A quick trip to Oregon

View of the Mckenzie River from our cabin

Last weekend we made a quick trip to Oregon for a birthday celebration and a wedding.

Our first stop was Forest Grove, where we celebrated Robin’s mother’s 90th birthday and sister Karen’s 71st, with a nice dinner at Karen’s house up in the woods.

The next day we drove farther south to the banks of the McKenzie River for the wedding. We stayed in a nice little cabin at Cedarwood Lodge right on the river. It was quite peaceful and relaxing, and we had great views of the river.

White-water rafters on the McKenzie

The wedding, of Robin’s brother Mark’s stepdaughter, was just up the road Belknap Hot Springs, a more elaborate facility with a lodge, cabins, camping, RV sites, a pool, and, of course, hot springs. The wedding was low key and organized just the way a wedding should be: a brief ceremony (about 15 minutes) followed by a long party.

Sunday we stopped briefly at the Goodpasture covered bridge, which opened for use in 1938. It has been nicely restored and still carries a surprising amount of traffic across the McKenzie.

The arbor for the wedding, made by Robin’s brother, Mark.

Then we made the long drive home. It was a beautiful day, with spectacular views of Mount Hood from I-5. By the time we reached Seattle, the weather had turned cool and cloudy, but we didn’t care. As always, after fighting through the traffic around Tacoma, we were happy to get back to our peaceful, uncrowded island.

At the end of the month, it will be back to Oregon for a longer visit.