This is Oregon~

This weekend marked my 11th wedding anniversary. We hadn't made any big plans and we didn't have a sitter so we decided to go for a drive. This of course meant that we needed snacks so we stopped at Target and then we jumped in the car and hit the road. We have been taking a lot of drives this summer so it's a bit of a challenge to go somewhere "new". Once a year we drive down the Barlow Trail (think old time Oregon Trail.) This is deep in the heart of the Mt. Hood national forest. Think trees, rutted roads, washouts, and plenty of fresh air. The kids especially love the bumpy roads. 

We stopped at a bridge so the kids could throw rocks in a creek.

Lily loved a few minutes out of her carseat. 

It's a real challenge for us to get "lost". We took roads we have never traveled and found ourselves emerging from the lush forest into plains with towering brown bluffs. The view was breathtaking. It made us feel like we were the first people to discover this land. Well, if you ignore the paved road and fences. Tee hee!

We wound ourselves to the Deschutes river, which is a serious body of thrashing, raging water. However, the color was the most lovely turquoise/emerald green I have ever seen. 

Then we found ourselves driving up this steep little road with (mostly) no guard rails and being not so fond of heights it was all I could do to ward off a full out panic attack. I did manage to take a few pictures of the brown, pillowy land. It was awe inspiring to behold, you know when I wasn't holding on for dear life.

We encountered stretches of mostly flat earth, stretched out as far as you could see. Dry grass, an occasional bird or a tumbling tumble weed. We kept trucking, all the while chatting about how nice it would be to have a little piece of this solitude to call our own. Isn't it nice to dream?

It took so much longer then we expected to get back to the main highway (200 miles total). We stopped and got our starving children McDonald's. They'd had their fill of snacks. I have always loved this drive down the Columbia river gorge. There were so many people out in their boats and wind surfing, it must have felt lovely and cool on this hot day! We even saw a barge or two. I felt so lucky to live in Oregon where we have such a vast array of scenery. If you want it we probably have it! This is Oregon!

Until next time.

xoxo,