Trip To Oregon

Sorry I have not posted in a bit- we were in Oregon last week and then I got a nasty cold and then I had to work all weekend and then I wanted to be a lazy bum.... but I am finally back!

I got a job at an Italian restaurant (see menu here) and am required to work all weekend long which allows for us to travel during the week. We decided to take an impromptu trip down the Pacific coast, cut over to central Oregon, and then drive up through Eugene and Portland.

Our first stop was Long Beach, WA. The name of the beach really is telling you the truth, it is the longest beach in the world.

It was so cold and windy, we could only stay out there for a few minutes. We kept on driving south and took a lunch break at Cannon Beach, OR. This may have been my favorite part of the trip. I had the best fish taco I've ever eaten at this little market/restaurant called Ecola Seafood. Fresh caught halibut with spicy cabbage slaw. Delicious! We had to wander a bit to find the entrance to this beach. Here is a photo of us standing in front of the famous Haystack Rock. 

I have never seen a beach like this before. There were lots of rock formations and winding tributaries that interjected between the ocean and the beach kind of like a maze. Definitely a must see if you are ever in this area of the country. 

At this point, we realized we were running a bit short on time and needed to get over to Eugene to check into our house from Airbnb. Eugene is a very quaint and quiet place. We spent the majority of our time exploring the University of Oregon and eating a lot of food. I got a photo of this sign at a pizza restaurant we went to, which I wholeheartedly agree with. We walked across the street to try a Voodoo Doughnut since there was no line. Denver recently got a Voodoo but the line was always wrapped around the block and apparently the locations in Portland are like that too. We split a doughnut covered with peanut butter and oreos. It was a very good doughnut, but not worth the wait if we had been in Denver or Portland. 

We spent the next 2 days and 1 night hanging out in Portland. Before dropping off our stuff or even getting something to eat, we went straight to the International Rose Test Garden. Unfortunately, we were a few weeks early and the roses were not in full bloom yet, but we took a walk through the gardens and it was lovely!

I cannot even begin to imagine what this place looks like at the end of April. Portland is only a few hours away from Seattle and we already decided to take a trip back to see the gardens when it gets a bit warmer out. These gardens back up to acres of forest, windy roads, the Hoyt Arboretum, and the Portland Japanese Garden. Absolutely incredible. If it weren't for the rain, I could have spent hours wandering around. We went for a short hike before the rain came. 

At this point we were starving and drove over to an up and coming neighborhood called Alberta St. We originally wanted to go to Pine State Biscuits but it was closed. Instead, we found the Grilled Cheese Grill. After we got our food, we ate inside of a school bus. I was really happy the biscuit place was closed and we got to do this instead! 

Another cool thing about Portland is how green and sustainable the city is. Next to the GCG we stumbled upon this really cool hotel called The Tiny House Hotel. It is four individual "hotel homes" which are each custom built and come fully equipped with a kitchen, shower, bathroom, and living space. I had never seen anything like this. 

I got to meet the owner and she took me on a little tour. As you can see here, they are all set up in a parking lot. Pretty cool. Our Airbnb home was just a few minutes away from here so we finally dropped off our stuff and napped for a while (and I got to play with the hosts' kitty cats!). I had gotten a few recommendations from different people to go to the Screen Door for dinner. We had just been in Memphis eating plenty of southern food just a week before, so we decided to continue this trend and got more comfort food for dinner. 

My friend from work gave me the name of a coffee and dessert shop so we took a walk after dinner to the Rimsky Korsakoffee House for a sweet treat. This place does not have its own website, so you can learn about it from the wiki page if you click that link. It's in an old house that is rumored to be haunted. 

It was pretty quirky and fun. Terrible service but very good hot chocolate. 

Day 2 was less jammed packed with activities, but still busy nevertheless. We drove 45 minutes outside of Portland to see Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls.

This is us in front of Multnomah Falls. We hiked up to Wahkeena Falls next.

The moss is so thick and lush, it looks almost golden. This is heaven to me. 

We hung out in downtown Portland for the remainder of the afternoon. The rain was intermittent and unpredictable so we played glow in the dark mini golf! 

And we also went to the biggest book store in the world, Powell's Books. It is in what seems to be a warehouse, basically, and is multiple floors. Each room is color coded dependent on what kind of literature is in the room. I believe I spent the majority of my time in the Red room (the fiction room).

Now we are back in Seattle and took the week to hang out and bum around. We are awaiting the arrival of two of my BFFS from Memphis, Elise and Kelly, to get in town tonight! More blog posts to come soon!

Enjoy!