Oregon was one of the states that none of us had been to, but all of us had high hopes and expectations for. There is no doubt that this state is amazing… We just were unable to view it as we had hope we could. There were wildfires burning up the southern half of the state. Our tires suddenly decided not to be tires and the coast decided it didn’t want to let the sun kiss our skin. Despite our sob story, we had a great time and now know that there is even more beauty to behold when we get a chance to come back in the future.
Memory #1 – Crater Lake
As we made our way out of Northern California, it was very obvious that we were heading into the middle of the wildfires in Oregon. The smell of smoke was unmistakable. The haze was becoming thicker and as we drove across the border into Oregon, we saw signs and detours because of fire activity. Fortunately for us, the fires were far away from us that the biggest problem we encountered was poor air quality and a less than stellar view of Crater Lake. From the rim, we could not even see the water. So we decided to go down to the water.
We hiked down Cleetwood Trail. To our knowledge, it is the only trail that can get you down to the water. We were unable to reserve a spot of the ferry, so we walked the shores past the dock where we found a big cliff. This cliff was no ordinary cliff. It was a 25 foot cliff perfectly placed for crazy people to dive off of. And how could we resist?
Crater Lake is known to have the cleanest and clearest water in the world. It is the second deepest lake in North America. Nothing was going to stop us from jumping in. Not the freezing water temperatures. Not the smoke from the fires. Nothing.
Izabella jumped first! Without a hesitation! Our rock crawling water baby put both of her early desires together and made the leap of a lifetime. I followed right after her. The water was cold, but what a rush!
Memory #2 – Mt. Hood
From Crater Lake, we made our way north to Mt. Hood. This was one impressive mountain! In Colorado we have a bunch of 14’ers, so it wasn’t the size of the mountain necessarily, but the fact that it seemed to shoot out of nowhere. There was nothing even close to it’s size anywhere in sight. It soared over everything around it. We took in the views from Trillium Lake as well as Umbrella Falls. We took the chairlift up the mountain and also hiked the Umbrella Falls Trail.
There was a little shoot from the trail that took us over to Sahalie Falls. Both falls we amazing and with Mt. Hood towering over us, we could help but be in awe of God’s creation!
Memory #3 – Blown Tires
We had ZERO problems with our tires up until week 6. And we had been in some hot places. In Utah, we were in 100+ degree heat. We even had to cut into the top of Arizona to get over to Hurricane, Utah. ZERO problems. Count them. Oh. Wait. You can’t. Because there were ZERO.
But Oregon got us. Not once, but twice. Once on the way to Mt. Hood and the second was on the way to Cannon Beach. Thankfully no one was hurt and Gipzee only took some minor damage. Our tire insurance took care of the $$$ for the repairs. So really, all we were out was about 6 extra hours on the road.
And now, we have 4 new tires. We are praying that we got this blown tires business out of the way and we will have clear sailing from here on out!
Memory #4 – Salem
It wasn’t really that Salem was super cool or anything. It was really more because their Capitol building was so unique. It didn’t have the traditional dome that we had seen in the previous 5 states but it had a bronze statue of a logger. It was actually pretty cool and we are all about unique and unusual. Plus, we enjoyed some ice cream while admiring the lumberjack!
Memory #5 – Cannon Beach
The Oregon blerg got us one last time at Cannon Beach. The fog never burned off. We never really got a clear view on Haystack Rock. We didn’t soak up much sun. But we made some lemonade. We brought the pug and the chicken and the boogie boards. We braved the frigid ocean and road some waves. We walked two miles to get some delicious pizza. And we spent a full day on the beach. That beats our old life any day!
The Wrap
Despite all the blerg Oregon handed us, we have no doubt that it is a state with immense beauty. From top to bottom, east to west. We just happened to be there at the wrong time. Everything we did see and experience makes us want to get back there at the right time to get a full view of its beauty. Until then, we made some great memories and have some fun stories to tell. And that is what this trip is all about anyway!