteers answered our questions and provided lots of facts about ages, nesting, laying eggs, etc. Some of the birds were 30+ years old. We learned that puffins can live up to 50 years and come back to the same place and mate with the same partner every year.... amazing. How do they find each other? Around the corner from the aviary was a niche that contained an octopus. The tank was dark, and you had to look for him. A volunteer was able to help us find him.

The otters were so entertaining. One otter liked to dribble a ball at the bottom of the tank. Look out Steph Curry! It’s amazing. There was also another otter showing off right in front of us, doing summersaults, and banging against the glass. He was too adorable. See video below.

SHARK TIME... you walk into a tube and the fish swim under and above you. Very cool. This tank only had smaller sharks like leopard sharks. The tank also had schools of anchovies and tuna. The cool thing was when the anchovies open their mouths it looked like a light was shining out of it. The floor had rectangular cut outs with plexiglass over them so you could see the fish swim under you. Tucker had to show us each time one of the larger sharks swam under us. The amazement in his eyes was awesome to see. This kid loves the outdoors and learning about anything related to the outdoors. Seeing things through his eyes is so much fun.

The gift shop was our last stop. Ryan and Amanda left ahead of us to pick up fresh fish at a local fish market for fish tacos tonight. We kept the kids, they picked out crystal rocks for their rock collection we helped them start years ago and the joke was don’t tell their parents. The last thing Ryan said before he and Amanda left was, “Don’t let them talk you into buying them something,” as if I’m going to listen to him. Of course Aunt J is going to buy them something!!!

We loaded the kids into the jeep and headed to the condo. The kids were chatting on the way back which I loved. Such cool kids and so much fun to be with. Amanda had started prepping dinner and would not let us help. She made a mango salsa to go with the tacos that was delish. We hung around the kitchen island and never stopped talking. Seems to be the norm!

Ryan cooked the ling cod on the George Foreman grill provided by the condo owners. Turned out tender and very tasty. I can’t believe Amanda got Barry to eat fish tacos. I have never been able to get him to do so. Tacos tasted amazing.

Then...GAME TIME!!!! There was a Giant Sequence game in the closet, so we taught everyone how to play. Barry and I have played this game numerous times with the Reynolds and Irwins on our houseboats. This is actually a game Barry likes. We divided into three teams and played a practice round. We let everyone show their cards to help, especially Tucker, and ask a lot of “what if” questions. He wasn’t too thrilled with this game but was a great sport. It is a bit difficult for his age. We teamed him up with his mom and gave him a lot of flexibility. It was so funny; at one point you could see the light bulb go on in Amanda’s head and it was game on! Barry and I saw a competitive side of Amanda we have never seen. She was ruthless! Everyone loved this game and can’t wait to play it with their friends at home.

Earlier in the week Barry collected flat rocks from the beach and invented an intense game. He called it Rock Jenga. The idea was everyone stacked a rock on the pile and the person who made the pile tumble got a point, five points and your out. We decided 5 points was too long and to make it three points. It was so much fun. All you need is a pile of flat rocks.

After Rock Jenga, I was finishing laundry, Ryan almost asleep on the floor and Tucker went to bed. Addison zoning out and Amanda getting things together for tomorrow. We were all leaving the area tomorrow. We had such a wonderful visit. Hopefully we can do this again.

For My Genealogy Friends

Family Trees