coast | Our Oregon Trail

Goodbye for Now, Oregon Coast

May 26, 2014 by kristikrass

Jeff and I are moving. Let’s just throw it out there, otherwise it’d be the big white elephant in this post. We made the (super hard) decision to leave our beloved Portland, leave our rad Nike jobs, leave our amazing West Coast friends, and embark on a new adventure in Grand Rapids, Mich., starting next month. I’m in a state of mild shock, I believe, despite the mountain of moving boxes that have accumulated in our apartment, and despite the fact […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Cooper, vacation

Dune Doggie

August 11, 2013 by kristikrass

Where in the world has the summer gone? Seriously, it’s almost September? The thought makes my chest clench up a smidge – it’s scary how quickly the time sails by. Jeff and I realized we need to get outta town and do something cool. What’s cooler than spending an impromptu weekend at the Pacific Ocean shore? (And I mean that literally: The temps at the coast are frequently in the 50s and 60s. Brr!) One other factor in the mix […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Cooper, lincoln city, pacific city, restaurants

Seattle’s Best

May 26, 2013 by kristikrass

Last weekend, the Krass family converged in Seattle – Jeff and me from Portland, Rob and Amy from Chicago, and Bob and Chris from Fountain Hills, Ariz. The visit marked the first time we were all together since Christmas, plus it spurred a milestone for Jeff and me: It was the first time we traveled via the Amtrak Cascades train along the coast. The train ride rocked. Unlike the slower-than-driving, constantly-delayed Amtrak routes that zigzag across Michigan and surrounding states, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Krasses, market, restaurants, seattle, vacation, washington

Krasses in the House

November 10, 2012 by kristikrass

Visitors make me so happy. Not only do we get to spend time with some of our favorite people in world, but we also get to pack in a boatload of exploring! Last weekend, Jeff’s parents came to town – their third trip to the Rose City after their Oct. 2011 visit, Chris’ April 2011 visit and Bob’s Jan. 2011 visit (our first visitor in our new city). With this crew, y’know we hit some bars and restaurants. We commenced […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, gorge, hikes, Krasses, parks, restaurants, visitors

Lesley and me perched on the outdoor seating at Amnesia Brewing

Kristi and Lesley’s Excellent Adventure

October 21, 2012 by kristikrass

The first weekend of October brought an awesome milestone: The first major visit to Portland from a girl friend of mine from back home. Yay! Welcome, Lesley! Lesley and I are Pinny High grads, cheerleading buddies and we lived in Chicago at the same time. It was great getting her out to the West Coast – and witnessing her first visit to the Pacific Ocean! We had 48 hours and a lot of ground to cover. First stop: lunch at […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: breweries, coast, Cooper, restaurants, views, visitors

10 Days, 10 Million Calories

September 14, 2011 by kristikrass

I’ve sure been quiet on here lately. A few weeks ago, I had a blissfully chill weekend at home while Jeff hit Vegas with his buddies. It was the calm before the storm (a good kind of storm!): On Labor Day weekend, my Michigander mom, dad, sister Lori, brother-in-law Cory, and nieces Ava and Macy rolled into town for a leisurely 10-day visit. Great way to close out a fabulous summer! Realizing our one-bed, one-bath apartment could get really old […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, holidays, Redicks, visitors

Crowds watching the surf competition on Huntington Beach

Surfing Safari

August 13, 2011 by kristikrass

The last two weeks have been nutty, mainly for one reason: Nike U.S. Open of Surfing. I got the fabulous opportunity to head to Huntington Beach, California, to report (write stories) on the nine-day event for Nike employees. I flew down for four days of behind-the-scenes access to what I now think is the coolest event ever. More than 750,000 people on 14 acres of Pacific Ocean beach. A high school fashion design show, a skateboarding bowl, a BMX contest, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, concerts, work

Impromptu Oceanview

July 3, 2011 by kristikrass

America’s birthday came up a little quickly this year. Technically, it’s a 3.5-day weekend for Jeff and me, so we knew we had to make something of it, but we just didn’t have the energy to plan anything. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes planning fun activities seems like a royal pain in the rump. So at the eleventh hour we picked a random coast city (Newport, Oregon), booked a dog-friendly hotel, and planned to hit the road the next […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: beach, breweries, coast, Cooper, lighthouse, restaurants

Tall Boys, Sunshine and Cheese

April 24, 2011 by kristikrass

Happy Easter! It’s a rainy, Portland-y day, but boy, did we ever have some gorgeous weather the past couple days: sunny and high 60’s/low 70’s. My sister Michelle (Shelly) is in town until Tuesday, and she started with a false impression of normal weather here. Today, it was back to reality, although the rain hasn’t stopped us from plowing through tons of fun activities. On Friday, we got a double dose of visitors, when my old high school buddy Stephanie […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Cooper, festivals, Mt.Hood, restaurants, visitors

Our Oregon Trail

Portland through the eyes of a festival-loving, dessert-feasting, travel-addicted Midwesterner.

Tag: coast