Blogs from Oregon, United States, North America - page 112

As I explore so many wonderful places around the Bend area I find myself falling more and more in love with this place. It comes over me in waves and is caused by the littlest things, like the way the residents are so warm and friendly. When you pass by people walking they look you in the eye, smile and say hello. There is something about the elevation that makes the sky more brilliant - when it is blue it is a deep rich blue, when the sunrises (yes I have been up that early!) it is a brilliant pink, and sunset is a painting of autumn colors. The views, anywhere you look you see mountains in the distance. The smell - much like a campground with fresh pine. The way the city has grown since ... read more

I am about to be off to Sevilla, Spain for 8.5 months. If you want to read my blog, it is all yours. I am not sure how often I'll post, but I figured this would be an easy way to update everyone. Pictures will be included as often as possible!! Please tell anyone that may be interested to go to the url. Miss you all... Here I go!... read more

Alright, the moment you all have been waiting for (or at least since the last blog), the Voodoo Doughnut. As an avid viewer of both the Food Network and the Travel Channel, anyplace that has been featured on both must be worth a visit. We left Mt. St. Helens at around 10am we took Interstate 5, south to Portland, Ore. Not having any other actual destination in mind while visiting Portland, we got a good overview of the city by driving around looking for parking for an hour. Naturally, upon finding a parking spot, it began to rain! Luckily, we have a handy-dandy pocket umbrella (thank you mom!). We walked to Voodoo Doughnuts before all else. Apparently, everyone else has seen the television programs featuring this place, because the line was literally down the street. You ... read more

Fort Stevens was our camping accommodations on Thursday night, as we rolled into town at around 9:00. Being right before the Labor Day weekend, the ranger told us we were lucky to get a spot. Starting Friday, they were booked solid. This was the largest campground west of the Mississippi, and the fourth largest in the country, with well over 500 campsites. Because of the lateness, and the rain, we decided to sleep in the car. In the morning, amidst the gray skies typical of the Pacific Northwest, and a fair share of sprinkles, we proceeded to Astoria, where we had a wonderful tour of the local laundromat. Astoria was named after John Jacob Astor, and is the oldest town in the American west, founded only five years after the Lewis and Clark expedition. It's also ... read more

In Crescent City, California, we took a detour from the 101 and took Highway 199 to Cave Junction, Oregon, in order to visit Oregon Caves National Monument. Not only is Oregon Caves National Monument one of only a few National Parks in Oregon, they are also very rare caves in that they are made of marble. Only 5% of the world's caves are marble, most are limestone. As is the case with the majority of the trip, I underestimated the road and the amount of time that it would take to get to the monument from Cave Junction. The 20 miles on the map were very winding and a relatively slow 20 miles, so we finally got to the Visitor Center at 1:30pm. We also did not plan for the fact that you have to schedule ... read more