We left early Monday morning on the 12th of July and drove straight to the North West Coast of Oregon. A family that Julie met in Bend Oregon let us stay at their cozy nice beach house. We arrived in Florence Oregon around 7:30 pm. Boy were we tired!
The drive was not too bad since we had a nice brunch in Boise Idaho at The Griddle with Jenny and JJ. They had spent the night at a hotel in Boise so they could cut the trip in half. I wanted to cut our trip in half but Julie had other plans visiting friends in Provo, which was fine. We drove on to Bend. This was Julie’s first area but we only stopped for gas since we knew we were coming back later in the week. After we passed through Sisters Oregon we witnessed all the fire damage that basically shut down parts of the state last summer due to the smoke. There were lots of burned up trees for at least ten miles of road until we entered in what felt like a forest paradise. So much foliage! It was beautiful!!
Driving all day long can be very challenging so all the green areas made it a little more pleasant. We had a nice dinner at a fun hamburger joint called Fusion in Eugene, Oregon. I couldn’t get over how nice the weather was after we left Bend. Eugene was in the seventies and we were still an hour away from the coast. We couldn’t have been happier driving our new rental SUV. It was a 2021 Expedition Ford which only had 11,000 miles on it. It had all the bells and whistles that took us a while to figure out. My favorite was the front seats that massaged your butt and back while driving!!!
Jenny and JJ rented their own vehicle which was a little smaller but great as well.
When we arrived in Florence the beach house was very close to the ocean and had great big windows looking out at most of the beach. There were a few houses in front of ours but since the house we stayed in was built higher up on a hill we could hear and see the awesome ocean!
I was caught off guard on how cold it was. It had to have been in the low sixties with a strong wind. Julie still went for a run and I got up early in the morning and went for a loooong walk, by myself, on the beach! So relaxing !! I love being close the ocean. Such a majestic place! I keep using explanation marks because this trip was wonderful in so many ways. Not only were we able to form a close bond but we witnessed beautiful scenery together, took part in fun activities, and met several awesome people from Julie’s mission!!!
Day 1
Heceta Head Lighthouse
The hike only took us about twenty minutes to the lighthouse.
Sea Lion Cave
Day 2
Newport Oregon
Newport Aquarium
Such a magical place.
Still cold at the beach.
Day 3
We left the beach house and drove to Salem and Monmouth Oregon. 70 degree weather! Did I mention that it was the middle of July and I didn’t feel too much humidity like you feel on the coast. Oregon’s best kept secret!
Next we drove to a rehab center to visit a person who Julie taught the gospel to. His name is Mark and he had a stroke a few months after he was baptized so we visited him one at a time with Julie. Special visit, GW gave him a blessing.
This photo was taken before Mark had his stroke. He rebuilt a bus into a home.
Had lunch at Julie’s favorite Greek food trailer and ran into the Sister Missionaries.
Visited members in Monmouth.
Drove to Newberg Oregon to visit Mission President and family.
President and Sister Wilde
Day 4
Visited Leonard. Probably one of my favorite highlights of the trip.
He was happy to let us know that he now had a temple pass.
After visiting Leonard we drove to Independence Oregon and ate lunch at another cute little sandwich shop that Julie liked. Then it was off to Bend.
Checked into our Airbnb at a nice family resort called Sun River. The condo had three rooms, nice kitchen and dining area with a great living space to relax in. Julie and Jessie had the largest room with four beds but GW and I got the King size bed!
Bike riding was fun. I only biffed it once.
Day 5
Went to beautiful Elk Lake with the Arguile family. It was nice to relax from all the driving and the water was surprisingly warm.
Took Julie and Jessie to a YSA swimming party during the evening time.
Day 6
Went to two Sacrament meetings and did a lot of visiting.
Navy Seal Officer Bill Edwards
President Stevens
Had a delicious dinner with this great family! Brother Arguile was Julie’s first ward mission leader when she first started serving in Oregon. Needless to say I was exhausted at the end of day six, but very grateful for such a wonderful experience visiting the state of Oregon.
On the way home we took a different way after driving through Burns Oregon. Right before Wendover Nevada there was a cloud burst of rain. GW was driving and we hit a small pond of water on the freeway. Next we could feel the car start to swerve which was quite frightening but GW took control and slowed way down. My little scream woke Jessie up so she didn’t feel our vehicle hydroplane. Thank goodness we didn’t get into a wreck and we made it back home to Provo Utah safely!
