Corvallis, OR 2018 (Part I)

Ack! and Ugh! I didn't realize that this post wasn't displaying properly! Whoo! was the background HTML screwy. Fixed!

I've been off on adventures again - back to the West Coast of Oregon to visit the Sister and family. For this trip, The Husband and my Folks's came with. The Parental Units flew back, while the Husband and I drove. So this review will be broken into two parts.

 Part I: Corvallis, OR Thursday (Aug 30) - A very early flight out of Duluth had us up at 330am to get to the airport by 4ish for a 530ish flight to Minneapolis. We had a three hour lay over in Minneapolis, which was nice, then off to Portland. We were on the ground by 1030a, picked up the rental car, and lunch at McMenamins-Kennedy School. My Sister has taken me there before, but it was new to the rest of the gang.

Then off to Corvallis (a 90 minute drive). We did stop at Firesteed Winery - I've noticed several trips they were just off the highway AND they are a wine we can get here. Not the snazziest tasting room - more of a taste, buy and go place, not a sit and linger place. Which was fine. After that checked the Folk's into their AirBnB accommodations (very nice and only a couple miles from the sisters!) and then met up with the sister and family.

I can safely say, I was darn tired after a 330am start and full day of travel!

Friday (Aug 31) - My Sister, Dad and The Husband went crabbing with the Sister's friend in Newport, OR, on the Yaquina river and a little bit out on the ocean. 20ish crabs, and they got to see a couple whales!

Newport, OR

Mom and I spent the day in downtown Corvallis, exploring shops and enjoying lunch. We enjoyed the BIL's and Nephew's company while hanging out on their deck later in the afternoon waiting for our seafarer's to return.

Saturday (Sept 1) - We grabbed the Nephew and went back to Newport. Lunch was at Rouge Brewery, then Folk's took the Nephew to the aquarium while the Sister, The Husband and I wandered the shops in Newport. The place was buzzing with activity due to the holiday weekend, which makes it a fun and vibrant atmosphere.

Because The Husband and I drove separately, we took a detour on the way back to explore two covered bridges of Benton County and discovered a little winery nestled in the valley along the river. So we stopped and hung out for a while. The Harris Bridge Vineyard specializes in Vermouth and dessert wines, and in a couple years, will have brandy.

Harris Covered Bridge, Benton Co, OR

Sunday (Sept 2) - Sunday had the Sister, The Husband and the Sister's friend went fishing on one of the reservoirs east of town. The Folks, Nephew and I went to the local Raptor Rehabilitation center for an open house tour, and afterwards, I took Mom and Dad back to the winery by the covered bridge and we hung out for a long while.

Monday (Sept 3 -) Sister bowed out of a winery run, so I took the Folks and The Husband to the Olive Mill Company (Oregon olive oils!) and Red Ridge Vineyards plus one other winery. We enjoyed a tapas platter and a bottle of wine at winery while overlooking the Willamette Valley WITH a view of Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson. Probably the highlight of the trip.

Mt. Hood is in the middle...really!

Tuesday (Sept 4) - Dropped the Folks off at the airport, swapped out rental cars (it was cheaper to check Car A back in and rent Car B for the drive back) and we were on our way to Spokane via the Columbia River George.

Bridal Veil Falls

Thus ends Part I of the trip! Check back later this week for Part II.