Pecans and Adventure Day 27

Blog prompt: Today is National Pecan Day. Do you like pecans? Why or why not? If you do, do you eat it in a pie or do you eat it plain?

I like pecans but I like them roasted and salted which are hard to find. I don’t like pecan pie that much but I love pecans in my banana bread. Since we were home in February, I decided to pick up the pecans out of my back yard and I can’t tell you how many 5 gallon buckets of pecans that I picked up. I guess I will spend my summer cracking them in order to use them for baking.

Travel Notes:

We left Coos Bay this morning and headed south along the coast. We stopped at lots of lighthouses and overlooks and really enjoyed looking at the views along the beach. We stopped in one small town and Don bought lots of post cards from an antique store while I sat in the car and knitted (and listened to podcasts). Then we finally arrived in Gold Beach where my friends from California have another house. Steve happened to be there today working on it so we called him. It is so cool that we have been able to cross paths as much as we have. If you get a chance, you might to read about how we crossed paths a couple of months ago in Barbados. We went to see their beautiful house along the river and it was absolutely awesome! The huge glass windows look out onto the river and while we were watching, this hawk landing on a branch of a tree across the river about eye level from where we were standing. I think this would be a fantastic place to live and I know we will have to come back to visit them again. After we left Steve, we drove along the coast some more and stopped at lots of overlooks along the way. By the time we got to Brookings, it was starting to get dark so we had to get a hotel. We decided to stay at the Wild River Motor Lodge which was nice and we had a wonderful dinner at Panchos (good Mexican food at reasonable prices).

We are still trying to decide how we will get to Wendover UT. We have three different routes we can take but Don is concerned about going over the mountains and the snow. We might end up taking the interstate down to Sacramento and then the interstate east to Utah. Of course all this is up in the air until tomorrow when we check the weather.

See more pictures on Flickr – click HERE.

Adventure Day 25 (Oregon)

I don’t know where to begin other than to say, “I love Oregon!”

Backpackers on the Appalachian Trail meet people they call “Trail Angels” who do nice things for others just to be nice. Well, today in Oregon, we met Trail Angels who absolutely made us feel loved! We spent a long time in an Antique and Collectibles Mall where I met Peggy Sabanskas, who is the owner. Don was in heaven because they had such great treasures here and spent a long time browsing. Peggy and I sat in comfortable chairs to visit while Don shopped and I had a wonderful talk with her. Finally it came time to leave and we paid for our treasures when Don mentioned it was getting late and I said it was time to hunt for a hotel. Peggy quickly told us that she had the perfect thing for us! She had a gift certificate at this really nice place, called The Landing at Newport and she couldn’t use it so she called her husband at home and had him bring the certificate to us in the pouring rain. Not only did she give us this certificate, but she called the place to see if they had room for us and told them that she was sending us there. What wonderful hospitality she showed us and she didn’t even know us! I am so thankful that there are people like her in this world!

We are now at The Landing at Newport in this fantastic condominium. I feel like I died and went to heaven! There is a full kitchen with a real refrigerator (after being on the road for 25 days and staying in hotel rooms without any refrigerator, please forgive my excitement!). We have this really comfortable living room with a gas fireplace and a balcony overlooking the marina and all of the beautiful boats! It doesn’t matter a bit that it is pouring down rain because it still looks beautiful! There is also a washer and dryer in this condo which is extremely convenient. There is cable TV in the bedroom and the living room as well as wifi throughout the place. It will be so nice to get up in the morning and be able to get on the computer without worrying about waking up Don! If we didn’t travel so much, this would be a really cool place to have.

This morning we headed south to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. We got there about the time the interpretive center opened and met this nice girl at the desk named Kelly. She was so personable and gave us lots of information. When she told us that the tide was low and that this would be a good time to check out the tidepools, we left for Cobble Beach which was right below the lighthouse to see what neat stuff we could find. It was awesome! We saw starfish, anemones, urchins, and even harbor seals! After spending time at the tidepools, we went back to the interpretive center to ask Kelly where we should eat lunch and she recommended the Local Ocean. We had wonderful roasted garlic and crab soup. Then we went back to the lighthouse so we could climb the 114 steps to see the top. After that we went down to another area to look for more harbor seals. By then we were ready to move south. Of course, we didn’t get far before we found the Antique Mall and the rest was history.

See more pictures on Flickr – click HERE.

Adventure Day 24 (Oregon)

We had a wonderful night at the Comfort Inn in Lincoln City, OR. After breakfast, we headed south along the coast t meet my friend Meg. We’ve talked on line for a couple of years so I was really excited to finally meet her. We were going to go to the outlet mall on the way there, but decided to skip it until another time. We thought we left with plenty of time but we kept pulling over to look at the scenery that we decided we needed to just go on with plans of visiting at another time. We arrived about 11am and then we drove to the beach to see what treasures we could find. The big treasure was this crab. Emma and George got wet but you could tell they really enjoyed exploring and searching. It’s amazing when you view the world through a child’s eyes. After that we returned back to the house so the kids could change clothes and then we went to Mo’s for lunch. I ate clam chowder with shrimp in it and it was really good! We really enjoyed being around the two kids and they were so well behaved and a lot of fun. After lunch it was time to leave them and head out for more adventures.

