So the walls were closing in here in Seattle. D and I decided to take a little trip down to Portland and out to the coast. I know it's not the best time of year for this but truthfully, I think spring fever has caught me early this year, or possibly the taste of adventure is too rich on my tongue and I couldn't wait to plunge in? We started out on a rainy day, Wednesday, and lugged our things down to the train...yes, we decided to take a train down. This would be my FIRST train ride ever and D's first in America. We arrived late that night in Portland and rested up well, then the next morning explored the downtown area. They seem very fond of the little food stands and we saw them in many areas. We tried out a little stand selling Gyros and decided that it was quite good...but not quite as good as our favorite here in Pike's Place Market ;) I snapped this photo of some nice little statues...the whole block was full of different animals all playing around fountains.
The next morning we started out early for the coast but it was very cold and rainy. I was not very optimistic about how it would be. As we went higher in elevation we hit snow! I was so excited. I never get to see snow in Seattle, at least to that amount so I had to stop the car for...of course, a snow ball fight :p I have to admit though, D was the only one to score a point in that fight :p When we arrived at the coast my fears were confirmed. Cold, rainy and blowy.
After we checked out a little of Cannon Beach we decided to drive down to Tillamook to the cheese factory. Now D could see how they made cheese here in America...and we could get out of the rain! It really is funny, seeing those huge blocks of cheese. D said he thought one would make a great pillow LOL! We stocked up on Cheese curds and wonderful smoked salmon and adding that to our nice loaf of bread we had a wonderful lunch.
The next morning turned out to be very nice compared to the one before :p Wehad a wonderful day visiting the coast. Oregon has many truly beautiful beaches. There were even a few brave souls out surfing!
On our way back to Salem from the beach we stumbled across this little wayside park with the most enchanting stream. I just love the sound of little mountain creeks. D caught a nice pic of it.
Our last day we decided to take a drive up the Wilamette Valley to see the vineyards there. It was so breathtaking. we would come up on the top of a hill and as we crossed over the whole valley spread out below us. We stopped at a quaint little vineyard and sampled some wine, coming away with a nice bottle of Pinot Gris. I think we will save that for a special occasion ^__^
Sounds like a great trip. I love the photos.
ReplyDeleteRacheal xx