I have been thinking much about our time in Oregon lately. It came towards the end of our trip and we spent a lot of time there contemplating which direction our new life path was going to take us. I can't say that they were all happy thoughts since the "not knowing" was a bit stressful on us. I think it was disappointing to realize that our extended road trip was soon coming to an end. I am confident that the four of us would be happy to live in that little camper forever!
We only drove through Washington since we extended time in Montana to avoid the rain that was expected the Seattle area. By the end of May, we were tiring of the non-stop precipitation we had encountered and would be happy to avoid the rain as much as possible. That being said, we were on our way to Portland, Oregon! Since Justin would be leaving us for a night to run a race in New Mexico, we chose a little state park just outside Portland to camp since it would be more comfortable for the kids and I. We happened to arrive in Portland on a holiday weekend and spent a few nights cramped into a little campsite surrounded by large groups of Oregonian campers. It rained on us every evening, but the daytime hours were beautiful and the kids and I used our two days exploring different parts of Portland.
The morning Justin flew out, we headed into town to see what there was to explore. We spent the morning at a mall, mostly in the Oregon Ducks store. Just as we were trying to decide where to eat, we heard from my friend Cassie and she suggested we meet her to try some local food. The food was amazing! Then, Cassie took us to downtown Portland on one of our most favorite shopping excursions of all time. As we entered Powell's Bookstore, the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. There were so many books! It was fun to watch them run around and try to pick just one book that they would like to read. The next day, the kids and I went for a long drive (only because I am so directionally challenged that we ended up in a town in the opposite direction) to Multnomah Falls. There, the kids and I power-hiked passed the scores of tourists on a trail to the top of Multnomah Falls. There we took another trail which led us on a loop, about 9 miles long, back to our car. Along the way, we saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls and wildflowers. It was a great day! It ended wonderfully too since Justin came "home" that evening. We spent some time with Justin in Forest Park, a forest in the middle of the city, where we explored trails the city escape had to offer.
The next day, we headed to coast. There was no way we could go to Oregon without visiting the coast. We have spent time there before and I think the state has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen! We had decided to stay at a state park on the coast since we would then have easy beach access but after a quick study of the map, we realized we could camp in the national forest nearby. We drove up a road near the Cummins Creek Wilderness area and found a little campsite at the end of a short dirt road. Since the trail was a short run from our campsite, we stayed put for three nights before we ventured down to Cape Perpetua. During the first three days, the trails we found to explore were amazing! We had so much fun running in the Oregon forest, until.....
It happened late one evening, we had just started a movie. We heard strange noises coming from nearby. It was a noise that I had never heard before and I had to find out what it was. Just as I stepped out of the camper, I saw movement about 100 yards away and realized that it was a mountain lion! I called Justin and the kids out to see him. Seeing a mountain lion in the wild is surreal. I was shaking so hard that I couldn't stand up. It was so amazing to be able to have that experience as a family, but it made all of us nervous to continue our runs through that area of the forest.
Cape Perpetua and Yachats, Oregon are so beautiful. We enjoyed playing on the beach, exploring tide pools, and climbing rocks. The kids, and Daisy, ran in circles the entire time we were there. The kids just love spending time on the beach. They are always so happy. It must be the fresh ocean breeze. As much as we would have loved to stay in the area for longer, and because we had tickets to the biggest track meet in the country, we packed up and headed to Eugene.
We only drove through Washington since we extended time in Montana to avoid the rain that was expected the Seattle area. By the end of May, we were tiring of the non-stop precipitation we had encountered and would be happy to avoid the rain as much as possible. That being said, we were on our way to Portland, Oregon! Since Justin would be leaving us for a night to run a race in New Mexico, we chose a little state park just outside Portland to camp since it would be more comfortable for the kids and I. We happened to arrive in Portland on a holiday weekend and spent a few nights cramped into a little campsite surrounded by large groups of Oregonian campers. It rained on us every evening, but the daytime hours were beautiful and the kids and I used our two days exploring different parts of Portland.
The morning Justin flew out, we headed into town to see what there was to explore. We spent the morning at a mall, mostly in the Oregon Ducks store. Just as we were trying to decide where to eat, we heard from my friend Cassie and she suggested we meet her to try some local food. The food was amazing! Then, Cassie took us to downtown Portland on one of our most favorite shopping excursions of all time. As we entered Powell's Bookstore, the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. There were so many books! It was fun to watch them run around and try to pick just one book that they would like to read. The next day, the kids and I went for a long drive (only because I am so directionally challenged that we ended up in a town in the opposite direction) to Multnomah Falls. There, the kids and I power-hiked passed the scores of tourists on a trail to the top of Multnomah Falls. There we took another trail which led us on a loop, about 9 miles long, back to our car. Along the way, we saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls and wildflowers. It was a great day! It ended wonderfully too since Justin came "home" that evening. We spent some time with Justin in Forest Park, a forest in the middle of the city, where we explored trails the city escape had to offer.
The next day, we headed to coast. There was no way we could go to Oregon without visiting the coast. We have spent time there before and I think the state has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen! We had decided to stay at a state park on the coast since we would then have easy beach access but after a quick study of the map, we realized we could camp in the national forest nearby. We drove up a road near the Cummins Creek Wilderness area and found a little campsite at the end of a short dirt road. Since the trail was a short run from our campsite, we stayed put for three nights before we ventured down to Cape Perpetua. During the first three days, the trails we found to explore were amazing! We had so much fun running in the Oregon forest, until.....
It happened late one evening, we had just started a movie. We heard strange noises coming from nearby. It was a noise that I had never heard before and I had to find out what it was. Just as I stepped out of the camper, I saw movement about 100 yards away and realized that it was a mountain lion! I called Justin and the kids out to see him. Seeing a mountain lion in the wild is surreal. I was shaking so hard that I couldn't stand up. It was so amazing to be able to have that experience as a family, but it made all of us nervous to continue our runs through that area of the forest.
Cape Perpetua and Yachats, Oregon are so beautiful. We enjoyed playing on the beach, exploring tide pools, and climbing rocks. The kids, and Daisy, ran in circles the entire time we were there. The kids just love spending time on the beach. They are always so happy. It must be the fresh ocean breeze. As much as we would have loved to stay in the area for longer, and because we had tickets to the biggest track meet in the country, we packed up and headed to Eugene.
