Oregon Road Trip {Part 1}

Before we head off on our next adventure, I want to document our last so I don't get too far behind! Over Labor Day weekend, we drove up to Oregon for a nice little getaway. On our way, we stopped at McCloud Falls outside of Redding for a little hike and play to break up our drive.

Indy is getting older and this was about the limit of his abilities, so when we got back to the room, he promptly fell asleep! That night, we ordered pizza to go at The Garden Tap in Mt. Shasta City.

This was essentially a set up for the next day. We got up early, grabbed chai tea at Seven Suns Coffee, and drove north to Crater Lake! We had a wait a while to get in and purchase our annual America The Beautiful Pass (which will come in handy this year for sure), but when we arrived at Crater Lake Village, we were greeted with this view!

We had a pre-packed picnic and walked along the promenade with Indy for a while. We were also able to drive all the way along the rim (which closes periodically for snow!) and make stops along the way.

That evening, we stayed at a fabulous little resort aptly Crater Lake Resort. The room itself was just fine, but they had canoes, cornhole, grills, pizza ovens, and walking trails to explore. We took out the canoe for a while and then grilled up our dinner.

The next day, we drove further north to Williamette Valley and did some wine tastings at Sokol Blosser & Stoller Vineyards. Both are dog-friendly and we lucked out with the weather...but we didn't know it yet!

That evening, we met up with Jason's coworker in Silverton for a socially distanced dinner. We sat outside and commented on the crazy winds we were feeling. Little did we know that those winds would lead to weeks of crazy fires in Oregon!

The next morning, we were able to stop by Penner-Ash winery and grab some wine before grabbing lunch at Red Hills Market in Dundee. Then we started our ill-fated drive to the coast. We ended up getting a flat tire and had to get towed to the nearest town (Tillamook) because apparently, our Prius Prime doesn't come with a spare, whoops!

Up Next: So as not to keep you in suspense, we DO make it to the coast!

Headed Off On An Adventure

 It's rather fitting that I didn't do a "Looking Ahead" at 2020 post because who would have guessed we'd end up here? 

So much has changed this year in the lives of many, but for us, it's meant Jason joining me and working from home, canceling a trip for a family wedding & our Scotland trip, missing seeing the people we love, and (on the sad end), a few deaths in the family. It's been a real mess of a year, but it really made us re-evaluate our lives.

The Bay Area has actually been a good place to be stuck. We were able to get out and explore all of the beautiful nature (well before fire season forced us back inside) and people here are mostly respecting the mask/social distancing. 

We never really expected California to be "forever" mainly because of the high cost of housing. But Jason's really loving his role at Facebook, so we didn't expect to leave so soon. 

The reason we're leaving? Jason is allowed to work remotely through "at least June 2021". That, combined with our crazy rent in Palo Alto means...

We're Moving...

a different place each month for 8-9 months. In a few days, we'll be putting our stuff in a storage unit, packing up our car, and staying in (pet-friendly) AirBnBs. We think it's a great way to explore the U.S. when we're basically required to remain here anyway. We're really excited about this!

Our current plans start with a road trip to explore Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley & Mammoth Lakes and then include staying roughly a month at each:

San Diego, CA

Joshua Tree, CA

Willamette Valley, OR

Bend, OR

Whidbey Island, WA

A National Park road trip to Walla Walla Sun Valley, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons & Arches

Kanab, UT

Trinidad, CA

That's not to say we're moving for good. If Jason's job requires him to be back in the office, we'll be returning to the Bay Area after this. If he's allowed to stay remote, who knows? We may just find a place we love on this trip and decide to make it our home moving forward.

Anyway, that's the news! We hope you'll follow along with our adventure.

{Dog-Friendly} Lake Tahoe

Itching to get out of the house in the safest way possible, we took a little road trip to Lake Tahoe. It was a great choice since we were easily able to hike, swim, and kayak while keeping our distance. It was even better because the scenery was unbelievably beautiful!

Our first stop was in Emerald Bay State Park, where we hiked to Cascade Falls. The hike itself was pretty easy, but Indy did have to scramble over some rocks for a bit. He was pretty tired once we got there, so he was able to relax...right in the middle of the waterfall. Goofy dog.

We grabbed lunch at Sprouts Cafe (which was super yummy!) and then checked in to our hotel. We stayed at a place called BaseCamp, which was right on the CA/NV border. It was a great little spot for us and Indy was happy for the chance to rest!

The next morning, we hiked over to Secret Beach and Chimney Beach. This beach is dog-friendly and honestly SO beautiful. We couldn't get over the water's color and the snow-capped mountains behind. Indy happily swam to his heart's content and then we hiked back up to our car.

We had a quick lunch at Super Tacos (fast & delicious!). After Indy wore himself out, we figured it was a good opportunity to take him kayaking! We were basically convinced he'd unintentionally flip us over in an attempt to swim, but he was the perfect pup and just enjoyed observing the water for an hour.

That evening, we took it easy (basically Indy didn't move for hours). The next morning on our way home near Davis, CA, we passed by some beautiful sunflower fields that we couldn't pass up. It was a nice chance to stretch out our legs and stand next to sunflowers that were taller than me!

It was a nice little break for us, and I really think most people were doing a good job of distancing. We didn't interact with a single person that wasn't wearing a mask, except a few folks that we passed while hiking. 

Overall, I'm happy we were able to take a mini vacation. It definitely helped us recharge!