We started off our vacation on Saturday, September 1st by flying into Portland, OR. We spent a lot of our time traveling that day but we were still able to do some sight seeing once we got there. Apparently, Portland has a huge market that goes on downtown every Saturday and that made our downtown visit very crowded. There were lots of interesting vendors and even more interesting people talking with the vendors. I saw more people with dreadlocks in one hour than I had seen in my entire life. It was very interesting to people watch. We walked down to the river and took some pictures of the pretty scenery and then made our way back to the hotel. We were going to go to Voodoo doughnut that evening but there was a line that went around the block and I didn't feel like standing there for 2 hours. I was a little bummed but we were going to try to grab some of the amazing doughnuts when we returned to Portland on Tuesday.
Usually time changes don't affect me too much but for some reason the time difference between KS and OR really screwed with my sleeping schedule. We went to bed around 8 pm our first night of vacation and woke up, voluntarily, at 5:30 am. Cody got up a little bit before me and surprised me with voodoo doughnuts when I woke up. It was a very nice surprise and the doughnuts were everything I thought they would be and more. After we had our fair dose of sugar we went on our way to the coast. Our map made it seem like we were going to be driving along side the ocean the entire day but that was not the case. There are so many trees and it was pretty hard to see anything but once the ocean came into view it was breathtaking. We stopped a few times to take pictures and explore the beach and ventured on to the Tillamook cheese factory where we took a tour and bought some cheese. In case you were curious, Tillamook cheese curds are very tasty...and also incredibly addictive. The rest of the day was spent continuing our beautiful drive along the coast. The pictures that we took really don't do the scenery justice but here are few to keep your interest in what promises to be a very long blog entry.
oh yeah, we also stopped by the Devil's Punchbowl on our first day along the coast and there we saw some whales. Unfortunately, we couldn't get decent pictures of the whales but we did see them and it was fantastic! We also had some kick ass clam chowder and I'm actually craving some of it as I type.
We stopped for the night in Coos Bay, Oregon where we had a nice dinner at a little restaurant that served seafood and German food which was a very odd combination but the meal was tasty and so was their clam chowder. I'm addicted to clam chowder now by the way. That night we looked at a map to plan out our next day along the coast. I really wanted to see some lighthouses because I had never seen one before. (looking back at all of our vacation photos we actually saw 2 lighthouses during our first day but apparently, I didn't pay that much attention). I really wanted to see the Cape Arago lighthouse and so our next day entailed going to the state park to see it.
The next morning, at 5:00 am in our normal elderly couple fashion, we woke up to a foggy, chilly day but decided to do some driving anyway. We drove out to the Cape Arago state park and as soon as we got out of the car we heard what sounded like hundreds of sea lions. It was crazy how loud they all were. We searched for them but only managed to see one that was swimming along the coast. There was also no lighthouse to be seen which was a big bummer. Feeling a little defeated, we got back into the car to find some breakfast. While we were driving I happened to look over at a rock in the distance and saw all sort of sea lions on the rock. We got out and took some pictures. It was so amazing to see all of them in their natural habitat. I was growing more giddy with every picture we took. We got out fill of the sea lions and continued down the road. There was a very pretty viewpoint just off the highway so we decided to stop to take some more pictures. The fog was just starting to burn off and the view was absolutely gorgeous. Once I got out of the car I noticed that the Cape Arago lighthouse was just off in the distance. I was already buzzing from seeing the sea lions but the view of the lighthouse took my happiness over the edge. I skipped down the trail and was in awe of my surroundings. Cody came down the trail to join me and I kept telling him just how happy I was and how amazing our vacation had been. We stood quietly for a bit and my stomach started to rumble so I suggested we go get some breakfast. Cody looked at me and said "There is something I have to do first" and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! This was the most perfect moment of my life and there is nothing I would have changed. When I was a little girl I always imagined what it would be like to be proposed to and this proposal took my dreams to a whole new level. I said yes, of course and then did a lot of calling and texting family members and friends to tell them the important news.
