.

.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Vacationing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest...

Hello everyone!  I'm back!  As you can see or read or whatever...

I decided that before I got back to 'normal' around here, I'd share a few pictures of our recent vacation to Oregon.  I really think that summer is the perfect time to visit this lovely part of the country - for me, anyway.  I think I've said here that we lived in Portland, OR, for 3 years in the mid-90's.  It was quite the adventure for us native Texans.  And we love to vacation there these days.  So, I'm going to share some pictures and, hopefully, not so much narrative that you fall asleep.  Ha! 



One of my favorite views - Mt. Hood.  You can often get a great glimpse of it as you fly into the Portland airport.  Provided the clouds cooperate.



We spent the first part of our time at Bandon Dunes on the southern coast of OR.  This is a golf resort for 'serious' golfers.  Which my husband is.  He played and loved it.  I took advantage of the hiking and walking trails all over the property.  This trail took me to the bluff above one of the courses.  The ocean is just beyond on the left, but you can't see it in the picture.



This was a glimpse of the 'Forest Trail'.  It was beautiful and peaceful and quiet.  Felt like I was in a fairy tale.



Just off the Forest Trail was a labyrinth, which I walked twice.  As I said, very peaceful and tranquil early in the morning. 



Here was another 'creature' that was travelling on the Forest Trail.  It's a banana slug, I believe.  Interesting coloring, right?  And if you think I sized it up - well, it was about 5 or 6 inches long.  No, I was not tempted to touch it.  Ha!



On July 4th, we drove up the Oregon coast to our second destination.  We stopped here at the Heceta Head Lighthouse and walked the trail up to the lighthouse itself and the lighthouse keeper's residence.  This shot shows how high and what a great view. 



Little 'Peter Rabbit' here was also travelling up to the lighthouse or rather up the trail.



The view from our balcony at the Salishan Resort just south of Lincoln City, Oregon.  This is another beautiful place to play golf and do all kinds of active things.  I walked their trail to the beach and also all around the resort.  Plus, as you can see, I sat in a comfy rocking chair and enjoyed the view.  I meant to read a bunch, but that view....gorgeous...got distracted.



This guy or gal was taking a bath and catching some breakfast as I walked by on the Beach Trail.  Was still there when I came back and I got to see him grab a fish.  Yum!  Ha!



Isn't this fabulous?  Can you imagine seeing a site like this every day?  Well, come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about my friend, Les.  She lives right there close.  Yes, I got to meet up with friends.  As I said, come back tomorrow to meet Les and Robin.  You may know them already.



On Saturday, we drove back to Portland in order to catch a plane home on Sunday.  We also visited the Oregon Zoo.  It had been 20 years since we had been there and, yes, it was crowded.  Fun though.



Lastly, we stopped by the International Rose Test Garden that is also located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon.  I love that garden.  So many beautiful roses and other flowers.  Again, crowded, but so, so worth it. 

And we are back in our circle to saying goodbye to Mt. Hood as we flew out of Portland and home to Texas.  We had a marvelous trip!  Thanks for sharing it with me!

37 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your break with us, Kay. I agree (although it's Washington I've gone to)-- summers are the best time to visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You avoid the rain and get to see a part of the country that is much cooler than where either of us live!

      Delete
  2. How much I would love to have walked on those trails! It looks lovely! Happy you got to meet with Les, that must have been a nice chat! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did have a great time with them, Kay. And, yes, those trails were perfect for me.

      Delete
  3. Oh, and Robin too, I forgot to say!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Welcome back! Your photos are so beautiful... some day I will visit the Pacific northwest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should, JoAnn! I know it's a long way for you, but still...it's gorgeous.

      Delete
  5. Welcome back to the blogosphere! Your pictures are lovely and your vacation sounded like so much fun. Wishing you a happy catch-up time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Catherine! We really had a great time and I wanted to share those beautiful shots.

      Delete
  6. I spent a summer in Portland in 1996 and have always sworn that is a city where I would love to live. There is just so much natural beauty around it and so much to do. My husband recently made his first trip there and loved it too. So maybe one day my dream will come true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, it's funny - we were living in Portland in the summer of 1996. Think we passed on the street? Ha! Yes, you're about an hour from the snow (year round) and about an hour from the ocean. It's perfect. Of course, it does rain for months on end.

      Delete
  7. What gorgeous photos! My husband (also a serious golfer) has been wanting to play Bandon Dunes for a few years. He had back surgery a year ago so it'll be a while before he can cross it off his bucket list. Looks like you had a fabulous time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I hope he gets to play there at some point. Perhaps he can once he recovers completely from his surgery. I don't golf, but I found enough to do.

      Delete
  8. So beautiful! I would love to go the Pacific Northwest someday. I've only been on the west coast once before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'd enjoy it, Angela. It's a great place with lots of beauty, wonderful food, and lots to do.

      Delete
  9. Such lovely pictures Kay; I didn't remember that you lived in those parts for a while.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been a long time now, but it was very memorable.

      Delete
  10. I love the PNW -- it's such a beautiful part of the country. I'm glad you got to enjoy it this summer. Glad you're back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course you love it, Susan! I thought about you as we flew in over the Columbia River area.

      Delete
  11. Much cooler and beautiful! Perfect escape. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely cooler than our areas at this time of year, right?

      Delete
  12. Lovely photos and great places to visit. I have never visited Oregon but I would like to someday.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for sharing, Kay! The pics are gorgeous; I can imagine how beautiful the places are in reality. So good that you met up with your friends, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just couldn't keep those pictures to myself, Melody. LOL

      Delete
  14. I love your photos, Kay. Gorgeous! Sounds like you had a great vacation. I hope to visit that area someday. I have the two Portlands (Oregon & Maine) programmed into my weather app, so I can dream of being cooler while sweating in the Kansas heat. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you about the heat! Yes, I'd like to visit Portland, Maine too.

      Delete
  15. Welcome back Kay! What a wonderful sounding vacation and what gorgeous pictures! I've never been to the Pacific Northwest but it's on my one day list. That banana slug would have made me jump! What an odd looking fellow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that slug was a little too big for my tastes. It was harmless though and odd enough for picture.

      Delete
  16. Your vacation looks and sounds amazing! I’m glad to hear that you are back and also that you had such a good time! Welcome back!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sam! Yes, I'm back for now. Will take another break at the end of the summer.

      Delete
  17. I love Oregon. We visited once with the intention of moving there but it didn't work out. We visited that zoo though. We spent most of our time in Portland but also the places we considered moving to, Tualitin, Lake Oswego and Hillsboro. We really loved Lake Oswego.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We lived in Beaverton and my husband worked in Hillsboro. We went to church in Tigard. We knew that western area of Portland pretty well.

      Delete
  18. I'm so sorry I'm so behind on commenting but life has been nuts. Anyway, what a wonderful adventure you had. I really want to travel there. I bet you were happy to leave the hot weather behind too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't worry about the commenting, Iliana. You've had a lot going on in the last few weeks. Yes, I think you'd like Oregon. With what you've said about your travels to Europe, you're an adventurer.

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!