On the Oregon Trail

So, I've had three trips right in a row with very little time in between.  Can anyone say poor planning on my part?  This summer has been incredibly busy, but since it's mostly filled with fun things, I really can't complain.

Anyway, I thought I'd take a little break from earrings and design challenges and share some highlights of the trip Eric and I took to Oregon in mid-June.  One of Eric's cousins was getting married in Bend and that was all the excuse we needed to take a little vacation!

This post is really just a brief set of photo highlights from our trip.  If you want a more detailed account of our exploits (and all the beers we tried), click HERE to check out my hubby's blog for a series of posts.

Our trip started with a little time in Portland followed by a quick stop in Hood River on our way to Bend where we spent the remainder of our trip.

First stop: Olympic Provisions for charcuterie and local beer.

I did not intentionally dress to match VooDoo Doughnut!

A touch of whimsy in the parking lot at VooDoo Doughnut.  I like to think he was guarding our rental car!

A little Hair of the Dog for us.  Aren't their tasting glasses cute?

It's a book...  

Worm!  Random art on the side of a building in Portland.

Our big splurge for the trip was a lovely dinner at Beast.

Plating our dinners at Beast.

Prettiest charcuterie plate I've ever had! (at Beast)

Ramona statue, Portland.

And Ribsy too!  Loved those books as a kid!

The view from Full Sail Brewing in Hood River.

Park in Bend.

Poppies!

Never fear, I did manage a couple of bead-related activities during our travels too... though only one of them successful.  We tried one little bead shop on the way out of Portland but it wasn't really my cup of tea.  Luckily, we did find an awesome shop called Azillion Beads in downtown Bend when we were walking between breweries and brew pubs. Even though we were running a little behind schedule, Eric and I knew a good thing when we saw it and had to do a brief shopping expedition here.  I managed to pick up some lovely lampwork beads from a local artist as well as some Czech glass and gemstone beads that were different from what I've seen locally.  Our third beady adventure was also a bust.  We kept seeing a sign for a bead and gem show when we were wandering around Bend.  Eric kept encouraging me to check it out and I finally agreed (although I knew I really didn't NEED anything else).  I was right on this one...saddest gem show ever.  It was one woman in a tiny hotel conference room with beads and stones around the room.  She was on her cell phone the whole time we were there and never even acknowledged our presence.  It didn't help that it was 80 degrees or so in there.  I couldn't escape fast enough! 

Overall, we had a great few days of good food, great beers, family, and friends.  Unexpectedly, we got to hang out with a friend from high school and her husband in Portland.  In Bend, we had the honor of witnessing Ladd and Jenny's wedding ceremony and joining with part of Eric's family for that and other festivities.  

While we managed to complete the Bend Ale Trail (and got little mini silicone pint glasses for our trouble), there were many, many breweries and restaurants that we had to miss in Portland.  I can definitely see us going back to Oregon when we get the chance.