Road trips! PDX style.

I love ROAD TRIPS.

I went on another this past weekend -- my last for awhile as the summer is winding down and I'm running out of money! -- and although my beloved Sparties couldn't quite hang on vs. Oregon (despite a pretty promising first half!), I just have to say: I'm so glad I went. I lovvvvvvve Oregon.

It was my second trip there. I went to Portland for Allison and Terry's wedding last fall, and just knew I'd have to make a return visit. It's really not that far, and c'mon. Any kind of MSU /West Coast game and you know I'm in.

I had planned on taking Friday and Monday off for the long weekend, but I owed one of my coworkers a swap, and he really needed his Friday morning covered. So I figured, why not. I wouldn't be getting up super early to get on the road, anyway. What's a little 5a to 2p between friends?

[Hard. That's what it was. Especially when your Michigan friends decide to plan their wine country vaycay on the same weekend so you drive to Sonoma on Thursday night for a late dinner and then get two hours of sleep before your 5a Friday shift! I know. I did that to myself. No complaining.]
 

BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

Work actually went by pretty quickly on Friday, I rushed home at 2p, finished packing and we were off. We drove from about 3:30p until 10 or so, when we hit a city called Sutherlin, about an hour south of Eugene.

Mt. Shasta from the car. #nofilter

I was hitting a wall at this point -- so tired! -- so we dropped our stuff in a room and crashed hard. The next morning, I thought it'd be tricky: The drive to the game, figuring out parking, meeting up with James W. and Stephen, etc.  It was so easy. Traffic was nonexistant, we ditched the car in no time and met up with the boys a few minutes later. And we made Oregon friends and played beer pong and helped people eat their Whole Foods-sponsored tailgates : )

At this point, I've seen more of Coxie's boyfriend than I have Meesh herself because of MSU football. You're coming next time, MC!! (And Can and Nattles, too, even if Nattles isn't a Spartan).

The game ... we don't need to reflect on the game. I still feel confident Sparty could win the B1G and all will be fine at the end of the season. But yeah, crappy that the rest of the conference ALSO decided to shit the bed on the same day. What can you do? I guess I'd rather lose early to a solid team than have that happen later in the season. I didn't really think State would be national champs anyway -- they can still land a decent bowl game [fingers crossed!]

Boooooooooo.

After the game, I had a headache. Only, the word headache isn't quite strong enough. It was like, probably a migraine. My brain was grinding against my skull and I couldn't even think or see straight. It made for a crabby patty Meesh. We tried to eat dinner on the road, but I ended up taking mine to-go and sitting in the car. I was eating Ibuprofen like it was candy and just ...  nothing. No relief in sight. Until I finally got in my hotel bed (in Albany, Oregon) an hour later, I couldn't even function.

Up early-ish the next day -- and feeling better, TFG! -- we started the drive to Portland.

But first?

I saw a sign for a winery on I-5 and asked to pull over. Random. And then the winery was more like 6ish miles off the highway, which isn't exactly the quick on-and-off I was expecting. But we figured YOLO, and continued on.

But first?

Let me take a selfie.

So anywayyyy, they had BRUNCH. Delish brunch. And the best bellinis. And this cinnamon roll that blew my mind. We tasted some wines afterward and even bought a few bottles. Best impromptu stop evz? Yes. The winery was called Ankeny, near Salem. If you're ever in the area, imaginary readers, look it up!

My bellini. Not the most photogenic, given all the floaties.

We followed that experience with some shopping at these outlets outside Portland -- SUCH great store selection -- then drove downtown for a beer and a bite with Tim Steele.  !!!!! Yay.

Portland!

Great to see Tim, as always, but before we knew it, he had to get back to work. So G and I strolled the riverfront, grabbed another bite and then got motivated to knock out a few hours of our drive back. [The car ride isn't awful, but Sac to Portland is a trip handled best when broken up.]

We made it to a city called Roseburg before we finally threw in the towel. I pulled up Hotels Tonight (great app for last-minute, cheap bookings!) and we found a reasonable place with breakfast included.

Woke up Monday, had some brekkie and started the slow haul back to NorCal. We stopped a few more places to stock up on wine -- don't worry, we didn't sample EVERYWHERE, it was just tiny sips here and there -- and then had dinner and watched Monday Night Football in Ashland.

My first wine club. A true sign of adulthood.

And ughhhh. Ashland is adorbs. I really want to spend just a weekend in Ashland someday! So so cute. That's where Harry & David's is. Have you ever had their pears? YERM. Anyway, I also love the shops and restaurants and would like to check out the hot springs someday.

I offered to G, we could stop and get one more hotel -- didn't have to be back in Sac until 2p Tuesday -- but he said he'd rather knock out the rest of the drive and was feeling fine. So that we did. I actually dozed off for a bit -- worst travel companion? -- and we were home by around 2a. Which isn't that late figuring we work until midnight or so every night! It felt good to be home. In my own NEW bed. Holla.

Then I slept innnnnnnnn Tuesday morning. We cursed our final vaycay being done. I think I have three PTO days left? Plus whatever comp I'll receive for working all the hols? Sigh.

And now I'm back to work. Time to start saving money again and enjoying the new place. Which I'll tell you about next time! And the new bed. Because predictably, those are two more of my favorite things.

The place is so warm and spacious and wonderful. For right now, I'm definitely all-in on suburban living.

Until next time!