When a couple of friends had suggested a getaway to Oregon, I knew very little about the “Beaver State” outside its famous wine region and what I got a glimpse of while watching Portlandia. Prior to my visit, beavers were exactly what came to mind whenever someone happen to mention Oregon. While Seattle, Washington always seemed to creep higher up onto my “must-see” list, I never gave Oregon a second thought.
View of the coast from hotel room (bottle of wine from Williamete Valley)
I still haven’t made it to Seattle, but it turns out Oregon has made it to the top of my list as one of my favorite go-to spots for a girls’getaway! We quickly discovered that the state’s walkable “city of roses” has some of the best places to play, eat, sip and shop. A mecca of urban gorgeousness and “droolworthy” cuisine, the Portland food scene is definitely winning! In between scoping out the local shops (hey, what’s a girls’ trip without a little shopping?!), I basically ate my way through Portland…munching on Voodoo Doughnuts, hipster brunches, Hot Lips Pizza and literally pigging out on sandwiches with a local twist.
You can’t touch down in the Pacific Northwest without a winery crawl in the region’s famous Williamette Valley. Once Oregon’s best kept secret, the vast area that is nestled between Portland and Eugene boasts a climate similar to California’s Central Coast. Some wineries in California’s Napa and Sonoma counties are now sourcing grapes from Williamette. The crowd-free tasting rooms that were surrounded by sparkling rivers left my afternoons filled with enchantment. Cruising down empty roads boasting beautiful landscapes that are sprinkled with indigenous trees, showy milkwood wildflowers, cypress and shore pine had me feeling like Alice navigating through Wonderland as we drifted from one vineyard to the next.
View while climbing at Crater Lake
Just when I thought that it didn’t get any cooler than playing bocce with a glass of Pinot Gris; we drove out to the coast to do a little dune buggy riding on the shore! But not before embarking on hiking one of the most challenging terrains that this non-hiker has every encountered. Tucked away in Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US and was formed in the remains of an ancient volcano. The 3.5 hours, 3.2 mile one way hike up from the bottom of Crater Lake was an awesome, but very challenging way to work off all of foodie indulging that had gone down days before in Portland.
If it weren’t for Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” blasting through my headphones and nudging me on, I really don’t how I would have made it (helicopter lift please!). Speaking directly to me in that moment, the song’s lyrics were so clear. The serenity of the lake as I struggled to get to the top of the trail reminded me that while there may be more serenity in some parts of the world compared to others, we must never lose sight of the struggles around us. My friends had left me in the dust, but as I hiked up what used to be a mountain destroyed by a volcano with strangers -- all races, old, young and disabled; my head was racing with thoughts that encompassed so many of the core qualities that were taught to me very early in life and this day reminded me of how precious those gems are. I will never forget the way in which Crater Lake challenge me to commit to the climb as much as the gorgeous views. Something that I remind myself when I come up against life’s challenges.
HIGHER GROUND LYRICS – Stevie Wonder (Excerpt)
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin'
Till I reach my highest ground... Whew!
Till I reach my highest ground
No one's gonna bring me down
Oh no
Till I reach my highest ground
Don't you let nobody bring you down (they'll sho 'nuff try)
God is gonna show you higher ground