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!

No, thank YOU, Oregon!

Smiles on our faces....we made the right decision!

Gary loved this truck!

We arrived home around 12:45am and were in bed by 1:30.  I slept until 11 and Gary until noon.


There's no place like home!

Oregon/Washington Road Trip: Days 2 & 3

We woke up early on Day 2 and said goodbye to Medford and hit the road to Albany.

On the way, we did took a scenic road to see where it would lead.

I am in love with covered bridges!

We were getting hungry and wanted to eat by the water, so we entered a State Park and when Gary told the guy we just wanted to eat lunch and leave, he was VERY nice and let us go through.  Gary - always connecting with people through the love of food.  ;-)

Our last stop was the WAAAAAY other side of where we ate lunch!  When no one is there to take your picture, take your own!  #MoLaw

About 4pm, we made it to our hotel, Phoenix Inn.  Once again, not the Hilton, but VERY nice.  King size bed with a living area separated by a half wall.  Gary's favorite part?  Seattle's Best coffee served ALL day long!  My husband as been on a caffeine kick since the minute we checked in.

Day 3 was the day we got to sleep in {is it sad that 7:30 is sleeping in to me?}!!

After a filling breakfast, we got ready and headed out for another day of adventure.

Our first stop was Mount Angel, a cute town with Bavarian flair!

How cute is their City Hall???

Next stop was Silverton, where we wanted to check out another covered bridge.  No thanks to a horrible map we had on us, we got lost, so we stopped in the museum/help center, where the nicest lady helped us out.

I am glad we got lost, because as we were leaving the office, we heard water running, so we went to check it out.

I am so jealous that these people have a river right behind them!

AND they have this gorgeous park within walking distance.

We finally got to the bridge, which is the oldest covered bridge in Oregon and the only one you can still drive through.

One thing we saw a TON of today was CHRISTMAS TREES!!!  No joke, we couldn't go 5 minutes without seeing a christmas tree farm...am I the only one who imagined them being grown on a snowy hill??  lol

We finally made it to Silver Falls, but because of Gary's back we could only do the 

 quarter mile walk to the first waterfall.

The minute I saw these Gary told me "don't eat them!"

How amazing s this tree shot?

Hello beautiful!

Thanks to the couple from Michigan who took this picture of us!

You could tell this guy was familiar with this place.  He was running around, drinking water.  We kept thinking he was going to jump in and swim.

Our last stop, and a bit out of the way, was Oregon State University.

Makes me wish I could go back and go to college here!  

Sadly the store was closed, so I had to take a picture for one of my former students who is coming here in the fall!

After our long day, we stopped at Red Robin for some burgers and fries before heading back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we get up early so we can walk around Portland a few hours before heading to Washington to visit our families.

Voodoo Doughnut - here I come!!