Oregon 🇺🇸

Buhh...where do I start after 3 weeks in Oregon? 3 weeks shaped by arriving in a place, challenges, surprises, and excursions. Arriving in Redmond, Oregon, I was first greeted by this mini airport and then with a 'Servus' in the USA. For me, it was actually a very special moment to finally be able to meet the family I knew my whole life but never met, in the USA. I was warmly welcomed at the airport and then immediately taken on a little excursion to a winery near Redmond. Here, we not only tasted wine but also had an incredibly breathtaking view of the mountains called '3 Sisters', also known as 'Faith, Hope, and Charity'. Afterwards, I was introduced to the rest of the family at their house at Black Butte Ranch. In order not to lose a day and to show me as much as possible, we went on a sunset hike to Black Butte in the evening. There, we not only had a beautiful sunset but also the most impressive moonrise I have ever seen. The moon emerged from the horizon in pink, red, and orange colors, and its size was almost within reach. Exhausted but happy to be here, I went to bed. The next day, we had another hike planned in the morning, along the Metolius River. Since it was quite hot, we naturally jumped in as well, which was a refreshing experience. In the evenings, we always had big family dinners, which I hadn't had in a long time. Then, on some days, we took a walk on the golf course in front of the house at sunset. Especially Elizabeth and I enjoyed it when we were alone. Another excursion was also Suttle Lake, where we could walk around and cool off in the lake from time to time. We had another experience the next day, and in the evening, at sunset, we climbed an abandoned water tower and watched the sunset from there. But the day that will probably stay in my memory the most is the next day. We spent the day in a small town called Bend, where we took a leisurely stroll and visited a museum about the High Desert. This part of Oregon is also referred to as a desert, but it is called a high desert because it is at an elevation of about 1500 meters. However, in the heart of the High Desert, there is not much more than juniper berries growing. We also went on a hike to Smith Rock for sunset and were able to see a beautiful starry sky on the way back. On the way back, we were supposed to pick up a family friend from the airport, so we all waited together at the airport. Suddenly, my dad was standing right in front of me!!! It took me a while to realize that it was really happening and I couldn't have been happier. Then I couldn't hold back my tears of joy and screams anymore. I had never expected such a surprise. Of course, we also wanted to show Dad the area, so we went on a few outings together. Since two of us had to return to the West Coast of the USA, we decided to add a little road trip for the three of us. So we set off in the morning towards Portland and made a few stops along the way. An impressive stop was Mount Hood, where you can apparently still go skiing quite well at the end of June, and so I could feel my feet in the snow on this continent as well. We also explored Portland in the evening before heading to the airport the next day and then to Washington, a new state in America for me. We wanted to visit Olympic National Park. First, we took a short hike through a rainforest with giant trees that fascinated Dad. Then we finally made it to the coast. The Pacific coast is always impressive, even if the weather was not. For dinner, we had traditional fish and chips at an American diner. To impress Dad, we walked to the beach, which was full of cars and parked all the way to the water. That's definitely a different way of enjoying the beach, I would call it the American way. When we arrived at the hotel, Dad immediately turned on Netflix and stayed up until midnight. Because...yes, it was my birthday! The three of us also raised a toast to celebrate. In the morning, we set off for Seattle. We walked around the city and visited its most famous places. In the meantime, we also visited the Klondike Gold Rush Museum, which we all liked very much, but especially Dad was fascinated by it. We also found out that Dad's favorite brand, Filson, is from Seattle, so we couldn't leave Seattle without visiting their shop. In the evening, we had delicious sushi before heading back south to Oregon. But they say there's no birthday without cake, so we got three delicious slices of cake. In front of the hotel, we lit the candles and I received a birthday serenade. I had come up with some ideas in my head about how I would spend my birthday, but I could never have imagined such a special day, especially with my dad. For the three of us, it was time to return to Black Butte Ranch in Oregon. So unfortunately, the time with Dad was already over, but it was so beautiful. Since Elizabeth started working again and I had a bit of a quieter time. I finally took some time for myself and made some more travel plans. I went on several long walks through the forests of Oregon. Despite that, Elizabeth and I made use of every free moment to do something. We went on a few more hikes together, went swimming, rafting, or took evening walks on the golf courses to catch the best view of the starry sky in dark Oregon. They also didn't want to withhold Oregon's only national park from me, so they took me on a trip to Crater Lake and we dared to swim in the deep blue but cold water. I also got to experience the 4th of July, the American Independence Day, in a very typical American way. From line dancing to country music, hamburgers for dinner, and a homemade flag-colored cake. These three weeks passed incredibly quickly, and I can't believe it was actually that long. I was warmly welcomed and now I can continue traveling and discovering new things with renewed energy. I am incredibly happy to have such a family. Now I'm heading back to California, where the next adventure awaits me.