Portland , OR! 2014

Portland, Oregon

Portland Oregon had taken place in July 2014 this year. I absolutely loved this state! 

I was captivated by it even before I got off the plane when we flew over Mount Hood. 

Mount Hood from a birds eye view

     During the first week the weather was very odd considering what the "normal" Oregon weather should look like (yes, I did my research!). Normal weather would be like wearing sweatshirt and shorts weather. But the first week was very hot and humid (which made me miss Colorado even more!). But the second week we got a break. For the big trip they had a little cruise boat trip planned up and down the Colombian river.

 I really enjoyed this part! To get there we took the public metro system, and man! Was that a blast! The cruise we went on was about three hours and afterwards went through downtown Portland. 

When you look at Portland (or when I did at least) you see a very cultural city. SO many different people in one area at once! Russian, Ukrainian, Mexican, Hungarian, and so many others! The vibe I got from it was a very "hippe", or "free spirit" vibe. But really it was its own kind of city in good ways and in bad ways. Other locations we visited were "Cartlandia" or "Cartopia", Powell's book store, Seaside beach, and Multnomah falls. 

Multnomah Falls

 This was my favorite destination that we went to!One, the rocks! This area was made up of mostly Basalt rocks, and a few others that I can't remember on the top of my head. 

The very top from the ground

  This is when we experienced "true" Oregon weather. Within a few minutes on getting there a steady drizzle began. But nerveless, me and my group of friends made a very steep trek of 1.1 miles up to the very top. Yeah, that might not sound like very far for any athletic person. :) The walk was worth it! by that time it was a steady rain and we were completely soaked!        

As you can see from the video I'm NOT the person to call when you need something recorded! :) Plus I couldn't remember what the Falls name was or how to pronounce it either, I was too busy enjoying myself than trying to remember a name truth be told!Plus! Thanks to my wonderful wiping off the lens skills the blur was just too perfect. 

We had fun anyways! When we finally reached the top I was amazed with the beautiful scenery!Despite the rain we stayed a long time on the top of the falls, and took our time going back down. 

Me at the base of the falls 

On top of the Falls we saw Washington State 

Washington State

Basalt rocks 

Me and this rock was made for each other! *note the heart shaped puddle!

Sea Side Beach! 

the beach path

When we first got to the beach you could instantly smell the salty breeze. I was very excited to finally see the Pacific Ocean!  I even made sure I had a ziploc bag for some sand. Yes, I'm that type of girl. :)  If I was making the decisions that day we would of stayed there all day, that is how much I loved it! When the grassy area stopped, there it was! A blue line was stretched out with clouds overhead and literally it felt like a mile long beach before you actually got to the ocean itself. At that point we bundled up our bags and sprinted off towards it! Somewhere in the middle we stopped very briefly to drop our stuff and finished the raced towards the waves.  Talk about windy! There was lots of people who were flying there kites on the beach. My hair was all nice and straight before hand but after 5 minuets it was a curly mess. 

the Pacific Ocean! 

 But we had so much fun! The sand believe it or not was almost like cement when you got closer to the water. When I started to go into the ocean about to my ankles, the tide seemed to pull me back out to sea with it. You couldn't stand still when you stood in the water for very long! A couple of my friends decided to go out to almost their necks and rode the waves back to the shoreline. I, however wasn't that brave! Plus I had only one pair of cloths with me. But I found multiple sand dollars, and a few washed up jellyfishes. 

the race began! 

We played volleyball and had a wonderful time splashing in the waves for hours. On one side we saw the waves of the Pacific ocean, and the other side we saw the bluffs and mountains covered in pine trees. I am really hoping that someday in the future I will be able to go back and see more of this beautiful state! 

the beautiful waves

I was indeed on the look out for any interesting rocks and shells. :) I did get a very nice tan from that day too. So that was another added plus for the day! I can't wait for the day to go and re-visit this amazing state!