Our Trip to Portland

In July, Quinn and I drove the 12 hours to beautiful Portland, Oregon. We were very excited to be able to go somewhere new and to stay with our friends the Greens who moved there about a 2 1/2 years ago. The drive was long but we made it. We had hope to escape Utah's hot weather but ended up going during Portland's heat wave as well. It was just as hot there and humid too.

I was also 20 weeks pregnant at this time but did just fine with the drive and sleeping on an air mattress for a week. Will Green and Quinn grew up in the same ward and we were very sad to see them move, but Will decided to go to Chiropractic School up there. Will and Challene were great hosts and their two kids even liked us and didn't seem to mind us invading their house. We were even able to drive ourselves around Portland with its many freeways, one way streets and bridges. I think it was all due to the GREAT navigator Quinn had. (That would be me.)

We spent every day sight seeing. Sometimes on our own but Will and Challene joined us when they could. Will was in school at this time. The first day Quinn and I walked around downtown exploring the parks, churches and doing a little shopping. The second day we visited OMSI - the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. It was amazing. There were tons of exhibits and lots of stuff for kids to explore. Quinn and Will viewed the Body Worlds exhibit, which consisted of preserved human bodies with different muscles or veins exposed. Challene and I took the kids to the playroom. Quinn and I also toured a WWII submarine that was also in the movie the Hunt for Red October.

A plastinated body from the Body Worlds exhibit

"Be careful what you shoot at. Some things in here don't react well to bullets."

(Sean Connery, The Hunt for Red October)

On day three we all headed to the big flea market and then to China town which has a beautiful Chinese Garden on a full city block right in the middle of downtown. It was so beautiful and green.

Here we all are at the Chinese gardens: Challene with Joshua, Nob, Ethan peacefully sleeping, Quinn and Lauralee

On day four, Sunday, we attended their church which is full of other Chiropractic students from Utah and then took a beautiful drive over to the famous waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Parkway. This one of favorite parts of the trip. Its just amazing how green everything is, the trees were completely covered with moss.

Don't go chasing waterfalls.

On day five Quinn and I were on our own again. We visited the turn-of-the-century Pittock Mansion which included an intercom system, central vacuum and an elevator. It was gorgeous.

Next we hit the World Forestry Museum. This was the only thing that was not worth the money we paid. The brochures made it sound like it was a real forest, it was not. It was all fake and set up for grade school kids.

This was one cool thing they had -- it was a firejumper parachute simulator. There was a target projected on the ground from above and you had to steer your 'parachute' toward it as the projection gave you the impression you were descending. It was pretty cool.

Next we visited the Japanese Garden. We loved this. It was so peaceful and larger than the Chinese Garden. We spent a fair amount of time exploring it.

Our last stop of the day was at the International Rose Test Garden. In case you didn't know Portland is the City of Roses. This Garden is where they test all their new varieties of roses. There were roses everywhere and all in bloom. When you walk in the smell hits you, it was just amazing.

Well our trip had to end sometime and we had to make the long trip home. We had a great time and would like to thank Will, Challene, Ethan and Joshua for letting us stay with them. We had so much fun and felt so comfortable in their home we really wanted to stay.

-Lauralee-