Out and about in Oregon

We may have promised a more timely post, but like all things in life, friends, patience is a virtue. Hehaw! Have you yet figured out that it is I, Andrew, who has taken the helm for this post? Join me for a photographic journey of our time spent thus far in the fabled land of Oregon.........

Our tale resumes after our departure from Williams in Southern Oregon. We immediately rented a boat and took off for a rollicking time down the Rogue River. Kidding of course. The above photo is a nod to the Simmons' Brothers and Ms. Newell expedition up the Kisaralik River circa July 2011. Photo courtesy of McMenamins Edgefield; more on this to follow. But I digress. Kristy and I actually drove to Ashland for yet another stop on our continental hot springs tour. A crazy turn of events ensued. To make a long story short, we ran into this guy...

It turns out Dan and I grew up in neighboring towns. It also turns out that over 10 years ago, we went to the same college, at the same time, had girlfriends at the time who were themselves friends, and more likely than not shared beers together. I can distinctly remember Dan from college, although his hair then was much longer and more gnarly. We happened to meet Dan at the hot springs in Ashland only after exchanging phone numbers in order to carpool to yet a different hot springs location the following day. Dan began giving me his phone number, and I immediately recognized the 585 Rochester area code. We spent the next few days with Dan and had a great time together.

There are A LOT of photos in this post, so I will keep the writing to a minimum...from Ashland we drove towards Crater Lake, but, sadly, it was not to be...

DISASTER!!!

just kidding...

Kristy and I tried to make it up to Crater Lake but we were snowed out. We decided to go snowshoeing along the Rogue River instead.

The

ROGUE

RIVER!!!

It reminded

us somewhat

of Alaska (sigh)

But it's even

better!

Because it's

in OREGON!

(No offense

Alaska)

This photo is here to entice certain Alaskans to move to Oregon. Look there are cute turtles here too.

It began raining while we were snowshoeing so we decided to rent a cabin to dry out...and make smores. From the Rogue River we drove north and blessed the Bend, Oregon Walmart with our presence. From there we drove east along the beautiful McKenzie River in search of yet another hot spring.

Cougar Hot Springs along the McKenzie

After a quick dip we continued on towards Eugene where we spent two nights, one in a hostel, and one, you guessed it, in a Walmart lot. We also met our good friend Angela's sister, Mary, for lunch. Kristy and Angela worked at the radio station together in Bethel.

Kristy and Mary

From Eugene we continued east towards the coast. The Oregon coast is nothing short of spectacular. It is rugged and ferocious, rather like a wolverine. It felt wild to have driven from coast to coast to coast. We have now gone over 18,000 miles.

 While on the coast we also stopped to gamble and eat cheese.

Kristy loves cheese and did, in fact, agree to posting this pic 

Unfortunately, we did not win any money. We had our sights set on about $100,000 give or take. Honestly, we were overwhelmed by all the noise and flashing lights. It took us nearly an hour (seriously) to finally figure out how to play the slots. They proved too much for us so we resigned ourselves to the roulette table...where we lost. We hung our heads and left for Portland.

Portland is an awesome city. Besides the rain. Just when we were feeling down and out after gambling away our savings, the city and its rollerderby fever were there to pick us up. We can't wait to see Michele (and Angela, and Leah!) compete in Bethel when we visit this summer. Go ROLLERDERBY!

(Notice the man in the suit and bowtie, btw, in the middle of the rink. He was running around the entire time, keeping score or something. He is awesome and definitely added to the entertainment.) So. When in Portland here are a few things you can do to have fun...

Go to the Japanese Gardens - thanks Michele and Greg!

Buy authentic (though damaged) Afghan rugs for a really amazing price in Multnomah Village.

Drive through 10 inches of fresh snow on your way to Britenbush Hot Springs.

Say hello to the resident deer when you arrive at Britenbush.

And soak...

Quick interlude. We made what may be our last official stop at a hot spring destination when we drove to Britenbush. It's about two hours from Portland and well worth the drive. The scenery is amazing and the soaking tubs are about the best around. Kristy had been waiting for this visit since we began our trip.

And one for good measure!

Kristy's friend Tim and his family put us up when we initially arrived in Portland. We had a great time sharing dinner and conversation and hanging with their family for a few days.

And Michele's parents, George and Evelyne, had us by for lunch and a nice visit as well. Many thanks to the Houston's for housing some of our belongings shipped from Alaska six months ago!

Kristy and Molly at the Edgefield

For the past few weeks we have been staying with Kristy's good friend Molly here in Portland. Kristy and Molly (and Tim) met at Britenbush during a workshop over two years ago. We are so grateful to Molly for hosting us for so long. It has been great just to slow down after all our travels. It's also been nice not having to sleep in any Portland Walmart lots in the rain. 

The Japanese Gardens are awesome. Can you say green? Kristy and I are looking forward to visiting the gardens each season to catch all the colors.

Welcome to my world...

We also went to McMennamins Edgefield - thanks again to Greg and Michele! We had a great dinner and walkabout on the grounds. Greg and Michele were married here nearly seven years ago. The Edgefield's entire interior is a mosaic of unique murals. 

Kristy and I leave tomorrow for Southern Oregon and our farming internship. We may or may not attempt another gambling session on the coast. Wish us luck.

Until next time...

Ta Ta!

P.S.  Stay tuned for pictures of the tipi!!!