8.25.2009

Back to school...

So, I go back to school tomorrow...again. I'm going to finish my degree in general education and then next fall transfer to IUPUI. This semester should be a pretty easy one, but next semester is gonna SUCK. Wish me luck!

Day 3 in Portland!

Day 3 in Portland was AMAZING. Lindsay and I had an absolute blast!!! We decided the night before that we would rent a car. We searched around and found the best deal was with Hertz. We got a sporty little car with GPS for I think eighty dollars. Unlimited mileage and we had it for 24 hours. Thanks, Hertz!




We were on the road by 9am. The previous night we mapped out our drive. We would first head east to Multnomah Falls and The Columbia River Gorge, then go back through Portland and north to Mount St. Helens, and IF we had time we would head west to Seaside, OR.

Follow this link to check out our route. It kicked ass.

Anyhow...moving on. So, I took over 200 pictures on day 3. It really was pretty much the best thing ever, so I had to capture pretty much every single moment. No, seriously.


This is the first place we ended up, Wahkeenah Falls. It was gorgeous. There was a nice paved path so we decided to climb up and get a closer look.

As mention, paved path.

Fat kid dying of thirst on paved path.

Oh!!! Good thing I found something to drink! It was actually the best water I've ever tasted. And before you ask, no, I didn't get sick. I live on the edge, occasionally.

Yea, we got SOAKED. Totally worth it.

Shiny, wet-faced Ange and Lindsay in love.

I promised this little guy if he let me take his picture, that he'd become famous. :)

Looking out across the Columbia River.

Me being pissed because Lindsay wanted to continue walking on a path that was leading to nowhere.

Okay, so I got unmad REAL quick and we carried on...

Our next stop, just a mile or so down the road, was Multnomah Falls. It was super gorgeous, but incredibly touristy.

Pretty. Really pretty. Post card pretty.

OH!!! And heart-shaped! Even better!

After being REAL done at the falls, we grabbed a latte and a muffin and headed for Mount St. Helens. Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee???

We couldn't have gotten there without Madge, our little GPS buddy.

Wahoo! We're there! HA! Not quite....
Yea, that big "THING" in the background behind me, that's Mount St. Helens. Little did we know (until informed by a kind information center employee) that it is another hour and a half drive to see that beast up close and personal. Are ya shittin' me? Carry on...no need to get SO CLOSE. Let's go!!!

Thankfully, it was a GORGEOUS day and the drive complimented it well.

All along the drive to the mountain, there are places to pull off and snap away. We did just that. This is what the path of lava flow looks like 30 years later...

A better view.

Post card style.

These folks are SUPER SERIOUS about preservation, understandably so.

"Plants grow by the inch and die by the foot." Clever.

Mount St. Helens from Johnson Observatory.

Thank you, kind Asian family for taking our picture in front of the mountain!!!!

We headed out of there...and back to Oregon!

On the way, we noticed that the speed limit signs are missing a word....

Welcome to Astoria, OR! What an adorable little town! It has ocean! It smells so wonderful!

And lots of ships too!

Lindsay being silly behind a GIANT anchor.

HAHA! This is Lindsay after she made the mistake of ringing this bell. People must have heard it for miles.

Enough of Astoria! Let's get to Seaside where there is BEACH! Down the 101 we go!

Oh god! Sand! Beach!!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh....so chilly yet so soothing. WE LOVE THE OCEAN...and this was our first trip to the ocean together.


My love splashin' around in the water...we did this for quite some time.

Yay for cool pics at the beach.

OMG! It was soooooooooo chilly after being in the water. So, we burried our feetS in sand.



One of the sweetest moments of my life. Being SO in love with my love, watching the sunset on the beach, in the Pacific Northwest. *PERFECTION*


Sunset in Seaside, OR.


After getting back in the car and cranking the heat up to maximum for a few minutes, we cruised around and ate at a less than satisfactory seafood restaurant. Then we took a very long and dark drive back through the mountains and came within miles of running out of gas. What a great day!

8.21.2009

Portland: Day 2

Day two in Portland was excellent. We did SO much: I finally got to try a maple bacon bar at VooDoo Doughnut, got to watch some interesting performances at an Indian Festival in Pioneer Square, then headed off to the Oregon Zoo and Washington Park where we saw the Portland Rose Gardens. After all of that, we were A. starving and B. hot and sweaty so we went back to the hotel, got all fancied up, and went on an hour long search for some decent food. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Me acting silly with a little seal.

My love and I on the train...on our way to get VD.

Someone (I'm not gonna say who) was totally excited to be riding the train.

Love, love, love the Oregon Lottery logo.

The line for VooDoo Doughnuts. Apparently everyone else in PDX wanted some too.

A little background story...I LOVE to back in to parking spaces, my garage, etc. Lindsay absolutely CANNOT STAND it when I (or anyone else for that matter) backs into anywhere. All along the street next to VD, you can ONLY back in, so I of course was in heaven. Lindsay was just annoyed. Haha.

The official VD sign.

Zipper shoes. COOL.


Me...before I entered VD.

That's right, folks! The magic IS in the hole!

Crazy decor at VD.

A bumper sticker, available for purchase.

What was it you wanted to order???

I'll have the maple bacon bar, thank you. Quite worth the wait and the $1.50. Actually, this is the best doughnut in the whole world.

YUM. YUM. YUM.

The Indian Festival. Lots of people. Lots of Bollywood. Lots of dancing and singing, and of course eating.

My love and her first ever Samosa. YUM again!

Trying out my braille skills in Portland.

Time for a little relaxing and to decide what to do next.

Time to go to the ZOO!!!

A bear poo-how-to.

Me being little at the zoo.

Eagles at the zoo.

Lindsay and a chum. I think they may be closely related.???? heheheh

A cute little otter.

In love at the zoo. :)

Pygora goats. He wanted to bite someone, I think.

Lindsay reliving some childhood memories.

A big ol' hippo just hangin' out in the sun.
Zebras.

Sammy's cousin, Mr. Wolf.

Giraffe!!!

A curious little meerkat.

Monkeys, of some sort.



"Sick ass" bats. -L.B.
In love on the train to Washington Park.

Did someone say "TRAAAAAAAAIN????"

The official stamp to get back on said train from Washington Park.

Rose Gardens. These smelled REALLY GOOD.

An exotic chocolate-covered-banana-eating monkey.

Pretty roses. Really pretty roses, everywhere.

My gorgy in the roses.

Oregon trees are the best.

Oh...the exotic monkey found her mate! (Those were REALLY tasty!!)

So. Pretty.

My love being silly, as always.

We are so cool, we get to hang out with bears.

The train was coming....WIND TUNNEL!!!

Finally! Geesh!

Where was it you wanted to go???

Trainwreck of a hair-do. How could I resist chasing this guy down to snap a quick photo of this beauty??

Downtown Portland.

Betcha' didn't know my lover is a marathon runner, did ya???

Fancy shmancy at dinner. Some pretty good Greek cuisine. YUMMO.

My best-girl at dinner.

After dinner and drinks, we stumbled back to the hotel and tried out the self-timer on our new fancy camera. It works. :) Overall, day 2 in Portland was AWESOME. We had a blast being in love all over the city.