70% Family Reunion - Day 1

Since my Uncle Rob flew out from Oregon last year for the Buffs-Ducks game (here), I suggested we go out to Oregon for the game this year.  It turned into 70% of my family (yes, I did the math) reuniting in Oregon for the first time.

Mount Hood from our plane.

We left on Thursday morning at 5:00AM.  It had started snowing on Wednesday night and kept on going in the morning.  Our plane got delayed about 90 minutes because they were late coming in from San Fransisco and then we had to get de-iced.  It was a long morning.  We went straight to Uncle Rob's house for a quick lunch of sandwiches before heading up the gorge for some sight-seeing.  My Uncle Rich (Rob's twin brother) and cousin Thomas were already there as were Rob's wife Aunt Katie and my cousin Will.  We piled into two cars to go to Crown Point.  Unfortunately, the road was closed, so we had to settle for some other sights and a hike.  We stopped at the famous VooDoo Donuts to pick up some treats for later.  That was an interesting experience.

So many donuts to choose from!

Crown Point.

Me and Will.  I couldn't open my eyes, it was so bright.

Hiking along the river.

The leaves are so big and colorful in Oregon!

Sam, Uncle Rob, and me via Sam's Instagram.

The river, via Sam's Instagram.

Sam and me, via Sam's Instagram.

Next, we stopped at the second highest waterfall in the US.  It was so gorgeous!  You can climb up on the bridge, but we were all getting hungry and thirsty, so we went to dinner instead.  We ate at Edgefield, a great place near Portland.  They have a hotel, two different restaurants, a distillery, a winery, a brewery, and so much more.  It was great food and such a cool place.

Travis, Rachel, Will, Thomas, Aunt Katie & Bella (the cutest Golden Retriever puppy you ever did see).

The falls, via Sam's Instagram.

The falls again.

Thomas and Sam waiting for dinner.  American Gothic.

Uncle Rich didn't want to be recognized.  (He forgot his regular glasses at the house.)

We went back Rob and Katie's house for pie and some hanging out before turning in for the night.  Uncle Gary and my cousin Erik were going to be arriving later that night, but their plane got delayed so nobody could stay up and wait for them since we were all so tired.