When Josh and Elizabeth announced that they would be getting married in Bend, Oregon I started to wonder whether or not I could be a West Coast girl. A lot of our teacher friends from Beirut are from the Pacific Northwest and it seems to be quite a popular place. Everyone from there seems unusually attached to their hometown, something I've never really felt but have often longed for. Josh and Elizabeth had exposed me to a lot of the outdoors life that flourishes in that part of the country- rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, triathlons...so I was really looking forward to the trip. Derek and I flew into Portland and rented a car. It was a beautiful drive over Mount Hood, and then into the desert-like terrain near Bend, where Josh grew up. Their wedding weekend was awesome! Josh's parents hosted us for the first night (we slept in a tent in their backyard) and for the rehearsal dinner. Then a group of us rented a house right by the river and just a short walk from downtown where the wedding was. We went on some great trail runs, took a float down the river in a raft, had a number of parties, and drank delicious beer at a variety of local breweries. The scenery everywhere was gorgeous. The people were friendly. Life seemed pretty good in Bend. Here are a few of the better shots from the weekend:
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| The view of Mt. Hood in the rear view mirror |
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| Our perfect rental house- aka the red house |
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| Josh and Elizabeth- they are such a fun and happy couple and they throw a GREAT party! |
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| The Beirut Gang- pretty cool that so many of us made it for the wedding. Emilee & Anil, Eamon & Susan, J & E, C & D, Chris & Audrey |
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| We hosted the day-after party at the red house This is Elizabeth with her friends Jay & Tom from high school |
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| The red house gang: Tom, Jay, Derek, Casey, Emilee, Anil and a cat.... don't know where the cat came from.... |
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| We left Bend and headed for Portland. These are the Lava lands on the mountain range between Bend and Eugene. |
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| In Portland, we stayed with my Uncle Jim. This ladder was in a movie with Brad Pitt from back in the day! |
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| We visited some friends of his and she made us snow cones with an old fashioned machine. |
Overall, we loved Oregon, but neither of us were inclined to move there. I think we're both weary of living in a place where everyone seems to be of the same mentality. We're looking for more diversity, I guess. I definitely liked how fit everyone was in Bend, and how much of the local culture was about being active and adventurous. We loved the widespread campaign for supporting local business and organic living. But I think we're city people and we didn't fall in love with Portland. It's a funky city, somewhat reminiscent of Boston, actually. People are definitely creative and free-spirited, there's tons of good food (especially Mexican food! Yummm) and the bridges adds a unique flare to the city bustle. I can see why so many people love it. We had a fantastic trip, but I don't think home will be in Oregon.
