Oregon, 2017

Another year, another visit to see the Sister and Family!

Thursday - Flight from Duluth to Mpls was a half hour late, which give me 10 minutes to run from Terminal A to the verrryyy beginning of Terminal C.  I did get there before they started boarding, and I should have immediately gotten in line at Starbucks to get some real food, but I waffled too long and ended up having time to grab a bottle of water and a piece of banana bread.  Flight from Mpls to Portland was 40 minutes early and Sister was running almost 40 minutes late, so I got to stand outside and watch the cars go by - which is actually kinda a nice way to decompress from flights and before socializing kicks in.   Lunch at an Iraqi/Middle Eastern restaurant on Albert St in Portland and we stopped at two yarn stores on our way back to Corvallis. 

Friday -  Sister and I dropped Nephew off at school, got donuts for breakfast, bought some gardening supplies and started digging out her flowerbeds.   I have to say, her so-called soil makes the Duluth clay look and feel like the softest, loamy-est dirt ever!  Uff!   Her co-worker/best friend stopped by for a couple hours to chat before he went and picked up his sisters from the airport.  Sister and I finished the one bed in preparation for her Community Garden plants. 

A mantis on her Mum's!

Saturday  Sister's friend C came over with her truck and were off to the Community Garden to pull out the perennials Sister wanted to keep.  We totally filled the back of C's Tacoma! Sister had so much fun plopping her plant babies in the ground, but after five hours we were pooped and the homeless plants were tucked into Rubbermaid containers filled with dirt until Sister could prep some more beds. 

Fishing boats in Newport, OR

Sunday - Sister planned a trip to the coast (yay!), so we bundled the Nephew into the car and away we went to Newport, a fishing/tourist town on the coast.  Supposedly it is the largest town on the Oregon coast at 10,000 people.  Got there about 11a, walked through kitchy shops, looked at sea lions, then K drove over to a lighthouse - alas, no time to tour as we were hustled back into the car and were on the road again.

Where we then drove for another hour or so down the coast to Yahutz (I'm butchering that spelling), with one stop at a glass blowing shop (such beautiful work!).  We up with her co-worker again and said hello to his two sisters and their husbands.  We did take out chowder from a local restaurant and then wandered the shore picking agates.  Back over the mountains for a quiet evening at the house.

 

Monday -  Sister had a couple of meetings from 11-1, so I had her drop me off downtown where I got to crawl through some interesting stores like Oregon Tea and Coffee Co, some shoe stores, and a couple of clothing stores.  Lunch at a restaurant I enjoy, then I walked a portion of their river walk park.  After the meeting she took me to Benton Lane winery where we did a tasting, then shared a glass, and sat and knit.  Ahhhh.   Supper was at this bizarre sushi place where the food comes around on little plates on a conveyor belt and you just pick up what you want. 

Tuesday -  I was on the 730a shuttle to Portland.  In Portland by 1000aish.  Hotel shuttle was prompt and I was at the hotel by 1030a.  Unloaded my stuff, repacked a little hiking bag, and a High School acquaintance picked me up by 11a.  We grabbed sandwiches on our way out of town to our destination:  Tillmook State Forest and Elk Peak.   8 miles, 4.5 hours, about 1900' in elevation.  First 2 hours were pretty much straight up, remainder was following a very old logging road down down down down.  It was amazing!  At one point in the hike, we could see Mt. Hood.  Dinner then back to the hotel for a very hot, very long shower.  I was a bit sore after that kind of hiking. 

Floating in the middle of the picture is Mt. Hood.

Wednesday - I admit, I cut getting to the airport a bit closer than I should have that morning.  I didn't count on the family of 6 with their all their luggage, six coolers and deep sea fishing poles on the shuttle in addition to everyone else.  And I underestimated how long security lines could be at 5 in the morning (PDX is great tho, they'll open up extra check points).  AND I scheduled my connecting flight rather too close at MSP - I *thought* I had an hour to get from point A to point B, and realized once we were on the ground...they were boarding in 5 minutes!   Mad mad run across the airport. I made it.  They were running about 20 minutes late.  Whew! 

On the ground in Duluth at 145p.  Home.  Unpacked.  Did laundry.  Tidied the house.  And then chilled until it was time to take Kep to Obedience School at 6p. 

Great great trip.  Looking forward to more adventures on the West Coast!