Organically Mo: Oregon/Washington Road Trip: Days 12-14

I could have easily titled this post "Tsunamis, Heat, and HOME."

Day 12 we drove from Albany to Newport, which is a 2 hour drive, but so worth it. It was 90+ in Albany that day and neither Gary or I wanted to be in weather that was so similar to home. Newport was a nice 63 degrees that day.

My cousin Lisa had suggested we check out Newport and while I was researching I saw that a Japanese dock from the tsunami back in 2011 had washed ashore in nearby Agate Beach. At the end of the month it is going to be destroyed, so seeing is was a once in a lifetime experience that we did not want to miss!

We were prepared for the cold, but NOT for the wind!! From our car to the dock it was probably a .75 mile walk, but the wind was at least 15-20mph. I felt like I was walking in a desert {except it was cold and I've never technically been in a desert before}.

So glad I did my hair that morning!

It is so hard to believe that this came across the ocean in just about 13 months.

There was a constant stream of people coming to see the dock. The local news station said they were getting about 5,000 visitors A DAY!!!

One last look at the dock

Now THIS is what I call crazy beach hair!!

Once we shook off as much sand as we could, we drove to Newport.

We couldn't visit Newport without trying out Mo's!! We each had a bowl of clam chowder and shared a plate of fried calamari....holy yum!!

They top their chowder with a pat of butter & some paprika

We even bought 2 of these glasses to have at home!

After lunch, Gary & I walked around for about an hour before heading back to the hotel.

Day 13 was spent driving from Albany to Medford....surprisingly we didn't take any picture that day. Gary & I were both so homesick and had the mindset that if we were going to suffer in the heat, we may as well do it in California.

But we were also looking forward to visiting Ashland the next day, so we stuck it out.

The morning of Day 14, I woke up even more homesick, but was glad I sucked it up once we got to Ashland. I AM IN LOVE WITH ASHLAND! It has such a cool, laid back vibe that I totally connect with.

We checked out Lithia Park, which a 93 acre park in Ashland...we couldn't check out ALL 93 acres, but we spent at least 45 minutes walking around & being amazed at its beauty!

Look how LONG these branches are!

Same branch from the picture above!

After Lithia Park, we walked around Downtown for a few hours, had lunch and did some shopping.

Then we headed back to Medford, checked out the mall there and made a decision - we were going to head back to the hotel, pack up and go HOME! Honestly, it was the best decision to make. It was only 4 in the afternoon, so we could either hang out in the hotel until bedtime, sleep, wake up and drive home with Gary needed constant coffee stops {my husband is NOT a morning person} or we could drive home during the time of day that Gary is in his element, be home by 1am and sleep in our own bed!! Easy decision!

Homeward bound!