Day 9 - The great Jubilee/Benedictine/48-state Pilgrimage of 2025!

Truth be told, I slept about as well I did at the monastery with none of the extra graces so, when morning came, I was more than ready to go. Cool to sleep on a mountain...happy to descend and keep pushing west. First, however, coffee. We found a cute little place in a strip mall not far down the road (but far enough to be out of "government camp" and their ridiculous prices). We walked to the local grocery store in the strip mall to get some water and, apparently, the journey was full of good things to photograph...all of these pics were from kid phones.

Wish I would have seen this...def interested in the creme soda

This was the source of great amusement

Frog and Toad...Oregon style

The newest album cover

D's breakfast order!

As I've mentioned, we were all kind of over the trip. I could tell from the pictures alone...

Yes, pretty much.

Luckily, right there in the middle of Portland, there is a grotto. An amazingly beautiful respite from the crowded, fairly dirty (the graffiti on the west coast was crazy) city. We were grateful to find it and grateful that it was another Jubilee site!

This is built into the side of a mountain and you can go up to the top but it was a little scary for me...we stayed on the ground

The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother...very like Our Lady of Sorrows, the Patron of Slovakia...maybe the same but in West Coast lingo? Anyway, the grotto is HUGE (62 acres) and run by the Servants of Mary

I don't think I know this Saint but I should pray to her... St. Juliana Falconieri (1270-1341). a Florentine noblewoman who founded the Servite Third Order of Women and is the patron saint of the sick and those suffering from bodily ills.  

Thought it was St. Rocco but it's St. Peregrine

Beautiful.

Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for Us!

After our nice walk and with all of our loot from the gift shop, it was time to head home...

Joking...guess there's one in Oregon as well (without the "h" of course)

Next stop - lunch! The trip planner, who leaves no stone unturned, found the coolest little place. It's a permanent lot of food trucks with the most amazing food choices (think West Coast, healthy, with a little Italian thrown in). If you're ever in Oregon City, give Corner 14 a try!

Pretty sure this is where his shawarma fascination began

The falafel salad was sooo good.

No idea

The Pasqules were predictible...pork sliders w/fries and quesadilla

I forget what that was...some noodle dish...looked yum.

Added points for the onsite, clean, spacious restroom with a wall tattoo so notable, three of us took the same photo!

Back on the road, bellies full of International delights, we were in need of a Benedictine boost after all the Grotto Servite info (don't want to lose focus) so, luckily for us, Mt. Angel Monastery was the next stop. It's also a seminary and is on top of a big hill so the grounds are beautiful - reminded me very much of the University of California, Santa Clara.

We left to drive slightly further down the road...passing these groves of some type of tree...not sure if they were apples or pears or something similar...

And across this bridge (I think??)

To arrive at the long awaited brewery - home of Black Habit, St. Raphael, and Hairshirt beers. We weren't able to stay so we picked up a few 6-packs and headed out. Like most of the trip, the big, famous things proved to be the least impressive. Still, it was fun to see.

Back in the car, we headed out to our only baseball outing of the trip. The Hillsboro Hops are the High A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. We were lucky to sneak in far enough before the game to get into the visitor parking (between the current and new stadiums) and in time to hit up the team store. 

Sort of, that is. It seems that we walked in with 10 minutes or so before the shop closed (the door was unlocked) but after the worker had headed off to another task. Eventually, after settling on our purchases, we needed to find someone to check us out. We sent Sil down the hallway to see if anyone was around. Luckily, someone a bit higher up in the organization came in and wondered how we had gotten there...after he checked us out, he asked if we were staying for the game. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the tight schedule so, instead, he offered a tour of the park. What a wonderful opportunity! These Minor League parks are so cool - small and fun - and it was a blessing to see it up close. As you might imagine, our baseball fanatic was thrilled.

Didn't buy it but wanted to - he is such a cute mascot!

Ending this very long day, we were happy to arrive before nightfall so that we could truly appreciate the surroundings. It's not every day you stay in a 300ish square foot RV surrounded by animals. It was truly an experience that I'm glad to have had and, no, we won't be buying one anytime soon.

Open the door to the greeters

Our house with some of the welcoming committee

big boy

Lots of goats

The turkeys were kind of pushy to be honest

But this guy...adorable

It seemed he enjoyed eating the bugs off our car. He could definitely fill his belly!

Dinner in our very tight space. Other than Sil (who slept where she was sitting) I think we all made it through ok. 

Grateful to have arrived in time to see all of our friendly hosts, we watched some Food Truck race (I don't know when we last saw a tv) and headed to bed. We are blessed.

Day 8 - The great Jubilee/Benedictine/48-state Pilgrimage of 2025!

It was hard to leave our dear Benedictines in Jerome, knowing we would not again see any of them on this side of the veil. Still, after sharing morning prayers, Mass, and breakfast (including some wonderful discussion with Brother Selby) it was time for our goodbyes. We also bid farewell to Brother Luis. There is a MSOW location at a parish in Columbus so, who knows, God's path is funny sometimes. We packed up and headed out on our next day of adventure. 

First, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise, ID. It took a bit of perseverance because, arriving after morning Mass, everything was locked up tight. Traveling always reminds me of how blessed we are here at home to have churches that are mainly open all day. How sad it was to have to walk down the street to fetch the secretary to let us in (but how kind of her to do so on another 100 degree day).

Definitely worth the wait. The monks at Assumption had clued us into the "canvas ceiling" here. Seriously, the secretary pitched it as being "like a covered wagon," a nod to the pioneers but, seriously, the ceiling is painted canvas. It's really quite odd - canvas where you expect to see stone/drywall/etc.!

Doesn't look like it but up close, definitely canvas!

We lit a candle for our favorite almost -11-year-old!

I promise, he stalks me - thank goodness!

From one of the kids cameras...kind of cool

We crawled back into the car to start our nearly 6 hour trip straight up Interstate 84. About an hour into the trip we were all grateful to check off our 47th state - we had made it to Oregon!

They were quite lacking in the giant, "Welcome to x State" signs we're used to.

Pressing on, we slowly made the drive North and West along the Columbia river. It was a beautiful drive - you can imagine the things Lewis and Clark would have witnessed along these same banks 200+ years ago. 

We were feeling a bit worn out from the car and then the landscape gave us a break. The rest of the trip, we looked straight ahead to our lodging for the night...Mt. Hood!

It would get even more spectacular as we went off the highway and onto the road leading up the mountain. At that point, we had 16.9 more miles up the mountain until we could settle for the night at Timberline Lodge. 

We were blessed to have a mostly clear day to see all the beauty of the area.

The lodge...again, if you're a hiker or love to be outside, this is your place. For me, I was just happy to get some dinner, get some sleep, and keep pushing West. Of course, our outdoor children took in all the sights!

These came with our charcuterie so I was good ;0)

This one - she will be a park ranger somewhere.

These three just wanted to swim 6,000 ft up a mountain (they didn't last long...the hot tub was better)

If you're wondering if you've seen this place somewhere before, it's entirely likely. 

They used the facade in a fairly famous movie (in the winter...when there was a lot more snow). Thankfully, there were no odd twin girls at the end of the hall or a toddler riding a big wheel. Also thankfully, the kids haven't seen it so they weren't too creeped out.

Even if they were, it was ok because we were all in the same room. Yes! This lodge has one room that has 6 bunk beds and a bath in one room. I have method to my madness. It was step one to acclimate to the downsizing we'd have to undertake tomorrow night. 

For tonight, we have beds, and food, and beautiful surroundings. We are blessed!