Cape Lookout

To mark the end of Summer, a small group of us decided to go camping trip on the Oregon Coast. And when at the Oregon Coast (especially in Tillamook County), you've gotta stop by the Tillamook Cheese Factory for cheese, ice cream, and beef jerk i.e. all things "cow."

Before reaching our campsite, we try our hand at crabbing - in hopes of finding Carlton's mate.

And at the campsite, Thang gets frisky :)

Kathy, Yen and I go for a hike on South Trail ("South" meaning sharply descending trails which means, trecherous uphill trails on the way back)

Cape Lookout

A washed up seal. Poor thing. It stunk.

The reward: a secluded 2-mile stretch of beach, popular for surfers in-the-know.

It wasn't until we were done with the hike, that we saw this sign :P

Camping's rough. We had to eat New York steak to survive.

Silver Falls

I still can't get over the fact that I've misplaced my camera! I keep saying "misplaced" because I never lose anything :) Plus, how can it be lost (as in forever) if I am so certain it's somewhere in my house?! I know it's in my house because the last time I remember using it was after I came home from Lincoln City and I was showing my mom pictures of my clamming trip! I was sure it would turn up eventually, but when it didn't, I began looking everywhere. In all my purses, jacket pockets, drawers, under my bed... I even went as far as looking in the oven (which I never use) and inside the fridge... it was nowhere in sight!

Not having a camera is really cramping my style. I can use Michael's, but I can't rely on him to bring his with him everywhere he goes! It's not the most conventional size. And it's not like he goes everywhere I go (despite what you all may think :)

So here I am, at Silver Falls State Park, walking the Trail of 10 Falls - witnessing only some of the most breathtaking waterfalls I have ever seen in my life, and all I have is my weak sauce camera phone. I'm almost thinking you're better off using your imagination than looking at this picture.

See the little people on the left? You can walk behind some of the falls and it just looks and feels amazing! My friend (also named) Yen (Nguyen) invited us on this 8-mile hike with her and her new friend An to help break the ice (because I secretly think it was a double-date, but she denies it :) It's OK that I speak of him since he's never going to be on this blog right?! Hi Yến!!!

Michael's 26th

As humble and subjective as he is, (I bet you guys didn't know that) Michael's birthdays are always month-long celebrations oftentimes taking us across the border! This year though, with our recent move back home, we decided to stay in town and keep it low-key with family (Deschutes rafting and a birthday cake blow-out at his aunt's house), ending with a surprise outing in Hood River on the actual day.

We started off with breakfast at The Country Cat... speaking of which, I need to start blogging about food again! I've been trying some awesome places in Portland that need props :)

A hike at Oneonta Gorge

Wine tasting and a picnic at Cathedral Ridge Winery...

And a top-off with a drink at Full Sail Brewery

In addition to its world-famous pinot wines and micro-breweries, Oregon (more specifically, Hood River) is arguably the wind surfing capital of the world!

Deschutes River Rafting

This summer presents a lot of "firsts" for me - another of which was white water rafting! For Michael's birthday, friends and family drove 2 hours to Maupin, Oregon for day on the Deschutes River. It was so much fun! I know I keep saying everything is "so much fun," but this was by far, my most favorite recreational activity this year :) Our guide Shion was totally awesome and prepared us accordingly through all the rapids and guided us to all the cheeky swimming holes. Some were a bit nervy and I got a few bumps and bruises here and there from some close calls, but it was so worth it! I can't wait to go again next summer!

There's a yellow school bus that took us to the river. Yea, just like back in the good old days...
Getting ready to jump in our first swim spot. Chi Chau is gutsy! She jumped in before the guide even said it was OK to!
Our party had 2 boats - the other boat was talking a lot of smack. We thought we'd teach them a lesson, but they still took us down :P That's Tinh hanging off the enemy's boat.

He looks like he's learned his lesson here :)
Another swimming hole. OMG, I can't believe I swallowed so much of that murky water.
It was a tiring but very eventful day!

Meet Carlton the Clam

This is my first time clamming ever! We had to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn just to drive an hour out to Tillamook and dig up these little suckers! At 6:30 AM, the beach was surprisingly packed. It was so much fun... and kinda' thrilling every time you got a big one :)

You have to dig deep and fast to get one of these big boys. Geoducks... yummm! Look at the baby crab hanging on for dear life!