A few weeks ago I had the amazing pleasure of having some of my best friends visit me here in Oregon. Besides family, they were my first visitors since moving to Oregon, so I was really excited to have them visit. I was also really excited because it was their first trip to Oregon and so I wanted to show them a good time. So for four days, we did some of the most Oregonian things one should do on their first visit to the Beaver State.
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Being thrown into the hectic fire that is law school can be a bit overwhelming. That's why a few weeks into school, a few of us started to get a little crazy and were itching to get out of town. We decided to go camping atCrater Lake since most of us had never been. The whole trip was about 24 hours, just long enough that we got to run around and do everything we wanted to do, but short enough not drive each other crazy.
For one last hurrah before starting school, A and I decided to go camping in Olympic National Park up in Washington State. I didn't know much about Olympic but I soon discovered that the national park is so big, you can camp in the mountains, rainforest or on the beach! And not wanting to miss out on any of that, A and I decided that the best thing to do was camp one night in each of the ecosystems.
Last week A and I decided to do one last hike before I left for California and D.C. We decided on Smith Rock State Park, about 35 minutes north of Bend. This place had been on our list for a long time so it was nice to finally be able to visit. We walked along the rim of the park for a bit and then did the Misery Trail, which is about a one mile trail uphill. Let me tell you, they don't call it the Misery Trail for nothing! Afterwards we were craving a burger and beer, so the obvious choice was to head to Bend. Although we didn't stay in Bend long, it was awesome to finally try some of the famous Bend beer. I can't wait to come back in the fall and do the Bend Ale Trail correctly.
A few weeks ago, A had a birthday and seeing as how it was a big one (25!), I really wanted to do something special. A said he just wanted to go hiking on the Columbia River Gorge and go beer tasting. Hiking + beer? You don' t have to ask me twice!
This time last year, I had been feeling rather frustrated with the daily routine that was my life. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job and the people I worked with, but I was longing for something more. I found myself constantly looking up destinations on Pinterest every chance I got. I dreamed of visiting these places, meeting new people and eating and drinking the local cuisine and beer.
When the weather in Oregon gets above 50 degrees, it's like the whole state drops whatever it's doing and goes outside. Last weekend, I was one of those people. Despite having a final paper due next week, A and I decided to take advantage of the 70 degree weather and go exploring. We decided on Corvallis, a small college town 45 minutes north of us and the home of the Oregon State Beavers (*cough* Go Ducks *cough*).
When one thinks of Oregon beer, Eugene is usually not the first place they think of. I'll be honest with you, I was a little hesitant when I moved to Eugene. I didn't know much about the craft beer scene in Eugene and I was worried about not having close access to local breweries. I knew that Portland was two hours away and Bend was an hour and a half away. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to get out there as much as I wanted to because of school. To my surprise, there are actually a lot of breweries in Eugene. In fact, there are so many, I began a brewery group with some of my law school friends and every Friday we would try a new brewery. After the semester, we still hadn't gone through all of the breweries and cider houses! I'm excited to head back to school and continue exploring the Eugene craft beer scene next semester.
Hey guys, so I know it's been wayyyyy too long since my last post but now that I have some free time I thought I would let you know what I have been up to these last few months.
Right after I got back from Austin, I began to prepare for my big move to Oregon for law school. Everything happened so quickly- the packing, the moving and even starting school. I was so busy, I never got a chance to write about any of it . Who would've thought law school would be so time consuming ;) On another note, I am happy to report that I survived my first semester of law school (barely) and am 1/6 a lawyer! After being home for a few weeks I was itching to get back out there and travel again. I thought about going to either Chicago, Omaha or Asheville. But when I really thought about it, my mind kept going back to Austin so I took it as a sign and booked a flight.
The last major stop on this grand camping adventure was Zion National Park. I'd been wanting to visit Zion since my freshman year of college six years ago (yes, I know I'm old), when a group of friends went camping there for a guy's trip.
The morning after Mesa Verde, my sister and I began our journey back home. We decided to drive through Utah and visit some of the state's national parks. Our first stop was at Arches National Park in Moab, where we decided to glamp in a teepee the first night. For those of you that don't know, glamping is glamorous camping and the place we chose (despite the high winds at night) couldn't have been better. It was just north of the park and was the cutest campground ever, filled with teepees and safari tents.
After a day of exploring Flagstaff, my sister and I decided to go to check out the Four Corners Monument rather than stay in Flagstaff for an extra day. It was about a 4 hour trip through the Navajo Nation and along the way we were able to make a pit stop at a Navajo Code Talkers exhibit. It was inspiring to learn about the critical role the Code Talkers played in WWII and to see all of the memorabilia.
By the time we got back from Europe, May had just begun. I spent a greater part of the month helping my sister with her last month of high school. There was a Prom, some AP tests, a graduation and lots of celebrations. Needless to say, there wasn't much traveling done that month, just a quick trip to San Francisco during Memorial Day weekend to visit a college friend and see my first Giants' game (see pics below).
Here are some of the additional pictures from my Austin trip. I took a walk along Town Lake to do some reading, had my first experience with Tex-Mex, did some beer tasting and went bar hopping on 6th Street. I also met up with my friend, Ed and went beer tasting at Austin Beerworks, where I got to try beer with real glitter in it! I even took a day trip to San Antonio because I was dying to visit the Alamo and explore the Riverwalk.
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