The Beaver State

We hadn't been back to the Northwest for more than a year. I was starting to shrivel up from lack of moss exposure when luckily a family member's milestone birthday party called us west last month!

We hopped on the Oregon Trail of the air (plane travel, rather than wagon caravan, is definitely the way to go) and were soon enjoying the mildest winter Oregon has seen in a long time.

I got our tickets using frequent flier miles, which means our journey was a bit circuitous. On the way there, we had a 4 hour layover at LAX. I convinced DF that we needed to escape the airport and go say hello to the ocean, so we hailed a cab and headed to the nearest beach. I will say, it's a bit awkward to be wheeling your suitcase down a path with joggers and bike riders passing by. We also weren't really dressed appropriately for the 80 degree weather, having just come from the frigid south (that is not sarcasm). One kind-hearted lady stopped to ask us if we were lost!

We were rewarded for our efforts with lovely ocean breezes and wild flowers blooming.

And, we successfully made it back to LAX in time to catch our next flight, even though it did take the taxi driver awhile to find us. Apparently my directions of "we're at the intersection of Vista Del Mar and Imperial Hwy" were not specific enough...seems rather straightforward to me. Maybe I should have added, "I'm standing with a red polka dot suitcase"!

When we landed in Portland, I had to snap a picture of the famous carpet that's about to be replaced. This carpet has always stuck in my mind ever since I was a kid traveling with a stomach bug, staring at the floor, trying to distract myself from feeling sick by studying the color square patterns. Ah, the memories :)

We picked up our super snazzy rental car, a 2-door Fiat. I loved it! Maybe it was just some kind of observation bias, but I feel like I saw way more little cars driving around Oregon than I ever see in Memphis.

After that, we made a bee-line for the nearest Taco Time. I've probably eaten at Taco Time less than a dozen times in my life before, but recently I've developed a total craving for their crisp pinto bean burrito, and they have no locations anywhere near Tennessee! What is a pregnant lady to do?? I tried making my own at home. They turned out ok, but without a deep fryer, it's hard to achieve the correct level of crispiness. Fortunately there was a Taco Time right off the freeway where I could satisfy my craving. Unfortunately, writing about it now is making me want another burrito...

Once we arrived at our destination, we had a joyous reunion with family. My sister (let's call her The Hipster) was kind enough to take a day off work and show us around all the coolest new places. We enjoyed some curried tofu rice, played old-school arcade video games, and strolled the aisles of a fancy Italian market. We also hung out a coffee shop that offered not only soy milk for your latte, but also almond or hemp. Fancy!

A bit strangely, while we were there, the Governor of Oregon resigned in the wake of a finance-influence-improper use of the powers of the office scandal. I'm not sure I would have paid much attention if I hadn't been in the state at the time. Look what an informed citizen I am now!

When we went out to dinner later that night, I had to get salmon (of course). And DF enjoyed a microbrew sampler with his meal. I got to have a tiny taste of the amber. Oh, I miss good beer.

The evening wrapped up with a little bar hopping with my brother, Junior Fuzzy, who is now of legal age. We also got to tour a luxury apartment building that The Hipster is dying to live in, if only she had the funds.

The next day en route to the birthday festivities, Junior Fuzzy wanted to stop at Clear Creek Distillery that he'd read about online. They make "pure fruit spirits" using local northwest ingredients. That's right, they offer such products as Douglas Fir brandy. I did not imbibe, but those who did proclaimed the products to be tasty. Their big claim to fame is growing pears inside of bottles:

The rest of the trip consisted of lots of family fun and frivolity. It was great to see everyone who we don't get to visit as often as we'd like! I also got to spend an afternoon with a group of friends from high school, which is always wonderful. I'm so glad we've made it a point to stay in touch through the years.

Vacation was over far too soon, and away we went. Looking back through my pictures, I see I went a little crazy trying to capture the splendor of the Cascade range out the tiny plane window.

We had a short layover in Seattle, but it was long enough to grab a basket of my favorite airport food, Ivar's salmon and chips!

After an unexpected overnight in Dallas due to cancelled flights, we finally made it back home where Memphis was covered in a sheet of ice and snow. Guess I should have packed some Oregon sunshine in my suitcase...