MARQUAM TRAIL

I feel as though March happened when I wasn't looking. Everyone's yards are suddenly filled with bright green daffodil buds, a smattering of purple and white crocuses, and endless shy little snowdrops. The snow we got a few weeks ago seems but a distant memory. 

These pictures were taken in January along the Marquam Trail, which snakes down from Council Crest Park in Portland, OR. The park offers some of the best views of the city around, and Council Crest is a wonderful vantage point from which to watch the sun dip below the horizon--just see the last photo if you don't believe me!

A DAYTRIP TO MT. HOOD

Do you ever find yourself brimming with things to say, but no words to say them with? Thats exactly how I feel right now. I think these pictures of yesterdays trip to Mt. Hood speak far more eloquently than I ever could (especially right now, with my sleepy little brain running on four wee hours of sleep).

Yesterday was a beautiful day, full of incredible fog, majestic trees, snow, fresh mountain air, breathtaking views, and lots of chilly kisses. While on the mountain we visited Little Crater Lake, a tiny artisan spring. We didn't see a soul while there and it felt like we were the only people in the whole world. I'll never forget the amazing feeling of peace and solitude as we strolled through pine scented undergrowth surrounding the lake, or the ghostly shapes of pines rising majestically out of the mist around us. That evening we drove up Mt. Hood, where we were greeted by blankets of clouds and a beautifully understated sunset. Not a bad end to a lazy long weekend.

OCTOBERS PAST

Another October has come and gone. 

Portland is beautiful in the fall. We've been blessed with sun drenched days and starry nights. As the weather has gotten cooler, fluffy down coats and steaming travel mugs of peppermint tea have become part of the morning routine. Nights are spent cuddled under our down comforter, watching too much Netflix.

PUMPKIN PATCH

Lately it's been feeling a lot like fall. Our sweet little North Portland neighborhood is full of beautiful, vibrant colors that make my heart sing, and the house down the street has the cutest Halloween decorations I ever did see. My morning commutes are brisk, and my evenings are spent curled up in a cozy blanket with my textbooks and a mug of tea.

Last Sunday Hannah and I went to a little pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island, just north of our home. The weather was sunny and lovely and we got Pumpkin Spice Lattes beforehand (I have to confess, they're not actually my favorite. I know, I know... I'm a bad blogger!), and a homemade caramel apple at the farm. I couldn't believe how beautiful the fields looked--brown earth covered in flecks of orange, spread out underneath a perfectly blue sky.

I was tempted to break with tradition and get one of the big white pumpkins that were scattered about the field, but decided against it. We ended up getting two perfectly round carving pumpkins and a handful of decorative ones, which are currently scattered around our apartment as little everyday reminders of this wonderful season.

How are you making the most of October?

Oregon Coast

On a sunny day at the end of September my parents, Hannah, and I drove to the Oregon coast. We made  the obligatory stop at Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock (more on that here), and then drove along the winding Oregon Coast Highway. We made a few other stops at sweet little coastal towns, including Tillamook (home to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Blue Heron French Cheese Company) and Manzanita, where we had an amazing authentic Mexican lunch at El Mariachi Loco. 

The Family Comes to Portland! (and Seattle, too)

A few months ago my parents booked a flight out to see me in Portland and I've been eagerly counting down the days until they arrived! On Friday they flew into Seattle's airport and Hannah and I took Amtrack up to meet them. We spent a wonderful weekend visiting family and traveling around Washington, and I'm enjoying a week with them in Portland right now!

Crater Lake, Oregon II

On Friday Hannah and I spent the day exploring Crater Lake in south-central Oregon! It's such a beautiful place, and I feel so blessed to have been able to visit. Crater lake is a caldera lake located on top of a collapsed volcano (Mount Mazama). At almost 2,000 feet it's the deepest lake in the United States! Pretty cool, huh?

Hannah and I ended up driving around the entire lake in one day! We had perfect weather, so we wanted to take advantage of the chance to see everything, just in case it rained Saturday. We started at the visitors center and park headquarters before heading along East Rim Drive. Our first big stop was Sun Notch trail, which was an easy half mile hike to see Phantom Ship Island. The Lake actually has two islands in it, Wizard Island and Phantom Ship. Wizard Island is the bigger of the two and you can actually visit it via boat during the summer months (I was too cheap to do it, but I kind of wish I had). I thought Phantom Ship was way cooler--it's basically formed from dramatic rock pillars, and earns its name from the fact that it looks a little like a ghost ship!

After seeing Phantom Ship from a few different overlooks we went to Pinnacles Overlook, which was a little ways off of East Rim Drive. The pinnacles are impressive 100 foot tall stone spires, which mark the locations where hot steam and volcanic gas rose from ash deposits. The surrounding canyon walls have eroded away, leaving the hardened spires. It was definitely worth the little detour! From there we continued along East Rim Driver, where we stopped at a bunch of the different overlooks. It might seem silly to keep looking at the same lake over and over again, but I thought it was really amazing to see how much the lake changes from every angle. Since we arrived in the morning, it was also nice to see how the light changes as the sun rose up over the lake.

