The Beaver State
Home sweet home, and it had been too long! The last time that we were in Oregon, it was a wonderful-yet stressful time. The west coast wedding had many ups and downs, to include the missing wedding dress fiasco and some bridesmaids that almost didn’t make it. The wedding turned out beautifully, but we were looking forward to some relaxing family time and some delicious home cooked food. As much as Mickey and I love cooking out and making our own meals on the road, nothing beats my dad’s turkey or my auntie and Nana’s homemade pies. We made our way south from Seattle after spending some time with the Hoovers, and after celebrating my birthday in Edmonds (McKayla got me the Nintendo Switch for my birthday!!!) towards the city by the falls: Oregon City. It was so nice to see our family, and we were so relieved to have finally finished the first leg of our journey. The last time we were in Oregon, we did not have much time to sightsee, so I was ready to show off what the Northwest had to offer to McKayla.
We spent a lot of time with my grandparents new puppy, Mia-who is now best friends with McKayla. ‘The Queen’ spent more time in McKayla’s lap than she did on the floor during our stay in Oregon; she is one spoiled pup! She’s cute, and she knows it. We were in Oregon City just in time for Thanksgiving, and we could not have been happier to spend this special day with loved ones. 2018 was a monumental year for us, and it was nice to have a moment of serenity to reflect on our times together with the family. We had ended our careers in the military, we had two weddings, and we embarked on a journey through our glorious country that has been life changing so far. We have a lot to be thankful for.
Two Queens 
The master and his carved bird
After we stuffed our faces with a mountain of morsels, we headed out to find THE SAVINGS on Black Friday with our good friend, Austin. Like always, the mall, Walmart, Gamestop, etc. was a madhouse. Clothes and consoles were flying off the shelves everywhere, and the lines were going nowhere and nowhere fast. We found a few good deals, but good ol’ Auz got a brand new Nintendo Switch that night and he was pretty pumped! We spent the rest of the night playing it before passing out and sleeping in for what felt like the first time in a while.
As you may or may not know, my family-more specifically my brother, my dad and I, are huge Timbers fans. My dad was keen enough to have landed some playoff tickets for their upcoming match against Sporting Kansas City, and we were just in time to watch them. This was exciting because it was McKayla’s first Timbers game, and I could not wait to see her reaction to the Timbers Army! The Timbers Army are the greatest supporters of any sports team, period. Their relentless devotion, infectious energy, and die-hard mentality for the Timbers is unmatched, and a sight to see. The TA did not disappoint for this home game. A sold out crowd echoed their chants throughout the Rose City as the Timbers and SKC grinded out to a 0-0 tie-but a great game nonetheless. We did put a ball in the back of the net, but it was waived offsides… questionably. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we were so happy that we got to spend the day in Portland with my dad.
Family at Dry Creek Falls
Multnomah Falls, the spot of our west coast ceremony, is famously set near the Columbia Gorge, which is a beautiful home to many hikes, views, and hidden treasures. We decided to go on a hike one day with our friends Austin and Kalee in the gorge, to get lost in the wilderness for a day together. We chose a small hike to Dry Creek Falls, a small waterfall located in the vast area that is the Columbia Gorge. Along for the trip came Kalee’s puppy, Fezzik, the Giant. He is an adorable Golden Retriever who loves to hike and do basically anything outdoors. He is one good boy. The trail was a quick 4 and a half miles to a beautiful amphitheatre-like effect with a waterfall cascading down upon the end of trail from about 70 ft up in the air. The deafening roar of the waterfall drowned out all other sound, and in a sense, the gorge was silent from where we stood. The area had been burnt due to a forest fire, but it was recovering well from what we could see. The Gorge is a truly magnificent experience, and I recommend that all who are able, to check it out.
Once our time in Oregon City was up, we bid our family farewell, and headed east to Bend, the High Desert. My mom lives out there, and it is night-and-day different from the Willamette Valley. Bend is dry and cold, with pine trees everywhere and people scarcely placed throughout the area, which makes for a nice city. There are a lot of breweries in the area and all of them are amazing. When we got my mom’s house, there was little snow on the ground.
Biking around town 
Windy Deschutes 
Me and a cutie 
It was a dry day for our hike 
One happy pupper
The next few days, however, we would get a few feet of fresh powder, which made my mom’s house, located by Deschutes River, a winter wonderland. Barley, her golden retriever, loves the snow, I mean really loves the snow. We went on many walks and bike rides while we were there, and no matter what the temperature was outside (even well below freezing at times) this crazy canine would run and run, and then jump into the river to cool off (again, it’s freezing outside) and then hop out, roll around in the snow to dry off (dog logic), just to repeat the process over again.
Deschutes in the snow 
Cold Meredith 
Winter Wonderland 
Psycho dog 
Psycho dog part 2
We were in town just in time for my 24th birthday, and my mom surprised me with a tour of Deschutes Brewing Company, which brews one of my favorite IPAs: Fresh Squeezed IPA. It was a great time, and I was fortunate enough to have Austin and Kalee drive down and spend the day with us. Shout out to the homies, they went the distance and I love them very much.
Log selfie 
Pumpkin Pie… yum! 
on the beer tour 
At Deschutes Brewery 
Brewing vats! 
Whiskey Flights 
Sunriver Brewery 
Jenga is intense 
Bar hopping on my birthday
While we were in Bend, we went to Smith Rock to hike, and it was grueling. We chose to hike a path labeled Misery Ridge, and the name did not disappoint. Smith Rock is basically a giant lava plume pushed up from the earth’s crust to create this towering, gargantuan structure that is famous for its hiking and bouldering areas. The hike to the top, was a rough one-even Barley was struggling! The view at the top made it all worth it in the end, and you could see for miles-it was breathtaking. On the way down, we stopped to watch some rock climbers in action, and I must say, we were very impressed with what they were doing. There were faces of the rock covered in chalk from previous climbers, and some of those routes looked impossible. There was smooth rock for the majority of these hikes, and I could not believe how strong these climbers were. If you are reading this and have bouldered at Smith Rock, I applaud you.
Monkey Face rock 
a cute climber 
Once our time in Bend was at an end, we said goodbye and headed east, towards Idaho, with Potatoes on our mind and good memories made that we will forever remember. Oregon, you’re still the best state in my books, never change.
Cheers,
-Daniel-