The last weekend in August we packed our bags as a family of three and flew across the country to Oregon. We had an old roommate’s wedding to attend, and so, we decided to take off a few days and make it a fun little vacation. I had been to Oregon before when I made my third bicycling trip across the country, but it was a first for Yankee and Little Miss.
Little Miss has become quite a good traveler which is a must in our family. We still have a few more weeks of taking advantage of the infant in arms on the flight. This time she didn’t really sleep on the plane, but she loved looking out the window. She did great with the three hour time difference which was my concern. I did my best to move her schedule an hour each day for a few days leading up to the trip. We have learned that traveling with a child means we now have to check a bag. It is a fact we have we have come to accept. Our days of traveling with one carry-on each are over, and we are more than fine with that.
We flew into Portland at night and had the first morning to explore before driving to the wedding destination. We decided the zoo would be a fun stop. We love zoos, and if you go to Portland, we recommend it. Plus, it is right beside other fun things such as the children’s museum.
On a side note, I just got these shoes for the trip. I wanted to take something to walk in but not be as big as tennis shoes. Oh! I LOVE these. They are so comfy and light but acted like tennis shoes. I wore them for all our outdoor adventures and through the airport. After I bragged so much about them, Mom bought the same style in all black. They come in lots of colors.
After our morning at the zoo, we hopped in our rental car and drove to a place called Black Butte Ranch. It is about 40 minutes outside of Bend, Oregon. The weather and drive were just perfect. The wedding took place on the ranch, and this ranch was huge. Over 1,200 homes were on the land, and there were tons of activities from pools, hiking, biking, golf, spa etc. We rented a house with a bunch of our old roommates and families.
(Some of the Hawaii roomies)
The back story is that when Yankee and I lived in Hawaii, we lived in a house with quite a few people. We all were young and in our 20’s. I called it The Real World house without any drama. Our roommates are some of our closest friends, and we make it a point to get together at least once a year. Our families are growing, and it still such a great time.
The whole time we were there, the weather was just perfect. Oregon is gorgeous, and I want to move there just for how great my hair was in that state! #zerofrizz
The ranch had bike paths all around, and it was fun to rent and test out pulling Little Miss. She loved the biking and anytime we stopped, she asked for more bicycle. Oregon beauty all around.
We made some pit stops to go swimming and see these cute horses. My helmet was off for this, but don’t worry. I wore my helmet while on the bike.
I just thought this view of the mountains was spectacular while hanging out at the pool. I only wish we lived closer to Black Butte Ranch because it would be a great place to have holiday and other gatherings. Our group has talked about making it a place for one of our reunions since it was beautiful and there was something for everyone.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit Oregon add it to your list. For all of our Oregon readers out there, your state is filled with such beauty.
Cheers
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Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
Glad you all had such a wonderful time!…and yes, Oregon on my bucket list!!
Alicia@Eco Friendly Homemaking says
Looks like an awesome and beautiful place. We lived in CA for a while and had meant to drive up the coast to Oregon. After seeing this sure wish we had!