The forecast was calling for rain much of the time we were in Oregon, but it kept missing us. The resulting beautiful weather enabled us to do many fun outdoor activities. I’m sure much our fondness for Oregon has to do with this, as well as with Donate Life Northwest. They are a fantastic group of people, working tirelessly to promote organ donation. It was a pleasure working with them.
Here are some highlights from Oregon:
Most Authentic Meal: We met a friend in Cannon Beach who recommended Mo’s, a local spot, for dinner. Surprisingly, we hadn’t had much fish to eat yet, even though we’d been up and down the West coast, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to partake of a seafood dinner. Mike had halibut fish & chips, and I had an oyster sandwich with a side of clam chowder. The clam chowder tasted like potato soup. It wasn’t fishy at all, so I don’t know why I avoided it for so long! The oyster sandwich was, well, interesting. I was glad I tried it, but I won’t repeat it either. The kids weren’t adventurous with their meals. Levi ordered ribs. (Yes, ribs at a fish place - he’s that kind of guy.) Chloe ordered the kid’s grilled cheese served on a Frisbee. How fun is that?!
Most Regrettable Meal: Burgerville - but not for the reason you’d expect. After ordering, I discovered the receipt was broken down into each person’s individual order, including the nutritional information. Oh boy, talk about regretting your meal choices before you even get it! I suddenly had second thoughts about splitting the milk shake with Chloe. The worst part was my veggie burger had just as many calories as Mike’s meaty bacon burger. It had more fiber and carbs but over 600 calories! The food was good, but if we run across another Burgerville, I’ll definitely order fewer calories. I’m curious if that will that translate into fewer dollars for Burgerville.
Biggest Surprise: I never thought I’d have a photographer and a reporter in my hotel room, much less before 9 am. Such is life on a 365 day trip around the U.S. promoting organ donation; you just never know what to expect! After the initial awkwardness, the interview with the reporter from The Oregonian moved to the dining area. He spent over an hour talking to us and said that we inspired him. I guess you can’t ask for more than that, well, maybe an article on the front page inspiring every reader to sign up as an organ donor… Seriously, thanks Oregonian for getting the word out about the importance and ease of signing up to be an organ donor.
Biggest Twinge of Homesickness: Our Portland area hotel may not have had free apples, cookies, or soup like the last hotel, but it did have a pancake machine. This was something new they were testing on the continental breakfast line. The pancakes roll off the machine, sort of like tortillas roll off the tortilla machine at Chevy’s Tex-Mex restaurant, if you’ve ever been there. Levi put peanut butter on his pancakes, dunked them in syrup, and got a little sentimental. It reminded him of our old home, where I created the triple-decker pancake sandwich. (It was my attempt at healthify-ing pancakes, and it worked until he discovered syrup.)
Worst Closure: Crater Lake. It wasn’t technically closed, it was just snow covered – in June! When you’re from Illinois, you don’t expect snow in June, even in the mountains. Our mountain inexperience shows again!
Most Beautiful Spot: Multnomah Falls. I can’t begin to describe how beautiful it is. Check out the pictures.
Best Tourist Spot: Seaside has a nice promenade along the beach. It was fun walking down the promenade, tossing around a makeshift ball, and smelling the ocean air. Ahhhh.
Worst Memory: Fort Clatsop – to go or not to go was the Q. It was difficult deciding what to see and do when not everyone agrees and when we don’t really know if it’s worth the time and money since we’ve never been there before. Sometimes hurt feelings ensued when we picked one family member’s idea over another.
That was the case with Fort Clatsop. This was the final resting place for the Lewis & Clark Expedition. (Figuratively speaking, I don’t think they’re buried there.) Surely it’s important and historical, but was it worth the drive, money, and grief if it wasn’t exciting?
Finally, we put Fort Clatsop up for a vote, but in the process we discovered that we needed a way to communicate if this was something important to us. After all, we didn’t want to miss out because of the popular vote. Due of the problem with hanging chad, we came up with a code. If it is significant to us, we communicate this by saying, “We’re going to X, and you’re going to like it.” Then we go, no questions asked. (Actually, I’m surprised the kids haven’t tried this with every amusement park and laser tag place since then!)
Best Memory: Zip lining with the kids. Tree to Tree Adventure Park was very professional. They require everyone to watch an instructional video and pass a training course before proceeding onto the taller trees. The course was challenging and fun; the smell of sap was thick in the air; and zipping down the lines with squeals of delight echoing through those big trees was priceless!
My OR Hike: In Cannon Beach we walked along the beach to Haystack Rock and back, catching up with our friend. (Clarification: the adults walked; the kids waded, jumped skipped…It was here we decided that a family rule “Keep your Pants Dry” might be good.) The view was stunning, and the waves were great. I can see why it’s the most photographed on the Oregon coast!
Biggest Revelation: Sometimes politicians can make goofy laws. We were quite perplexed the first time we pulled up to the gas pump in OR, and two burly guys sauntered over to our van. We thought we did something wrong or, worse yet, were about to be mugged. Turns out in OR it’s against the law to pump your own gas…really? Does the government really need to restrict my gasoline pumping? Isn’t this just another example of too much government?
What We Did Miss: Crater Lake, Bend, most of Portland, Mt. Hood, Fort Clatsop, and much more!
In Summary: Oregon, you’ve got so much to offer, but we took only pictures and memories and left only footprints!
-Mom