Our big adventure was the Cleetwood Cove Trail. It's the only trail that goes to the water of the lake, and it's a "strenuous" 1.1 miles down into the caldera. Going down was pretty easy, and we saw so many pretty views of the lake as we got closer! At the bottom we found the boat launch, where tours of the lake leave from. A little bit past that was a large rock, where people were swimming (in 40 degree water... yikes!), fishing, and just relaxing in the sun. There was also a neat little "fishing hut", which I'm officially slightly obsessed with (sidenote: Hannah, we need a fishing hut in our future lives. just sayin'). We probably sat down there for about twenty minutes, enjoying the sun and watching a couple "take the plunge", which was simultaneously hysterical and impressive. It was so relaxing and beautiful! Before going back to the top we touched the lake (that's like, a thing, right?) and then started the hike up, which, for the record, was not all roses and pretty pictures. That stuff is hard, man! But we totally made it. With lots of breaks, of course.

From Cleetwood Cove we drove along West Rim Drive, which took us close to Wizard Island. I didn't think it was quite as impressive as the smaller Phantom Ship, but it was really pretty! After spending our day trekking around the lake Hannah and I returned to our cabin, where we cooked a tasty dinner (sweet potatoes, Alfredo, and fresh green beans, all in a microwave! Awww yeah.), drank some wine, and fell asleep. We got up early the next morning to check out and get breakfast across the street, at Beckys, which is apparently famous for pie and cinnamon buns. We got a plate of eggs and hash browns and a cinnamon bun to share, and I swear the cinnamon bun was the size of my face! I didn't get a picture with my camera, but it seriously lasted us all day. On the drive home we ended up stopping in Eugene to check out University of Oregon (including the world famous track!). We also grabbed coffee at the Wandering Goat Coffee Co. which, despite it's uber hipster vibe, was pretty good. Trying to get into a college game at U of O is definitely on my to-do list! Since Emory didn't have D1 sports (or football), that's an experience I'm majorly lacking in.

I don't think I'll ever forget standing on the rim of a collapsed volcano, looking into the perfectly blue lake and at the perfectly blue sky. Seeing things like Crater Lake is so inspiring, and makes me so excited about the education/career track I'm currently on. With grad school starting super soon it's good to have some extra shots of motivation like that. The trip also made me realize that, while I miss Atlanta, I'm really starting to love this crazy state! Thanks for having us, Oregon. We're starting to really like you.

Crater Lake, Oregon I

Over the weekend Hannah and I went to Crater Lake for a little weekend getaway. We had a wonderful time exploring the mountains, hiking in the cool fall air, and eating wayyyy too many Cheez-its!

The drive down from Portland was a little over five hours, and we ended up trekking through torrential rain for the better part of it. Even though it was raining the drive was still incredibly scenic. It still amazes me to see so many pine trees and breathtaking mountainscapes everywhere, since the forests and landscapes in the east are so dramatically different. 

We had initially planned to camp but, due to the weather, we ended up booking a little cabin at Union Creek for our two nights away. I guess I should get used to the rain, being in the Pacific Northwest and all, right? Even though I was bummed about not being able to use the tent, the rain, mist, and lightning in the mountains was really lovely to see, and I think the trade off eded up being worth it! By the time we arrived the rain had stopped and the forest had a beautiful glow from all the water. We ended up stopping by Union Creek and wandering around a little bit. In the middle of the woods we actually ran into a few deer, which was so fun to see. They cause a lot of problems in urban areas, but when you see them in the wild it's hard not to admire how graceful they are.

After exploring Union Creek we checked into our little cabin and headed back outside to walk down to Rogue River Gorge Falls. The falls were really beautiful, and all the more impressive because of all the rain we had just gotten. It was amazing to see how much volume rushed though the gorge at once! After seeing the falls we walked along the river for awhile, enjoying being outside after our long drive. We saw a few more deer and up finding some silly big pinecones. I mean, seriously--those things were stupid big.

One of the things that surprised me was how many signs of fall there were. It's been so warm in Portland lately that I keep forgetting it's September! There were signs of the trees changing (and a few beautiful red leaves!), and the nights in the mountains were really chilly. I can't wait to see what the mountains look like in a few weeks!

We ended the day by making dinner in the cabin, drinking some wine, and relaxing. Neither of us had cell service, and it was nice to just spend some time together, not really doing anything.

Stay tuned for another post or two on our adventures at Crater Lake!

 ^This was a "living log". Because the roots are symbiotic with the trees around it, the log was able to survive even after it was cut!