Monday, December 22, 2008

Pictures of Florence

Florence Harbor
Bridge over Siuslaw River

Florence Harbor


Florence Harbor




Seattle Pitures

Pike's Market
Seattle View From Lake Union

Erica and Brian on a Duck Boat on Lake Union


Space Neddle


Friday, December 19, 2008

LA & ER

On Sat we went to LA to surprise Scott for his 30th B-day. Heidi had set up an elaborate plan to surprise Scott. She told him that they were going somewhere for his b-day, instead we were at the airport waiting for them. From there we went to there house and walked to a bar a couple blocks away where the shoulder dislocating bus was waiting for us along with 20 of his friends. We got on the bus and went to the Poop Deck to grab some beers. Waiting for us there were Scott's Parents, sister and brother in law, friends from MN and CA. After that we picked up Dane at another bar and were off to dinner. By this time it was 6 or 6:30. We had a couple drinks are were ready for some dinner. About that time, while on the bus Scott's friend Billy told me that Erica had just dislocated her shoulder.

She was just riding like everyone else holding on to the rail over her and her shoulder popped out. We were just about to the restaurant and so we called the ambulance. They arrived shortly and wanted to put a sling on her arm but they did not have one. Really well prepared. She was in great pain and but they were not really concerned about that. They put her on the gurney and wheeled her to the ambulance. While they were putting her in back they seemed to hit every bump and all the bars. Then instead of a short ride to the near by ER we had to got 7 miles to one that was not as busy. When we got there shortly after 7 and the morphine not kicking in yet we waited and waited. X-Rays happened about 8 and then more morphine. It finally began to work about 8:30. It wasn't until 11 that we were visited by a doctor. After he came it only took about 30 minutes until they popped her shoulder back in and she started feeling better. We got released at 12:30 and low and behold the bus came to pick us up.

The next day we sat around and watched football and played wii. Erica got her medicine and began feeling less pain. Monday we toured around a little bit and took our flight home. Erica had to go see a doctor on Tuesday. She gave good news saying that Erica would not need surgery. They gave her a new immobilizer and we were on our way. Erica took the rest of the week off and returned to work the next Monday with minimum pain. Her arm is healing and getting stronger by the day.

We are now just preparing for Christmas away from our families and our first together. We have sent out gifts and done much shopping on-line. Our tree is small but and has a few packages underneath. This weekend we are going to see the Heceta Head light house. They light it up during the holidays and have a Victorian Christmas theme.

Happy Holidays!!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Seattle and Beyond

Hello Everyone. We finally got internet so we can publish on our blog more often.

We went to Seattle last weekend for a couple days. It was a six hour drive but we deciced to take the scenic route on the way up. We got there on Friday night and toured around the area we were staying. We were about four blocks from the Space Needle. The Seattle Center was in that area as well and since Winterfest was going on there was plenty to do and look at. They had rides and vendors and all kinds other fun things. The lights were very nice and the Space Needle made a nice back drop. After we toured around we went out to eat at the Melting Pot. We had some fondue and even some fondon'ts. It was a nice unique place for dinner.

The next day we got up early and walked down to the peir. It was nice to have a centrally located hotel. We parked our car on Friday night and didn't have to drive it at all until we left on Sunday. Any way we walked to the peir and walked through a sculptue park, it is amazing some of the stuff that passes as art. After walking down by the peir and hitting up a Starbucks, weird we would find one there. Honestly there is one every 6 to 8 blocks, its crazy. I'm hungry, we ate a little while ago but I could go for a cookie. After our cup of joe we went up to the Pikes Market Place. There were tons of vendors there and the crowds were crazy. We went to the fish market and saw them through fish around. It was pretty cool. For all of you who have worked at Fridays and had to watch the video, I think all those guys got fired. They were all clean cut and not hung over. Little disappointing but still very neat.

We went from there to the Duck Boat tour. It was a 90 minute tour around Seattle and then into Lake Union. It floated. After that we went up the Space Needle. It was about an hour before the sun went down so we saw Seattle from above in day light and then in the dark with the light up skyline. Real neat. After the Needle started swaying because there were too many people on one side we got the h*** out of there and went to dinner.

