Alli and I were both eager to get on the road. Once I got back from Commencement we took off. It was basically a straight shot from I-84 in Tremonton to Portland. From Portland Alli had directions to get to Salem. Surprisingly the trip went by fast. We talked a lot, reminiscing a little. We tried to listen to the CDs we burned, however, we only had five songs on one CD. Then we tried to listen through my iPod, each of us taking an earbud… Yeah, that didn’t work either. So then we talked some more. After a while I started reading Twilight to Alli. I love reading out loud. It’s so much fun to do the different voice inflections and act the part. Haha. Maybe I’m just weird. Once I started reading the time seemed to fly by. Before long we were driving along the Columbia River. Wow, it was a really pretty sight. On our side the mountains were green and covered in lots of small foliage – like bushes and ferns. On the opposite side of the river everything was dry and brown. (It’s only obvious which side got more sun.)
At this point Alli was playing tag with a red Toyota Tacoma truck. And the driver was really cute too. He would smile and wave at us as we stayed even with each other for a while. Then one of us would speed ahead and pull in front of the other. This continued for a couple of hours. He wrote his number down on a piece of paper and held it up to the window. Giggling to ourselves I put the number in Alli’s phone and we started texting. His name was Brian. After texting for a while he asked if we wanted to stop at get icecream. We debated for a moment and decided between the two of us we could easily take him down if he tried anything. (We could have been very wrong.) Luckily he was a really nice guy and he bought the ice cream for us. We talked for a little bit and then Alli and I were back on the road again.
Finally, after Alli was in hysterics from excitement, we reached Salem. We crossed the bridge of the Wilamutte (SP?) River into West Salem. It was dark so I couldn’t see all of the multi-colored houses. We reached Alli’s house and we hurried inside. Her whole family was ecstatic to see us. I met everyone. They were all so friendly! I loved them immediately. Eventually everyone said their goodnights and we headed to bed.
Day Two – Sunday
We woke up early for church. In the morning everything looked a lot different. There were trees everywhere! And the houses, oh boy were they colorful! I think I saw every color of the rainbow. Pink, lavender, bright blue, yellows, browns, even a bright, lime green house. It was really eye-opening.
Church was uneventful. It’s nice to know that wherever I go the same principles are taught. Afterwards it was such a beautiful day that we laid a blanket out on the lawn and talked with her family. Before too long I was asleep. I was tired from the previous day’s journey. I hadn’t fallen asleep in the car once – which is very impressive for me since I always fall asleep when I’m in a vehicle.
Later than evening I went with her family to a park. The parks in Oregon are gorgeous! Not only do they have the standard playground for kids, but there are trails to take through the trees. I ran around with Scooter, the dog. (Ok, so I admit, dogs are cool. I really want one, but mostly so he can go running with me. Then maybe I can go running at night…But I won’t hold my breath.) After a short walk through the trees everything opened up into a breath-taking meadow. Marie, Alli’s sister, said it reminded her of the Bella and Edward’s meadow in Twilight. We laughed and ran around, blowing dandelion seeds in the wind. Eventually we made our way up to a hug tree. Marie was up the tree in a heartbeat and Tyler, the brother, shortly behind her. Well, me, I don’t know, maybe I just like to get in on all the action, but I really wanted to climb the tree too. So I tried, and failed. Haha. I wrapped my arms around a low branch and tried to wrap my legs around the same branch. I succeeded at that, but then all I could do was hang. I didn’t have the strength to pull myself up! Next I tried to pull myself up onto a lower branch, but with all of my weight it was barely off the ground and I still could pull myself up to the stronger part of the branch. After watching me struggle for a bit, Alli’s dad finally gave me a leg up. I scrambled up onto the branch. I made it! I was pretty elated, until I looked down. It really wasn’t too high up, but it was high enough that I didn’t want to move. Regardless, I did, a little. I wasn’t up too long before I was ready to get down. Somehow I managed to swing around the tree and drop gracefully to the ground. We continued through the park, admiring the flowering trees and the blackberry bushes, although there were no blackberries, then we headed home.
Day Three – Monday
Alli and I woke up surprisingly early. (7:30am) However, it was 8:30 back in Utah. Once Briggs – Alli’s two-year-old brother – woke up we all got ready then headed out to Silver Falls State Park.
