Our Vacation - Day 4

I'm back with another recap of our super fun vacation to the Pacific Northwest. If you missed the first three, you can find them below. Just scroll down, they're not far. Promise. :-)

On Day 4, we woke up in Portland, packed up our crappy rental car (this thing didn't have power windows or locks - I didn't think cars had manual things anymore), and headed up I-5 to Seattle.

We arrived around noon and were able to check into our hotel early - yay! After that, we headed to the waterfront, after figuring out there was quite a bit to do down there. The weather was gorgeous - high 60s and sunny - so it was great to be outside!

First off, we went to Pike's Place Market. It was SUPER crowded and sort of stuffy inside. We walked through it, but didn't really do a whole lot of shopping. I was mildly irritated by all the other tourists and crowds.

The first Starbucks. That line was nuts.

After that, we went back down to the piers and wandered around. We found the Gum Wall (pretty neat) and did some souvenier shopping. Then it was "oyster time"!

Gum wall in Post Alley.

My brother and sister-in-law were in Seattle last summer and found Elliott's Oyster House on the piers . They have a progressive oyster happy hour. The happy hour lasts for about 3 hours, and each half-hour, the oysters get more expensive. But if you catch it at the right time, you can get them super cheap. The BF has a recent obsession with oysters, so this happy hour was a must-do on our vacation.

And we did. Well, not me, but the BF. 10 oysters = $5. Not kidding. Best deal of our vacation. I ate blackened Rockfish tacos (best fish tacos I've ever had) instead. Our bill? 4 Rockfish tacos, 10 oysters, and 5 beers was $38. Amazing.

Cheap yet amazing meal at Elliott's!

Next, we went on a harbor cruise. A Facebook friend had done this on her recent vacation to Seattle, and it looked like fun. The cruise was about an hour long, and took us around the bay. We got to see the city from the water, which was pretty cool. The tour is narrated by a live person (not a pre-recorded thing), so that was neat. We both agreed that, while a little pricey, it was worth it.

Our boat!

Views of the city from the boat.

We ended our day with pizza, sliders, and beer at a sports bar, and a walk around Lake Union, which was right across from our hotel. There were boat docks and a totem pole display in the park on Lake Union - pretty neat.

Our walk on the lake.

Day 5 - Seattle - coming soon!

Our Vacation - Day 3

Thanks for joining me in the recap of my amazing vacation. If you missed the write-ups on Days 1 and 2, simply scroll down. They're below. :-)

Day 3 was awesome! We drove from Portland to the Columbia River Gorge, which is only about an hour or so from the city. There are a ton of hiking trails, gorgeous scenery, and things to do.

On our way out of Portland, we stopped at VooDoo Doughnuts. I was told by multiple people that this is a Portland must-do. Hell, if something involves doughnuts, I'm there.

After our 20 minute wait in line, we finally ordered - the "Rappers Delight" special, a grape-dusted doughnut, and a Butterfinger doughnut. They were completely and totally worth it. Best doughnuts EVER! If you are in Portland, you've got to go here.

The "Butterfingering" donut. Ah-mazing.

Part of the "Rapper's Delight" special - the Marshall Matters.

Doughnut #2 of the "Rappers Delight" - the Old Dirty Bastard. Yes, that's Oreos, chocolate frosting, and peanut butter. Best doughnut I've ever had.

Doughnut #3 of the "Rapper's Delight" - the Maple Blazer Blunt.

After grubbing our doughnuts in the car while sitting in the parking lot, we were on our way to the Gorge. Our first stop was at Multnomah Falls, right off of the freeway. We hiked the falls - 1.2 miles each way. Going up was at about a 40-degree incline - KILLER! But it was worth it. The views of the Gorge were beautiful, and the falls were pretty as well.

The start of the hike, before we got all sweaty.

Isn't that pretty? That's only the lower part of the falls.

At the top! We did it!

Mmmm-hmm, I'm a rockstar! Haha, j/k.

Top of the falls, looking down.

After our first hike, we continued down the senic highway to Bridalveil Falls, where we hiked to see it up close (about 2/3 mile round trip). So pretty!

Taking a rest. I was getting a little tired!