We ate at the Crab Pot. We ordered the Westport. It was a mix of broiled king crab, dungenous crab, shrimp, mussels and clams. The put paper down on the table and dumped the food there. All we had for utinsels were a little baby fork and a mallet to smash the crab legs with. We wore bibs, it was fun. Still haven't got a cookie.

The next day we took a ferry across the Puget Sound to Bremerton. It was nice but foggy. The drive home seemed long but we made it home just in time to watch the Vikings beat the Bears. Good Times.

This week we are taking it easy and trying to save some money. On Monday night we did have a happening. Our power went out at about nine p.m. pst. We only had one candle in the house and no flash light. We heard that some times when the power goes out it happens for days. We went to the store to get more candles after about 1/2 hour of sitting in the dark. The power went on shortly after 10:30. We are prepared for next time. Well hope you are caught up. I am going to get a cookie.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Behind one of the falls on the Silver Falls hike.


The girls found some leaves on the hike. The leaves out here are huge and have been known to chip windshields when they fall from trees.

At Willamette Valley Vinery. Watching the sunset.


Behind one of the many waterfalls.



A view from behind one of the waterfalls on the Silver Falls hike.






The Last Month

Us at Crater Lake

Crater Lake

Sweet Cheeks Vinery


One of the many covered bridges.




Us at King Estates Vinery and our $12 cheese plate.



We still have no internet so it has been a while since we have posted anything. Here is what we have been up to in short and some visual aids to go along with the story.

On the weekend of Oct 18th & 19th we traveled to Eugene. We stopped along the way at King Estates Vineyard. We sampled some wine had some cheese and were on our way. We then proceeded to Eugene to check out the Saturday Market. There were hundreds of vendors with everything from produce and honey to hemp and hula hoops. There was a very eclectic group of people gathered there.

On Sunday we drove around to look at some of the historic covered bridges in Lane County. I believe that we saw a total of 8 that day. On the way home we stopped at Sweet Cheeks Winery to do another tasting and watch the sunset in the valley with a glass of wine.

The next week we went on a couple of hikes after work while we still had the sunlight. We went to Honeyman State Park and to our new favorite spot, Hobbit Trail. This was a half mile hike down to the ocean and once you got there it was a secluded beach with star fish, seal lions and amenities of all kinds in the tide pools.

That weekend we made our way up to Crater Lake. What a beautiful day we picked to do that. It was a gorgeous 4 hour drive and once we got there it was 60 degrees and sunny. The lake was blue like I had never seen a lake before. Just amazing.

On Sunday we tried our luck crab fishing. No luck, we found out towards the end we were doing something wrong and had to fix our problem for next time.

The first weekend in Nov. Katie and Kelsey came to visit. We picked them up at the airport and proceeded to Silver Falls for a 7 mile hike. There are 10 waterfalls along the trail with some of them you can walk under. I was an over cast day and we only made it 5 miles and 7 waterfalls as the sun goes down rather quickly when you are in the midst of 150 ft fir trees.

We took them to a vinery which is becoming some of enjoyment for us out here. We had a glass of wine and watched to sunset.

The next day we took them up the coast to do a couple hikes to the ocean and to do some shopping and tour around.

The Tuesday of their visit we both had the afternoon off so we went out on the dunes in a dune buggy. It was a half hour of fun and excitement. The dunes drop hundreds of feet and the driver just guns it down the dunes and then half way down decides to make a sharp turn and you think you are going to flip as you taste a mouthful of sand.

We decided to take another shot at crab fishing after that to calm down Erica’s upset stomach. We knew what we were doing this time and caught over 50 crabs. None of them were of the right size or sex. They need to be over 5 ¾ inches and male. We had fun anyway.

The next couple weekends had been more relaxed. We stayed in town last the weekend after they left and this past weekend we drove down the shore to Bandon and then on Sunday we went out early to do some agate hunting. You don’t shoot them or anything just look for them, so I don’t know why they call it hunting.

We hope this gets you up to date on what we have been doing.
















Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A few miles from home in front of the lighthouse (which you can't really see here!)


kayaking



View of the ocean from the crows nest
This is our "crows nest"...Erica's study spot


This is a view of the livingroom from upstairs

Monday, October 13, 2008

Week 1

We made it through our first week. Erica's job is going well and she is liking her co-workers and learning some interesting things about local culture.

On Saturday we went Kayaking. We started at Siltcoos Lake and went down the Siltcoos River to the Ocean and then back. It was about a 6 - 7 mile kayak trip. Not being used to Kayaking we found ourselves using muscles that were dormant but soon became active. The river was crystal clear in most spots. We saw some salmon beginning to run but not much else for wild life.

After that we drove up the shore about an hour or so to see some whales. No luck again. I am beginning to think it is a tourist gag, kinda like Wall Drug.

On Sunday we went in land to go hiking and see some waterfalls. We went about 45 miles to see the Kentucky Falls. The last 15 miles were on a winding one way dirt road up and down a scenic mountain. We had to move trees that had fallen over the road and maneuver around rock slides. A little different than back home.

When we got to the trail it was another mile or two hike to the falls. We were miles from any where and walking along cliff sides and in bear infested woods. The scenery was magnificent and the hike was great. Very up-hill at times.

After the Kentucky Falls we went to Sweet Creek Falls. The trail was much easier but just as scenic. The falls were up and down the river but not as high as Kentucky. We saw no bears or any other wildlife, we were kinda hoping to see something we would not have to run from but no luck.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Go Vikings!!

So we are all settled in now and are getting to know the area a little bit. We plan on going whale watching tonight up the shore a little bit. Hopefully we can ride and get a picture of it to send to Hudson. Erica started her job yesterday and got thrown right into the thick of things with an initial-eval in the morning. She is learning on her feet.

Sunday we went grocery shopping to get some general supplies for the house. We also got all settled in. Unfortunately we saw no football due to the fact that we get no local channels where we live. We did however see part of the Vikings game at Jerry's on Monday. It is weird watching MNF during happy hour. The time change is one thing we are still trying to get used to.

I did get to go golfing today. It was a great day and a beautiful course. Very different from Blackberry.

Anyways, off to see the Dick.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Day 3

We left Butte, MT and wanted to put some miles behind us today as we have been doing a lot of site seeing the last couple days. The Montana country side was very nice and full of many antelope. We stopped in Coeur d’Alene for lunch at a local Italian restaurant and a walk along the lake. It was a nice town in Idaho. After we left Coeur d’Alene we headed west again. We went through Washington on our way to Oregon. As we entered Oregon it began to rain and continued throughout the night. On our way to Portland we traveled the Northern border of Oregon along the Columbia River. It was very scenic with mountains and hills along each side of the river. We arrived in Portland earlier enough in the night to go out for a nice relaxing meal. We decided to travel into the heart of Portland to see what we could find. We quickly realized that Portland is hard to navigate at night with the rain coming down and the map back in the hotel room. Not to mention the hundreds of people coming out of the Rose Garden after a Trailblazers scrimmage. After we got out of the heart of the city we found a nice little local brewery called Laurelwoods to have dinner and a beer to top off a long day in the car.


Day 4

Our last day on the road was more about exploring our new state as we only had about 180 miles left to Florence. We left Portland and headed to the coast and the town of Tillamook. It was still raining as we wanted to do some hiking however Erica had no rain gear. We stopped at a local sporting goods store for her to get her first rain suit. She looks like a true Oregonian now. We toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory and had some fresh ice cream and cheese. While we were leaving the cheese factory we noticed a flyer for a Seafood festival in town. Hmmm… we thought as we hadn’t had lunch yet but already had dessert. We took the flyer and headed toward the coast to see the Ocean. We saw some great overlooks and a lighthouse, which is not in use anymore but still there. As we headed away from the coast we were brought back into Tillamook and to the Seafood Festival we went. There were many local restaurants, brewery’s and winerys that had some of there stuff for us to eat and drink. It was a good lunch as we had some Salmon Chowder and a Seafood Alfredo. Good stuff. They also had many local artists, designers and jewelry makers. We headed down the coast after lunch and just out of town we saw a herd of Elk. Really cool. As we continued down the Oregon Costal Byway, which is absolutely amazing we saw many great places we could have stopped but pressed on towards Florence. We did make a quick detour to a small sign that said Falls. It was a one lane dirt road about 3 miles straight into the forest. Then we had to walk another ½ mile to see the amazing falls. One of many I am sure.

