Blogs from Oregon, United States, North America - page 117

After a restful night at the Best Western at Agate Beach we started the day with a tour the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I touched sea stars and we walked through a 200 foot underwater tunnel with 3 different habitats. The seals were getting fed and the otters quickly became my new favorite animal. They way the lazily swim around on their back made me envious I wasn't in the water with them. Time for lunch and we finally got to eat at Mo's. There are several and we chose the original with the garage door where some lady drove through the wall 50 years ago so Mo just put in a garage door and painted a picture of her driving through it. World famous for their clam chowder and it was good. We them proceeded up ... read more

After an hour at Acura of Portland, Sam and his technician informed us the adaptive cruise control was working fine even though they had no idea why it had not been. None the less, they assured us we would be able to tail gate safely across the great Northwest. Seeking serenity, we headed for some the oriental calm of the Japanese Garden at Washington Park. And it was serene. Feeling at one with nature, we strolled across the tennis courts to the International Rose Test Garden and enjoyed the sight and smell of thousands of roses in full bloom. Having nurtured our souls we needed to feed our stomachs and found the Newport Seafood Grill where Rodney had a salmon blt and I had risotto with scallops and prawns. Both were wonderful and would have been ... read more

After spending the night in La Grand, Oregon we learned that you cannot pump your own gas in Oregon. I was surprised to be as outraged that the attendant insisted on pumping the gas and cleaning the windshield now as I was that he would no longer do just that 30 years ago. With a full tank of gas and fresh big drinks, we headed for Portland traveling through Pendleton and down the Columbia River Gorge. The first stop was at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. I had picked up a brochure at the hotel and as we were passing it I asked Rodney to stop. Housed in a beautiful new building the exhibits included information about Lewis and Clark, the Oregon Trail, and the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla Tribes. We then drove down the Columbia ... read more

We said good bye to the house today. After a hectic 2 days of cleaning and last minute packing, we greeted the new owners and their family at 4pm and shortly thereafter said bon voyage to a cherished home. It really was a great place, everyone who came over loved it; the half acre lot, the mature trees, the privacy, the breeze that blew through the back yard, the birds, the quality craftsmanship and design...we will really miss it. But, onto new adventures! We plan on being in Portland through Thursday or Friday and then departing for parts east. We are probably going to need to pare down on what we are bringing with us. Right now we have the Yakima box full and a 2 foot high accumulation covering the rest of the van - ... read more

Mette og Karen har genneført 1/2 Marathon Så er det sket - nuernes nu oprandt i morges kl. 0700, hvor Karen og Mette startede ud på Mettes livs første 1/2 marathon. Ca. 2 timer senere løb de jublende over målstregen i et overordentligt stærkt felt. Pladsen her tillader ikke en omremsning af alle 2000 løbere, men festligt var det, da resten af vore to familier joinede falbaladen og råbte og skreg de svedende atleter de resterende meter - undskyld - yards over målstregen. Løbet foregik på en smuk fredet ø midt i Columbia river tæt på Portland. Over højttaleren annonceredes "Matt Sorensen og Karen Teters" til almindelig jubel. De to atleter har gennem de seneste uger trænet målrettet mod denne dag. 4. juli - Amerikas uafhængighedsdag I dag fejrer amerikanerne deres uafhængighed fra Europa, og det ... read more