Hey, You Guys! My Trip to Oregon...

Last year I went on a trip to England . . . this year, to Oregon. Doesn't really seem fair, right? Actually, no, it was amazing and a lot of fun. My grandparents have a ranch in Oregon and I spent many summers at the ranch. This year, Kaylin and I decided to venture out. We went with our cousins Sarah and Tracy to Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Astoria before heading down to the ranch. I tell you what, a vacation was exactly what I needed. I actually woke up this morning feeling refreshed. I don't think that has ever happened.

Anyway, if you've seen The Goonies, maybe you'll recognize these rocks. They play a predominate role in the movie. I gotta say, I love that movie. We watched it again at my grandparents' and I couldn't stop laughing.

This is Haystack Rock. We visited it at low tide which gave us so much more to look at--we ventured out onto the rocks and checked out the sea life. I was surprised at how much we saw--starfish, sea anemones, and crabs.

Sorry to gross you out, but these starfish are spawning right now...they eek their "goodies" out into the water which are then received for reproduction. I don't know how to put this any more delicately. But check how many starfish are clinging to the rocks! Usually when I think of starfish I think of them being dried out.

We made a stop at a candy shop to pick up salt water taffy. So good.

Does this look unladylike to you?

This is inside the Astoria Column...basically it's just a tall tower that overlooks the city. It had a pretty spectacular view. A lot of stairs to climb up but nothing compared to Bunker Tower in Boston!

What? This isn't Talk Like A Pirate Day?

Inside one of the biggest busts of all time--the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Was it wrong of me to expect more from it? Clearly I have a problem with too high of expectations. This picture is basically it of the cheese factory--this is all I saw. Even the cheese didn't taste that good.

No, really, they just offered me cheddar and pepper jack. I can get that at the store.

Okay, the ice cream was good...although not as good as Umpqua ice cream. If you've been to Oregon, you'll know that stuff is off the hook.

We finally got to the ranch after an amazingly long drive in pouring rain. Bleh. This picture is of one of my favorite spots on the ranch...this little covered bridge over a creek. It's not even on my grandpa's property but I love to look at it every time.

We traveled to so many beaches on this trip. What is it about the water that is so calming and soothing? I tried (in vain) to get some action shots of me in the water so I could update my facebook picture with something cute. I failed miserably. I think I'm too old to be cute. However, this picture of Hillary is ridiculously cute.

We found some cool rocks that we tried to walk across until we came across not one, but two couples who were aggressively making out. Talk about awkward.

We were really lucky when we got to Winchester Bay (one of the many beaches we traveled to). Usually when we go to the coast it's grey and overcast. This time the clouds practically opened up and the sun came streaming down. It was sunny and warm...and just perfect.

We also traveled out to Heceta Head...another beach. This was another one of those gloriously beautiful days. I couldn't believe how lucky we were to have two days of such good weather.

I just wanted to swim but nobody swims in the Oregon Coast. Ice cold, baby. But it was so nice I was thisclose to just jumping in.

And on to my favorite part of the trip--Cape Perpetua. One of the highest points you can get to to overlook the beach. I couldn't believe this view.

Seriously...take a look. Can you believe this view?

Kaylin and I took a pit stop in Portland before we had to return our rental car. I'm sorry...it was kind of weird. According to two of my co-workers, we went to the wrong part of town, like the part where they give crack away like candy. This man on a bike rode up to Kaylin and me as we were walking around and asked us if the blue grass festival was still going on.

I was confused. "Sorry, I don't know," I said. And then I started walking away. Maybe that was rude? I don't know.

He looked us up and down, not in a skeevy way but like he was offput by our answer.

"You don't know?" He sized us up and down. "You from around here?"

We shook our heads. "No, we're from Salt Lake City."

And then he looked at us again before saying, "Uh huh."

Pause.

"I thought there was something different about you."

Oh, snap!

I blame the bright colors and flip flops we were wearing. If we had been wearing black and had tattoo sleeves covering our arms then we would have been right at home.

And so we come to the end of our whirlwind trip. It was a great time, although my mom and Alicia were sorely missed. It's just not the same when you guys aren't there.