We got to Florence about 6 pm and found our house for the next three months. Saturday night we went out to a local seafood restaurant. Some crab, shrimp and steak were good. Then we found a couple local bars to have a beer to welcome us home.
Erica along the coast in her new Rain Coat!

A huge flock of Elk.


A hidden waterfall.

On the road to Florence though the hills and the fog.

Tatanka!!

The Old Faithful, its pretty faithful!


A hiking path along the Oregon Coast.


Driving, The Camera was sliding off the dash as we were taking a corner!

In The Hills early Thurs Morning.

It was cold! The couple that took our picture were dressed in jackets, hats and gloves. Our first waterfall.


One of many scenic views near Cody, WY.

Navigation Tool and our wellness kit.

In Yellowstone. Everything was beautiful.

Mt. Rushmore

A Goat!!

A Wrap Around Bridge from our 15 mile hour and 1/2 drive.

Here are some Pictures from our trip to Oregon.
Erica Playing Piano

Brian Behind the Bar

1880 Town

Sunday, October 5, 2008

We Made It!




Florence, MN only 1800 Miles to go!





Day 1
We started off Wednesday morning from Marshall just before 8. From there we headed west to Huron to have lunch with Denny and Yvonne in Huron, SD. After that it was off to The Hills. It was a relaxing drive through SD as we checked out many of the fields. We made a stop at 1880 town for a short break. It was just buildings from that era, nobody doing much there so we had to make our own fun. Erica played piano as I bar tended. It was off season so not a lot of traffic, we got bored fairly quick. We left 1880 and headed to The Hills. We made a stop at Mt. Rushmore to see the dead presidents. We walked around for a bit to loosen up our legs and get some air. We saw some wildlife along the trail with some real live mountain goats. We left Mt. Rushmore and headed to the Cosmos but it was closed when we got there. Not to pleased about that. We wanted to head to the Crazy Horse so we thought we would cross through Custard State Park. It was getting close to dark and the dear were just starting to come out. The 15 mile drive took us and hour and a half. Deer every where, switch backs, narrow roads and one lane tunnels. It was amazingly beautiful though. From there we headed to Deadwood for the night. A nice dinner, a couple of drinks and some gambling tied up the night. No gun fights though.

Day 2
We left Deadwood bright and early the next morning and thanks to some advice from a local server, we headed through spearfish canyon. We saw our first of many waterfalls, drove through the beautiful fall colors and continued on to Wyoming. We soon discovered we started our road trip at the ideal time to experience the true fall colors...wow we saw some amazing views. We were headed to Yellowstone and passed through the Cody, Wyoming area which was one of the most scenic legs of the trip. We continued through the mountains, valleys and forest to Yellowstone. We made our way through the mountain roads and wildlife to Old Faithful. We saw the many geysers and again made our way through the park at dusk keeping a close eye out for the elk, deer, bison and tourists...unfortunately no bears were spotted. We left the park and headed into Montana. Our drive from Yellowstone to Butte appeared to be a scene straight out of a horror movie. Our cell phones were dead, there were 3 other vehicles in a 50 mile stretch and an old pickup truck passed and flashed his lights and as Brian returned the favor he slammed on his brakes and appeared to be turning around. We survived the onslaught as the trusty 4 cylinder Altima drove us out of the desolate canyon. We spent the night in Butte, MT with one eye open and our doors tightly locked.

Friday, September 19, 2008


Here is a picture of how happy we were before we left on our trip. Stay Tuned!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Preparing to Depart

Welcome to our blog! We hope that you visit our site often to keep updated on our travels. We will be sure to update this whenever we visit somewhere new. Thank you all for taking the time to visit our blog.