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.
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| Wish I would have seen this...def interested in the creme soda |
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| This was the source of great amusement |
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| Frog and Toad...Oregon style |
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| The newest album cover |
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D's breakfast order!
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As I've mentioned, we were all kind of over the trip. I could tell from the pictures alone...
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| 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!
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| Thought it was St. Rocco but it's St. Peregrine |
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| Beautiful. |
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Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for Us!
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After our nice walk and with all of our loot from the gift shop, it was time to head home...
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Joking...guess there's one in Oregon as well (without the "h" of course)
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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!
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| Pretty sure this is where his shawarma fascination began |
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| The falafel salad was sooo good. |
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| No idea |
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| The Pasqules were predictible...pork sliders w/fries and quesadilla |
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| I forget what that was...some noodle dish...looked yum. |
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Added points for the onsite, clean, spacious restroom with a wall tattoo so notable, three of us took the same photo!
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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...
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| And across this bridge (I think??) |
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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. 
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.
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