Family trips are my favorite kind. I love traveling with my sisters for relaxed getaways, and camping with my kids and grand kids to unwind at the end of a long work week, or month. I am also a big fan of traditions. This was our 4th memorial day weekend we went on a family camping trip to kick off the start of the season. We could not have had better weather. The fishing was great and everyone enjoyed the water.

The best part is, we were joined by friends that are family. It was great to catch up and relax by the fire, with cornhole and great food.

Let me know if you would like camp site recommendations!

Since she had to work before we left, we got a late start. Traffic wasn't great, and the GPS took us on a weird non-freeway drive with lots of stop lights that we hit red. The kid slept the entire drive and it was nice to catch up.

We stayed at Siltez Bay Lodge, in old town Lincoln City. It had been years since I had been there, it was a trip me and my sisters often made with my mom. The location of the lodge was great, right on the beach and right next to Mo's. The staff wasn't overly friendly but they were helpful.

I would absolutely recommend Mo's whenever you are near one. The chowder is amazing and the kid loved the cheese burger.

An evening walk on the beach and some writing in the sand rounded out the evening.

From our room you can see the bay, filled with seals, and Taft Dock. Taft Dock was a shipping dock (this area of waterfront is known as Taft Waterfront) in the 1920s. There are rumors of a phantom or ghost ship that can be seen just outside the bay on foggy mornings, we didn't see it. (Fun read here https://www.beachconnection.net/news/ghost_siletz061420.php)

When we first started out on the beach this morning, it was pretty calm, just a bit cold so we bundled up. As we got closer to the ocean, the wind really picked up, it was cold enough to cut through you. It was nice and peaceful, not many people out yet. We found shells and sea glass. On our way back we walked through town. Not much was open.

We attempted to have lunch at Rusty Truck Brewing, but the service was so slow we didn't even get to try their beer. Luckily my daughter was prepared and we had the makings for lunch back at the hotel. The kid ate the rest of his cheese burger from dinner and we had salad and wraps. After a little relaxing and warming up, we headed back out to the beach since the sun was coming out.

We also found a great pizza place, after an early morning flight and a lay over, we needed a food stop for our new arrival. Giordano's, is world famous for there stuffed crusted deep dish, and their pizza is worth trying. Now a brief break before party members 4, 5 and 6 get here.

The gang all made it, we rounded out the evening with In and Out, the Bellagio Conservatory, and sleep.

We scheduled tickets for the Fly LINQ zip-line for after lunch. We had time, so 4 out of the 6 of us walked back to the strip from The Place Station, it's about 1.3 miles, and very worth it after a big lunch. It was starting get a little windy, but we thought nothing of it. The directions on our ticket were a little confusing, but we ended up in a long line at the LINQ box office. We finally got to the right side of the alley and were about 4 groups back, when we were informed the zip-line was canceled due to high wind. We figured we would just call customer service and get a refund. Oh well.

After an amazing dinner at The Cosmopolitan in the "Little Portland" district, we headed back towards our hotel. We figured we might as well give it another shot. This time they told us it was closed to kill the crowd inside. I handed him my ticket voucher and told him I had already missed it once and already paid. He looked at my voucher and said "oh you're viator, go right in". It was a long line but a short wait to get going. There are 13 lines that can go at once. They give you a bag to hold your belongings, and it's a high fly above the courtyard to the High Roller. This was my first zip-line experience, I would do it again.

I feel pretty blessed that I was able to go on a trip with my daughter, daughter in laws, and the definition of friends become family. We have always gone on girls outings, but have missed the last few years, so we decided it was time to get a new tradition going. I can't wait for our next girls trip.