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!