Road Trip 2006-Portland

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Portland

Well as most of you know, Michael, Kandice, and I went to Portland last weekend for our extended long weekend. We decided to tell Gannon that we were coming, but suprise the rest of the clan. We left here Thursday after work and drove to Spokane, where we staying in a little motel for about 3 hours before Michael woke us up again to get on the road. A few "detours" later and we were there. We had a blast suprising Heather and the kids. We got there about 1 in the afternoon and just hung around for a bit chatting and getting the tour of their apartment (which is so nice by the way). We then finally decided to get ready and go get some food. We went to this sushi place that Heather and Gannon really like. I ate way too much and loved it all. Of course we weren't that adventurous with some of the things they offer, but what we had, I loved. After that we hit Coldstone (of course) for some yummy cake batter ice cream. After stuffing ourselves further we then went back to the apartment to hang out for a bit. We were all really tired from the drive.

Saturday we got up and going and went downtown to look for some shoes for Michael. What a great place to explore. I love going places I'm unfamiliar with and just looking all over at everything. After an unsuccessful trip to Nike Town we went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). That place was amazing. We looked at a bunch of exibits. One where I put my hand on sphere that could be electrically charged. That was the strangest feeling ever. My hair didn't stand up as much as I was hoping though. Just a few whispies here and there. We also took in a show on black holes, which would have been better if I had a PhD in astronomy or something. Most of it went straight over my head. After that we went home for a few minutes and then Michael, Kandice and I ventured out to find a mall so Michael could get some shoes he's been wanting forever. I got Sees candies, which was my treat for the weekend. After the mall we went back and had an awesome turkey dinner that Heather spoiled us with. Thanks Heather! We sat around talking for a while, which I miss doing with them. We then watched a few shows and headed to bed.

Sunday we got up and went to Church and then drove out to the coast to explore futher. The drive was really pretty with tons of vegetation all around us. It was a dreary day, but so great to be there. It was amazing to see the "Goonies" rock and explore the coast a bit. I really love the ocean. It's just so majestic. It was funny to see all of the signs warning us of tsunami zones. I'll have to post a picture of one for those of you who don't know what they look like. Pretty funny. We finished at the coast and then went to Seaside to look around and ended up being too hungry to make the drive back, we stopped and got some dinner. Some really good fish and chips. It tasted great. Heather, Kandice, Madi, and I couldn't resist going into a little candy shop that boasted of 170 flavors and free samples. We ended up buying way too much, but it sure was fun.

We then started for home and drove through Astoria where "The Goonies" and "Kindergarten Cop" were filmed. I got a picture of the goonie house but it didn't turn out too well. We made the drive home and really didn't do a lot the rest of the night.

We left Monday morning and it was sad to leave them. We're excited to see them all again at Christmas time. We stopped at a waterfall just off the freeway to explore even more. It was amazing. We took a path to a bridge in between 2 waterfalls, and the view was beautiful. Kandice and I marvelled at the size of some of the leaves on the ground. We also realized that we are out of shape because walking to the top of the bridge really wore us out. There was a little cottage/restaurant/store at the base that was so cute. Michael says he wants to build a house just like it one day. I'd be all for it! The rest of the trip was long, and only 1 speeding ticket later(Michael) we were home. I'm so glad we went, we really had a blast. Thanks Heath and Gannon for letting us crash there!

Well enjoy the pics!