Oregon

Well, another stage of our summer is officially complete. Last night we pulled into the driveway at about 10 p.m. We were tired, but very happy to be home! Kevin couldn't wait to jump into our soft, pillowy bed with its high-thread count sheets and fluffy down duvet. There is just no place like home!

Oregon was a good time though. Kevin is now just 15 credits away from completing his masters! By this time next year we hope to be going back down to Eugene except this time it will be for his graduation. He worked really hard and I'm so proud of all that he has accomplished so far. Just a few more classes to go!

I went down to spend Kev's last week with him. I had missed him so much while I was gone to Europe and I was thrilled to see him. I took the Amtrak train down and was greeted by Kev, waiting with a handfull of flowers! The week seemed to fly by! I spent the days sleeping in and reading while Kev and I his friend, Clarence, whom he was living with, went to class. I enjoyed the week and getting to know Clarence a bit more. He was a groomsman in our wedding and now I can see why. He is a good friend. Kevin and Clarence spent some of the evenings playing tennis while I ran on the track and we also went shopping together. I also enjoyed cooking yummy meals for them...I'm so domestic!

Our last full day in Eugene started out interesting. We were awakened at about 7:30 a.m. when Clarence popped his head into our room and whispered, "Hey guys! Wake up!" Apparently some guy was pounding on our door and rattling the handle. We weren't living in the best area so it wasn't a huge surprise but it was still pretty scary! Kev grabbed the tennis racket-our only weapon-and walked toward the door. He yelled "HEY!" and the rattling stopped. We stood there for a few minutes and then I walked toward the door to look out the peephole. Just as I put my eye up to the door the doorknob started rattling again! I screamed and jumped back. Clarence grabbed his phone and called the police but by the time they got there he was gone. We later talked to the apartment manager about it and she said that since there is such a high turnover of people living in the apartments bums will often come by at the beginning of the month to see if they can break into the apartments and get a night of sleep and a shower. Ew. That's all I have to say about that!

We spent that last day running errands and the next day after we had cleaned everything up, packed everything in the car and took Clarence to catch his shuttle for the airport, we left for our trip up the Oregon Coast. We planned to drive up to Astoria and camp and then head home the next day. We left Eugene and drove out to Florence. Even the drive from Eugene to Florence was quite pretty and we used the time to let our sillyness flow.

Our first stop along the coast was the Heceta Head Lighthouse. I have always wanted to tour a lighthouse and this old one was quite a beauty! We both enjoyed it, even if the day was quite foggy! They took us up into the lighthouse and our guide was very interesting. He told us why and when the lighthouse was built and also told us how it has changed throughout the years.
After our time at the lighthouse we continued the drive. We had heard a lot of great things about the coast from the many friends who had been there and I have to say, they were all true! It is truly gorgeous. The scenery is unlike any I have ever seen and it seemed that around every other bend was another gorgeous beach. We couldn't stop at all of them because we didn't have time but we plan to make another trip down the coast in a few years. It is pretty close, after all! We stopped for lunch at a lovely, quaint little restaurant called the Drift Inn Pub and Cafe. It was a family owned and operated business and our lunch was amazing! I had the fish and chips and Kevin enjoyed a grilled tuna sandwich with fries. Yummy!Taking the Three Capes Scenic drive is a must. That was our next portion of the trip and there are points where I felt that I could reach out of my window and touch the ocean waters, they were that close. We stopped in one little town to stretch our legs along the beach and enjoyed watching the windsurfers do their thing in the rough waters. The cool breezes off of the water were a bit surprising to us, but also refreshing after the days spent inland and far from the water. It's amazing how quickly I have grown accustomed to being less than an hour from the water. All of my life I lived without a large body of water near by and now I can't imagine being without it!














We finally made it to the place I had been looking forward to all day, the Tillamook Cheese Factory! I didn't necessarily want to be there for the cheese samples-although the pepper jack and extra sharp cheddar were both amazing-I was there for the ICE CREAM! If you know me, you know that I simply can't turn down fresh ice cream. The Tillamook Ice Cream is premium. It is so delicious. The smooth, creamy texture must be tried! I got a cone with pistachio pecan and chocolate peanut butter flavours. Kevin tried the peaches and cream and root beer float. MMMMMmmmmm! Yummy! If ever you head down the coast make sure that the Tillamook Cheese Factory is on your list of places to stop. You won't regret it!
By the time we left Tillamook we were pretty tired. Since we didn't get a chance to sleep in the morning before we left-due to our would be thief-and the night before we left we were up until after 1 because of all of our packing, we were feeling the effects of major lack of sleep. Although we had planned to make one more stop in Cannon Beach before heading to our camp site we instead chose to drive through it and come back the next morning. God surprised us with one more amazing view before the day ended, however. We drove around a corner and suddenly Kevin said, "Wow! We're above the clouds! I looked over and saw that we were above the cloud line and it took my breath away! We had to stop off for our last pictures of the day!

We got to our KOA at about 9 p.m. and, after putting up our tent in record time, we drifted off to a peaceful slumber. I LOVE camping! Even though it was just the two of us and we were only staying over night there is something about camping that is just right. I love the feeling of the cool, crisp air surrounding me as I snuggle into my sleeping bag. The smell of the campfire and the laughter of friends enjoying stories and games around the flames is one of the perfect scenes of summer. After our completely refreshing night of sleep we quickly packed up our tent and left for Seaside.

The quaint little town of Seaside has a beautiful promanade. We walked down it but after awhile were forced further into town by the cold wind. The little shops were full of tourists out enjoying the day and we joined them, but first we stopped and paid a visit to Lewis and Clark! The entire area has a lot of focus on the Lewis and Clark journey, as much of it took place around here. The old salt cairns are located in Seaside and there is an old fort in Astoria with a museum and such that tells quite a bit about their trek. Although we did not go there this time, perhaps we will get there on a future trip. We both love to learn about history so I can see that happening!

After our stop in Seaside it was time for our final stop of the day before heading home, Cannon Beach. I was excited to go here , because I had heard that it was beautiful. We weren't disappointed! We quickly found a parking space and walked down to the beach. We spent over an hour walking along the beach and then spent more time just sitting on a log looking out at the waves and talking. We enjoyed the view of the famous Haystock Rock and we are sure that we will be back here in the future! We hope to camp here with our camping buddies in future years.
Our trip was wonderful! Spending time together doing these little things always reminds us of why we are best friends! It doesn't matter what we do together, we know that it will be fun and we will walk away with new, wonderful memories. Oregon can now be added to all of our other "us" moments. I wonder what will be next?