oregon travels, part 1: the ranch + the coast

Q: where in oregon did you visit on vacation?

A: oregon. just about all of it

the truth is, we put about 1,100 miles on our rental car in 9 days. we saw all sorts of beautiful places + had a GREAT time.

after our late arrivals, Texas Teacher sister and I spent the night in Eugene. we woke up the next morning, appropriately dressed for our ranch adventure, grabbed breakfast at the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts, and headed to costco for the bachelorette party supplies. then to the grocery store, then to the liquor store for the remaining essentials. don't let me forget to tell you about the amazingly delicious maple glazed donut topped with bacon. it's like the perfect bite of a syrup-soaked pancake and crispy bacon. you know the moment...when you dip your bacon in your maple syrup? yummerific.

[maple glazed donut with BACON from Voodo]

note to travelers: oregon is very strict on their liquor sales. you can only buy liquor at dedicated stores, and none of them in the entire state accept AmEx. beer/wine are sold at regular grocery outlets.

we took the pink route to Agency Ranch, near Klamath Falls. we passed by Crater Lake en route, but we didn't stop to check it out...i wish we had. nonetheless, the ranch was gorgeous.

my sister's friend's ranch was the perfect place for the girl's rustic weekend; it was formerly the headquarters of the Klamath tribe. the main ranch house used to be the communications center--where they sent morse code signals and such. pretty freakin' cool. of course, they had no idea that it would turn into bachelorette party central!

there's not much to tell of the bachelorette weekend--what happens at the ranch stays at the ranch, or you get shot with a BB gun. but you can check out these posts on the favors + party games to get an idea of the fun that followed.

on monday, we picked up cricket in Eugene + headed to the west coast, following the turquoise route to Yachats. if you've never seen the Oregon coast, you should. it's beautiful + very different from the beaches we East Coasters are used to sunbathing on. there is no sunbathing here--it's windy + cold. the cliffs are gorgeous and you may even see a seal or two hundred.

in Yachats, we stayed at Terry [blech] A [jerks] While condos. as you can tell, not a fan [i hate to give them any credit with the google crawlers!]. they hate dogs. hate them. hate them hate them hate them. dogs can't even be IN THE CAR IN THE PARKING LOT while you unload your luggage without the threat of a $500 fine. jerks. mean mean jerks. also, they don't actually have wireless internet as claimed on their website. well, they have it in the lobby [which consists of 2 sliding glass doors, a desk chair, and a counter] but not in any of the rooms. oh, and their single iron sucks. you have to use it in the tiny lobby on the rickety ironing board.

the rooms are nice enough for the price, and the view is amazing. just don't expect to be connected or have your pooch with you or have ironed clothes. on principle, i'm not saying anything else positive about them.

[we had the entire 4-unit building, each with private + amazing ocean views]

[me + cricket before leaving the coast]

[perfect reading spot just out the back door]

near Yachats, is Rogue brewery in Newport. we'd planned to visit, but after hearing how the locals aren't big fans of the new corporate mindset, we passed. we also heard rumors of moldy beer. no thanks.

you can find great seafood, though, in Yachats, Waldport and Newport. like this massive bowl of clam chowder cricket ordered [and couldn't finish]:

[my cup o' chowder]

[his "large" bowl of chowder. complete with a pat of butter for extra artery clogging]

wine country adventure coming soon...