Saturday morning we all set out and arrived at Newark International Airport on time thanks to Brian. Pop, Rosemary, Sharon and myself made it to the terminal just before David and Ginny. Before we knew it we were up, up and away. The flight was pretty quick despite the pest I had sitting next to me. Friendly enough old man but very fidgety. We had a little bit of a delay but arrived in Portland around 12:50 PM, checked out our rental vehicles and checked into our Hotel. We drove to check out Abe and Nichole’s new house. The neighborhood was breathtaking with natural gardens mastered in front of each house. Joey and Nichole cooked shish kabobs which were delicious and we all drank wine and chatted. It felt good to be on the ground and out of New Jersey. It was a warm feeling and new this was going to be a fantastic trip.
Sunday we all got up and had breakfast in the Hotel. Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny headed out to see the Spruce Goose, while Sharon and I met up with Joey at the Portland Saturday Market. We met up with Abe and Nicole at Washington Park and toured the Rose Garden. This was awesome. Over 7,000 rose plants and 500 different varieties. We headed out to lunch an old School House built in 1916 that was converted into a restaurant. We all got together for dinner at Kells Irish Pub and Restaurant for dinner and went to VooDoo Donuts afterwards. Sharon and I went back to the airport to pick up our favorite photographer, Janey, then retired for the evening.
Monday we walked to the Leatherman factory. Abe picked up Liz and Mark at the airport and we all headed out to the Coast. We stopped at the Erath and Argyle wineries along the way and pulled up to the beach house in Neskowin which wasn’t quite ready yet so we drove to Mo’s Seafood House in Lincoln City. We drove back to the beach house, settled in and went to the beach and sat around a campfire that Abe and Joey built. Just an incredible feeling listening to the surf and the fire crackling at the same time.
Tuesday Joey, Liz, Mark, David and Ginny walked the beach and climbed Proposal Rock. We had to cross a river that formed on the beach from the water from the mountains. I got some really good shots of the Oregon Beach sea life. Later Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny took a ride south, while Sharon, Joey and myself took a ride north to Pasific City after driving up the mountain across the highway. There we saw a giant sand dune and a large rock that looked like a haystack just off the coast. We backed salmon, and cooked shrimp for dinner and headed to the beach to see the sunset. We watched the Shining to prepare ourselves for the Timberline Hotel.
Wednesday we all went out for breakfast at the local restaurant. Today Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny drove up North 101, while Sharon, Janey and myself drove south to Cape Foulweather in Newport. Sharon and I cooked shrimp scampy for dinner.
Thursday we headed out to Mount Hood. The drive up the mountain wasn’t as intense as I had imagined. The roads were clear of snow and the weather was perfect. The Timberline Lodge was incredible, built in 1936 by the WPA under Roosevelt’s Administration. The project was completed in just 18 months and stands with all the original lumber and iron work that was originally put into it. We went through the wedding rehearsal and all drove down to Government Camp for pizza. The people of the town were friendly just the same as all the people we met in this great state of Oregon.
Friday we woke up early, had coffee and did different things around the lodge. There had to be literally thousands of people who went up to the Mountain to ski. Can you imagine that? Skiing in July… Amazing. The wedding started at 5:30. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was grand. After the reception a bar in the Timberline called the Blue Ox was open to the wedding party and guests.
Saturday we packed and headed back to Portland. We took Rt. 30 which is known in Oregon as the “Old Road” because it was replaced by a newer highway 84. We stopped alone the way at several waterfall sights, Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls and the Bradford Dam on the Columbia River. We ended up getting back in Portland around 5 and stopped for dinner at a restaurant behind the hotel.
