Oregon Diary Part I

Scrambling up rocks to get better views, getting eaten by mosquitos, drinkin' beer, and being in love. Our trip to Oregon was a success. Ian and I originally planned a southwest road trip for my graduation and then we forgot how hot it would be in all the places we wanted to go so we decided that mayhap the fall would be more suitable for such an adventure. And so we picked Oregon as our back up. I had never been to Oregon which is a little silly because I grew up in Northern California, so I felt I was about due to see it. We spent around 30 hours in the car spread out over a week. That really isn't too bad, and it didn't feel overwhelming either. We were always so excited to get to the next place so we just kept movin'. This is a post of photos and little thangs I picked up along the way. Part II is coming soon!

Our first stop was Ashland. It seemed like a natural stopping point because it just barely got us into Oregon and we didn't have to continue all the way to our planned destination of Portland. I wanted to check out the Shakespeare Festival as well. There weren't any plays showing the night we were there (although the plays next year look bomb and we might come back for those) but there was an orchestra concert which was actually very pleasant. We were the youngest people by like 50 years but I didn't mind. The theater was gorgeous and watching the sky get darker while listening to a string quartet wasn't bad. We finished off the night with some beers and avocado toast because we are so fucking LA lololol. 

Next came Portland. I fell asleep on the drive up (sorry Ian). Once we got into town we checked into our Airbnb which was a very strange basement but was up in the hills so it was in quite a pretty neighborhood. We headed out to Grassa for dinner which had the BOMBEST garlic bread. Ian said it was just because they put lemon on it but wow it was so good. We walked around for a bit and then headed back for the night. The next day we had breakfast at Tin Shed which I would revisit for the dogs alone. (The food was good too.) We then headed out to Rose Test Garden and surrounding park because as I have said before, we just like going to new cities to look at their parks. After that we headed to Salt & Straw, which we certainly get enough of at home but I mean Portland is their birthplace so we had to. It was back to the Airbnb for a bit and then back out for Deschutes Brewery and amazing mac n' cheese. We finished off the night with Voodoo Donuts. 

I was struck by how little I wanted to shop on this trip. Whenever I used to go to cities I wanted to find the shopping and now I am just so content to go eat and walk around. It's probably also because I'm broke, but it was just an interesting thing because one of the reasons I wanted to come to Portland was so check out the cool designers and artists there and I just had really no desire to do so when I got there. I think I was just very ready for being outside and seeing green after a year in LA. Overall, I liked Portland but it didn't have the magic I wanted it to have. Now that I've graduated, Ian and I are thinking about if we would like to move from LA or stay for a bit. I suggested Portland even though I had never been because I knew of some cool people doing cool things there. I don't know, I liked it...but it just felt like another place where people live. It didn't feel too much different from LA, honestly. Just a little greener, smaller, less diverse, and less overwhelming for sure. Not sure it's for me, but I definitely enjoyed it.

The really good stuff, though, was the Columbia River Gorge. Ohhh man I had been excited about that. Honestly some of these waterfalls looked like they should have been in Iceland. The green, the green! The water! Oh, it was just stunning. We stopped by the Oneonta Gorge, as well. I had really wanted to do the hike through that but I knew that I wouldn't be prepared this time. You have to swim through shoulder height water and with a brand new camera and no water shoes I didn't think now was the time. Although I certainly made attempts. Next time, next time! After the Gorge we drove up to see the Timberline Lodge, which they used in The Shining. It was SO FOGGY we could barely see it, so that was kind of a bust. But the clouds kept lighting up in gorgeous ways for the rest of the day and it made for some lovely pictures. 

 Overall, Oregon = A+. It was just the kind of adventure I needed. I'm so glad I had my new camera and a very patient boyfriend to wait for me when I stop in the middle of the road to take pictures. Look out for Part II of our adventures, which will include a video! And please enjoy this postcard I got on our stop in Eugene with which I proudly identified.