On the heels of Lewis and Clark

On Sunday, October 4, we headed back to Portland. We decided to make the trip a loop so that we didn't drive back the same way we had so that we might see some different scenery. Many years ago, Doug and Greg had visited Fort Clasop and Doug wanted me to see it.

Doug, (note the monkey-lips kiss) Sacajawea and me.
Just an idea of how large the trees are out there
Looking up
Room inside fort

The fort on site is actually a replica of the original. With approximately 70" of rain falling in the area, the untreated wood of the original fort rotted in the mid 1800s. Fort Clasop is where the Corp of Discovery spent the winter from December 1805 to March 1806.

Doug and I on the Netual River trail

Doug, me, and Celeste

After visiting the fort site, we continued on our way. With bellies growling, we first stopped at Bruce's Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach. Then we continued down the road to Astoria, where we drove around trying to decide where to stop and eat. We settled on the Cannery Cafe. (If you look on the website, it is interesting to see that many of the photos are nearly the same as my photos.)

From the dock

From a look -out point above the cafe

Celeste, Greg and Doug.

Doesn't Doug look like the perfect gentleman the way he is clasping his hat to his heart?

Isn't this lovely?

I turned and through my own lens, saw this sight and immediately had to capture it through the camera lens. When I took the shot, Celeste turned and looked as if to say what are you taking a photo of? My motto is: to get a really great shot, you have to take a lot of pictures. I shoot all of the time. I love digital because if you don't like it, just trash it.

Crab cake (delicious)...look at that plate!

Located on the Columbia River, the Cannery Cafe is a wonderful place to eat. My crab cake was very good. Since eating crab cake on the east and west coast, I never eat it in the midwest. Because you can't get good crabcake in the midwest. After lunch, we returned to Portland where Doug and Greg visited for the evening and Celeste and I visited for the evening. Thank you friends, for your generous hospitality.

Manzanita, Oregon

We flew into Oregon at midnight on Friday, October 2nd. We picked up our rental car and proceeded to Greg and Celeste's house. I had never met either. Doug and Greg have been friends since college days. When we arrived, I greeted Greg and then said "it is 4:30 a.m. in Bloomington." And Greg said "what is your point?" I was very tired and Doug and I fell into bed and got seven hours of sleep.

The next morning, we packed up and headed to the coast. Coastal Oregon
View from the condo

See? It was so lovely.

Celeste made tasty sandwiches and we went out to the shore for a walk.

Doug and I had never been to the ocean together, before.

Celeste and Greg

Sea grass and sunset

We went back indoors and Greg made his deliciously healthy Nicaraguan chowder. Everyone chopped and I was the photographer.

Doug chopping. He cried like a baby.

Celeste chops.

Greg chops.

Celeste chops some more.

Greg chops some more.

After dinner, Doug played and we sang. We schlepped Doug's guitar all the way from Indiana.

Gettin' ready.

Friends.

We had a wonderful time at the shore. It was sunny and clear. In fact, when we told everyone that we were vacationing at the northwest territory, everyone said "take your raincoat." We didn't have rain one time. Greg says it is never clear and sunny at the coast like that in October. I guess it is another sign that our lives are blessed.

Sweet sleep in the pacific northwest

Anyone who knows me very well knows how very much I love my sleep. That doesn't mean I am lazy, far from it. I just need quality sleep. If I don't get the sleep I need, I'm not worth much. (And not in a very good mood.) We were in the pacific northwest from October 2-12 and traveled round.

Nautical theme in the condo on the Oregon coast.

At the condo, the ocean was within view. We slept very peacefully with songs of the pines singing us to sleep.

Wonderful bed at Greg and Celeste's house in Portland.

The guest room was in the basement and it was extremely quiet and private. There was a down comforter with a duvet. Celeste bought brand new pillows for us to put our heads upon.

The night after we left Greg and Celeste's house, we met up with another of Doug's brothers, Paul, also from Indiana. He was in Portland for a conference. We slept on a houseboat that Paul had been given use of for the week. I failed to take any houseboat photos.

Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.

Timberline Lodge was built in 1937 and everything was either original, or restored to appear as it did in the '30's. The lodge ran the heat on an old boiler system and it was extremely warm. From the outside of the lodge, you could see many open windows. We slept with the window open and cool mountain air bathing over us.

Doug loved the lodge and wanted to stay a second night, but I was in dire need of a bathtub. I don't often take a bath, but as we were on vacation, I longed to linger in the tub. I also wanted to shave my legs and don't do well with shaving them while standing in a shower. Doug was able to secure a room at La Quinta Inn. It was extremely clean and I enjoyed a good soak in the tub and was able to finally shave my legs. (Disclaimer: La Quinta Inn did not give us a discount if I would mention them in my blog. We did get Doug's old fart AARP discount and an additional discount because the card key wouldn't work correctly.) And, I didn't take a photo of the bed at La Quinta because it was well, La Quinta.

Comfy bed on the farm in Idaho.

We went to Doug's brother's apple farm in Potlatch, Idaho to help with the apple harvest. It was cold. As cold as when one rakes leaves in the midwest. We had a wood fire in the fireplace for two evenings. And it was wonderful to retire to this comfy warm bed, again, to sleep beneath a down comforter in a duvet. I've never had a down comforter to put in a duvet but I may have to find one. Very comfy and warm. On the farm it was incredibly dark and quiet. Don't you love the way the light is dancing across the wall in this photo?