A Week Without Work!!!

Between Rotation #1 and Rotation #2, I was lucky enough to have a week of vacation. This isn't typical during the rotation schedule, but I had started a week early so that I could find myself in this predicament. It meant that I had a few days to just enjoy Oregon before having to leave...and I was not ready to leave. Not even close to being ready to leave. Even now, two weeks later, I just want to go back...I love the Pacific NW so much!

Anyways, here's a rundown of what I did on my week off...

Saturday - Jakob and I drove up to Olympia, WA, to visit my high school friend Lauren Langley. On the way, we stopped at the Mount St. Helen's Visitor Center...it was gorgeous! After meeting up with Lauren, we spent some time catching up at a local coffee shop downtown. Lauren took us on a tour of town - showing us the lake, the marina, downtown. Turns out, there was also a parade in Olympia that day...so we sat on the curb and enjoyed the parade (no candy though...bummer).






Sunday - Last day in the city of Portland. I showed Jakob the Rose Garden, the Saturday Market, Powell's...all kinds of stuff. Dinner was had at Huber's Cafe, the oldest restaurant in Portland. We watched the sun set over the city from across the river, and took some photos of downtown during the night. It was beautiful. I miss that city.













Monday - Jakob and I headed to the coast. I showed him the Devil's Punchbowl and other scenic overlooks. Unfortunately, it was incredibly foggy and visibility was very limited. But it is still the Oregon Coast, so it was fabulous. We looked through a few tourist shops in Depot Bay, saw the sea lions on the bay, and walked the beach in Lincoln City. For dinner, we ate at the McMenamin's in Lincoln City...such great food. That night, we camped at a state park right on the coast. S'mores over a campfire = good stuff.



Tuesday - Woke up super early to see tide pools at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area; they were amazing...the best tide pools I've seen. Lots of starfish, mussels, anemonae...even a sea cucumber! It was slipery though, and Jakor fell into the water. Oops! Lucky it was only his pride that got hurt. That day, we also explored South Beach (just south of Newport, OR) and saw Cobble Beach (my favorite beach) at high tide when the sound of the water on the stones is amazing :) Later in the afternoon, we drove up Hwy 101, along the coast and through several small towns. We stopped at the cheese factory in Tillamook for cheesecurds and ice cream...the cheese curds were fantastic - just as squeaky delicious as curds from Wisconsin. We made our way up the coast to Canon Beach, where we walked the sand all the way to Haystack Rock. It was very sad for me to have to say goodbye to the coast, but somehow I managed it. I know I'll be back soon.




Wednesday - Spent the day packing, doing laundry, and getting ready to depart Oregon. Rather uneventful. That evening, we went to a movie at McMenamins in Forest Grove for one last show. Since it was Wednesday, I was able to get admission to the movie, a burger, and a beer all for only $10...not a bad deal.

Thursday - Time to leave :( Sadness. We left nice and early, but spent most of the morning visiting the waterfalls just off of the interstate. Beautiful waterfalls of Oregon. Where, as Allison says, "It smells happy." By late Thursday night, we had made it to Missoula, Montana - halfway to Dickinson.

Friday - Drove a long way. Drove all day. Arrived in Dickinson, ND, in the night. Slept well.

Saturday - Kari Gerbig (a friend of mine from NDSU and a fellow BA...and the lovely lady who's apartment I was occupying in OR) + Jeremy Burgard = Mr. and Mrs. Burgard. It was a perfect day for the wedding...sunny, clear skies, and a perfect ceremony. Kari kept me busy as one of her personal attendants. It was so great to get to see some friends from NDSU!












Sunday - Drove all day through ND, SD, WY, and CO. Stopped at Register Cliffs and to see part of the Oregon Trail Ruts in Wyoming...pretty neat stuff. I was excited to finally make it to Fort Collins around 7:30pm. The woman that I'm staying with, Marjorie, is fantastic. I have plenty of space for all of my things, a bathroom for my own personal use, storage for food in the kitchen...it's great. She even has a dog, Shadow, who is a great companion. I couldn't ask for a better living arrangement right now.




It was a busy, yet incredibly enjoyable, week...but time to get back to work in the morning!