I did not die of dysentery

Ages ago, I promised an Oregon trip picspam, and I'm finally delivering! :) I had a really lovely time visiting Kathleen and Noah over Memorial Day weekend. I was there for four days, and while there, I made the following observations:

-The people there seem to be even friendlier than people in the Midwest (which I didn't realize was even possible), although it's possible they're only able to be that friendly because they get all their agression out on the road. It's nothing like New York or LA, but they use their horns a lot.

-I found it ironic that an area that's so infamously "green" has an economy that relies so heavily economically on the foresting industry. However, they are required by law to replant, which is pretty cool.


Also, while I was there, I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, 17 classic volkswagen busses, at least a dozen elk, and a bald eagle.

Oregon, I learned, features every type of geography available in the US except tundra. The area Kathleen and Noah live in is rainforesty mountains, and it was beautiful! Observe:


Day 1 was hiking up Spencer Butte :)

Noah emerging from the treeline:



The view from the peak:



Day two, we decided to go to the ocean, and were lucky enough to get sun the entire time we were there. The shoreline where we were reminded me more of Lake Michigan than anywhere on the Atlantic I'd been, if we're being honest, but still. The Pacific Ocean!





Dunes! We had to hike through these to get to the water, although this is looking at them long-ways along the coast.



Kathleen et moi:



We rounded off the day at a seafood place, then went home to bake a pie. We were going to do a marionberry pie (a variety of blackberry developed by researchers at the local university, thus only available in the area where Kathleen and Noah live), but the grocery store was out, so we settled for making one out of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Kathleen was pretty peeved it singed a little, and spend most of the evening muttering "what did I do differently" under her breath, but I was mostly like HEY OMG LOOK GUYS I MADE A PIE AND IT TASTES GOOD YAAAAYY!!!!



This is what we typically do with the extra pie crust dough, and it's almost tastier than the pie.



Day 3 we spent lounging about town, because I was worried about pulling something if we went hiking four days in a row. We went to a winery and a bookstore, got coffee, then went home to make Indian food. Oddly, this was the day I broke out in hives. (You know, the day I wasn't exposed to any new plant life or anything. Go figure.)

Day 4 we went hiking on McKenzie trail, which apparently some organization, I was informed, voted the most beautiful trail in the US, and I could see why. It was like being in a fairy-tale (although I think I'd DIE if I had to do it in long skirts).

The trail beckons:



Kathleen answers the call!



Waterfall #1...



I caught this shot candid. Are they not too cute for words?









Waterfall #2:



Prepping for a photo op:





Waterfall #1 again, from a different angle:



Kathleen is gleeful at having stolen her husband's hat:



The gnomes have been here.



Here, too.







The land time forgot.