Goodbye Oregon...Hello California

We got to Napa, California on Tuesday night and though it looks like this will be an awesome place to spend the next three months, we will definitely miss Oregon and the friendships we made while there. 

Katy with members of the therapy staff from Mercy Medical enjoying a night out at the Seven Feathers casino. Katy is not a big fan of working in the hospital setting, but loved the staff she worked with. 

These are pictures of the crew I got the closest with at the Grass Roots Garden in Eugene. It was a great group to work with because not only did I learn a lot but I had a lot of fun as well. 

We hit the door running once getting to Napa. Katy started her job on Wednesday, and then that evening when she got off work we walked, that's right, we walked downtown to do some window shopping and grab a bite to eat. When we found a place to grab dinner, we ate outside since the weather was so nice! 

Yep, I think we'll enjoy Napa!

Katy outside her new job in Napa

Eating outside at a microbrewery in downtown 

Dave and Sherry!

As I write this blog entry Dave and Sherry are somewhere in the air headed back home after their visit to Oregon. We had a wonderful time and were able to show Dave and Sherry a good snapshot of not only the beautiful state of Oregon but also a snippet of what life in Oregon has entailed for us.  It was a wonderful visit, and although it was too short, we were able to do and see a lot with them in just the few days they were here.

At the King Estate

We picked up Dave and Sherry from the airport in Eugene at 4pm Pacific Time on Saturday afternoon. They were able to experience some typical Oregon weather right away as it was a rainy day. We took Dave and Sherry the scenic way back to our home in Cottage Grove, stopping for some wine sampling at the sprawling vineyards of the King Estate. On hindsight this might not have been the smartest idea, giving wine to two jet lagged travelers who had been up since 3am Eastern Time! When we arrived to our home we fixed dinner and then said goodnight as we all wanted to be fresh for our first full day together.


On Sunday we drove up to the Columbia River Gorge. This is another of those extremely scenic drives in Oregon! As you turn east from Portland you end up driving parallel to the Columbia River with the Cascades looming in front of you. We drove to the Vista House on Crown Point, which provides a commanding view of the Gorge and allows you to see across the river to Washington State. After admiring the views we drove to four different waterfalls, the Latourell Falls, the Wahkeena Falls, the Multnomah Falls, and the Horsetail Falls.

In front of the Horsetail Falls

At the Portland City Grill

After leaving the Gorge we drove into Portland in time to enjoy the end of their outdoor weekend market. After doing some shopping in the market we took Dave and Sherry to the 30th floor of the Unico Building to the Portland City Grill for some drinks and to enjoy the panoramic views of Mount Hood and the Cascades. After drinks we walked across the river to eat at The Farm, the place Katy and I had eaten at our last time in Portland and had fallen in love with. It was a full day of sightseeing around the city and in the mountains!

On Monday we drove down to the Coast, first driving along the Umpqua Scenic Highway which takes you right along the Umpqua River and also drives you past an Elk Reserve. When we got down to the coast we headed north and drove along Highway 101, which runs parallel to the Pacific. Our first stop off of 101 was to do some hiking on the Dunes. We were warned by some locals that there was a lot of water on the trail and that we should be prepared to get our feet wet and muddy. We did not let this deter us and set off anyway. Shortly into our trip we realized that they meant we would LITERALLY have to get our feet wet and muddy as parts of the trail were entirely under water! Oh well, we were on a mission to make it all the way down to the Ocean so we trudged on! The trail was empty of other hikers and so for parts of our walk we were able to let the dogs off the leash, especially when we made it down to the beach.

 After our feet were good wet we headed into the little town of Florence where we did some shopping and grabbed ice cream in the city's Old Town district, which sits right on the water. We then drove to the Sea Lion Caves and to the Haceta Head Lighthouse, stopping at several scenic overlooks to enjoy the views.

For dinner we headed back into Florence to grab some seafood and then, because the timing was too perfect not to, we delayed going back home and instead drove back up the highway to one of the scenic overlooks to watch the sunset.

On Tuesday I took Dave and Sherry walking in Cottage Grove on the Row River trail. This is a trail that Katy and I have gone running on multiple times over the past three months. After our walk we headed down to Roseburg and to Mercy Medical so we could eat lunch with Katy and show Dave and Sherry where their daughter has spent the bulk of her time in Oregon. After lunch and a tour of the hospital and rehab department we drove to a fish ladder on the Umpqua River, but did not get to see any salmon going upstream to spawn. We then headed back home and relaxed until Katy got off work. We spent the evening eating dinner, drinking wine, and playing mine and Katy's new favorite game, Farkle. Bright and early this morning we said our goodbyes, excited to know that in just a couple of months we'll be able to share our Napa adventure with Dave and Sherry! We are now gearing up for Josh's visit, starting tomorrow!

Paula!

We had our wonderful landlady, Paula, over for dinner the other night. Paula has traveled all over the world as she spent most of her career working for FEMA. She has been wonderful to rent from and we could not have asked for a better place to stay during our three months in Oregon. We will certainly miss both Paula and the little farm we have come to call home. 