The falls themselves. So lush and pretty!

Right off the senic drive was another waterfall - Horsetail Falls. We watched some teenage kid try to swim out to the waterfall. He didn't make it far - that water was FREEZING!

That waterfall was probably 50 yards from where we were standing.

We also stopped at Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. We could not believe the amount of water the dam was releasing - 500,000 cubic feet per SECOND. It was nuts! We also met Herman the Sturgeon, a 70-year-old, 900lb sturgeon that lives at the hatchery.

Bonneville Dam. Crazy water!

Trout at the hatchery.

Herman the Sturgeon!

Then we got back on the freeway and just drove till we found somewhere to stop - Hood River, OR. I regret two things about this - not getting there earlier and not staying longer! What a super cute town! We did happy hour at Full Sail Brewery and Pub, then went down to the Colombia River to watch the kite-boarders. There were some great shops that I would have loved to explore, but they were closed by the time we got there. I'd love to go back there someday.

Delicious beer at Full Sail. Thank goodness they sell it at BevMo!

Around 7pm, we finally headed back to Portland and were exhausted by the time we got back, around 8:30pm. It was a long day, but so much fun! Probably my favorite day of the trip thus far. :-)

If you're in the area, I suggest spending some time on the Senic Drive and hiking the waterfalls. It's a great way to spend an afternoon in Oregon!

Our Vacation - Day 2

Day two of our vacation was spent on the Oregon coast. It's absolutely gorgeous out there! It's very much like the Northern California coast - very lush and green, with rocky shores and coarse sand. It's also a little more chilly and cloudy than inland, which I'm used to, having been to Northern California coastal areas many times.

Our first stop on the coast was Tillamook, OR to visit the Tillamook Cheese factory. It was a must-see for both of us, we have been nicknamed "cheese heads" by his family.

True story - one time my Mom got a 3lb block of sharp cheddar (sealed in red wax, so you know it was good) as a gift and gave it to us. She doesn't like cheese, poor thing. You know how long it took us to eat that entire block? Less than two weeks. Yes, we love cheese. :-)

Anycheesehead, we loved our visit there. We did the self-guided tour of the factory to see how cheese is made. We sampled cheese and discovered a new favorite - Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar (which, if you find it at a store, will you let me know? I am craving it!). We ate lunch at the cafe - Grilled Cheese sandwiches, what else? :-) We also got Tillamook ice cream!

Tillamook Ice Cream - The BF's is Mountain Huckleberry, mine is Oregon Strawberry. We wanted to try the regional flavors.

The Tillamook Loaf Bus!

Grilled cheese with swiss and cheddar, with a side of tots!

Sampling the amazing cheese. I think we ate more than our fair share. :-)

The factory. It's a great place to stop on the coast! And best of all, the tour is free! I think we spent a total of $20 on ice cream and lunch, so pretty cheap too. :-)

Next we drove up Highway 101 with the goal of stopping in Astoria, OR. Yes, that's where the Goonies was filmed. We heard it was a cool town and near the highway we needed to get back to Portland. We stopped at Manhattan Beach on the way and crashed what looked to be a middle-school field trip. Whoops.

Manhattan Beach, OR.

Some Vista Point stop on Highway 101.

Isn't this gorgeous?

Once we got to Astoria, we walked along the waterfront and nearly got run over by a trolley; drove into the "downtown" area and ran multiple red lights; and finally landed at the Rogue Taphouse on the pier, where we sampled beer and munched on chips and salsa.

The beer menu and taps. They gave samples too, so you could try it before ordering a pint. Very personable bartenders too! I highly suggest eating at a Rogue brewery - the beer is amazing!

My $6 beer sampler. My favorites: Chocolate Stout (far left) and Captain Sig's (far right).

Astoria waterfront

After the two hour drive back to Portland, we went to a well-known Oregon restaurant chain, McMenamins, for dinner. Worst service ever, but the food was fab. The location of the one we went to in Hillsboro was gorgeous! They had a great outdoor seating area with fire pits and space heaters and trails to walk around the grounds. It was a great way to end our day!

Have you been to the Oregon coast? Is there anything we should have done or seen that we missed?

