even though the idea of independence day in seattle, was thrilling, i opted for a holiday in another just-as-cool city. i spent the long weekend with hannah's family {a fellow research assistant} in portland, oregon. the plan formed a little over two weeks ago - hannah, gregory, me and victoria would drive down to the city of roses right after work on friday - not to return to work until tuesday. the plan soon included brittany and victoria's friend ty {who spontaneously visited from alberta canada}. together, the six of us made a fabulous group for adventuring.
because we're into list-making around here...
friday: we made our quick getaway after office hours (our three-times-a-week morning work meeting). sadly, the three hour drive to portland took us more than five hours because of holiday traffic added to seattle's unpredictable traffic times. after driving through the city, we drove to more central oregon where we hiked angel's rest, an absolutely stunning view of the rivers and mountains. incredible introduction to the trip! already tired and hungry at 9:00pm, we drove to hannah's house where vegetarian pizza was waiting for us on the kitchen table.
saturday: portland exploration! beginning with pancakes {made by gregory and hannah courtesy of the bradford's kitchen} and filled with saturday market {which to-date, is one of the coolest things i've ever done}. i came away from the market with incredibly fresh greek cuisine, a bracelet handmade from a danish tea can, earrings and a barrette made from spoons, a sunburn, and sore feet. oh, and an insatiable desire for a coffee bag messenger bag, dreadlocks, and henna paste. we filled the afternoon with powell's books {largest bookstore in the united states}, and voodoo doughnuts {funky vegan doughnut shop with just about everything imaginable - good and bad}. as we came home, we realized we were in for a treat staying with the bradford family: black bean chipotle burgers with rice and black bean salad and pasta pesto salad - complete with texas sheet cake and ice cream for dessert.
sunday: sunday i woke up late {score for me - i only did this once the whole vacation!}, scrambled to get ready for church, and enjoyed an early sacrament meeting. we hurried back to the bradford's for sanwhiches and to pack up some fruit and change, and we were off to the oregon coast! ...with a quick stop at the tillamook dairy factory to supplement {free self-guided tour, free cheese, free ice cream}. the day at the beach was glorious. clear skies, sand, cliffs, and big waves. we sat on our blanket and visited, rolled up our pants and played in the {diminished} waves, climbed through a tunnel, and caught some sun. actually, the sun caught me - my skinny jeans only rolled up so far... thus, i now have the world's dorkiest three-quarter-calf sunburn line. and it's not even gradual - nope, one straight line of bright red burn. haven't figured out how to get rid of that one yet...
monday: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! truthfully, one of the most memorable independence holidays i've had in my short lifetime. mr bradford woke us with the smell of breakfast: soughdough french toast with fresh strawberries and pure maple syrup, vegetarian sausage, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. after breakfast, we pulled out hannah's henna paste and painted ourselves pretty. then we packed our bags again and hit the road - back to the gorge! the hike we chose this time was the most magnificent i've ever seen - a lifetime highlight. after looping behind a massive waterfall to start, we trekked up switchbacks for {what seemed like} days. coming to an overlook, we could see three waterfalls, only several feet separating them, tumbling down hundreds of feet. after gaping at the sight for a few minutes, we trudged on, eager to see what other glories the end of the hike held. after some time, as we reached the end of the trail, coming very near the edge of the waterfalls. we decided to get just a little closer. and that idea had us sitting in between the three waterfalls hanging our feet over the massive cliff while eating clementines, snapping pictures of our feet hanging over the edge and laughing. we simply couldn't get enough of this tumbling river. so we hiked upstream {literally on the rocks in the river} till we found an ideal spot for rock sculptures. we built for quite a while, took pictures of each, brittany fell in the river while crossing to the other side, and we decided to find the trail and head back. six hours after we started hiking, we arrived back at the falls and decided we simply couldn't leave without seeing multnomah falls. it was an incredible sight! tired and sore again, we drove home and arrived to moroccan lentil stew with curry and apricots inside half an acorn squash accompanied by corn on the cob, greek quinoa salad and macaroni salad. after that, we enjoyed home-made lime-basil sorbet while playing mexican train. fireworks in the park followed shortly after, and we ended the day by lighting off some of our own little fireworks and dancing in the street with sparklers. really, one of the best holiday vacations - i'll remember it forever.
tuesday: we packed up and headed home! and this time, the three hour drive only took three hours.
and now i'm back in sunny seattle, where it's finally realized that it should have been summer for the last three months. that means it's warmed up - a little. sadly, you miss what you once wished away, and at the moment i'm wishing the heat and humidity would back off until we figure out our dysfunctional air conditioner.
to take my mind off my sweatiness, i'm making plans - and goals:
homemade pita bread tomorrow
cupcakes and sweet potato casserole on friday {to celebrate ffp's thanksgiving in july, of course}
internship course all caught up before family vacation...
