When you can boast that you have the most strip clubs per capita in the US, I say sign me up!  I mean it’s not like I visited one on my adventures up to the Northwest, or did I?  That’s for me to know and you to find out.  In case you didn’t know they have ones that specialize in food – one known for its steaks and another one that is Vegan.  Speaking of food, Portland is known as a “foodie’s dream” with so many restaurants around the city.  Since my time in Portland was limited, I was only able to get a small glimpse into what it had to offer but man was it good!

After flying up to Portland with my parents and spending 3 nights with my brother-in-law’s family, we started the journey back home.  We decided to stop at Crater Lake to see the deepest lake in the US.  Since we had so much rainfall along the West Coast this year, there was still a ton of snow on the mountains as it felt more like February or March than the beginning of July.  The picture for this post was taken in front of one the many viewpoints along the mountain. Isn’t it beautiful?  We then proceeded to a small town about 15 miles north of the California-Oregon border to spend the night.  The next morning, we decided to backtrack a little and take the coastal route down to the Bay.  From the Bay Area, we stopped by San Jose to visit some family before heading back home.

As we settled back to life in the South Bay, my parents and I agreed that there is no place quite like home.  The comfort of your own bed, the year-round beautiful weather and of course the traffic.  The one thing that stuck out for me about Portland was the significant amounts of trees they have.  You can see some of it from this video I made documenting our trip.

 

 

As I put the final preparations for my upcoming travel adventures, I had some time to reflect on some old posts.  One that stuck out to me was the letter to my younger self .  Almost all of the points I made in the post are big reasons why I’m taking this time to travel and see the world.  Expect a post for (almost) every country that I visit along with a video blog so you can be there with me on this journey.  This is just the appetizer of what’s to come, the edamame at Japanese restaurants, the chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants and the bread at Italian restaurants.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them.

QOTP: “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” –unknown