Portland & Corvallis & Eugene

Will and I are so happy to be in Bend, Oregon with family! I'm excited to post about our adventures here and show Will around my old stomping grounds, but for now we've got to recap the stops we made on our way south from Seattle.

We got into Portland on Wednesday and were warmly greeted by a fellow Bearcat, our college classmate Kyoko. She recently moved to Portland and was happy to explore with us. We hit up Next Adventure, a used gear store so that Will could get some climbing shoes, and then went to complete a very Portlandy task and eat at Guero, an awesome food cart where my college roommate Audrey works.

Thanks to Jeff and Sue for giving us a place to crash that night!

On Thursday we started the morning with some Voodoo Doughnuts and then hit up the Portland Rock Gym to work off some of those calories. We missed Thursday climbing in the barn in Binghamton, but this place was a mighty fine substitute. When my Meaghan, my other college buddy, came to town to join us and Audrey, we went to get some amazing brunch at Broder, a Swedish restaurant.

We said goodbye to Audrey that afternoon and made our way south to Corvallis with Meaghan. She recently moved there to work at the Institute of Applied Ecology. I think she chose her job based on what cool outfit she got to wear to work, but it helps that she gets to travel to wetlands all over the state. What a great way to get to know a place! She and her partner took us to Sky High Brewery for a delicious meal and some Oregon beers.

On Friday morning we took a bus to Eugene to spend some time with Peter "PT Mac" Ward. We hiked Skinner's Butte and saw beautiful rock columns that were a little to wet to try out any un-tethered exploration, then took the trail to the top for views of the city. While we were up there, we noticed a crowd on the trail. They were all gazing over at huge nest that held a bald eagle and her eggs! She apparently comes every year to the same spot to raise her eaglets.

Did we mention it's spring here?

The next morning, Will and I hopped on the Saturday bus from Eugene to Bend. We crossed from the wet to the dry side of the Cascade Mountains and got unbelievable views of Mount Washington and North Sister.

Will and PT at Skinner's Butte Rock Columns

We're glad to be in Bend for a few days to reorganize before we head out on the road again. We have had an incredible first week of our trip.

Tile art in Bend with the family