Summer Adventures in Oregon

Last December, my friend Julie and I decided we needed to go on a roadtrip together the following summer. We met at the treeplanting camp I worked in my first two seasons, and since she lives only 4 hours away we have been able to work in a few visits now and then. 

Our destination became Oregon...we didn't plan it out much, just that we wanted to see Cannon Beach and Portland at some point. We hopped into Leroy, the faithful '86 VW Westfalia I call home during the planting season, and tootled off down South early this past August. 

Our first stop was Seattle, which I had never seen before! We visited the usual tourist hot-spots...Pike Place Market, the first Starbucks, and the Gum Wall, as well as a tasty cheese shop where we bought expensive fancy cheeses and devoured it. 

We didn't get to see the fish-throwing guys!

They only threw the fish when our backs were turned. Its a conspiracy.

I bought some delicious basil & garlic flavored GF pasta at the farmers market, which I realized after the fact was extremely expensive due to the weak Canadian dollar. Oh well. It was tasty...

The Gum Wall. For some reason people have been sticking their chewed gum in this alley for years. I bought into it, and a wad of my gum now resides there as well. This is weird, disgusting, and strangely fascinating. 

After Seattle we drove around the Olympic Penisula in Washington, stopping briefly in Forks to satisfy Julie's old adolescent desire to pilgrimage to the setting of her beloved Twilight. It was worthwhile because the coastal drive near Kalaloch was stunning! 

Arriving on a Friday, we were lucky to secure the very last available camping spot in town! The location was ideal, within minutes of walking to Cannon Beach and all the cute shops downtown. We had a great time there. 

 The day we arrive was windy and rainy, which I think is pretty usual for the Oregon Coast, but the Saturday was gorgeous hot weather. We threw down a picnic blanket on the beach and enjoyed a sunny afternoon, fending seagulls away from our snacks.

In the evening the tide went down to its lowest point, and we went back to the beach to explore and get close to the striking "monolith". It was a beautiful scene at sunset, and I couldn't stop taking photos...

After visiting Cannon Beach, we stopped by Ecola State Park, about 15 minutes drive North from the town, and hiked the trails for a few hours. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and we had another beautiful day for it. 

Once we had worked up an appetite, we headed further South to Tillamook to sample the delicious products at the Tillamook Dairy Co-op. It was a worthwhile endeavor, though after eating ice cream, yogurt, and various flavors of cheese, our bodies were begging for a break! (I regret nothing)

Portland included a few important stops: Voodoo Donuts (of which I was unable to partake, but I fully supported)...

 ...and Powell's Books: the largest independent bookstore in the world! It takes up a full city block, has three floors, and a store map. Needless to say, these two booknerds were incredibly happy and spent far more money than they should have.

 

 Overall, it was a very satisfying trip, and I had so much fun exploring with a wonderful friend!
Hope you enjoyed the photos!

The Neglected Blog

Contrary to how things might appear due to this blog's neglect, I did not meet a sticky end traveling through South America on my own. Quite the opposite in fact! I had a great time! However I didn't have much access to a computer in order to post updates, and since I returned home mid-April I've been busy with family stuff, catching up with friends, and getting ready to head back up North for treeplanting season #3! 

This means spare time will be sparse over the next couple of months, and you likely won't get much in the way of writing in the near future! You can however check out my Instagram to see some of my favorite photos and moments from the past several months, and probably some planting photos as well! 

https://instagram.com/jillkc79/

Walking the Equator line at Mitad del Mundo in Quito, Ecuador

New Brunswick & the Bay of Fundy!

I seem to be recounting the tale of our roadtrip in geographical, rather than chronological, order.
But who cares?

After Quebec comes New Brunswick.

It was raining! Surprise!

The big item on the "To-See In New B" was the Bay of Fundy, which I'd actually never heard of until earlier that summer when Karissa randomly received some Canadian facts on her phone in celebration of Canada Day. Little did I know that The Bay of Fundy is one of the "Marine Wonders of the World" and it is known to have the highest tides in the world! Right here in Canada!

