Oregon Day 1 Trail of 10 Falls and Willamette Valley Vineyards

August 16th 

Our first full day in Oregon! And we started off strong. Saturday morning, I woke up pretty early, still on my work schedule, and I thought best to get out of bed, steal a bathroom while one was still open, and head downstairs to get some coffee brewing. I also crafted up my oatmeal, I was excited to test out the new trick and see if it was something I should do/bring every time I travel. Results: it was so good and so filling. I also made our whole car pb&j sandwiches. I was ready to kickstart the day and see what's up in Oregon.

I chatted with everyone as they got up and made their way to the kitchen. I definitely got up earlier than needed so I just took my time and made sure all my ducks were in a row before we finally left. 

We hit the road right when we said we would (9am) because the hike was over two hours away. We drove through Salem on our way to the hike. On the road, we listened to music, I stared out the window, chatted, and definitely played a car game. The car rides started to blend together so I don’t recall this one super clearly but I bet I was in a good mood because I was super pumped for the hike. Day 1 on the trip we were doing my favorite travel activity - hiking, and I was absolutely ecstatic for it.

It was 11am by the time we arrived we were starting to get a bit hungry already from having an early breakfast, so we snacked on a granola bar to fuel us for the hike. We found the other cars in the parking lot and we collected at the trail head, waiting there until we were all together, which took a minute to gather 15+ people. Thankfully, we got our group picture right there with the whole crew, including Ben and Katie who lived in Oregon and joined for part of our trip. It was great that they met us on this hike and we could visit them in their state of residence. They were getting married next week in Minnesota and would be getting ready and leaving soon for that so they couldn’t stay with us the whole trip but to even get them for a couple hours/days was awesome. 

We began the hike, which was not really a hike and moreso a glorified walk because the trail was packed with other people. It did not take me long to whip out my camera and start taking photos of the sights around me. Because I made frequent stops to take photos and our crew walking incredibly fast, I found myself very quickly in the back of the group. I was trying to keep up with them while also doing enjoying the art of taking photos which was a juggle for sure. But, I accepted my position in the back of the line and I had loads of fun with the people around me. I hiked with Jordy, Sean, Rena, Matt, and Sam.

Of course a good hike calls for a good conversation. So I pulled out my favorite question, What's new? I feel like a lot of people say 'nothing!' but on the flip side I feel like I will always have a couple 'new life events' queued up because my life is ever changing and a constant adventure with friends, work, and travel. I kinda love that I am not getting stuck in the mundane work routine that I feared when I first started my job, coming off my summer trip in SE Asia. But, this summer showed me that I will not lose out on life and experience because I am working a 9-5 corporate job for the rest of my life. And, if anything, I am actually out living more because I worked hard for the money I earned and now I get to go out and use it guilt free to live out my dreams and biggest wishes. Like, how cool to think I am living the dream I once had. Many dreams actually. I have amazing friends, I have my dream job, I get to travel and see the world, and I am happy and proud of myself. I have so much peace of mind which I worked so hard to cultivate for myself in college and on my summer trip. Wow, that was a super tangent. Back to the hike. 

We were hiking the trail of 10 falls. It is about a 3-5 mile loop, depending on which trail you take. You hike past several beautiful waterfalls in a row, 10 to be exact. I really liked the first few waterfalls we saw because you got to walk behind the water and feel the mist cool your skin. The 10 waterfalls were in every possible shape and size. Some short and wide, others long and narrow. Also along the trail were many smaller streams and creeks with beautiful trees and scenery all around. It was all very lush and green and almost jungly. This is exactly what I pictured a day in Oregon to be and I was loving that feeling.

We stopped at the fifth waterfall to eat our lunch with a view. We pulled out our sandwiches at a less trotted waterfall and inhaled the bite size pb&js. In reality, that was more of snack than anything. But, it filled me up enough to continue. It was the driest spot to sit and have lunch, so a few walked away with muddy behinds and mucked boots. I chose to stand for my meal time to keep the pants clean, although I could've used the rest, but walking away mud free was worth it.

We saw a couple more waterfalls before the crew decided to take the smaller loop, which I am glad we did because Katie mentioned the full loop involves seeing just two more hikes that are not worth the long trek to get out there. The last bit of the walk was through a jungle-like terrain and it was one of my more favorite parts of the hike. It was less busy, maybe because most people did the full hike, and all of a sudden we were back at the trailhead. We stopped in the cafe and gift shop, of course I needed a postcard of the area, and some others got an afternoon coffee!

Our next stop was a winery so we all changed in the park bathrooms before going, switching out the muddy and sweaty clothes for nicer outfits. I was excited to see the winery Ben and Katie picked out for us. Let it be known, they did us so well. It was absolutely incredible. The vineyard was pretty close to the hiking spot, within 10-20 minutes. I was in awe with how beautiful the venue was. Willamette Valley Vineyards.

I didn’t even make it past the parking lot and I went back to grab my camera because I thought it was so beautiful. I’m happy I did have that because I got some incredible shots of the field, but also there was nothing more spectacular than the sun warming up our skin while looking out at the most beautiful landscape. I could have spent my whole afternoon there. Everyone got a glass of wine, and I too wanted to treat myself too, so I went up as well to put in an order when I saw they had a kombucha. However, while ordering, I learned they were all out of the kombucha and so bummed. But, to the rescue, they had a pure sparkling apple juice they highly recommended, so I can gave that a try. All truly works out because that was easily one of the best NA drinks I’ve ever had. It was a bit sweet, bit tangy, and so lovely. They even gave me a wine glass so I could join in on the good vibes. 

I sat by Ben and Katie and got to talk to them for most of my time at the winery. While chatting, I could not stop staring at the view. Going through my mind, was, this is why I travel. This is amazing. I also had a couple delicious truffle fries that I split with my sister. We basked in the sun, we had great conversation, we laughed, and we made memories that'll stick with me for a lifetime. The winery was so good, I'd say it not only rivaled, but topped the ones I visited in Italy. So, if you want to save out on an international trip, try Oregon.

We then left the winery around dinner time to head back to the airbnb for the night. On our way back, we stopped in Salem, specifically, because people wanted to get In and Out, the only location in all of Oregon. So you can probably guess, it was packed. I couldn't eat anything at In and Out, but thankfully there was a Chipotle in the same complex, so I walked over there with Matt because he was not the biggest fan of the food either. After finishing our bowls, we met the rest of the crew back at In and Out. It wasn't just our car that stopped here, we were also joined by Ryan and Ben which was fun to hear their In and Out takes.

Properly fueled after a long, snacking heavy, day of hiking, we headed back to our airbnb in Pacific City. We started a game of trivia on the way there and picked it back up for the way home. Our car never failed to have a fun drive. When we got back to the airbnb, the crew was strategizing what to do with the remainder of the night. Until it dawned on them. It was Saturday night. Therefore, the only night to be able to go to the bar and get a look of the nightlife. As much convincing as others tried to get me to go, I had a headache from being super tired from all the activity the last two weeks. Had I felt better, I totally would have gone, but all that appealed to me was a shower, a rest, and an early nights sleep. Plus, I wasn't the only one that stayed back, Katie and Ryan were also not up to a towny bar, and instead we watched the first episode of White Lotus. It was so insane to see the hotel I just visited now on the TV, a perfect watch for a chill night in.