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: Day 11

Day 11 of our adventures left us leaving the beach {boo}, but wine tasting on the way back inland {yay!}.

Before I get to the wine tasting, here are some pictures of our beach bungalow.  If you ever find yourself on the Northern Oregon Coast, give The Getaway  a chance.  We stayed in Unit 9 for 3 nights and each night was about $125.  Remember, we were right on the beach during July, so this is a great deal!

Living Area

Bathroom.  I loved having the couch there to lay our things out for after a shower.

Bedroom with King size bed.  We didn't make the bed much on vacation!

Kitchen...my favorite room!

 After one last goodbye to the beach, we loaded the car and headed to Willamette Valley for some vino!

In case you don't know how to pronounce Willamette just think of the following saying.  "Willamette, Dammit!"  This is how my brother helped us remember the proper way to say it!  LOL

First stop was Montinore Vineyards.  When researching wineries to visit, this was on the TOP of my list for a few reasons: 1. Gorgeous pictures of the vineyards and tasting room on their website 2. LOTS of dessert wines to choose from 3. Reasonable prices and 4. They offer Certified Biodynamic wines.  What does this mean?  Here's the long answer. {Very interesting information}. The short answer is that they use sustainable forms of agriculture and do not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.  SO I am actually drinking grapes rather than pesticides....SCORE!

Isn't this just gorgeous?!?!

Before we move on, here is something very important you need to know about me.  I LOVE wine {duh}, but for every bottle of cab {or merlot, pinot, etc} that Gary & I buy, we buy 3 bottles of dessert wine.  We just love our dessert wine!

Back to blogging.............

Next was Plum Hill Vineyards, a small, family owned winery.  They started their vineyards to make wine for family & friends and it grew from there!  They produce about 90 cases of wine a year, compared to much bigger wineries that can produce 100,000 cases a year.  

We enjoyed a few of the wines and left with a bottle of their dessert wine, Red Velvet 351.  

A few years back, a law was passed that unless a winery was already making a "port" style wine, they could no longer call it Port.  Well, this winemaker used the 351 in the name because those are the first 3 digits you use to call Portugal, Spain.  Pretty clever!  

The tagline for this wine is "Just like Kool-aid but it makes you happier."

That it did!

Up next was David Hill Winery.  The vines from their 2008 Estate BlackJack Pinot Noir were planted in 1965, making them the oldest vines in the Willamette Valley, possibly even the state of Oregon!  

I wasn't {too} tipsy, I took this picture while Gary was driving!

Gorgeous view

I'd love to live in that house!

This was our VIP host....I believe her name was Cory.  She came to greet us right at our car and walked us up to the door.  Then she went back to laying on her bed!  We loved this dog!

Nothing was purchased at David Hill, but we had a nice time talking to the staff there and enjoying their wines!

The next 2 wineries were Kramer and Laurel Ridge, where we ended buying a bottle of wine at each place.

Our last stop of the day was Durant Vineyards, where I tasted the first Chardonnay I have ever really enjoyed!  I am definitely a red wine over white wine kind of girl, since I come from California where reds rule.  But this Chardonnay was excellent!  Sadly, we had already hit our budget with buying wines from the other vineyards, so we had to pass on this bottle.

Wine tasting in Oregon was marvelous experience for both Gary & I.  We knew enough about California wine to talk about the differences, but were open minded enough to try what Oregon wineries are known best for - their Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

If you are ever in Oregon, take a day to do some wine tasting.  It does normally cost you $5-$10 a taste, but Gary & I always shared a taste since I'm such a lightweight he had to drive.  We met some really cool people and had interesting conversations that I know I will always remember.