Driving Miss Sletmoe

Wowie zowie! In the last week or so I have done about 18 hours of driving - between the trip home/to Portland, up the mountain, and to Spokane, I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel. It is definitely a blessing to not have to commute by car to school/work on a daily basis! However, cars allow us to do fun things, which there has been no shortage of lately. I have a lot of pictures to share today, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

After we ate waffles for breakfast last Sunday, Rachel and I went for a hike up Hood River Mountain to get some views of the Gorge, Hood River Valley, and Mt. Hood. It was a little hazy, but we were able to see the mountain, nonetheless!

Norwegian Waffles

Looking down the trail 

When you stop for a break you are in danger of being the object of a photo!

We made it to the top! 

First view of Mt. Hood for the weekend. 

Hanging out with Echo Monday night!

We like cats!

Monday we planned to visit Marisa in Portland, and basically eat our way across town. I think we justified most of our eating though, because we walked over the entirety of downtown about three times!

The day started with Waffle Window on Hawthorne. 

We got three different waffles and shared! A great way to taste a variety. 

Rachel and Marisa with our waffle bounty. 

Next we took the bus to downtown and saw some of the "must see" sites. 

Rachel was remarking on all the purple, and wanted to be involved. :)

Typical "tourists"

Even the locals get in on the action! 

We suggested she stand in the middle, this is the best she would do. 

For lunch we hit up the food carts! There were so many options! 

Children's section of the downtown library. 

The gates to China Town

Rachel heard about the Lan Su Chinese Garden from one of her professors and requested we go. I am so glad we did; it was beautiful! And Rachel remarked that it was exactly like the gardens in Suzhou (Portland's sister city in China). 

It was interesting to see industrialized Portland on the other side of the garden walls. 

After the Chinese garden we took the bus to NW 23rd where we indulged ourselves with bubble tea! I became very fond of this Taiwanese beverage over the summer, and have been so sad that it isn't available anywhere in Walla Walla. At last we were reunited! 

We met Marisa's mother for Sushi after walking around a little bit more. After dinner we had a couple more stops to make before our drive back to Hood River: Trader Joe's and Voodoo Donuts (which we saved for Tuesday breakfast). 

This place is definitely... unique. I recommend going at 9 pm on a Monday night - you avoid the line! 

All the options! 

Apparently it's a voodoo doll...?

After lunch and a couple last errands on Tuesday we drove back to Walla Walla. All in all it was a very good four-day break! We had some great adventures and got a much needed break from school!

Four Day Part 1

Right now I am sitting on my couch at home - Rachel is knitting and my dad is making us breakfast. It is sno nice to be home for a four day break! After finishing classes on Friday, Marisa, Rachel, and I packed up the car and headed down the Gorge toward home. Lori (Marisa's mom) picked her up in Hood River Friday evening. (It was nice to see you Lori!)

The weather this weekend has been pretty typical Hood River fall weather: unpredictable. We had a couple hours of beautiful sunny weather, as well as some heavy rain. I guess that makes life more of an adventure. 

The day started with a drive up to Timberline Lodge on the south side of Mount Hood. The leaves are starting to change color along the Hood River Valley, which we enjoyed as we drove south on Highway 35. I was wearing sun-glasses for most of the drive, but as we drove up Timberline Highway, we drove directly into a cloud, so that we when got out of the car it was pretty rainy and windy. We couldn't get a view of the mountain, but the lodge is beautiful and plenty to look at. For breakfast, we enjoyed the buffet!

Four berry deliciousness! 

After breakfast we wandered around the lodge a bit, and read up on its history. 

A cozy place to be on a misty fall day. 

On the way down the mountain we got out of the clouds and got out first and only mountain view for the day.

We took a pit-stop in upper Parkdale to pick something up for a fellow Whitman student, and were gifted with a couple shoe boxes full of apples, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers! It was nice to see Ali's dad, and Rachel enjoyed seeing their house and property. It is something special! 

As we continued our way down the mountain, the sun continued to shine, so that when we got to Rasmussen's Pumpkin Patch, it was sunny and warm! It was fun sharing this childhood memory with Rachel. 

I particularly like this picture - great shot, Rachel!

In the afternoon we wandered around downtown, visiting Knot Another Hat, which was heaven for the yarn obsessed Rachel, and a couple other must see Hood River shops. When the rain started, we took refuge in Dog River Coffee, enjoying hot chocolate and a piece of pumpkin bread. Delicious! 

The day ended with another wonderful culinary creation by my father! 

Poached pears and coconut gelato from Friday night. 

A couple photos from last week:

Sometimes you need breakfast for dinner

Rachel hard at work :)

Zoe on her second or third outdoor adventure at the new house.

"You're finally letting me outside?!"

Butternut squash soap and homemade rolls. 

Zoe got a lot of love this week... I think she was ready for everyone to leave for break so she could have a little alone time!