If you know anything about Shea and I, its that we love to travel. I don't care where the location is, close or far, we love everything about it. Our latest trip was so amazing, we're already planning on how to get back to Oregon. Like soon.
I decided to head out to the beautiful state a day earlier than Shea to get some solo camping in. I'm a field scout for a rad company called HipCamp, (which means I photograph campsites to showcase how cool they are before the public camps there). So, I booked a stay at a property west of Portland just outside of the Tillamook State Forest, picked up a Eurovan Weekender through GoCamp named Trillium, and went out to spend some time in the woods by myself.
This property I stayed at was one of those places that you pinch yourself while there. A farm sporting a rare breed of furry Hungarian pigs with 360 views of mountain ranges, volcanoes and the the far off city lights. A yurt had just been built on their property, and I was asked to be their first guest. I nearly didn't let them finish their question before I jumped right in to volunteer. Just like in the Hunger Games. Stunning, doesn't even describe it. Elk Moon Yurt was absolutely perfect. The bed is situated so that when you look past your feet at the end of the bed, you look right out the door to the mountains. #swoon. It took everything I had to leave that place in the morning.
more of our adventures after these photos below...
TRILLIUM. What a beaut, huh?
After picking up Shea at the airport, we decided to head straight to the coast. Being from Nebraska, and living in Colorado for almost a decade, one could say that I've been landlocked my whole life. Man, the ocean is hypnotizing. We started at Cannon Beach, drove south, and just stopped at little towns along the way. When we wanted to chill for a while, we found a place to park the van and explored a little. This is our favorite way of traveling. Not really having a plan, just truly embracing where we are and if it feels right, we stay. If not, we drive.
We found ourselves at ease while in Cape Kiwanda, so we spent a whole day exploring the beach and the restaurants. This little town had such a cool vibe. Along the beach was a huge incline very popular with the tourists. We climbed up and walked around, taking in the views, the waves. I could have stayed there forever. The ocean is such a magnificent piece of this world that we don't experience often. Shea even helped me out with a little photoshoot that you can see here, along with other photos I took throughout the trip. Self timer magic at its best. :)
Our second to last evening in this state that we now want to move to, I booked another field scouting property outside of Salem, OR close to Silver Falls State Park. This farm is a historical landmark, and an absolute gem of a place to camp. AND THEY HAVE A TREEHOUSE! The staff was wonderful, the land was full of friendly animals, and we loved every second, even the Oregon rain that pushed us into the van at an early hour of the night. A game of Shithead was played, beers were drank, and laughs were loud.
After sleeping in Trillium, our trusty camper van, for almost a week, we headed back into civilization and spent our last night exploring Portland, only solidifying our want to move to Oregon. Who knows if we will, who knows anything really, but knowing that we feel so passionate about the places we travel will continue to get us out exploring.
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our lives. Cheers, my friends.