We are in Eugene as I am writing this blog post and will pick up Dave and Sherry in less then an hour from the airport! We are very excited for their trip and also for Josh to get here next Thursday. On Tuesday, April 26th, we will drop Josh off at the airport in Portland, and then drive from there to Napa to spend the next three months of our adventure! Here are two pictures of the outside of the house that we will be staying at. It is a two bedroom 1 bathroom house that is only 2.6 miles from where Katy will be working and only a minute away from downtown! We are pumped and once again the dogs will have a great place to spend their days as the house in Napa has a large backyard that is fenced in!

Napa it is!

Well it is official...Katy accepted a job as the lead therapist at Golden Living Center, a skilled nursing facility, in Napa, California.  She will start the 27th of April (Grandma Lovell's birthday!) and will work through the 30th of July. So, we are Napa bound for the summer! We are thrilled to be spending the next three months in this area and are excited about exploring Napa Valley and seeing all that it has to offer...and who knows? Maybe we'll become a little more well versed on wine at the end of this rotation?

We are down to just two weeks left in Oregon! We were low key over the weekend, spending part of Saturday in Eugene at their Outdoor Market and then Katy worked on Sunday. However, we are gearing up for Dave and Sherry to be here this coming Saturday, and then Josh the following Thursday! We plan on keeping them busy while they are here, so we still have lots of fun stuff planned for the remainder of our time.

We are going to really miss Oregon and will especially miss living in Cottage Grove. The little farm has been wonderful for us and especially the dogs, and we could not have asked for a better Landlady then Paula!

We are wanting to see lots of visitors this summer, 

so remember, the door is always open!

The Columbia River Gorge

Last week we had some gorgeous weather with temperatures hitting the low 70s on several days. I spent two days last week working for a local woman doing yard work and then spent my usual two days at the community garden, so I loved the nice weather! Katy was also able to take advantage of the weather as she was able to do some running in the evenings. On Saturday the weather cooled down and stayed in the low 50s with rain off and on. Katy and I were up early Saturday morning as we were both volunteering at the Grass Roots Garden's annual plant sale. After going down to the barn to feed the animals and grabbing some coffee we took off for Eugene where we spent several hours helping out with the sale and also doing some manual labor in the garden.

Multnomah Falls

A friend of our's, Heidi, met us up in Eugene at 11:00, and we all took off for the Columbia River Gorge. Heidi, who is an occupational therapist, works with Katy at Mercy Medical and is also a traveling therapist. Once you hit Portland and turn east it becomes a very scenic drive with the mountains and the river surrounding you. We decided to drive along the Columbia River Scenic Highway and hike to a couple of the waterfalls in the area. We ended up going first to the Multnomah Falls, which is the largest waterfall in the state of Oregon. We hiked up to the bridge (you can see the bridge in the picture) despite getting rained on and then hailed on. That's Oregon for you!

Another view of Multnomah Falls

Lower Horsetail Falls (that's me and Barlow in the left corner)

After leaving our first stop we drove up the highway a little farther and stopped at the Horsetail Falls. We decided to do some hiking here as there is a three mile trail that leads you to the upper Horsetail Falls where you walk behind the water!

Upper Horsetail Falls

Katy and Heidi in front of Wahkeena Falls

After hiking for a while and getting the dogs nice and dirty, we let Colby and Barlow take a little dip in the river to try and clean them off. We then headed down to the Wahkeena Falls to walk around before driving to the Vista House, one of the most well known tourist attractions along the Coumbia River Gorge. This is a peculiar building that was built in 1916 that sits atop Crown Point, which offers one of the most stunning and beautiful views of the gorge.

The Vista House

A toast at the wine bar

After spending the whole afternoon exploring around, we had worked up a good appetite, and so we drove into Portland to have dinner. We went to The Farm Cafe, which is a well known restaurant in Portland that serves all local and organic food, hence the name as they pride themselves in serving food from local farms. The wait at The Farm was an hour, but since space is a hot commodity in downtown eateries and their waiting room was big enough to hold two people, we simply gave them our cell phone number and they said they'd call us when our table was ready. So, we walked around for a little bit until we found a wine bar where we did some taste testing before each ordering a glass. After some drinks we headed back to The Farm where we enjoyed the best dinner I have had since coming to Oregon. I ordered the Braised Greens and Toasted Stuffed Ravioli, which is a handmade ravioli stuffed with braised greens, caramelized onions, pecans, sharp white cheddar and ricotta cheeses, and then drizzled with tarragon brown butter. Katy got the farmhouse veggie burger which is a burger-style sandwich made with eggplant, bread crumbs, cheese and spices, and served with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, and Dijon mustard. For desert we split their signature Sunken Chocolate Soufflé with Coffee Ice Cream. Delicious!


Sunday was what most of our Sundays have become, a day full of rest and relaxation. We spent lots of time outside with the dogs as it was another pretty day. Colby swam in the pond like it was her private lap pool, and Barlow snoozed in the grass, occasionally rousing to charge at Colby. Another good week, and as our time in Oregon is getting less and less, so is the time until we will see some family out here to visit. Dave and Sherry will fly out here on April 16th and stay through the 20th, and then Josh arrives on the 21st and will leave the 26th. Then after that, its off to somewhere in California! Where you might ask? Well, as soon as we know we'll tell you!