The 5 hour drive from Monterey to Sacramento seemed long and boring, mostly because of the traffic that started as soon as we hit the greater Bay Area (the traffic for which extends several counties). But, we had an absolutely wonderful time with Joe and Carrie Cooper once we arrived. They are incredibly gracious hosts who took us to a great sushi place. You might be thinking, “Great sushi in Sacramento?” as we were, but since we’re able to get great sushi in landlocked Denver (our friend Chad calls Colorado “America’s Placemat”) we were willing to give it a go. Good thing, too, because dinner was great, although not nearly as good as the company!
After a good night’s rest it was off to Portland. The longest day in the car (11+ hours) with a quick break in Corvallis to see my niece, Danielle, who studies pre-vet at OSU. Probably the shortest visit in history, but worth it to get a quick hug and catch up on her busy college life. Back in car for the short drive to Portland, and getting to see Ashley and the city she calls home was well worth the day’s looong drive. Impromptu dinner & happy hour on the deck followed by some stellar (and not so stellar) Rock Band performances. Crashed early, as having done absolutely nothing all day is exhausting.
Saturday was beautiful and we spent late morning/early afternoon at the famed Saturday Market browsing wares. After a snack we headed to beautiful Multnomah Falls for a quick hike and stunning views of the falls. I love waterfalls (who doesn’t?) and Multnomah did not disappoint. Also saw gorgeous views of Columbia River. Easy to understand how settlers saw this place and stopped!
Another relatively quiet evening with Ashley, Mat, Kathy & Mason, and now en route to beautiful British Columbia. Looking forward to seeing Victoria again and figuring out what we want to do there!
Downtown Portland's Saturday Market
Multnomah Falls, Oregon's highest waterfall
