Breanne and I picked up our car Monday morning, and said goodbye until next Friday.  We were off to Portland. 

We hopped on Highway 101, and followed the rolling hills until we got to the coast and took it straight south. The gray skies led way to drizzle, and I felt I was beginning to get a feel for what the PNW usually goes through. 

We stopped at an espresso shop.  Cutest place  I’ve ever seen.  Literally.  Coastal town of 250, owner greeted us as we walked in, phenomenal espresso, and a view of the coast.  Someone left a paper, and I was able to read the “Arts” section. Always inspiring seeing what people are doing out there.

We drove onwards without having anything to eat yet, we looked up reviews for a good spot to get some clam chowder.  We didn’t realize how cute/touristy Seaside was going to be.  Cute restaurants, stores, and vacation type places.  The Chowder was good, and the service was better.  We had two cold local brews to match our creamy, peppery chowder. 

We smiled as we walked back to the car, and were enjoying each other’s presence. 

Next stop was a hike within a Nat’l Park.  It was dense green, and saturated with moisture.  Water loving plants that also enjoy shade were in heaven along the trail.  The overlook over the coast was calming and relaxing.  Almost like  a little elf knocking on your ear drum saying, “Hello?  Are you moving out here yet?”…

The next stop we hit some oysters.  $2.50 each from a small town oyster depot.  Shot’em back with Tobasco and lemon. 

We still had a couple hours of driving left to get to Lincoln City. 

Another espresso place came into view on the right while passing through a town.  I had to stop in.

I turned off the road unexpectedly, and told Breanne I’d be right back.

Espresso was great.  They were a roastery, so I bought a bag of beans as well.  Oh, also some delicious chocolate covered coconut macaroons.  Just went insanely good with my Americano.  I think I got Breanne a white chocolate mocha or something.  She enjoyed it : )

Plenty of logging trucks slowed the road as we drove.  Didn’t bother me one bit.  It was cloudy, damp, and the coast was right next to us. 

Lincoln City was one of the larger towns along the coast.  We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and headed out. 

There was a restaurant on the coast that looked fun, located right on the coast, and we took off for it.  Very casual, fish and chip basket, and a couple local brews.

We left the restaurant and walked along the sand as the sun set.  It was cloudy but that only added to the effect. 

A towny bar with the best staff experience I’ve had in a while ended our night. 

We walked in to a bustling tavern, and music and loud talking filled the air.  We sat down at the bar, and the owner made a quip about what we wanted/how we were doing/and just let her know if we needed anything.  She didn’t say all of that, but in a few words, relayed the message.  She was busy, but not too busy to ignore us. 

We ordered a couple beers, and I looked down the bar.  Everyone was on their phones.  It led me to think back to the people I passed along Highway 101.  Everyone was on their phones.  What. Is. Happening…

We woke up early the next day, and drove to a Nat’l Park with a waterfall.  We packed a couple waters, and muffins from the hotel, and trail ran the three mile loop.  It was beautiful (common theme??). 

Back to the car, and off to wine country!

There were a few wineries to stop at on our way to Jeffersonville. 

I didn’t know what to expect from Willamette Valley.  I’ve been to Sonoma wine country, and I’ve heard it’s similar.  This wine trip was very quick (one full day), but everything I saw was kind of lackluster.  That’s a very limited viewpoint, but the ones we went to (St. Innocent and Duck Pond) were supposed to be some heavy hitters.

Scenery wasn’t anything spectacular, and the wine maybe not as good as California??  I don’t know. 

Regardless, our favorite was Duck Pond, and we signed up for their wine club. We bought a Pinot Noir to bring back to enjoy with Kullan and Evan. 

Off to Portland…

Portland!!!!

Here…We…Go: Pastries, Espresso, Ice Cream (twice), Indian street food, Thai street food, Oysters, Mac n Cheese, Ramen, Wine Bar, Brewery:

The highlight of the trip was meeting up with old friends. 

The first day we met with Kate and Peter from our Myanmar Trek!!  It was so nice to see them! 

They just recently launched their business with Kate leading meditation/yoga workouts on video, and Peter doing the producing, and website structure.  It was so much fun hearing how their excitement of how the launch happened with all the emotion involved. 

We walked around the west side of Portland, and they gave a great history  lesson on everything.  We spoke about the trek, and some of our favorite moments.  It was amazing seeing them. 

The next day we met an old friend of mine from high school which was equally amazing!

He’s in a band with his girl friend, and also an editor for a nature literature company.  We had some beers, and way too many laughs about old high school memories. So much fun seeing him.

Then a jazz club, and that was it.  The next day, we headed back to Seattle.