Our kids will always remember Oregon for the ziplining and sandboarding. I will always remember Oregon for the coast, the mountains, and the people.
It works out fantastic, you see, because Sheri wants to hear crashing waves near our next home, and I want to see the mountains. Oregon has it all. I know. I know. It rains all the time - but it didn't the week we were there. It was beautiful.
Even though I'm the mountain guy, I can't recommend Canon Beach and the other coastal cities more. Great beaches, great waves, and great food. Take a look at our pics using the link at the beginning to see Haystack Rock. Stunning against the ocean and sky.
However, what I loved the most were the people....especially the Donate Life folks. They not only took advantage of us being there, they called some other states to set things up there. Talk about feeling welcome! We attended a Donate Life board meeting with the kids and toured a Red Cross facility. Great experience, especially for the kids.
We stayed near Portland which left us close enough to most places on the west side of the state. Sand Boarding in Florence was great...until you get in the van and start discovering how many places on your body sand can get into when it's windy. The water blown on us from gorgeous Multnomah Falls was a bit chilly, but at least it evaporated, unlike the sand. One word - chafing.
Three things we didn't expect - how beautiful the southern part of the state was, how long the snow stayed around Crater Lake, and the "you can't pump your own gas" thing. Until we were there, we assumed the beauty of California's Northern Coast just ended at the border. It sounds silly, but it's just one of those odd assumptions. Oregon's got the look too...but don't get out of your car at a gas station to look at it! Can you even wash your own windows? We sat in the car, shivering like frightened bunnies, when they filled our tank...no idea what we could do or not do. Weird.
My only thought is that some lazy politician who didn't want to get his nice new suit wet in the Oregon rain decided to pass a law so he didn't have to get out. It's how the USA rolls...
Best Hotel: The Holiday Inn in Tigard, OR. We got upgraded to a room with a separate bedroom with a King bed and the kids each got their own Queen size. Everyone was happy!
Worst Hotel: The Holiday Inn in Tigard, OR. Well, we only stayed in one hotel which was wonderful. We were always driving to places, but it was nice to have a "home" to come back to. The only problem is at first they didn't have a room with more than one bed even though we reserved a room for 4. Part of the problem is we reserved through Hotwire.com. Some folks at the local level aren't fond of the people using Hotwire and tend to be less accommodating to them. Unfortunately for this particular hotel, we are also platinum members of the Holiday Inn club (since we've stayed so often) so they changed their tune and found us a room...somehow it was there all of the sudden. We still love and use Hotwire whenever we can. You can't pass up 40-50% savings.
Best Restaurant: Yeah it was just candy, but I loved it enough to make myself sick. Bruces Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach - the homemade taffy was worth every stomach cramp. In fact I find myself wanting more now even through we're on the other side of the country.
Best Memory: There were several - we really enjoyed Oregon. On top would probably be sandboarding with the kids, watching them try and slide down sand dunes on a waxed board. If you have children, you know the joy you get when you see their smiles, especially when the smile is because you just wiped out and face planted in the sand...
Worst Memory: See the last 5 words from the Best Memory. Actually, we left Oregon feeling great. It was a great state and we had a great time. Perhaps I was a little sad that I missed zip lining and that we had to miss Crater lake, but that's really about it.
Mini-Golf Winner: Sheri continues to dominate! Levi and I are getting a little scared. Stats at the time: Me-1, Sheri-4, Levi-1, Chloe-0
Possible state to live in: YES. Ok, we need to find a place that isn't constantly rainly - which we're told is Bend, OR. It's on the list!
-Dad
It works out fantastic, you see, because Sheri wants to hear crashing waves near our next home, and I want to see the mountains. Oregon has it all. I know. I know. It rains all the time - but it didn't the week we were there. It was beautiful.
Even though I'm the mountain guy, I can't recommend Canon Beach and the other coastal cities more. Great beaches, great waves, and great food. Take a look at our pics using the link at the beginning to see Haystack Rock. Stunning against the ocean and sky.
However, what I loved the most were the people....especially the Donate Life folks. They not only took advantage of us being there, they called some other states to set things up there. Talk about feeling welcome! We attended a Donate Life board meeting with the kids and toured a Red Cross facility. Great experience, especially for the kids.
We stayed near Portland which left us close enough to most places on the west side of the state. Sand Boarding in Florence was great...until you get in the van and start discovering how many places on your body sand can get into when it's windy. The water blown on us from gorgeous Multnomah Falls was a bit chilly, but at least it evaporated, unlike the sand. One word - chafing.
Three things we didn't expect - how beautiful the southern part of the state was, how long the snow stayed around Crater Lake, and the "you can't pump your own gas" thing. Until we were there, we assumed the beauty of California's Northern Coast just ended at the border. It sounds silly, but it's just one of those odd assumptions. Oregon's got the look too...but don't get out of your car at a gas station to look at it! Can you even wash your own windows? We sat in the car, shivering like frightened bunnies, when they filled our tank...no idea what we could do or not do. Weird.
My only thought is that some lazy politician who didn't want to get his nice new suit wet in the Oregon rain decided to pass a law so he didn't have to get out. It's how the USA rolls...
Best Hotel: The Holiday Inn in Tigard, OR. We got upgraded to a room with a separate bedroom with a King bed and the kids each got their own Queen size. Everyone was happy!
Worst Hotel: The Holiday Inn in Tigard, OR. Well, we only stayed in one hotel which was wonderful. We were always driving to places, but it was nice to have a "home" to come back to. The only problem is at first they didn't have a room with more than one bed even though we reserved a room for 4. Part of the problem is we reserved through Hotwire.com. Some folks at the local level aren't fond of the people using Hotwire and tend to be less accommodating to them. Unfortunately for this particular hotel, we are also platinum members of the Holiday Inn club (since we've stayed so often) so they changed their tune and found us a room...somehow it was there all of the sudden. We still love and use Hotwire whenever we can. You can't pass up 40-50% savings.
Best Restaurant: Yeah it was just candy, but I loved it enough to make myself sick. Bruces Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach - the homemade taffy was worth every stomach cramp. In fact I find myself wanting more now even through we're on the other side of the country.
Best Memory: There were several - we really enjoyed Oregon. On top would probably be sandboarding with the kids, watching them try and slide down sand dunes on a waxed board. If you have children, you know the joy you get when you see their smiles, especially when the smile is because you just wiped out and face planted in the sand...
Worst Memory: See the last 5 words from the Best Memory. Actually, we left Oregon feeling great. It was a great state and we had a great time. Perhaps I was a little sad that I missed zip lining and that we had to miss Crater lake, but that's really about it.
Mini-Golf Winner: Sheri continues to dominate! Levi and I are getting a little scared. Stats at the time: Me-1, Sheri-4, Levi-1, Chloe-0
Possible state to live in: YES. Ok, we need to find a place that isn't constantly rainly - which we're told is Bend, OR. It's on the list!
-Dad
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