This is me looking extremely happy that we actually made it!

Our ambitions to visit the Bay were a little haphazardly planned (ie: I was planning it, not the wonderfully organized Katharina!). I have to say, though, the New Brunswick tourism websites were not helpful in discovering exactly where to go to witness this natural wonder. We thought that we could see the "flowerpot rocks" in St. John NB, so we left early in the morning to drive South for several hours, only to discover at the tourism office that we had literally been an hour away from the national park where we started! That was frustrating!

I had to twist a few arms to get everyone back in the car for another long drive back up to Hopewell Cape, which is where you can see the really cool Flowerpot Rocks! (I just saved you hours of research and a failed drive to St. John. You're welcome). On the plus side, our arrival time coincided with the low tide, so we got some spectacular views of the formations and the beach. 

At it's highest, the tide comes up to 53 feet. Here you can see just how far the beach stretches when the tide is out! It's incredible!

It was a long day with lots of driving (really beautiful, scenic driving though- probably my best day behind the wheel), but the Bay of Fundy was totally worth it. I even got a sweet student discount on my pass! Hooray for the ISIC! Walking on the beach and exploring the endless rock formations was really, really, cool and I would go back again for sure. 

Another really awesome part of the day was randomly running into two friends from treeplanting last year! We had no idea they were in the province, and we were only at the bay for probably 2 hours...the timing just worked out perfectly...what a crazy coincidence! 

Overall, Hopewell Cape was super interesting and beautiful, and if you go to New Brunswick you need to check this place out! Its supposed to be fun to rent a kayak and explore the Rocks during high tide as well...maybe something to do next time around :)

Love the photobomb, Kat! 

Remember That Time When...? (A Tribute to Treeplanting 2014)

As I move into the school year, I find myself reminiscing about the past planting season, browsing photos, and missing my treeplanter family. What better way to procrastinate from homework than to create a photo tribute of some good Spring/Summer memories? So without further ado...

Remember that time when...

I got up a 4am every morning to make breakfast?

 A random blood blister appeared on the side of my pinky finger?

 A 5 minute windstorm trashed our camp?

 I went into public looking like this? (Official symptom of serious sleep deprivation)

The mosquitoes were absolutely unreal and made life a living hell?

...but then you drive to the only spot with cell reception and you see stunning landscapes like this, and it makes it ok somehow?

 Nights off were spent in the tent trailer drinking gin and tonic with great friends?

 Korey and Caitlyn dropped in for an afternoon to see the camp and help with dinner prep?

 We threw a French themed dinner, followed by wine and cheese tasting?

 Karissa and I got pedicures on her birthday? And it was the best.

We stayed up late when we should have been sleeping?

We drove through the Rocky Mountains and it was beautiful?

The planters had the energy to play soccer on their day off? (seriously...)

We were hillbillies for a night?

There was a cheesies/spam/twinkie eating contest?

We delivered freezies to the planters on Canada Day? And it was so hot they just turned to juice right away? And then Beth sank into a mud pit? 

Steve offered to wash our dinner dishes (and I began to suspect there was something there that wasn't there before)?

Karissa was in her own world as she was making brownies and didn't notice that the blender had created a cloud of cocoa that had coated the whole kitchen?

 Scott and Tony threw an epic going-away party?

We kidnapped Sam at McDonalds and threw a bachelorette party for her?

We ate all our meals off tin plates, sitting in camping chairs?

There was a camp-wide talent show, and Karissa told a bedtime story?

 Us girls had some girl-time, soaking our feet and painting our nails?

Everyone went to the swimming hole after a long hot day, and it was one of the best things that happened in life?

We bought 6 flatbed carts of groceries to feed the planters for 4 days?

 I finally saw a good sunrise?...incidentally also the day Steve asked me out.  Guess it was my lucky day :)

I got to spend the season with this pack of gems?! Love these people. 

Ps. I should mention that photo cred for any and all photos that are in focus and look like the person who took them knew what they were doing belongs to the lovely Elizabeth Ashton Roth :)