and last of all, get rid of this blasted cold sore! second of the year... which {i guess} really makes me grateful i'm passed the years where that would have been mild.
happy {finally} summer, everyone!
because we're into list-making around here...
friday: we made our quick getaway after office hours (our three-times-a-week morning work meeting). sadly, the three hour drive to portland took us more than five hours because of holiday traffic added to seattle's unpredictable traffic times. after driving through the city, we drove to more central oregon where we hiked angel's rest, an absolutely stunning view of the rivers and mountains. incredible introduction to the trip! already tired and hungry at 9:00pm, we drove to hannah's house where vegetarian pizza was waiting for us on the kitchen table.
saturday: portland exploration! beginning with pancakes {made by gregory and hannah courtesy of the bradford's kitchen} and filled with saturday market {which to-date, is one of the coolest things i've ever done}. i came away from the market with incredibly fresh greek cuisine, a bracelet handmade from a danish tea can, earrings and a barrette made from spoons, a sunburn, and sore feet. oh, and an insatiable desire for a coffee bag messenger bag, dreadlocks, and henna paste. we filled the afternoon with powell's books {largest bookstore in the united states}, and voodoo doughnuts {funky vegan doughnut shop with just about everything imaginable - good and bad}. as we came home, we realized we were in for a treat staying with the bradford family: black bean chipotle burgers with rice and black bean salad and pasta pesto salad - complete with texas sheet cake and ice cream for dessert.
sunday: sunday i woke up late {score for me - i only did this once the whole vacation!}, scrambled to get ready for church, and enjoyed an early sacrament meeting. we hurried back to the bradford's for sanwhiches and to pack up some fruit and change, and we were off to the oregon coast! ...with a quick stop at the tillamook dairy factory to supplement {free self-guided tour, free cheese, free ice cream}. the day at the beach was glorious. clear skies, sand, cliffs, and big waves. we sat on our blanket and visited, rolled up our pants and played in the {diminished} waves, climbed through a tunnel, and caught some sun. actually, the sun caught me - my skinny jeans only rolled up so far... thus, i now have the world's dorkiest three-quarter-calf sunburn line. and it's not even gradual - nope, one straight line of bright red burn. haven't figured out how to get rid of that one yet...
monday: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! truthfully, one of the most memorable independence holidays i've had in my short lifetime. mr bradford woke us with the smell of breakfast: soughdough french toast with fresh strawberries and pure maple syrup, vegetarian sausage, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. after breakfast, we pulled out hannah's henna paste and painted ourselves pretty. then we packed our bags again and hit the road - back to the gorge! the hike we chose this time was the most magnificent i've ever seen - a lifetime highlight. after looping behind a massive waterfall to start, we trekked up switchbacks for {what seemed like} days. coming to an overlook, we could see three waterfalls, only several feet separating them, tumbling down hundreds of feet. after gaping at the sight for a few minutes, we trudged on, eager to see what other glories the end of the hike held. after some time, as we reached the end of the trail, coming very near the edge of the waterfalls. we decided to get just a little closer. and that idea had us sitting in between the three waterfalls hanging our feet over the massive cliff while eating clementines, snapping pictures of our feet hanging over the edge and laughing. we simply couldn't get enough of this tumbling river. so we hiked upstream {literally on the rocks in the river} till we found an ideal spot for rock sculptures. we built for quite a while, took pictures of each, brittany fell in the river while crossing to the other side, and we decided to find the trail and head back. six hours after we started hiking, we arrived back at the falls and decided we simply couldn't leave without seeing multnomah falls. it was an incredible sight! tired and sore again, we drove home and arrived to moroccan lentil stew with curry and apricots inside half an acorn squash accompanied by corn on the cob, greek quinoa salad and macaroni salad. after that, we enjoyed home-made lime-basil sorbet while playing mexican train. fireworks in the park followed shortly after, and we ended the day by lighting off some of our own little fireworks and dancing in the street with sparklers. really, one of the best holiday vacations - i'll remember it forever.
tuesday: we packed up and headed home! and this time, the three hour drive only took three hours.
and now i'm back in sunny seattle, where it's finally realized that it should have been summer for the last three months. that means it's warmed up - a little. sadly, you miss what you once wished away, and at the moment i'm wishing the heat and humidity would back off until we figure out our dysfunctional air conditioner.
to take my mind off my sweatiness, i'm making plans - and goals:
homemade pita bread tomorrow
cupcakes and sweet potato casserole on friday {to celebrate ffp's thanksgiving in july, of course}
internship course all caught up before family vacation...
and last of all, get rid of this blasted cold sore! second of the year... which {i guess} really makes me grateful i'm passed the years where that would have been mild.
happy {finally} summer, everyone!