Then we headed back north so we could go to the places we drove by this morning. We thought we would stay at the same hotel as we did last night since it was so comfortable. Then we can mosey down the coast and stop at all the lighthouses and beach overlooks. There were a few interpretive centers we want to stop at and do a few hikes along the way. We stopped by the Tanger Outlet Mall to get our giftcards because of our AAA membership but the office wasn’t open this weekend. We found another Mo’s for dinner which we really enjoyed. I think all that fresh air wore me out though so we will have an early night.

My Sister and Adventure Day 23 (Oregon)

Blog prompt: Today is National Sibling Day. If you have a sibling, describe your relationship. If you don’t, write about someone else’s relationship with a sibling.

My sister and I are pretty close. I think the internet has helped bring us closer since we live about 800 miles apart. As a small child, we were very close even after she got married. She used to tuck me in bed before she left to go home and I loved to go visit her on weekends. When I went away to college she would send me care packages. Later when I first got married and was a new teacher, I was too exhausted to keep up a relationship with anyone including my sister. I also went through some pretty big family problems which tended to isolate us from others. Now that my daughters are married and independent, I have time to rebuild those relationships that I let fall to the wayside. When I am not traveling, I usually talk to my sister by phone at least three times a week and more often by computer. She is a wealth of information and advice, not to mention a great support system. I’m so glad that we have had a chance to get closer again. She tells me stories about my family heritage that I never knew about. I think we had some misconceptions about our younger years and are able to talk about them with each other. We are able to clear them up and realize that the past isn’t important as much as the present. We talk about our lives and are connecting again and this makes me feel so close to her even though we don’t live close. While I’ve been traveling, I haven’t been able to talk to her and I really miss her! My husband keeps reminding me that it is only for 6 more weeks and then I can go back to talking to her regularly.

Travel Notes:

This morning we headed down the coast of Oregon on Hwy 101. We stopped at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at Fort Clatsop. There were 24 students there learning skills that Lewis and Clark had to use so we got to watch too. Then we took a 2 mile round trip hike to the landing which was a beautiful hike. It had been drizzling when we got there but then the sun came out and it was a wonderful hike. Then we stopped at antique stores in different towns along the way as well as stopping to see the beaches. There were beautiful rock formations in the ocean. When we got to Tillamook and went on a tour of the cheese factory which was pretty cool. We ended up staying in Lincoln City which also has a Tanger Outlet Mall. I’m trying to arrange to meet up with Meg, my scrapbooking friend, tomorrow in Florence.

See more pictures on Flickr – Click HERE.

An Antique and Adventure Day 22 (Oregon)

Blog prompt: Today is National Cherish an Antique Day. What is something you own that you think will someday be considered a valuable antique? Describe it.

I have my parents dining room table that they had in China when they first got married. Now it is in my kitchen and it means a lot to me. There is a sliding drawer that goes both ways and it holds silverware my parent reupholstered the seats. It is a small table with a removable leaf and has four chairs.

Travel Notes:

This morning we were going to go to Mt. Saint Helens but most everything was con one side and napkins on the other. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is but I know losed because of the snow. So, we headed south into Oregon. Our first stop was Astoria; not because we knew what was there, but because it was the biggest name on the map after Portland.

When we arrived in town, the Columbia River Maritime Museum was the first thing we saw and I immediately got on the internet to find out the cost and what exhibits they had. It only cost $9 per person (which included the $1 off with AAA discount). The museum was really interesting with lots of artifacts. Our admission let us come and go all day so that worked out well since we left for lunch. The girl at the desk recommended that we go to The Ship Inn which was wonderful for lunch. It was a British type of restaurant so Don had fish and chips and I had a chicken pasty. From our table, we were able to see the Astoria-Megler Bridge which has been used in a lot of commercials. This town has also been in a lot of films like Free Willy, Kindergarden Cop, and the Guardian plus lots of other movies. After lunch we stopped by the Chamber of Commerce and met the nicest people. One lady spent a lot of time with us and made us feel like we were special and didn’t act like we were interrupting her from something else. I loved getting all the information about what to do in Astoria and surrounding areas. Then we went on the trolley ride which was the best deal we found on this trip. For $1 per person we had a 1 hour tour along the trolley route. After the tour we took a tour of the Lightship Columbia which was included in our museum admission.

After that we found a neat motel called the Lamplighter which is located downtown Astoria. I called different motels (so we didn’t have a repeat of last night!) and this person sounded pleasant and the price was just right. When we checked in, the lady who checked us in was not the one on the phone but she was really welcoming too! Only the downstairs rooms have internet access with an Ethernet cable so I’m glad I chose downstairs. They also served soup at 5pm in the lobby and a free continental breakfast in the morning. There was a Pig N’Blanket restaurant right next door which is where we ate dinner. Our room was comfortable and I felt safe so I would highly recommend that people come here if they stay the night.

