Blogs from Oregon, United States, North America - page 10

Today was s good Rest and Recovery Day for both Bruce and myself. We slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast in our cozy little 2 BR Air B&B and spent some time planning for tomorrow. It will be another long day, climbing over three mountain passes and the temperature will be a record hot day. We are planning to be riding our bikes about 5am to put a good deal of the ride in before it gets rediculously hot. Today we both got haircuts and my beard is gone! I was tired of looking like an old homeless guy! We also spent some time at the Baker Heritage Museum where we learned about the history of Baker County. As with most of the American West, early settlers in the Baker area were in search of Gold. ... read more

It's pretty toasty in Portland and air quality isn't fab, so I needed something with guaranteed shade today - The Grotto ended up being the perfect fit! It's billed as the place "for solitude, peace and prayer" and it didn't disappoint. The lower garden area is free and has a few statues (Jesus with the cross, some other statues off near the cliffside), a grotto with a statue of Mary and a kajillion candles around it, and a small(ish) church you can visit. Thankfully they have an elevator that brings you up the cliff to the upper garden. First place I went to upstairs was the Meditation building - it's on the edge of the cliff and gives you a lovely view off towards the mountains. You could see the haze from here, but it was ... read more

There's just something about the beach that sets your soul alive, and being on a beach in a faraway land is something else altogether. The first time I saw the Pacific Ocean, I was 25 and my husband and I were on our first big road trip. We had settled on traveling down Highway 101 in Oregon, then catching Highway 1 all along the coast of California. For two kids from North Carolina who had never ventured west of the Mississippi River, this was a life-changing trip of a lifetime. While I adored the rugged cliffs of California and had my breath absolutely taken away as we crossed along Big Sur near sunset, my favorite part of the journey actually happened during the first few days of the trip, before we even crossed over the Oregon/California ... read more

7/31 Like most bed and breakfasts you choose a time when you would like to eat. This morning at the Portland White House, we opted to relax and enjoy the ambiance so our breakfast time was later than normal. The dining room was fully occupied save two seats which we promptly took. We were served a truly amazing breakfast. Slabs of bacon next to loads of fresh berries that were piled on top of Tiffany's Dutch German pancake accompanied by real maple syrup filled our plates. Freshly squeezed tangerine juice, coffee and opportunities for second helpings if you dared. I was eating well beyond my capacity! We were joined by many friendly people sharing their travel experiences and tips as we sat around the long dining room table. The International Rose Test Gardens were first on ... read more

No wifi on the train, so this is the first time we've been able to update. The Amtrak from Milwaukee to Portland was a great experience--we loved every minute of it. We had a fabulous little sleeping room, the food was great, and we met a lot of nice people including a sweet young Amish couple on their honeymoon. We could not get enough of looking out the windows for hours at a time. Who knew Montana was so gorgeous???? Well, probably a lot of people. But it was a surprise for us. Ned III was waiting at the train station, and we've been spending such good time with him. Yesterday we went to the ocean, visited some lovely little seaside towns, and Max n I hiked at a wildlife refuge. I've taken a ton of ... read more