Here we go again Utes!

Our annual Ute away game trip was to Corvallis, OR a few weeks ago. We have always wanted to travel the Oregon-Washington coastline and this game was the perfect excuse! We began our trip in Portland, OR. That day we ate at a food cart in downtown Portland

Went to the famous Voo Doo Doughnuts for a maple bacon delicacy

went to Multnomah Falls and did a tiny bit of hiking

Absolutely fell in love with the moss lined trees. I could walk among them all day!

That night we picked our first spot to stay, a lodge type hotel called Heathman Lodge. We thought it was very timely to stay in a lodge while it was pouring rain outside. If it wasn't for the Mary Kay Convention being held there, it probably would have been quiet and quaint. Too many pink Cadillac's threw off the ambiance a bit. Oh well.

The next day was game day. We were about an hour north of Corvallis so we asked the locals how to spend the day. They said that we must travel 99W, otherwise known as 99 Wine Rd because it was 30 miles of wineries on both sides. Who knew? That's the great thing about traveling, you never know what you're going to learn about an area. The Willamette Valley is what we had stumbled on and since that trip I have run across several wines that come from there. We stopped at 4 or 5 wineries and did tastings. It was a beautiful area and so photogenic.

Off to the game we go! The town of Corvallis is a pure college town. It's a decent sized city, but they live and breathe for their Beaver football. There were several parking lots dedicated to tailgating, college kids crawling out of every bar and pub, Beaver signs lining every business window, and Beaver gear available for purchase everywhere! Love college football towns and the spirit and fun to be had in them. The game was drizzly and a disappointing loss but we always manage to have fun!

After the game that night we drove to the coast of Oregon to a little place called Newport. We stayed the night at the first hotel we spotted, a boring chain Holiday Inn. Didn't know what was there because we drove in so late, but we woke up to a little jewel of a town, with a darling marina area just waiting to be explored.

We spent the rest of that day driving the coast at our pace. No predetermined destinations, no planned reservations, just drive and stop when we want. A few of our favorites...

Yaquina State Park

Depoe Bay

Lincoln City

Tillamook Cheese & Ice Cream Factory ( I know we're nerds, but we were actually really hungry and needed to stretch our legs)

Oswald State Park (I still can't get over how beautiful this coastline was. It was well worth the 1300 miles we put on our rental car)

and finally Cannon Beach where we bedded down at the lovely Surfsand Resort

After a walk on the beach, a lovely dinner, and falling asleep to the sound of waves through our patio doors we were blissfully happy. It was a hard decision leaving the next morning. We actually considered finishing our stay right where we were. But the travel bug in me pushed us out the door and further north.

We drove a lot of miles that day trying to reach Seattle. We saw a lot of this...

And tons of this...

Oh and oodles of this...

And stopped in Olympia for kick a** pizza at a place Siri recommended called Old School Pizzeria. It was da bomb!

But we finally made it to Seattle. First stop... Pikes Place Market

And a quick visit to the first ever Starbucks for a take home mug

Dinner that night was at the one place I had to eat before we went home. 'The Crab Pot'... the place where they bib you, give you a mallet, and dump your steamed seafood in the middle of your table! Carnal...

We spent that night at the Sheraton in downtown Seattle. Wade and I joked on the way home that we covered all our bases in lodgings. A cabin, a chain hotel, a beach cottage, and a giant downtown highrise. The only thing missing was a little tent camping!

We didn't have a lot of time on our last day before having to head back towards Portland to catch our flight. We opted to do a quick tour of Safeco Field... Home of the Seattle Mariners. It was pretty dang cool. We learned a lot and saw some really cool things.

 

A last parting glance at the Seattle skyline and we were off towards home.

Another great trip with my hubs. Where will we jinx the team next year? Only time will tell.