The park was classified as a rainforest, although not a tropical one. We drove down and parked. I stepped out of the car and I stared in wonder. It was like stepping into the Night World. (Sorry to any of you who don’t know what that means.) Lush green grass covered the ground. Trees sprang from the ground and blocked the sky, allowing patches of sunlight to stream through their branches. Ferns and other foliage covered whatever was left. And moss covered everything! It hung from the trees like droopy sponges, reminding me of the trees from a Dr. Seuss book. We walked down to the edge of a path. The sight before my eyes was even more beautiful than the green canopy around me. The smooth flowing water of the river broke and fell gracefully from the dark cliffs into a glorious waterfall, landing in a shallow pool before continuing on its way. The water didn’t touch the rocky cliffs, leaving shallow caves to walk behind. Once we were closer to the falls we were surrounded by a thin layer of mist. It was cooler in the shade behind the waterfall. The light water droplets felt good on my face. I had an overwhelming desire to jump from the top to the pool below. If only the pool had been deeper…
The rest of the park was just like that. There were several trails that would take you to the different falls. I would have loved to explore more, but everyone was hungry and it’s a little different when you have a two-year-old with you. I did get a chance to close my eyes and enjoy the sun though. Mmm, I love the sun.
Later in the afternoon the whole family and I went to the coast, oh and Scooter too. It was low tide and the waves crashed into the sandy beach. Scooter, Marie, and I ran down to the water. Marie didn’t hesitate before jumping into the icy liquid. I was more wary. After a moment of deliberation I decided to keep out of the water, although I did walk along the shore, looking for any odd treasures. The beach was strewn with lots of broken shells and sand dollars. Marie and I went exploring along the rocks. Most of the rocks were covered in small holes and long, thick pieces of seaweed. We found several crab remains. Mostly just claws and pieces of the shell, although we did find an actual crab – it was dead. There were lots of dead, pink crestations. No one could figure out what it was, but I took some pictures to see if I could identify it later.
Dinner was good. We had a bonfire and roasted hotdogs with s’mores to top it off. The fire felt nice against the chilly breeze. Eventually Alli and I ran out to the water. This time we did get our toes wet and the water really was like ice. We jumped a couple of waves and ran back out, laughing and screaming the whole time. By the time our feet were numb we headed back to the fire.
Before we left we watched the sun set. It was beautiful. The rays were hues of pink and orange as they spread across the sky and mixed with the clouds. We cleaned up then, pouring sand over our fire pit, then headed back to the car.
Day Four – Tuesday
Alli and I spent the day in Salem. Alli gave me a tour of her town, showing me the high school and several parks. We went shopping at the mall – it was a lot bigger than Logan’s. Then we went to the capital building, much to Alli’s horror. Haha, not really, but she did make fun of me. I guess my behavior was hilarious. I was like a giddy school girl. But I was so excited! I’ve been in the capital buildings of Utah, Idaho, Montana, and now Oregon! Woot! We went inside and there was no one around. I explored a little bit while Alli waited for me. I went up a staircase. Eventually I found myself in one of the council rooms, up near the stand even. There were more stairs, but I decided to go back to Alli.
Once we were back outside we walked around on the grounds. The trees were in bloom with huge flowers. Some looked like tulips others looked similar to wild roses, but they were growing on the branches! As we walked around we told each other our confessions about a lot of things. (Sorry, I’m not going to post what those confessions were.)
We headed to Riverfront Park next to the Wilamutte River. It had a cute dock where people could fish. Again, it was a huge park. There was even a carousel inside a little building! It was a gorgeous view. The riverbanks were covered in trees. Fish jumped to catch the bugs. Birds darted in and out of the trees. We even saw a blue jay.
Later that night Alli and I played Curses with Jeff and Garrett. Holy crow! (Alli, that’s for you.) It was hilarious! By the end of each game we each had six or seven curses. One game Jeff couldn’t bend his elbows and he had to pretend to play a guitar while he talked. Alli had to talk like a military sergeant, while giving herself bunny ears. Garrett couldn’t take his hands away from his chest. I had to speak like a ventriloquist, while swatting away invisible bugs and pretend like I was in an earthquake. And that was just the beginning of things. It was pretty entertaining.
Day Five – Wednesday
We basically just stuck around town. It was nice to just relax. I really liked being with Alli’s family. They were so friendly and accepting. Too be honest it made me think of my own family. I found myself really missing them and longing to be home. For some reason I felt like I hadn’t said a proper goodbye to Logan. Alli and I talked a lot. We also started reading New Moon.
