Evergreen forest meeting the misty Oregon coast

Oregon Coast · Learning together

Our family learning adventures

A living journal of the places we explore, the questions we follow, and the things we learn along the way.

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Among the Giants: Our Redwoods Adventure

April 30, 2026Redwood National and State Parks, Northern California

Our Northern California adventure took us into the towering redwoods, where every trail offered a new sense of scale and wonder. At Trees of Mystery, we hiked beneath the immense canopy, crossed among the trees, and enjoyed a steep gondola ride with unforgettable views through the forest. We also explored Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, walking among ancient trunks, mossy roots, and fallen giants. It was a day of hiking, discovery, and learning together in one of the most remarkable forests we have ever visited.

Field notes from the Bollinger family
Four family members look up at the immense trunk and canopy of an ancient coast redwood.
Standing beneath an ancient redwood
Family members enter a forest walkway surrounded by redwoods and lush green ferns.
Entering the redwood grove
A family member examines the moss-covered roots and trunk of a fallen redwood.
Roots of a fallen giant
Two family members smile together on a carved woodland bench at Trees of Mystery.
A stop at the Rat Pack
Three family members take a selfie inside the gondola as sunlight filters through the redwoods.
Riding through the redwoods
Three family members stand beside the Brotherhood Tree sign among towering redwoods.
The Brotherhood Tree
The family looks toward the steep gondola route high among the redwood trees.
Looking up at the gondola
Family members cross a suspended forest bridge among the redwoods.
Crossing among the trees
Our gondola ride through the redwoods

From the journal

Returning to Seattle: Fossils, Whales, and Future Dreams

December 27, 2025Seattle and Puget Sound, Washington

We returned to Seattle for a trip that brought together so many things we love: paleontology, wildlife, learning, and a city that always feels like home. At the Burke Museum, Jack finally got to see the famous Tufts-Love T. rex skull and explore a place connected to the future he is working toward. Seeing the museum and the University of Washington made it easy to imagine him studying there—and, we hope, interning at the Burke someday. As Washington’s oldest museum, the Burke holds an extraordinary collection of 16 to 18 million objects spanning paleontology, biology, and Northwest Native art. Its interactive labs let us see discovery and preservation happening up close. No Seattle visit would be complete without getting out on the water, so we joined Puget Sound Express for a whale-watching tour. We spotted orcas and humpback whales, scanned the horizon with binoculars, and warmed up with the boat’s famous blueberry buckle. Seattle feels like home every time we return. Who knows—maybe we will find our way back for good someday. Wink, wink.

A family member looks through binoculars from the whale-watching boat on Puget Sound.
Searching the Sound
Three family members bundle up for a selfie during their whale-watching trip.
Together on Puget Sound
Family members sit together inside the Puget Sound Express boat.
Warming up aboard the boat
Three young family members watch the water from inside the whale-watching boat.
Watching for whales
A mounted mastodon skeleton stands in the light-filled Burke Museum.
A giant from the Ice Age
Jack discusses a large fossil skull display at the Burke Museum.
Studying prehistoric predators
A close view of the famous Tufts-Love Tyrannosaurus rex skull at the Burke Museum.
The Tufts-Love T. rex
A fossil preparation lab at the Burke Museum shows paleontology work underway.
Science in progress

From the journal

Learning together, wherever we go

Our family’s learning adventures take us from the Oregon coast to museums, aquariums, and places where natural history comes to life. This is where we’ll collect the moments, questions, discoveries, and stories that shape our homeschool journey.

The family standing together beneath a towering dinosaur model among coastal evergreens.
A family learning adventure
Two family members exploring a sunny beach beside a massive piece of driftwood.
Learning along the Oregon coast
A student smiling in a museum gallery with a long marine reptile skeleton behind them.
Natural history up close
A young student looking closely through aquarium glass at marine life underwater.
Curiosity at the aquarium
Students examining a large prehistoric skull and teeth in a museum display.
Studying the fossil record
A museum exhibit displaying the skeleton of an enormous early whale.
Life before our time
A student standing beside a life-size long-necked dinosaur model in a forest setting.
Among the giants
Two young brothers posing playfully in front of a colorful dinosaur scene.
A lifelong fascination
Four family members bundled in hoodies and hats while relaxing together beside driftwood on the Oregon coast.
A coastal evening together
Family members walking together along a wide Oregon beach beneath a cloudy sky.
Walking the Oregon coast together
A young woman standing beside a forest waterfall and rocky cliff.
Exploring a waterfall trail
A smiling young woman with glasses standing above the ocean at sunset.
Sunset on the coast
A vivid orange sunset over the ocean and dark coastal trees.
An Oregon coast sunset
Three young people gathering around a counter while rolling out dough.
Learning together in the kitchen
A fluffy rabbit sitting on a desk in front of a computer monitor.
A cozy study companion
A young person in an orange cap using a camera while seated on the beach.
Practicing photography at the beach
A mother and daughter bundled in hooded sweatshirts smiling together at the beach.
A beach-day selfie
A mother and three children taking a family selfie in front of a historic house.
Exploring Oregon history together