We Finally made it to Astoria, Oregon

We finally made it to Astoria, Oregon for our anniversary this past weekend.  The day we left, Chris was a little quiet in the morning, I later found out she was watching the weather on her computer because it was snowing on the Coastal Range Mountains that we had to drive through to get to the Astoria.

So at 10 in the morning we packed up our car and two pugs and started out for our two hour drive to Astoria.  Once I started to see obviously old plowed snow on the side of the roads, Chris said that it might be snowing at the highest points on the mountain pass.  I have always been terrified to drive in snow, which was not always convenient when we lived in Denver, Colorado where it does snow a lot in the winter.  So I wasn’t too thrilled about driving in snow again.

The rain did turn to snow at one point.  The Douglas Fir trees were absolutely gorgeous.  Sorry we didn’t stop and get photos, but it was wet and cold and our cameras were in the trunk.  Driving conditions weren’t bad at all.  It was only about 20 minutes of slow driving in the snow and then I was back on wet rainy roads.

When we got to Astoria we went to our favorite BRIDGEwater Bistro and just watched the rain came down in waves.  The following photos are just a few I took once we got into our hotel.  We stayed at Cannery Pier Hotel, which is built out on a pier on the Columbia River, immediately to the northern of the 4.1 mile (6.6 meter) Astoria Megler bridge.  So we had front row seats to all the large cargo ships that go to Portland down the Columbia River.   I’ll post more later in future blogs.

The first photo I’ve posted before and and it shows our hotel and a large cargo ship.  Please scroll down for enlarged photos.

View as you walk into our room.

View from the bathroom of the claw foot tub. There was also a separate shower. Talk about elegant.

This hotel is pet friendly. They provided a dog bed (which was huge and scared our little pugs), they also had the a dog toy for each of our girls, chewies and treats and three dog bowls. Amazing!

View of the bridge outside our room. Sneak peak of other photos to come in later posts.

Photograph taken from the Bistro we just adore dining at.

Theme Tuesday: Sternwheeler on the Columbia Gorge

Today I thought I would post some photographs from on of the cruises Chris and I have taken on the Sternwheeler on the Columbia Gorge.   The Columbia Gorge is one of the most beautiful places here in the Pacific Northwest.  The Columbia River separates the states of Washington and Oregon.  We also went under the Bridge of the Gods.  I hope you enjoy the show.

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Hugs and blessings

Cee

A Special Walk

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty down.  Frustrated with my weight.  Because of Lymes, my body has been real good at retaining weight and water.  Weight because the fat protects my organs of the toxicity of Lymes.  It’s just the way my body functions.  Whether I eat a lot or a little and I usually eat little amounts of food, I still carry tremendous amounts of weight.  The only thing I’ve found works for me is taking massive antibiotics.   And I’m not on a high enough dose for me to get the freedom to lose weight.  Anyhow, so Chris took a day off work to be with me. since I was feeling so down.  She’s been through thick and thin with me and my illness (see my Lyme page).

We ended up at Molalla River State Park here in Canby, Oregon,USA  and here are a few photographs that I got from our little walk along the river’s edge.

After our walk, we got me signed up at the gym where Chris goes.  A year ago I wasn’t healthy enough to go.  Now since I can do water aerobics a couple times a week, we thought that I could get on the treadmill for a little while a day.  So once I finish this blog I’ll be off to the gym.

Chris said I should take this photo because I felt so alone. I could definitely relate.

Closeup of an Oregon Grape bush. I love these bushes, they have purple grapes in the summer and are always green in the winter. They look a lot like holly.

Reflections on the Molalla River on a winter day!

More feflections on the Molalla River on a winter day!

A huge tire which helps to hold up the river bank.

I call this little guy my Lucky Lizard. He’s about 4 inches long including tail. Found him on the trail on the way back to the car.

While leaving the park, we found this huge pile of leaves.

Please see below for larger images of these photographs.