After checking in, we went to a few antique stores down town and then drove down to see the sea lions that we saw when we were on the trolley ride. After that we drove to Fort Stevens State Park to see the Columbia River Bar, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. It is a really dangerous place for ships and they have to have a Columbia River Bar Pilot to guide them in and out of this area. In fact, we went to see the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale which wrecked in 1906.

See more pictures on Flickr – click HERE.

Problem Solving and Adventure Day 12 (Oregon)

“You have to remember: Problems can be solved. There is something you can do.” ~Jim Hensen. What are your steps to solving problems?

When I have a problems I usually:
1. Obsess about it by talking it all over in my mind and even have conversations with myself about the problem.
2. Then I think of how I want to handle it and the consequences of my actions. I try to look at positive and negative effects.
3. Then I decide how I plan on handling the situation.
4. Then I rant about it to my husband. Of course he wants to help me solve the problem (his way) and I just want him to listen. Then we usually end up arguing about it.
5. It will be a huge weight on my shoulders until I solve the problem and usually can’t do anything until it is solved.

Travel Notes:

We got up and decided to wash laundry before we checked out of the hotel. While the clothes were washing, we were able to eat breakfast. Now we have all clean clothes for the week we are in Seattle at my conference.

After the laundry was finished, we headed down the road along the Historic Columbia River Highway and stopped at the Crown Point Vista House where these nice volunteers gave us lots of useful information about what to see and where to stop. Our first waterfall we stopped at was the Latourell Falls which was gorgeous. Then we stopped at Wahkeena Falls which was nice too. But the Multnomah Falls was magnificent. If you ever get here, these were worth coming to see. There were lots of hiking trails and we wished we had more time to hike but maybe that means we will come back to visit.

After the waterfalls, we stopped at the Bonneville Dam where we we visited the fish hatchery and the sturgeon viewing center. Then at the dam we saw the fish ladders and got a tour of the power house. When we go to Cascade Locks, we crossed over the Bridge of the Gods to Washington. We started to head towards Hood River but then decided it was getting late and we needed to head towards Seattle. I finally got a chance to drive for a little while and drove until we got to the other side of Vancouver, WA. Since it was about 6:30pm, we decided to find a hotel room and stop for the night.

See more pictures on Flickr – Click HERE.

Adventure Day 11 (Oregon)

We left Boise, Idaho this morning and it was pretty cold. When we crossed over the line into Oregon, we picked up a map at the closed information center and I read that we had to have chains when posted. As soon as I looked up, there was a sign that said we must carry chains on this road. Now of course, Mr. I –follow-the-rules-to-a-T starts to get anxious because we don’t have any chains and if we get stopped, we will get a huge ticket. Since there is nothing we can do about we continue forward until we get to Baker City where we stop at a McDonalds and I ask people if they know where there is a Walmart so we can buy chains. I’m told that we would have to go to LaGrande which is about an hour away. Finally we stop at a fire station so I can ask them if they know where we can get chains. The fireman points us to a tire store around the block (Les Schwab) and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be open since it is a Sunday. Yet, as we get there, the door is open and the man is fixing flat tires for these guys and says he has the chains we need. He also said we were lucky that he had to help a semi this morning or he wouldn’t have been there for those guys or us. Then he proceeded to give us a lesson on how to put the chains on the tires (which I hope we never have to do).

When we arrived in La Grande, we had to park on the interstate until the pass opened again. The freeway was closed so everyone just sat there and waited. We watched 3 cars try to cross the median to go the other way but they got stuck. Each one was given a ticket by the state trooper before the wrecker pulled them out and got them on the road again. We weren’t there too long before we were allowed to continue and it was an exciting ride. The road went up the mountain through the national forest and was covered in snow. The snow plows had cleared the road somewhat but it was still really slick and scary.

We stopped in Pendleton, OR for lunch. They have a huge underground and you can take a tour of the underground but it wasn’t open today. Maybe we will come back another day after my conference. We did stop at the Pendleton Mill to see their products. They are famous for their Pendleton blankets. After lunch we kept heading north and decided to go towards Portland instead of straight up to Seattle which meant going through more mountains and passes and snow. I’m glad we went along the Columbia River towards Portland because it was absolutely beautiful. The river is so wide and wild looking. There were windmills as far you can see on both sides of the highway. Don says someone must have sprinkled windmill seeds everywhere.

We drove along the Columbia River to Portland, OR and it was absolutely beautiful. The walls of the Columbia River Gorge rose above us on each side. We took the scenic highway off the interstate for about 10 miles which brought us high above the river with awesome views! We decided that we would have to come back tomorrow because it was starting to get late and we still had to find our hotel.

See more pictures on Flickr – click HERE.