40 Years

May 18th, Linda and I celebrated our 40th anniversary. On May 19th, I had my back surgery. Obviously, we were unable to have a significant celebration. We postponed everything, and Linda set about creating our next wonderful adventure. Something to commemorate our 40-some years together. We had had to postpone this all summer.

September came fast, and on September 4th, we loaded the Kia and drove west and then south to Eugene, OR, to visit Linda's sister and her family.  We were traveling light in the Kia, which meant we could make the entire drive to Eugene in one day. We shared driving and were able to complete the journey in about nine hours. We took our time, but, boy, did we feel it. Nine hours of travel isn't what it used to be for us.

Milo the invisible cat.

We arrived at the Sollenger's house and were greeted by our nephew, Kenyon. It was nice to see him smiling and very talkative. He told us all about his new obsession: collecting and rebuilding old World War I and World War II rifles. Kenyon showed us his collection and shared a surprise with us, which was scheduled during our visit. He was so excited because they would be taking us up to a rock quarry shooting range to shoot at targets with his guns.

Our first day was a very long one. Not only did we drive from Post Falls, but we also had a wonderful dinner, played Skip-Bo, and then went to bed.

Turtle Lake

Friday, Diane led us on a hike around a small lake called Turtle Lake. Just like the park's name implies, we saw many turtles in addition to numerous waterfowl. It was a fun hike and provided some much-needed exercise.

On Saturday, Kenyon and Diane led the way to the rock quarry in Kenyon's truck. Al Dee, Linda, and I followed in their car. It took us approximately 35 minutes to reach the location. When we arrived, Kenyon and Al Dee set out the guns while Diane, Linda, and I set up the targets. It was interesting because each gun we fired had its own story and history. Kenyon was very knowledgeable about their history, and Al Dee filled in with personal anecdotes about how they acquired each item. I shot 2 guns and a pistol. Linda didn't want to disappoint Kenyon. She shot one of the rifles and a pistol. She decided she really liked the target practice, but would rather use a bow and arrow.

That evening, we went all out and purchased dinner for the family from, wait for it, Chick-fil-A. This was Linda's and my first Chick-fil-A experience. We decided that the food was good and much better than Popeye's. After dinner, we played more cards (a fun new card game called Slapzi) and then went to bed.

Al Dee and Kenyon are setting up the rifles.

Eugene in the distance.

Pelican Shores

On the 7th, we left the family and headed to the coast, where we had a room reserved at a hotel called Pelican Shores Inn. It was a really nice room with a balcony and a small kitchen. We had a beautiful balcony that we used a lot! The drive was on two lanes, and it twisted its way down to the coast at Newport, where we then headed north on Highway 101. We stopped at Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It was beautiful weather. We ate a picnic lunch and then wandered the grounds for a while. We saw our first whale of the trip there.

For dinner, we visited the Chinook Winds Casino Resort. We both had a bowl of clam chowder, and Linda added some cheesy bread. The prices were ok, the soup was good, and we were served enough that we were each able to take a container home for our next lunch.

On our first full day on the coast, we drove south to Newport, where we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We always enjoy looking at the marine life and reading all that is provided.

On this visit, we were captivated by the jellyfish display. The creatures are so beautiful and move about their tank in a very slow and peaceful dance. We spent a lot of time just sitting and watching their slow-motion performance.

We decided to stay for lunch at the Aquarium food court. The weather had changed and it was raining pretty hard (It is Oregon, after all). We enjoyed a sandwich split between the two of us, and we both agreed that it was delicious!

When we drive south to Depoe Bay and the Newport area, we always stop at Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint. The viewpoint never disappoints. This stop, we spotted two whales moving about the foam line, very close to shore.  I got a photo of one fluking, but the tail is barely visible.

On Tuesday, we went to the Lincoln City Outlet Mall.

After spending some money at the Outlet Mall, we visited Depoe Bay and ate lunch at a fine restaurant called Tidal Raves Seafood Grill. Linda enjoyed a bowl of clam chowder and a green salad, and I went all out and had fish and chips. My lunch was another culinary win. The sauce on the fish had an amazing flavor. Linda said her chowder was a lot better than what we had at the casino. We were sitting at a table overlooking Depoe Bay. Whales were spouting everywhere, and they were incredibly entertaining. It was a great way to spend an hour and a half.

Lunch at Tidal Raves Seafood Grill.

Our last full day was Wednesday, and we spent the day locally, walking on the beach, packing, and preparing for our return trip to Post Falls. 

We took the short drive south that afternoon and again visited Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint. We watched the whales spout and enjoyed the sun. On the way back to the hotel, we fueled up the Kia and bought a travel sandwich from Subway. 

The next morning, we were on the road home, leaving the coast around 6 AM. We drove straight through to The Dalls and filled up with gas. Continuing on, we made one other stop just north of the Tri-Cities at The Country Mercantile. This large specialty grocery store has been on Linda's watch list for a long time. We shopped around and purchased some of their Mexican burritos (which were a little pricy). We ate them for dinner once we got home, and they were very good.

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint.

The small black dot is a fluke.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse