i left my heart in yachats (to the northwest part 2)

As we crossed the Willamette river, I felt an unnerving excitement in the depths of my soul. Part of me was thrilled to see what our next stop would bring, yet another part felt heartbroken to be leaving the lively streets of Portland. But as I watched the tall buildings turn to rows on end of orchard trees, I knew this was all a part of adventuring - moving on from one place to another, embracing every moment of it.

The air grew cooler as we neared the coast, stopping first at a small town north of Lincoln city. The place was something of a hole in the wall. The signs were crooked, the paint was chipped, and almost every shop smelled like wet-cat. But the fact that everyone was just so out-of-the-loop made the town unique - cute, in a way

The sun was nearing the horizon as we pulled into the motel. And although I was expecting them, I was startled to find cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents rushing to greet us as we arrived. Wasting no time, we hurried over to the ocean - not more than 200 yards from our inn. It was low-tide and the pools it left scattered on the sand reached depths of at least 4 feet, making it hard to work your way around.

I watched as the little ones jumped from one shell to the next saying look what I found! and running around proudly with it in hand until they stumbled upon a bigger, better one - all the while with a smile on my face. And as a wave came in, they'd run, screeching, away, barely dodging the icy grasp of the Pacific.

The entire atmosphere was magical and dream-like. It was like we weren't even on an earth anymore. The way the waves crashed upon the soft, cold sand was soothing and mesmerizing. The family was together, and that was all that mattered. It was enchanting in itself.

I wish we could have stayed a little longer, because it was an experience I'm not willing to forget.

Have you ever been to the coast?

keep portland weird (to the northwest part 1)

A couple weeks ago my family and I left for Oregon. A ten-day trip that would be spent in a number of places, starting in Portland. We visited friends, family, dogs, cats, beaches, peaches, and so much more - I barely caught it all in 2,000 photos.

left: rockies // right: mt. hood

I am a city girl. I love tall buildings, one-way streets with an added lane for bikers, quirky shops and quirky people, and especially the way all those buildings light up in the night sky. So Portland was just my place - one of my favorites, in fact. The sidewalks are always busy and bikes are locked to every street sign, tree, and bike rack. 

The city is filled with old and new, small and large, vintage and modern - shops of every kind. One of which is Powell's book store. Undoubtedly the largest bookstore in america. It's four stories high and one block wide. That piece of paper I'm holding in my hand? - that's the map to the place. I mean, what bookstore doesn't need a map?

I was sad to say good bye after a well-spent 2 days, but Portland is not a place I can visit just once. I'll be back, someday. Maybe I'll even spend a few years of my college life there... Just a thought.

More to come!