New York. The boys at play.

Vancouver. Anje's hometown. Thank you Rekha and Ashok for your warm hospitality, incredible saag paneer and roti making lessons. We really loved our time with you guys. Lots of great water parks for Zar and Sol to splash around in, amazing wildlife, killer whales in the harbour, water taxis, cable cars, the best sushi, vegemite flavoured ice cream. Too short. We'll have to come back.

A couple of nights at the Ace Hotel in Seattle. Do it yourself waffles for breakfast. Yum.

Seattle. Markets, aquariums with Nemo and Dory, self catered breakfast at swish hotel, trolls hiding under bridges, space needle, good coffee and carnival rides for the boys.

After Portland we headed back to the coast, to Astoria, on the southern side of a 5 mile bridge spanning the Oregon - Washington line. Zar timed the crossing and it took us 6.09 minutes to drive across. Apart from being a sleepy fishing town, the main attraction in Astoria is the Goonies house that seemed to be quite a drawcard for tourists. Interestingly, an Israeli flag hangs out the front of the house along with the stars and stripes that fills the skies of most towns.

We escaped the heat in Portland for a day and headed for Mt St Helens. On the way we were sidetracked by a refreshing swim in a cold lake.