Hood to Coast - Wayne & Kay's 2nd trip west

Wayne and Kay came to visit for a few days and so we added to their list of things they've seen in Oregon. We began with a MAX ride from the airport all the way to Hillsboro Airport/Fair Complex. Saturday 7/3 we went to Astoria, took the trolley tour, went to the jetty, ate pizza and then drove down to Seaside. Seaside was a zoo so we didn't get out of the car. Sunday 7/4 we went downtown to show them Powell's, Tiffany's, Pioneer Square (Mall), etc. Then we saw the Japanese Gardens and practically got shoved off the bus by a very angry TriMet driver who didn't appreciate that we wanted to ride his bus back to the zoo to catch the MAX instead of getting off at PGE Park to catch the MAX. Jerk. Monday we drove to Mt. Hood and toured Timberline Lodge after traipsing thru the snow to get there (on July 5th...really!)

Portland Rose Festival

June 5th: BBQ and Brew
June 12th: Grand Floral parade and Dragon Boat Races

Katie's Birthday

We went to Seaside to continue the tradition of always being on the beach for Katie's birthday since she moved to Oregon. (24th: Newport, 25th: Astoria, 26th: Seaside) We got ice cream and watched the sun set.

Nathan's Birthday

We went to Newport (early) for Nathan's birthday. Stayed at the Hallmark Inn. Ate at Mo's (horrible wait first time, left, came back next day and froze to death) Ate at Georgie's next to hotel. Got great wine at Depoe Bay. Outlet shopping in Lincoln City.

Circle of Oregon - July 4, 2009

After our accident, my (Katie) parents were a bit shook up on how we were really doing. And apparently it's a mom thing to have to see you in person to really believe you're ok. So, we worked it out for them to come visit for 4th of July weekend.

They got here Friday around noon and we showed them Portland-ish areas. International Test Rose Gardens, our neighborhood, etc.

Saturday, we made a giant circle. We left as bright and early as possible and took I-5 south to Salem headed toward Dallas to see Nathan's grandma. Then we took Hwy 99 over to Corvallis, which I've never done before. We stopped at OSU to show Mom and Dad where Nathan went to school and how similar it is to UGA (yet how different...) Then over to Nathan's parents' house to see Scarlet, Nikki and Gizmo (his parents weren't home but the dogs were!) Then we took Hwy 20 out to the coast (Newport) and as we crested the last mountain and saw the ocean....we saw fog! Weirdest thing ever! We ate at Moe's (of course!) and walked on the beach collecting rocks, not seashells. Weirdest thing for my parents to see me freezing on July 4th instead of melting. Literally, it was around 55 degrees on the beach.

After that we took Hwy 101 up to Cannon Beach where we stopped to see Haystack Rock and then took Hwy 26 home. This was our first long drive since the accident so I was still skittish and we were both sore afterwards but the trip was definitely worth it, 12 hours long as it was.

Katie to Oregon - Nov 2007

Katie flew Delta nonstop Monday, November 19, 2007. Nathan called at midnight PT to serve as Katie's alarm clock. Then she drove to her parents' house with her luggage and they took her to the airport. She was able to check two bags free and only had to move one shoe from one bag to another to avoid the heavy bag fee. The flight was not full and she was able to have an empty seat between her and another lady. The plane took forever, literally an hour or so, before it finally took off but then the flight was smooth and even made better time than expected due to wind currents. She was nervous about the time since she had an interview that day but was obviously not supposed to think about time since her watch died midflight. Besides worrying that she would be late for her interview, the only unsettling part was that this was her second flight without a cell phone. (The first was to Seattle in 2006.) Her new cell phone was waiting for her in Oregon and her old one was now her mother's. The flight crew and her seat companion were all pleasant and Anna was waiting for her when she landed and made it to her interview on time.

Her return ticket was unused =)