In the time between contracts we moved our stuff and decided to take a few mini vacations to explore the pacific northwest. We decided to travel a bit farther than we would like to drive for a weekend trip to make the most of our time off. Both trips were well worth the extra travel and showed us that we need to be spontaneous more often!
Oregon Coast
At the recommendation of coworkers and locals we decided we wanted to check out Tillamook, OR. We were a bit preoccupied with moving to Tacoma so we didn’t plan anything more than 24 hours in advance. We booked an airbnb the night before and started driving in the morning!
First Stop: Tillamook Creamery
The Tillamook Creamery is a dairy cooperative established and owned by local dairy farmers. Patrick and I look up fun facts about everything so here are some fun facts about the creamery (thanks wikipedia):
- The co-op consists of almost 100 dairies. Most of these are within Tillamook county which is west of Portland, OR.
- The Creamery produces cheese and ice cream. Butter, sour cream, and yogurt are produced with manufacturing partners.
- Tillamook’s Medium Cheddar cheese won the gold medal in the 2010 World Cheese Championship Cheese Contest
We stopped in at their visitors center and had a very cheese and dairy filled afternoon! Visitors used to be able to tour the factory as the cheese was being made…With new guidlines you can’t anymore, but we took the self guided tour. It featured history, views of the complete cheese making/packaging process, and cheese samples. We tested all of our sample options and headed down to their cafe for… you guessed it more cheese! Their tomato soup was amazing with cheese curds in it and a grilled cheese to top it off. We took a break from eating cheese to buy some and then tested their ice cream. As a cheese lover this was a perfect afternoon!
After almost eating too much cheese we headed to our airbnb. Tillamook is located about 20 minutes from the coast. We have heard that the PNW coast can be a dreary place in the winter, but we decided to risk it and stay in Oceanside, OR. We were greeted with fog and mist, but also with a beautiful view of the ocean.
The next morning when we woke up the clouds were disappearing and it felt like spring. Cue the million photos I took! We spent almost the whole day on the beach or hiking around it with breathtaking views. Although we moved to Washington a few month ago this was our first time making it the whole way to the coast.
We explored the beaches, local trails, and the Cape Meares Lighthouse. We were reluctant, but after two sunny days we headed back to Tacoma. It was a peaceful and rejuvenating way to spend a few days thanks to a beachside airbnb and no cell phone service.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
After a few days to get settled in Tacoma we headed north to Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. The goal was two full days skiing at Mount Baker Ski Area. We booked another cute airbnb even more last minute this time and started driving.
As a newbie I decided it was best to take a ski lesson and stick to the lower mountain while Patrick headed to the top. My group lesson ended up being a private one (advantages of skiing on a Tuesday) and my awesome instructor really helped me to feel more confident. She bumped me from a beginner to intermediate skier… but don’t get any crazy ideas I still need a lot more practice! I felt like I was flying down the mountain, but when I looked back at the video Patrick took of me I was not “coming in hot” like I thought I was. I had a lot of fun learning and am excited to get back on skis more this year!
Due to poor conditions we ended up only skiing for one day. It had not snowed on the mountain for almost 3 weeks. Also, they were experiencing a weather inversion – warmer temperatures a the top of the mountain than the bottom. This led to ice at the top and poor overall snow conditions. Due to the El Niño weather formation this year the mountains in Washington and Oregon have had less snow and warmer weather. El Niño is a part of a routine climate pattern that occurs when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise to above-normal levels for an extended period of time (AccuWeather).
To take advantage of our time we decided to take a hike in Mt Baker Snoqualmie national forest for our second day. Unfortunately we both did not pack our hiking boots so we had to stick to easier trails. Lesson learned! Always bring the boots!
We visited a local waterfall and hiked part of Horseshoe Bend Trail. I love visiting the forests of the pacific northwest. It feels like you are walking into Narnia or The Forbidden Forest because of how large and lush everything is. The water along the trail was fresh from a nearby glacier with a blue/green color and many trees were covered in moss. We anxiously looked for a moose along the trail (we saw one briefly the previous day while driving), but had not luck even with a few attempted moose sounds.
This is the first time we have had a significant amount of time off to explore and we are really enjoying the benefits of living in a whole new place. We are back in Tacoma now and are almost ready to start our next contract. Thanks for reading and looking at the millions of photos we took!
Your pictures are awesome!!
Thanks! The beautiful scenery and weather really helped 🙂
your pics are amazing! tell me you re using a really good camera and not using the camera on your cel phone. i think your time off before your next contract was truly inspired i look forward to all the texts as well. a friend of mine saw the pics and said you should sign the pics so nobody could use the ones you took. probably not a bad idea. keep the cards and letters coming! and good luck in your next assignment.
love,
mimi
I got a new nikon D3500 which I have been using to take pictures while we travel. Signing them is a good idea! Thanks for reading!