Pike Place Fish Market

It was amazing to see all of the fresh produce, fish and best of all flowers. They had beautiful large bouquets for as low as $15. Malia was able to enjoy her first lolipop which kept her entertained as we browsed the market and enjoyed some fresh fish and chips.

Say Cheese

Stephen thought he had died and gone to heaven ;)
How cute are they!

Malia's favorite part of the tour

Views on Cape drive, note the pines and ocean next to each other

Octopus Tree, 46' circumference with no central trunk

Cape Kiwanda

After leaving Portland we decided to take the scenic route, which included a trip up the coast. Our first stop after leaving Portland was historic Oregon City, a drive through beautiful farming communities, Cape Kiwanda beach, then a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (Stephen's request, and it ended up being a blast for all of us) and a drive around the Scenic Cape Meares Loop. We ended up at Cannon Beach for the night at a very cute inn. The pictures below capture Malia's first visit to the ocean. She wasn't very excited about the sand at first, in fact she wanted me to hold her and upon setting her down immediately clean her feet off but as you can see she quickly warmed up to the sand and was running around in no time.

Cherries and Beautiful scenery

This was the first time that all of us had seen a cherry tree and what a pity because the cherries were so juicy and sweet right off the tree.

Mist on the Columbia River Gorge

Vacation Highlights

A friend had warned me that I would love WA and OR so much that I would want to move there but she kindly reminded me to go back for a visit during the gloomy season for a reality check. It truly was beautiful and I caught myself asking a few times why do I live in AZ! Our trip began in Oregon with a visit to the Columbia River Gorge, exploring the country roads around the Columbia River Highway (where we found the u pick cherry orchard) a visit to the Portland Saturday Market, after which we got lost trying to find Powell's Book Store and ended up at the book store soaking wet. Much funnier now than it was at the time!

Bridal Veil Falls

Multnomah Falls

This picture was taken on the bridge in the above picture

Columbia River, the view from our first hotel

Busy Baby Video

I found this while browsing vacation pics and thought it was worth sharing.