games | Our Oregon Trail

Rose Bowl Champions

January 4, 2014 by kristikrass

Happy New Year! If the first few days of 2014 set the tone for the rest of the year, let’s just say it’s going to be one heck of a trip around the sun. Jeff and I are still basking in the exhilaration from Michigan State’s win in the 100th annual Rose Bowl – the school’s first Rose Bowl victory since 1988. As soon as the Spartans crushed Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship we sprang into planning mode for a […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: california, games, Krasses, vacation

Trivia, Thorns, The XX

June 7, 2013 by kristikrass

Welcome to June, the best month of the year in my book. Summer creeps in, festivals start cropping up, there’s the longest, lightest day of the year and shortly before, my birthday. Bring it on, baby. Jeff and I eased into the month with a bevy of awesomely random activities. Trivia night at The Old Gold bar in North Portland – Our trivia-loving friends Felicia and Genaro (who is an actual Jeopardy champion!), Stephen and Jen, and Jeff and I […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: 23rd, eugene, games, thorns

So Long, Summer!

September 9, 2012 by kristikrass

As summer fades into fall, Oregon is THE place to be. Glorious weather! We scored mid-80s for Labor Day weekend, the temps peaked at 95 degrees (dry, toasty and bug-free) mid-week, and then 80s this weekend. And we made the most of it. Before Lindsay and Daniel jetted off to Greece for a wedding and yoga training (lucky bums!), they joined us for some Labor Day weekend wine-tasting. We packed our picnic basket with cheese, bread and other tasty wine accompaniments […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: corvallis, games, views, wineries

My London Games

August 19, 2012 by kristikrass

Earlier this month, I checked off a biggie on my bucket list: Attending an Olympics. Beyond that, I logged my first-ever trip to London, and basically had the experience of a lifetime. While I worked approximately 12-hour days for 10 days straight, I wouldn’t trade any of my time there for the world. My London home base was the Flemings Mayfair, a lovely boutique hotel nestled a few short blocks from the Buckingham Palace. My main workplace: the BMA House, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: england, games, olympics, race

Bikes, Hikes and Pedal Pubs

July 8, 2012 by kristikrass

July 5 was Portland’s unofficial start of summer. Magically, on that date, the weather flips a switch from cool and unpredictable to amazing. While a heat wave ravages the rest of the country, the Northwest has been spring-like. Drizzly, 60-degree weather, with occasional sunny respites. Not anymore! We have 80s and sun now! Here’s how we spent our last days BEFORE summer… Hiking Mount Tabor: Mount Tabor is an extinct volcano on the southeast side of town. After snagging brunch at […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: beach, breweries, exercise, games, gorge, mt. tabor, sauvie island, Timbers

Two Weeks of Timbers, TED and Talk Shows

March 22, 2012 by kristikrass

…and rain. Two straight weeks of chilly, gray, rainy days. This is when any report of higher suicide rates in the Northwest makes a little bit of sense. Okay, it’s not SO bad, but it makes it worse when the Midwest is enjoying freakish 85-degree days. But talk to me again in July when it’s heavenly here. A couple Mondays ago Jeff, my co-worker Kristen, her roomie Nicole and I cheered the Portland Timbers in their second season home opener. Kristen […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: breweries, eugene, games, Timbers, vacation

Oh, Brother

February 11, 2012 by kristikrass

My little brother Dave finally made his way out to Portland last weekend – thanks mainly to my friend Wendi who offered a free Southwest ticket that was expiring within weeks. (So nice of her!) Dave’s only flown the Dow jets to and from Houston, so his trip to Portland was his first “real” flight. His trip involved planes, trains and automobiles: Kalamazoo to Chicago – where he spent a night with Rob and Amy – to Portland. It was […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: breweries, games, Mt.Hood, Redicks, restaurants, visitors

Windy City Welcome to 2012

January 4, 2012 by kristikrass

To conclude our holiday Midwest tour, Jeff and I rented a smoky-smelling Nissan and headed to the Windy City. Chicago – ah, Chicago! My home during 2008 (and Jeff’s home for 3-4 years), it’s where we got engaged and home to plenty of people we love: Jeff’s big bro Rob and his fab wife Amy (and her sister), several of our best couple friends, one of my close buds from high school, and millions of others united by biting cold winters […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: chicago, games, holidays, Krasses, restaurants

Jeff playing with the Bowerman wall in the new Nike Portland store

Mishmashiness

November 15, 2011 by kristikrass

The last couple weeks have been a little challenging. Different. Interesting in some ways, heartbreaking in others. First, my Grandpa Redick died a little over a week ago after a several-month fight with myelodysplastic syndrome. I was in Michigan exactly two weeks before that, and he was moving around (slowly), talking, watching football…and two weeks later, he was gone. Luckily he passed away peacefully in his bed, holding hands with my sister and my aunt, surrounded by family members. I […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: games, protesters, shopping, work

Our Oregon Trail

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

Tag: games