A few weeks ago, an e-mail alert for $32 round trip airfare into Portland got my wheels turning. I haven't been to the Oregon Coast in probably 15 years so why not? I booked the tickets and rented a car for ridiculously little money.
Then, life happened and a typhoon happened and the trip was cancelled and re-booked about 4 times between then and now. My new work schedule showed me working 55+ hours a week indefinitely and I knew that I wouldn't have another 3-day weekend for a while. Up until Sunday, I was still unsure if I was actually going...but I decided that I'd probably regret NOT going, so I committed.
We drove down to Phoenix Monday after work and stayed with Brian's brother and sister-in-law and then woke up early Tuesday morning to catch our flight. I could tell from the air that the landscape was going to be even more epic than I'd planned...the oranges and reds blanketing the hills were out of control. After picking up our rental car (the "Cadillac of their fleet" and an hour and a half later...) we grabbed lunch and it up Highway 84 east toward Mt. Hood, stopping along the way to hike through the forest and up to some pretty incredible waterfalls.
It took us all afternoon to explore the Colombia River Gorge and eventually we came within view of Mt Hood. There was a little cloud perched right on top...just as I'd imagined there would be :)
It was freezing and we stopped for dinner at a brewery that happened to be next door to a motel...and a motel sounded really good right about then. We'd planned on camping out for the weekend, but I just wasn't feeling it. I wanted hot cocoa and a cozy fire and a warm bed. We finished up our Pizza, Salad, and draft beer and headed to our room where I took a bath and passed out right about 8 pm.
The next morning, we woke up to pouring rain and a remarkably dark sky...it doesn't really brighten up there until after 8 am which took some getting used to. We got breakfast at the motel and then hit the road to the coast, up through Washington and down to Seaside all the way to Cannon Beach. The wind was blowing about 70 mph, making a casual stroll down the beach difficult.
We walked through town (where a herd of elk were grazing in the town park) and got fish and chips before exploring the forest to Ecola State Park where the trees meets the beach. It was breathtaking. When I'd gone to the Redwoods in May, I'd hoped to find what I found here...mossy giants and ferns and mist and quiet. Even the road had moss growing on it. The only sound was the waves crashing and raindrops falling on the forest floor and it was magical.
As we drove along, we'd stop at random trail heads and wander deep into the woods.Eventually, we ended up in St. Helens where we met up with an old friend of Brian's for pie and coffee. And once again, we opted for a motel room over camping out :)
It was a short trip but much needed, and now I'm ready to get back to working 55 hour weeks and getting lots of projects done around here in the meantime. Until next time...