Photo Diary 011 | Fall In Oregon

For the last two fall seasons, I have been in an absolute wasteland of all the fall things. No crunchy leaves, no crisp mornings where your breath fogs up the air, no sweaters or tea or getting curled up in a blanket with a book (without breaking into a sweat). This lack of seasonality had begun to take its toll on me... What month is it? Year? It's not July?!... so it was time to take a pilgrimage back to the Pacific Northwest, where fall in Oregon is supreme. Here follows my love letter to Fall in Oregon...

My number one priority for this trip was to just enjoy the season, aka either be outdoors or be looking outdoors, and thanks to my willing and loving parents -- the mission was accomplished. We started off the trip with an amazing breakfast at Besaw's, which had the perfect blend of history and hipstery to soothe my soul. After eating (always the most important part of any trip) we spent the afternoon wandering the Portland Japanese Garden. The colors were surreal and the weather was so perfect it about brought tears to my eyes. We ended our wandering with a nice cup of tea in the tea-house (or rather tree-house--the floor to ceiling windows make you feel as if you are among the treetops-- magical I tell you).

The other cliche but necessary fall adventure included a trip to a pumpkin patch and mini-hike at Silver Falls State Park. This pumpkin patch was adorable and perfect. *Que Stefan voice* This pumpkin patch had everything: from a mini-hay-bale maze, to a picturesque picnic bench under a tree (which was full of yellow jackets but we wont mention that), a pumpkin carriage, and most importantly, many many varieties of pumpkins.

This utter fall basicness was followed by tacos and apple-cider-cinnamon Benny's donuts (food, yay) and then we were off to Silver Falls. It had been a quick decade or so since I had visited and it was even prettier than my memory. The really fun thing about this place is that you can actually walk behind one of the falls. It's a very peaceful and unique experience. We stood and enjoyed the leaves falling through the trees, and then -- in true Oregon style -- it began to rain. It wouldn't be a trip home without some rain, but that was also our cue to leave. On the drive out, my mom's dog saw a deer for the first time and freaked out, which resulted in insane barking, and a car bursting with laughter.

There were plenty of other amazing fall things checked off the list on this too-quick trip: brunch with a good friend, hoards of cute trick-or-treaters downtown, a visit to the carousel, a nice morning in a coffee shop... and it was all exactly what I needed. It was a peaceful, relaxing, reset-button for my mind.

I left feeling grounded, happy, and looking forward to an Oregonian Christmas (hey, its only a few months away..)