Day Six – Thursday
After a late night of reading, Alli and I still woke up fairly early to head out to Portland with her mom and Briggs. We went to Washington Square Mall. Wow, was it huge! I don’t even know how to describe it. Maybe twice the size of the Cache Valley Mall on one level, but this mall was two levels. It was crazy. I won’t go into any details, seeing how no one really wants to know how long we browsed through the clothes and trying them on…
On the way back to Salem we stopped at the Portland Temple. It was well hidden with all of the trees and foliage, a very secluded place for being in the busy city. The grounds were covered in tulips the size of my hand. The spires were tall and the temple itself looked like it was made of marble – I don’t know if it was marble. It was a really peaceful place though.
Day Seven – Friday
Alli and I headed back to the coast, this time with a new book, Eclipse, in tow. We stopped at Lincoln City. Well, right after we got out of the car Alli just looked at me. Then I realized what she had done. She locked the keys in the car. All we could do was look at each other and laugh. She called AAA. Then we waited. We went into a couple of shops nearby and finally ended up sitting on the hood of her car. We talked about what he would drive. Would it be a van? A truck? Then, what would he look like? I suggested an attractive young man, but Alli was more realistic and said a middle-aged man with a family. Needless to say, Alli was right. It didn’t take more than a half hour for him to come and then it took a couple of minutes – literally – to open the door. Once we had the keys we locked the doors again and headed for the shops. They were quaint little stores. Most of them sold little trinkets and seashells. Some smelled really strange. The first couple smelled too sweet, almost as if there was incense burning, or if someone had been smoking something.
We continued up the road, stopping at a popular beach. There were a bunch of seagulls all over the parking lot. If I was a cat I definitely would have attacked them. :) The beach was too crowded for our little picnic so we continued up the road. We found a cute, more secluded beach. We spread out our blanket on the sand. There was a light breeze that was a little chilly, but the skies were clear. After enjoying our lunch we read Eclipse some more. The combination of the sun and the waves crashing in the background almost put me to sleep. It felt so nice to relax. We explored a little bit, climbing up some sandy cliffs. After getting sandy we headed back to Salem.
Day Eight – Saturday
My last day in Oregon Alli’s dad took her, Tyler, Tyler’s friend, and me four-wheeling. I was excited. I had never been four-wheeling before and I was sure it was going to be an adventure. We drove up into the mountains. After driving for about 45 minutes we reached the staging area. Everyone helped get the four-wheelers ready. Finally everything was ready.
I eyed the machine a little apprehensively. It seemed bigger than I expected. A little nervously I mounted the vehicle. I learned the basic mechanics of things then started it to life. It seemed more like a beast. It snarled under me, daring me to urge it forward. Everyone else had mounted the creatures and we racing in circles around the clearing. Determined not to ruin anyone’s fun I pressed the gas. The beast roared to life, taking me forward. I struggled to control its sense of direction. The creature was swerving all over the place. Quickly, I learned to keep my arms steady. We headed out on the trails. I learned if I was going uphill more power was better and if I was going downhill I could basically ride the breaks down.
The trees raced by us, my beast constantly growling. Occasionally we traveled on narrow trails, branches and ferns brushing past me. The creature I rode loved going over the terrain. We traveled over rocks of all shapes and sizes, tree roots and fallen logs. It was thrilling. A few times the beast seemed to get frustrated with my efforts. He tried to buck me off once. I almost went sailing over his green body, but thankfully my thighs only hit hard against the handle bars. Twice he succeeded in rolling on his side. The first time I landed roughly in the dirt, but I pushed him back to his feet and remounted. The second time we were coming down a rocky ridge. I landed hard on my right shoulder, my left leg nailing its body really hard. I could only lay there, dazed for a moment. I seemed to hurt all over. But again, I got back on and we continued through the forests.
It was a great trip and by the end the beast trusted me completely. After riding for four hours through the rain (more of a mist really), and wind we were all pretty cold. We loaded the creatures back into the trailer. I felt so exhausted. Let’s just say I hurt all over! But it is a great feeling.
So those were my adventures in Oregon. It was an awesome trip and I’m really glad Alli let me come spend a week with her family. And that was just my first week of the summer! There are definitely more adventures to come. Next stop is Florida and the Bahamas! Woot! :D