My Vacation - Day 1

Hello friends! I've been back from my vacation for nearly a week now, and I have to admit that I really didn't want to come back to the real world. I wish I could be on vacation permanently. Unfortunately, vacations cost money, and work earns money, so I must work. Oh well.

Day one of vacation was spent in Portland, OR. We pretty much walked around the Pearl District and downtown area, ate an amazing lunch, then later, had a great dinner and watched the NBA Finals (the Heat lost, boo).

The weather was nice when we arrived - cloudy but not cold. Later that afternoon, however, the rain started and didn't let up until the next day. While I expected that, I really wished that it would have held off longer......we got pretty wet while exploring downtown! That's why you don't see any photos of me or the BF below. :-)

Some photos of our first day:

Taken downtown by the Colombia River. We found a Fleet Week festival and walked around, checking out local crafters and street food.

View of the Colombia River from the waterfront.

If you visit Portland, you HAVE to eat here - Hot Lips Pizza. The ingredients are locally sourced and they make and bottle their own fruit sodas. I got the Chicken, Artichoke, and Spinach pizza - delish! I also tried their Blackberry soda - fabulous!

Sign post in Pioneer Square in Downtown Portland.

Pioneer Square. Great place for Portland people-watching!

Henry's Tavern is an amazing place for watching sporting events or tasting new beers. They have an all-day happy hour on Sundays - we shared three appetizers and got 5 beers total, and our bill was only $38! The appetizer above is Waffle Fries with Gorgonzola cream dip - YUM!

My beer at Henry's - Moose Drool! Loved it!

I'll be sharing Day 2 later this week. All in all, we really liked the city of Portland - gorgeous, clean, and very friendly people. :-)

Dirty 30 Recap

Last week, I celebrated turning "Dirty Thirty". By the way, my pal Hutch celebrated hers this week. Heehee, I'm not the only one! Anyway, I wanted to recap the festivities!

On Thursday 3/31, my actual birthday, I slept in, and cheated on my diet by getting a chocolate croissant from LaBou Bakery Cafe. If you live in Sacramento, you know how amazing these are. :-) I tanned, then headed to my tattoo appointment and got the amazing leg piece you can find here. After that, I met up with my family at Fat City in Old Sacramento for my birthday dinner. Fried green beans, pulled pork sandwich, and a cold beer - mmmmmmmmmmmm. We then headed to my parent's house for presents and brownie sundaes (I didn't want a cake). My parents got me the Xbox 360 Kinect system and 2 games (Zumba and Dance Central), and my brother and sister-in-law got me a cute Geisha charm necklace and the Zumba box set! The BF got me some great new cowboy boots (tan with pink and turquoise stitching), an A's t-shirt and sweatshirt.

On Friday 4/1, I ran errands all day in preparation for Saturday. I also got my hair colored and cut by my amazing stylist Nikki, as well as get my first pedicure of Spring. Nothing too special.

On Saturday 4/2, I prepped for my dual birthday party that night. The BF's best friend's birthday in the day before mine, so every year we do a dual celebration. This year, since we both turned 30, we decided to celebrate in proper fashion - with a costume party. The theme? Decades - past, present, and future. There were some great costumes - our friends and family are so creative! Some photos are below: 80's aerobic girl, 60's hippie, 60's housewife, 50's pin up

How cute is she? I love her! Old school b-ball player, Wendy Mo circa 1991 (inside joke) The Birthday Buddies! 50's pin up and the Unabomber (90s)

The BF: 80's gangsta rapper, me

My fanily! L-R: Mad Men couple, me, the BF, Mom: She's supposed to be herself, pregnant with me in 1981, and Dad: WWII Pilot

60's Hippie, 80's Caddyshack - he's the Caddy.

Mad Men Couple, up close

And on Sunday 4/3, I celebrated with the BF's family. His mom made my favorite dish - homemade lasagna. YUM! We did gifts and played my favorite Wi game - Wheel of Fortune. His parents got me some yard decorations and a Kohl's gift card for stuff for the house. His brother and sister-in-law got me Season 1 of Glee on DVD!

Thanks to everyone that made my birthday so special this year! :-)