Last week I went to Oregon! It was my first time to go and a long needed vacation for me. First, I went to Portland and had dinner with an old friend of mine, from Baltimore. We ate at Boke Bowl and it was pretty delicious. I really don't take photos of food, but this was really flavorful. We had steam buns, ramen, cauliflower/brussel sprout salad and fried chicken, with hot sauce on the side! The next day I went to Powell bookstore. It is like the Strand bookstore in NYC. I really liked walking around and looking at all the books. This place is big, in fact it is 68,000 square feet big. It also sells totes, socks and posters, which I wanted, but decided against it, since it would get damaged while traveling. I got a tote with a bear playing a keytar, and cat socks instead! I also visited Blue Star bakery and had a key lime doughnut. Walking around Portland, reminds me of Brooklyn, but smaller and more manageable and convenient. I could see me and Matt living there. Lan Su Chinese Garden is small, but tranquil. It has koi fish, lotus blossoms, a small waterfall, pavilions, and ornate bridges. It was nice to walk around this little garden. After spending 2 days in Portland, Matt, Bren and Ben picked me up at my hotel. We commuted down to Bend. We stayed in a residential, resort town called Sunriver. Here we went biking, swimming and tubing. Here's a picture of the whole family, and Tom holding up my exploding kittens card game. Thank you so much Kady and Bren for dinners and organizing the cold Deschutes River, but fun, tubing adventure. On day 2, we went to Elk Lake. In the background is the Cascade Mountain Range. Here is where I finally went paddle boarding! A first for me! It was so much fun. The water is cold, but you get used to it. Earlier that day, Matt and I went to the Lava Lands Visitor Center. We took a shuttle to the top of the lava butte which is about 5000 feet in elevation. We also went to the Lava River Cave down the street. It is a different world in the lava tube! With a 42F temperature, total cave darkness, and rocky terrain, I would not want to get stuck down there! Here is Matt at the entrance of the cave and where you descend 55 steps. It was very dark in there, but my camera had a flash and I finally saw how big it was! I could imagine lava flowing in there, forming a cave 80,000 years ago. Lava River Cave is one mile long and in some places, 58 feet high. It takes about 1.5 hours to tour the whole thing. I was getting cold and tired, so we made a U turn and headed back towards the entrance. This picture is of Matt leaving the cave. I really like caves and it is so much fun to explore. There were a lot of families and groups touring this cave, so get there early! After spending 4 nights in Sunriver, we drove to Cannon Beach. Upon research, I decided to stay at this hotel that was the closest to Haystack Rock. It has an amazing view of the beach and the 235 foot rock! Close up, we witnessed sea birds and tide pools. I have always wanted to go here since I saw the Goonies movie. Haystack Rock was formed from lava flows about 10 million years ago. This lava flow also formed some of Oregon's coast. Haystack was once part of the Oregon coastline, but erosion has separated them. Hug Point is on route 101, about 5 miles away from Cannon Beach. It has small caves that are carved in the sandstone and a little waterfall. The reason why it is called Hug Point is because when early settlers were exploring the coast, they had to "hug the road" before the highway was built. I have to admit, Oregon is beautiful and full of Ponderosa Pines, chipmunks, mule deer and eagles. Next time I want to visit Crater Lake, and the Painted Hills.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
My Blog
|