Bill and Deanna Visit

The first stop after purchasing our van in Eugene, Oregon was the Portland, Oregon airport where we met Bill and Deanna to start our travels together.

Enjoying a Hansville beach

We headed north to Hansville with Bill and Ray in the van as Nancy and Deanna followed in the Civic. It made a long day for Bill and Deanna but we were all able to sleep late the next day. The next few days we spent time in the local area seeing the quaint towns of Poulsbo, Port Townsend and Port Gamble before heading on to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park.

Port Townsend waterfront

We had a beautiful sunny day to see the Olympic Mountains and enjoyed a picnic with many friendly deer that would have loved for us to share with them.

Enjoying Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics

Before the day was over we drove by Crescent Lake headed to the Washington coast where we enjoyed a walk to Second Beach through the large old growth trees near the community of La Push. As the day ended we were seeing clouds but enjoyed a seafood dinner in La Push then spent the night in the town of Forks which has become well known as the setting of the book and TV series, Twilight.

Second Beach near La Push

The next day it was raining, making it a perfect day to visit the rain forest section of the Olympic National Park. The rains were not heavy and did not scare us away as we enjoyed our walks through the moss covered forests before heading back to Hansville for the night.


Olympic Rain Forest

The next day we drove to Bainbridge Island where we parked the van and took the ferry across Puget Sound to Seattle. The sights and smells of Pike Street Market were somewhat subdued since it was Labor Day, but the Seattle Center where the Space Needle towers above was alive with a music festival. It did not rain but it was cloudy enough that Mount Rainer was hidden. We were getting pretty tired as we rode the Monorail back towards the waterfront area for the ferry back to Bainbridge Island where our van was waiting. It was dark as the ferry left the terminal and the Seattle skyline came to life with lights as we headed west across Puget Sound.

Headed for Seattle on the Ferry

After a night’s rest it was time to load up and head south for a tour through Mount St. Helen’s National Park. The weather was clearing and we were fortunate to see Mount Rainer as we headed south. Mount St. Helens was beautiful with a fresh dusting of snow and we spent more time enjoying the day in the park which made us a bit late to head for the Columbia Gorge that day.

North side of Mount St. Helens

We spent the night in Vancouver and sure appreciated Brett and Kasey opening their home for us to spend the night. We feasted at a special Mexican restaurant, Who Song and Larry’s, a favorite overlooking the Columbia River. The next morning we traveled up the Columbia Gorge spending time at Crown Point, Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam fish hatchery to see huge sturgeon and spawning salmon. Then it was on to the Mount Hood Lodge at the base of Mount Hood before spending the night at Madras in central Oregon.

Crooked River Gorge near Bend, Oregon

There were some clouds hiding much of Mount Hood so we never really got to see the whole mountain. We enjoyed a stop at the Bend tourist information center to pick up maps and later a grocery store to secure picnic supplies before heading for the Century Drive which goes by many mountains like Three Sisters, Bachelor and Broken Top. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by Devils Lake with clear and warm weather.

Enjoying Crater Lake view

We continued exploring the area, including Little Lava Lake, and Crane Prairie before moving on to La Pine, Oregon where we found lodging for the night.

Crater Lake west rim

Late in the afternoon we enjoyed going up to Paulina Lake and walked a trail through the nearby obsidian flow where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The next day we continued our drive through central Oregon and arrived at Crater Lake National Park which was as stunning and blue as ever! After exploring the area and lodge we had a picnic lunch at the edge of the Caldera which drops about 2000 feet to the lake. Shade was needed to keep us cool during our stay as it was quite warm, even at 8,000 feet.

Enjoying Clear Water Falls on the Umpqua River

Later in the afternoon we drove down along the Umpqua River, enjoying stops at water falls along the way. In Roseburg we shared where we had lived and had dinner before traveling on to Eugene for the night. The next day my mom, Bertha, joined us and we traveled up the McKenzie River and over the old McKenzie Pass to see the lava beds and Dee Wright observatory before spending a very short time shopping in the touristy town of Sisters.

Lava beds and Dee Wright observatory

We moved on to the headwaters of the Metolious River which is known for starting from large springs forming a full river. With daylight fading, we headed back over the mountains via the Clear Lake cut-off back to Eugene for the night.

Devels Churn on the Oregon coast

On Sunday we went to church and had a relaxing time at home. We were treated to a special tri-tip barbeque prepared by Bill and Deanna. Then on Monday we hit the road again, headed for the Oregon Coast. We were lucky enough to have nice weather and enjoyed seeing sea lions basking and swimming near the rocky coast. The ocean was a bit rough which made it very scenic as we viewed Heceta Head lighthouse, one of the most photographed places in Oregon, Devils Churn where the waves come into a very narrow volcanic crevice in the rocks, and Cape Perpetua; then on to Devil’s Punch Bowl and Otter Crest before finding lodging at Depoe Bay. The next day we were treated to seeing whales feeding very near the shore at Depoe Bay and Boiler Bay. We traveled on north and enjoyed seeing two dory fisherman land on the beach at Pacific City, one a beginner, one an old pro.

Cape Meares near Tillamook, Oregon

At Cape Meares we had beautiful calm weather to see the lighthouse and rocky coastline before heading inland to Tillamook where we toured the cheese factory and of course had to have some cheese curds and Tillamook ice cream.

Portland Rose Gardens

Then it was on to Portland for the night and the next morning we toured Portland’s famous Rose Gardens before taking Bill and Deanna to the airport for their flight back to Tennessee while we headed home to Hansville. By our calculations we thought we’d both be arriving home at about the same time, but we later learned that we beat Bill and Deanna who could not land in Nashville because of bad weather and were diverted, making them about 4 hours later than expected. They got home about 4:00 am! It was a wonderful trip and we look forward to more travels with Bill and Deanna.