I stopped in McDonald's shortly after and was so happy that I had to tell the girl behind the cash register that I had just gotten engaged. She looked at the ring, got really happy and decided to share the news with the entire restaurant. I got lots of congratulations as I walked out the door with my sausage mcmuffiin. The proposal was definitely the highlight of our vacation. I couldn't help but stare down at the ring the entire day. We stopped at the Coquille lighthouse and the Cape Blanco that morning on our drive along the coast and even though they were pretty they didn't beat the Cape Arago, proposal lighthouse. We also stopped at the historic Hughes house which was neat. I was so happy and giddy that day that I don't really remember all that we did. I know that there was a lot of driving involved and a lot of "hey Cody, guess what...we're engaged!!!" on my part. Our destination that evening was Crescent City, CA and we arrived there around 3 and checked into our hotel. We got a food at local restaurant and then drove around the town for a little bit. By the time we finished eating and driving around the sunlight had started to fade. Cody wanted to find the road that we would need in the morning to get to the redwoods and thus started our first major adventure as an engaged couple.
The redwoods are enormous, I'm sure you all know this and therefore the forest gets incredibly dark even on a cloudy day. The fog was getting worse and as I said before, the sun was going down. We entered the state park and proceeded to drive along the winding roads around the biggest trees in the world. The roads were very narrow and there was no place for us to turn around so we continued to drive and drive and drive. Due to the fact that we didn't want to get stuck in the big, dark, scary forest at night Cody decided to speed up a little. Those of you who know me well should know that I tend to be a bit of a wuss in the car. High speeds and winding roads freak me out and the combination of the two is a panic attack waiting to happen. I didn't want to get trapped in the forest at night but I also didn't want to meet my untimely death while speeding along the curves of the redwood forest so I chose to remain silent and just hold on for dear life. Cody assumed I was afraid of being in the forest at night and so he sped up a little more. We managed to get out of the forest in one piece with a little sliver of sunlight in the sky. Once we started breathing again we both talked about why we were concerned. Cody had no idea that his fast driving almost made me soil myself and it was very entertaining to talk about our night with the enormous trees. We had purchased some wine at the little winery the day before and decided to drink it as a celebratory "We got engaged" and "We didn't die in the forest" drink. It was delicious but all I wanted to do was go to sleep because it was 9:00pm and deep down I am 90 years old.
Good news, in the daylight the redwoods are very beautiful and majestic. We toured the park the next morning and we drove to Klamath, CA to see the tour through tree which is literally a tree that you can drive through. It was pretty cool but the scary forest of the night before was probably my favorite (in the daytime). It is almost overwhelming to be surrounded by all of the trees, some of which were 16 feet in diameter.
Our trip was nearing it's end after the visit to the redwoods. If you have stuck around long enough to read all of this I give you major props and also, thank you for being so interested in what I have to say :) So anyway, we drove back to Portland via the interstate which was a lot more boring than our drive along the coast. We did find out that is it illegal in the state of Oregon to pump your own gas. There is always an attendant to help you put the nozzle in the car. It is a very stupid law and kind of an inconvenience. We stopped in Eugene, OR to buy some doughnuts the Voodoo doughnut there. It was pretty awesome and we ate some more delicious, incredibly unhealthy doughnuts. We spent that night hanging out in the hotel because we both were very tired. The next morning we got on our flight back home and our amazing vacation was over.
We got back to KS and a few days after we did we went to the Chiefs home opener. We showed up at 7:00am and started drinking. I managed to drink about 12 beers in 4 hours and was not in a good place. My poor fiance is a very patient man even when his wife to be is an emotional, drunken mess. Love you Cody! :)
My body is still recovering from drinking like I was in college again. 28 year bodies do not come back from a hangover quite as well as a 21 year old body.
I have started the planning process and I'm really excited for our wedding next fall. I have also started to try to lose some weight (minus all of the beer and crap that I ate yesterday). I have a reason to lose weight now and I'm determined to shave off some of this flubber.
Ok, I'm done now. Thank you for reading my novel and have a good night all.
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