Wow travel!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am almost at a loss as to how to begin this new posting.......my trip to Oregon was simply amazing on so many levels. It began with an early morning start for me and Lucy (who had been nice enough to invite me to accompany her to stay with her friend Mary, in Bandon Oregon). We were up at 4.30am and off for 5.00am to the airport, I had assumed we would be the only ones on the road, how silly of me! it was really busy around the airport. That's right Americans are early starters. But really it was uneventful in the flying aspect and with Lucy having 45 years of flying under her belt, I did have some pressure not to be pathetic!

 

So we are flying over this amazing country that we live in and I am able to see the landscape change, as we travel over Pennsylvania and into the Mountains and then the farm lands of the mid west. Now of course being a geographer I have some idea what the landscape would look like but to see it in the flesh so to speak, was amazing. For as far the eye could see was farm land. It literally stretched on forever and there was little built up areas, in fact none that I saw. This really struck me the land being so cultivated and then we were coming into Salt Lake City and the mountains there are huge and impressive. Of course these were snow covered and I was just so amazed, I for some reason hadn't expected that. Then off to Portland and all the interesting people floating around that airport made me realise I really was on the West Coast.



 

 

 

Salt Lake Utah

 

The next part of our trip was just bizarre. We were on a small regional airline and I hadn't realised how small until we came to board and they said it was a full flight. There seemed very few people but I thought that it would be similar to the planes we get from the Isle Of Man. Mistake!. As we walked down to the plane we passed what I felt was reasonable sized aircraft's and then as they petered out there alone, was the smallest plane, ours!. They said they would assign seating on getting onto the plane, that was basically Lucy and I sat on a bench seat directly behind the pilot and first officer, did I mention we had to crouch to get on and the full plane was 7 people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!agh. So they tell us before we take off that the flight time was an hour and a half agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we set off. The wind was blowing sideways in a steady gale and then turned into pounding hail. But I knew we would be fine, once airborne. So up and away we went and into full panic I descended and stayed in  that state until we landed.

Our pilots elbow!



Can you see the baggage cart?

I was so scared I just didn't even mentally articulate what aspect scared me the most. But I got through it knowing that I would never go through it again, even if I had to live in flipin Bandon! (side note, Damian had done our travel and he had no idea how small that regional airline was!!That's story...........  but knew that he would have been equally as scared if that had happened to him and that gave me comfort.) Lucy and I have never been so pleased to see land, Terra fir ma! It really did an excellent job of shutting us up. We were just to scared to open our mouths, in case we threw up on the pilot!

 

Wow and so began our Bandon adventure. Really and truly it was genteel and wonderful. Mary was the most amazing host and made it so lovely for us, I felt really welcomed and enjoyed very much seeing the Oregon coastline and spotting all those plants that exist there and on the Island, gorse, mombreashia, and not for getting stinking Roger (wild garlic). It was so like the Island and yet not. The coast line was massive and impressive and stretched into the haze. In fact the spray from the sea often gives rainbows, one of which graced us as we had landed initially. The weather was lovely and my rain mac the perfect accompaniment! I loved hearing the sea and the pounding surf. Only slightly disquieted by actually being in a Tsunami zone.

They have all sorts of amazing wildlife there and although I didn't get to see them, I did see hummingbirds. That was a real thrill to see them, but again I find that really many of anything are a bit scary  to me and I managed to get quite close to them as Mary's friends house. They were almost a swarm! those beaks are sharp! They look like swords!!!!

 

We met Mary's lovely and accomplished friends and it seems really living there I would have to up my game, don't think my scones would be enough. They spin and dye their own wool and knit the most beautiful things. Just so clever. Amazing gardeners and ready to just knuckle down. Mary had a story about a friend of hers, who was driving along one of their main roads and a tree was down. Of course having to stop he had a few moments to wonder what to do. When a lady in the truck behind him got out and took her chain saw from the back and cut it up and off they went. That is the true spirit of the North West! I don't think me and my card nail file would pass muster somehow. I truly am a city slicker. It made me laugh!

 

Whilst we were there we were able to get to see their Washed Ashore Project. This has taken nearly two years works, collecting the rubbish put in the sea and making art to highlight this environmental disaster.

 Lucy and the Washed Ashore Project

 

 

 Fish made of flip flop pieces

 Jelly fish, translucent plastic bottles

Sea lion made of soles of shoes

 Bandon by the Sea

 Pounding surf

Spectacular Coastline and beaches

 

 There is a persons head and elephant in the rocks and here also they have blow holes in the rock

The beach looking at the rocks 

 Lighthouse

 

 

 Drift wood, they get lots of this!

 

 Gorse!!!!!!!!

Sunset on the West Coast.

 

That amazing Mid West!

 



So the stay came to an end and the lovely supply of fish and crab cakes and yummy treats and off to the airport. But we didn't go by regional airline we were lucky enough to have Mary drive us to Portland. So grateful think that I owe her a kidney and part of my liver!!!! We stayed over night and then off again home and back to West Chester and the snow. I still haven't quite caught up with myself but having the kids off for Spring Break will sort me out. Having arrived in the early hours of this morning I feel amazed that I am still awake at 8.30pm. But bed is beckoning.