Second Stop -- Portland, Oregon

We left Washington state and drove down to Portland,OR.

We dropped off our stuff our Airbnb and headed out to see the city.

We started at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).

I thought it might be fun to ride the tram from the hospital.

The tram was built to transport employees, but anyone can ride it.

Once at the bottom, we found a map of the area and started to walk

towards the waterfront.

One thing we figured out quickly is that Portland is a big time bike riding

kind of town. So many people on bikes, They have special lanes and street

lights just for bicycles.

We took the girls to the waterfront and showed them the restaurant,

McCormick and Schmidt. It was where Raphael and I had our first date.

Trying to figure out how the water fountain works.

We had dinner and walked back to the tram.

Most mornings on our trip, I got up early and went running. I loved our house in Portland.

It was in the "Hollywood" district and had some cute, old fashioned houses.

I enjoyed all the flowers in the neighborhood. It brought back memories of our

garden in Washington.

Found several of these little libraries. "leave a book, take a book".

We ate breakfast at The Screen Door. A very popular restaurant that serves

Southern food with a Northwest twist. Whatever they call it, we loved the food.

The almost hour wait was worth it.

We only had one full day in Oregon, so we decided to go see the Pacific Ocean.

We went to Cannon Beach.

The girls' first time seeing the Pacific. It was a little different than the Gulf of Mexico that they

are used to.  The water is cold and it was a cloudy and foggy day.

We walked the beach and went to check out Haystack Rock.

We finished with pizza and another quick look at the ocean.

Then it was time to go back to the house. We needed to pack up and

get ready to drive to Bend, OR the next morning.

First Stop -- Seattle

At the end of June we flew out to Seattle, WA.

We were meeting up with family in Bend, OR and

decided to make it a tour of the Pacific Northwest.

We hadn't been back to Washington in 10 years and wanted

to show the girls where we used to live.

We stayed in Airbnb the entire time. It was a cute house in West Seattle.

After we dropped off our luggage, we drove over to Maple Valley.

We wanted to show the girls the houses we lived in .

The bottom house was a house we rented while the top house

was being built. We were also able to stop in on some

neighbors and talk for awhile.

The next morning, we ddrove into Seattle to see the sights.

First stop was the Space Needle.

Checking out the view.

The day started a little cloudy and cool, but the sun came out!

We added our name to the electronic map of the world that is in

the Space Needle. It shows all the people from all around the world that

have visited. Pretty cool.

Then we walked right next to the Needle to visit the

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

It was amazing to see the glass art and the gardens were beautiful.

We had lunch and then a very quick trip through the Pacific

Science Center. We learned about dinosaurs, bugs, the human

body, butterflies, etc...

We also learned about gravity, pendulums, the power of water.

We rode this bike. It was scary, but fun.

We took a ride on the Monorail to

downtown Seattle area. We were trying to get to the very

first Starbucks, but it was a walk, and we were short on time.

So we stopped at a regular Starbucks for coffee break,

We rode the Monorail back to the parking garage and then drove over

to Safeco Field to see a Seattle Mariners baseball game.

It was a perfect night for a baseball game.

The next day we headed down to see the famous Pike Street Market.

Of course, we watched them throw the fish!

The Market is amazing, but sensory overload.

We made our way to Gum Alley.

It is a little back alley way next to the Market.

People chew gum and stick it to the wall. There are 1000s of

pieces of gum. Gross, but kind of cool too.

We took a ride on the Pier Ferris Wheel.

There were some amazing views of downtown Seattle and

the water front.

We finished with a visit to the Seattle Aquarium.

I know walked around the water front and Pier 66 area.

We ate The Red Robin and visited the Old Curiosity Shop and ate ice cream.

We went back to the house and packed up because the next morning we were heading to

Portland, Oregon. On our way to Oregon, we made a quick stop in Puyallup.

We went back to the very first house that Raphael and I lived in.

Loved that little house.

Lots of good memories there.

We brought Rachel home from the hospital to this house.

And Lola joined us here too.

Next stop...... Portland, Oregon.

Summer Trip of 2017

We just got back from an eleven day adventure to Washington and Oregon.

I am going through all the pictures, but just a few of where we went.

On the plane-train at the airport, heading to our flight.

Our first stop was Seattle.

Next was Portland, Oregon.

Quick trip to Cannon Beach. First time the girls saw the Pacific Ocean.

Then five fun days in Bend, OR.

I hope to post more soon!