Exploring Oregon
For the past month, I have been taking advantage of the "off season", moving to Portland, OR! My sister Mauvette has been living here for about two years now, and was kind enough to let me invade her space for the few months I'll be living here! The first time I was in Oregon was after my freshman year at Penn State. I spent a summer in Newberg, interning at a retirement community. Since I left, I had been itching to come back and explore more of the beautiful state.
Although a lot of my time is spent working and exploring Downtown Portland, we have gotten to see AND TASTE (!!) some amazing things! Check out some of our favorite sights thus far!
PORTLAND
This winter light festival aims to get locals out of their winter "hibernation" and explore Portland! Bright and interactive artwork is displayed throughout the city! It is family and pet friendly, for all ages, and FREE to everyone!
Visiting the waterfalls in Portland can take up a whole day. We took a trip to see some of the many (90+) waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. The falls we visited were Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Multnomah Falls (which was unfortunately closed temporarily due to the damage cause by forest fires).
Crater Lake National Park is home to the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest lake in the world. Visitors come throughout the year to look at the pristine lake and breathtaking views! The morning Joe arrived, Mauvette and I picked him up from the airport, took him to breakfast at Gravy, and headed to Crater Lake.
A few things you should know if you ever plan on traveling here in the winter
1. Dress appropriately! We were sharing gloves, (see second picture) coats, socks, etc. Shoutout to Joe for surviving the knee-deep snow in his tennis shoes and Mauvette's winter coat.
2. Icy and closed roadways might delay your road trip. Our four hour trip there took us five and a half hours.
3. Sunglasses. Recommended, but not needed. I accepted that I would be squinting in every picture.
4. Have a map or written directions. Cell service in VERY minimal, so make sure you know where you're heading.
In the end, our 10+ hour road trip was worth every second! I've always wanted to see Crater Lake, and it did not disappoint! My only regrets were not staying for sunset and not getting to hike as much. If I could spend the summer in Oregon, camping at Crater Lake would be #1 on my to-do list!
We started our morning with breakfast at Screen Door and headed to the coast. Luckily, Cannon Beach is only about an hour and a half from Portland. After walking along the shore, we drove to Oswald West State Park to do some hiking, Check out some of our favorite views below!
This video was taken with my iPhone held above my head. After this, I figured it was a good time to sit.
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!
If you have any recommendations for while I'm out here, hit me up!
Love,
Samantha
