Day 4 – 16th August 2013
The five and a half hour flight was a bit different from the flight up to Hawaii, with no free drinks and a full plane. At Portland Airport we caught the shuttle to the Best Western Pony Soldier hotel Nevertheless, we managed to get to sleep after we had turned up the airconditioning and found an extra blanket for the bed. I checked with reception about booking a room for our last night before flying home and was quoted $114.00 compared with $84.00 on the internet.The hotel breakfast was adequate and the shuttle took us to the rental car company where we picked up a Chev Malibu for the drive to Newport.
We arrived at our hotel on the beach at about 3.00pm and were just getting out of the car when Triss and Peter pulled up in their new truck. They did not bring their fifth wheel camper with them as Peter wanted to get used to driving in the states before he hitched up the camper.
Our hotel room is huge, with two queen beds and a kitchen, a gas fireplace and a deck looking over the beach. The weather was lovely and sunny, but only about 18 degrees. Over the next hour we met up with several of our relatives and then went to the supermarket with T & P to stock up on food and drink. The local wine is very cheap, with only imported wine costing much more than $12.00, but it’s a bit of a lottery in terms of quality, although the bottle of Chardonnay last night was quite good. There is a huge selection of beer available with lots of craft breweries in the area. Several of them package four different beers in a mixed dozen, which is a great way to buy when you don’t know one from the other. We haven’t been disappointed so far!
The four of us had dinner and drinks on the deck, watching the sunset over the Pacific and at about 9.00pm, cousin Patti arrived and took us to a bar where all the bridal party and families had gathered. We met so many people whose names we promptly forgot and finally got to bed at about midnight.
Saturday 17th August.
This morning we didn’t get up until about 10.00 am and after breakfast in the room, went with T&P to have a look around town. The sea mist has come in and we can’t even see the water from our room. We visited the University of Oregon Marine Research visitor centre and a touristy area with small stalls and craft shops where Triss and I bought belts. We took some photos through the fog, of an interesting bridge, and then came back to the hotel for lunch and a rest before the wedding at 5.15.
