OREGON PART 3: HOME SWEET HOME
I was born 6000 miles away but I have never felt like I was away from home. Even tho my family is still in the South of France and I miss them to death I always knew that home is where the heart is and where people you love are. So I always knew I would have several homes :-)
We now call Los Angeles home but since this past weekend, a part of our hearts and souls is somewhere lost in the forests of Oregon. Darion is an amazing friend and his parents welcomed us like their own children.
This past weekend we have spent 4 too short days with no cell phone reception and no internet connection, which can sound like hell for some, but truly is a heaven. Heaven just like the 'Lowestein estate', it was very special for us to be able to spend time where Darion grew up. The two pictures above and below were taken from their home which is on a hillside surrounded by mountains. Just looking at those sunset photos relaxes me instantly.
One more time we want to thank Tim and Janai for being such amazing people. We love them very much!
Now let's go back to the crazy fun we had ;-)
The ride below on the tortuga was, I have to tell you, better than any ride I did at Universal Studios, Magic Mountain or Disneyland it's called the Shenanigan ride and it goes from their house to their lake down the hill ... and having Janai as the pilot was awesome ...
The ride was like a 4D ride, the wind, the movements and the branches slapping on the windshield, it was incredible ...
So was the contrast ...
As soon as we go to the lake shore (and after turning around the last tree twice) this is where we found ourselves:
Not a single noise but insects and other things I did not want to know the origin of... the stars reflecting on the lake. It was peaceful and magic.
Darion's parent live near a megapolis called Drain aka 'The Gateway to the Pacific' population 1072 + 3 with Darion and us this past weekend ;-) It was named after a couple, Charles and Anna Drain, who were the first to settle there in the 1800s and it is the only community named "Drain" in North America. Voila for the local history.
You may think it is a small town but they do light up their landmark at night .... unlike the Hollywood sign!
I did celebrate my birthday while in Oregon, and Janai made me a yummylicious banana coconut cream pie :-P Darion's parents are both amazing cooks, they grow most of their food and we had the chance to eat fabulous homemade meals 3 times a day :-)
We also met Darion's sister who had us install this amazing tv at the back of her car ;-)
The forest around the house is magic, I am not kidding you, fairies were spotted there several times ...
Darion's mom transformed the entire forest into a relaxing retreat and if you pay attention you may see many things, like this buddha.
This is the same lake by day time. This is where we went to pick fresh wild blackberries for snacks.
One of our excursion was to the Yellow Creek river.
I really loved the entire experience even when I crashed my butt on the rock for not paying attention to where I was stepping, lol!
Below a couple of my now world famous reflection pictures ;-)
We also did cliff climbing ... I am not kidding you, we even took some pictures as you can see ;-)
On our way back home we stopped in Oakland, for some antic shopping! Darion got me two amazing vintage cameras from 1920.
The museum was fun, we were the only ones there, as you can tell by the photos we did below. Those poor mannequins didn't had that much fun since 1925.
Below, I am holding an aerial camera used in world war II which was on sale at the antic shop! I wish I could have fit that one in my bags ...
The next day we drove in the mountain and one of our stops was the lava field.
On the way to Clear Lake [See the photos of Clear Lake] we went to feed the fishes.
I am not kidding you, those fishes were HUGE, as big as sharks. I have learned that white sturgeons can live 100 years and grow up to 15 feet long!
The fun part was also going from point A to point B. We had all the comfort and food you can dream of and no matter how long or short was the drive it was never boring.
Darion and Alek found an energy drink called GO GIRL ... LOL Isn't that the best energy drink name ever !?
At the end of the day we went to a natural hot spring pool. Since it was right in the middle of the forest I was hoping for my first bear encounter :-) And I did, boy those Oregon bears are such a tease ;-)
Below the steamy pool, it was perfect to end the day in a very relaxed way.
Darion's dog, Bast, is the sweetest dog ever! She loves him so much that she really smiles when he is around. Look at the picture I took she is sooooo in love with Darion!
Eugene Airpost has lots of ducks to support the Oregon Ducks Team. And they have all kinds of ducks ...
Those of you who went to Eugene airport sure remember its best feature! The flying people wall, honoring some of the most famous people who lived in Eugene county ... and look who I found flying on the fame wall .... Darion!
We really feel like we have a new home now and we cannot wait to go back already ...
+ Oregon Part 2
+ Oregon Part 1
