Is This Our New Home?
An unexpected winter visit back to the PacNW to find our next home-on-wheels, spend time with some family and friends, and maybe even introduce the boys to snow.
Oregon
Oregon Coast Camping
Winchester Bay camping at Tugman State Park, a couples night away in Florence, and catching crawdads round out our summer in Oregon.
Portland 2021
Continuing on our progressive West Coast summer visit, we hop a train to Portland for time with family and to begin our Mexico residency process.
A New Chapter Begins South of the Border
Our move to Mexico is upon us! No international move would be complete without a few last hiccups to contend with…some more serious than others.
Waiting on a Passport
Watching autumn creeping in and our planned departure date come and go, as we continue to be held captive by the glacial U.S. passport renewal process during Covid.
Pacific City
A midway meetup with Lori’s brother and sister-in-law in another coastal location after nearly two years apart. And fun with Oregon’s unpredictable coastal weather.
Socially-Distanced Outdoor Birthday in the PacNW
Seizing upon a window of clear skies and low Covid numbers, we set out to explore an overlooked corner of our own backyard.
Safe Harbor
Fleeing fire and smoke-ravaged inland Oregon for coastal breezes and a much needed change of scenery.
Apocalypse Now
Devastating wildfires join forces with Covid to push us deeper into our protective bubbles, as we concoct creative ways to keep 2 young boys and 6 adults sane in captivity.
Reunion
Reconnecting with both sets of grandparents in Oregon, following two weeks in captivity (i.e. quarantine), and 20 months apart.
Quarantine
Adventures in self-imposed isolation with two young kids in the Pacific Northwest. Do we make it out alive? Find out!
Welcome Riley Ernest
Yep, that’s right! The wait is over and Baby #2 is finally here. And — surprise, surprise — IT’S ANOTHER BOY!
The Waiting Game
With Lori’s brother’s wedding behind us, the countdown begins until Baby #2 decides to grace us with his/her presence. But not before daddy reclaims his own birthday for himself.
Late Summer ’18 Update
We’re quickly approaching the one month mark Stateside and thought it was time for an update. Fun times with family and friends, and awaiting the arrival of Number Two.
Summer in the USA: Path of Totality
Venturing into the Path of Totality as Eclipse Apocalypse grips the nation in the final days of our 2017 visit to the U.S.
Summer in the USA: Oregon Coast
Soaking up the sunshine in and around Florence, Oregon with Grammy and Grampy.
Summer in the USA: Portland & Roseburg
Shaking off jet lag with a full schedule with family and friends in Portland, then south to Roseburg for quality time with the grandparents.
Momentum
I was steaming mad. Well, probably more exhausted than anything, but symptomatically I was presenting as pretty darn perturbed. Lori and I found ourselves on this sweltering […]
It’s a Boy!
Our sweet baby boy, Noe Owen (rhymes with “Joey”), was born on June 21, 2016 at 6:38am (6lbs.5oz.). Contractions began Saturday night, water broke early Father’s Day morning, laboring […]
Leach Botanical Garden
40 weeks + 4 days. My question to Lori today, “Do you ever feel like you’re just waiting around for something to happen?” Since Lori wrapped up work a week ago — and particularly since […]
Trekking Portland’s Alameda Ridge Stairs
We set out to conquer Alameda Ridge of NE Portland and its 400 stairs spread out over 30 blocks.
Southern Oregon’s Wildlife Safari
A few weeks back we joined my parents on safari through a game reserve featuring over 70 species of exotic animals, including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, […]
Riding the Rails in the PacNW
We cover two of the Pacific Northwest’s best rail adventures in this post: The Mount Hood Railroad and the Seattle-Eugene portion of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight […]
Hiking Northwest Portland’s Balch Gulch Loop
Exploring Northwest Portland’s Wildwood Trail and Lower Macleay Trail along the Balch Gulch Loop.
Portland’s 4T Trail
Taking advantage of a beautiful May morning to explore Portland by Trail, Tram, Trolley & Train via the 4T Trail.
Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake: Hike Report
Our Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake Hike report — a worthwhile alternative to Columbia River Gorge hiking at the foot of Oregon’s majestic Mt. Hood.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Southeast Portland is a local secret that is worth the time and effort to visit. Here’s our detailed trip report.
The Grotto
View of downtown Portland from Mt. Tabor. Lori’s parents came up to Portland a few weeks back in mid-April to hang out and check on the status of the belly […]
Bend: River Walk & High Desert Museum
In addition to visiting Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne (near Redmond), we also made a few trips into Bend. We walked about three miles of Bend’s one-of-a-kind Deschutes River Walk […]
Smith Rock State Park
We took a last-minute weekend trip to Central Oregon to take advantage of the abundant sunshine and warmer temps forecast there […]
Hiking Tom McCall Point & Rowena Plateau
Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Point hike offers Gorge-ous views year-round an hour’s drive from Portland. Our trail report.
Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden: Guide for Visiting
Lan Su Chinese Garden is a peaceful and evocative oasis in the bustling heart of downtown Portland. Here’s what to expect plus helpful tips for visiting.
Welcoming the Monkey at LanSu
Happy Year of the Monkey! This month marks one year in Portland for us, and our second Chinese New Years celebration at Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland […]
Limbo
You may have already figured out that we didn’t end up going to Nepal. We’ve been living in a quirky, vintage former hotel built in 1910 in exotic-in-its-own-way Portland, Oregon […]
The ‘We’ Becomes Three!
That’s right! In June, we’re welcoming ‘Baby B.,’ and AwayGoWe becomes Three! Judging by all of the smiley baby holiday photo cards devouring our fridge, I guess it was only a matter of time.
Columbia River Gorge
After five days of taking in the stark and majestic beauty of eastern Oregon, it was time to head back to Portland. Instead of beelining it to I-84, which would have gotten us […]
Mt. Howard and the Wallowa Tramway
Riding the Wallowa Lake Tramway, a quick and easy ride to the top of Eastern Oregon’s majestic Wallowas.
Wallowa Lake & Oregon’s Alps
We reached the farthest point of our 1,200-mile road trip through Eastern Oregon on Sunday afternoon. Wallowa Lake State Park is located in the far northeastern reaches […]
Eastern Oregon
The next morning, after a full day of exploring the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, including the awe-inspiring Painted Hills, we broke camp, packed up the car, and headed deeper into Eastern Oregon […]
Painted Hills
The Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon. Lori and I have been wanting to visit these stunning freaks of nature for a while, but given their fairly remote location […]
John Day Fossil Beds
We took an extended Memorial Day weekend to explore the lesser-known, but equally amazing eastern portion of our home state of Oregon […]
Cape Kiwanda & Pacific City
We’re not sure how this little slice of SoCal on the Oregon Coast eluded for over 30 years.
LL Stub Stewart Cabin Camping Trip Report
A weekend in a rustic cabin at Oregon’s LL Stub Stewart State Park with family.