Mo & I decided that it would be nice to take a week-long vacation for our 20th anniversary this year, and the trip we finally put together was our first visit to Portland, OR and to see Vancouver, BC prior to the Olympics next February. We chose to leave in early October, since it was after K had moved out to college, but before the rainy season in the NW begins in earnest.
The first part of our vacation was spent in the Portland / Salem area. One ulterior motive of seeing Portland in the first place was to visit our good friend Jenny and her new husband Pat, and by extension, Jenny’s parents Steve & Laurie. We ended up making home base at S&J’s beautiful 10-acre home near Salem.
Pat was a gracious driver for our two outings while in Oregon; the first day, we drove westward and saw many beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean from Lincoln City down to Newport.
Pacific Ocean at Depoe Bay
The second day we headed the other direction and traveled along the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at several scenic vistas, and a handful of the waterfalls which line the southern bluffs, each with its own unique characteristics. I couldn’t help but to notice too the mainline of Union Pacific’s Portland Subdivision running along side us most of the way, and BNSF’s track hugging the northern side of the river.
Crown Point Vista House and Rooster Rock, as seen from Chanticleer Point
Mo at the base of Latourell Falls, tucked away in the trees
the beautiful multi-tiered Multnomah Falls
It was a real treat to reunite with friends again (S&J, you haven’t aged a bit!) and see the beautiful countryside of NW Oregon.
"é rayhahn, rayhahn" 
You were sick for a week at least. It looked like it was a nice ralaxing vacation.
I love the pictures. They are really good. Glad it was so relaxing even though you were sick.
Ah, geez, I had some sinus congestion; you make it sound like I should have been bedridden or something.