After an incredible series of odd events my work day was over, the car loaded, Matt finished and we headed west for Portland with Matt, Brit and Taten.
The road was "dry and dusty" - the trip uneventful. We tracked progress with the boy's team, as well as Erin and Chris, making the trip from Northern Idaho. Our only hiccup occurred about 50 miles from Portland when we drove through pounding rain and standing water on the road.
We arrived about 10:30pm local time and settled in quickly. The boys were hosted by two of the team's Portland families. Thank you Harringtons and Ballards. You are truly all stars. Erin and Chris stayed closer to downtown and met up with friends.
Saturday morning arrived sunshine, beautiful temperatures and news of a Tsunami advisory for the Oregon Coast. Honestly, it seems adventure follows us wherever we go!
We met up with our Oregon family in Gresham for breakfast before going our separate ways. Erin, Chris and friends went to the Portland Zoo. We were joined by Jorgan and Savannah on a trip to Tillamook. We have never been and wanted to try something different.
The drive over was so pretty. There wasn't much activity in the cheese factory but we enjoyed looking around and had fun together. Besides - there was ice cream at the end! Who can say no to ice cream?
The kids returned to Portland with the little ones for an evening of swimming at the hotel. Mike and I headed to Corvallis for the lacrosse game at Oregon State University.
Corvallis has interesting road signage - At least not what we are accustomed to seeing. Perhaps Oregonians are just more insightful or better prepared. The signs to make the turn are AT the turn - no warning. Between the signage and my squeaky navigator voice, we made a few trips through town and around campus despite our maps instructions and GPS.
The Vandals had a nice sized cheering section - over 30 family and friends out to support them at the game played in the stadium under the lights. Erin and Chris arrived and we even tried to convert Brandy and her son TJ. Very exciting game. The team stayed close - within two goals - and outscored the Beavers in the 3rd quarter though still behind.
The fourth quarter went back and forth. I noticed the Oregon coach behaving very agitated. We were sitting behind the score table and asked what was the score. It was 10-9 OSU over Vandals. There were just minutes left in the game and the Idaho boys put one in the goal to tie it up. Game time ran out and we went into overtime.
It was a big deal for this team. They've come a long way. Vandals really have an amazing combination of talent and ambition this year. Oregon State has twice as many players (fresh legs during the game) and have beat Idaho soundly in previous years.
The ball went up and down the field a few times but wound up in the crease, unfortunately - a game winning goal for the Beavers 11-10. Our boys were heartbroken. It was clear they wanted this game. They truly gave it everything they had and this Momma Bear just wanted to make it better. I've never seen Krieg emotional after a loss until now.
We arrived back to Portland about 11pm. The kids had Taten tucked into bed. He tired himself out with Savannah in the pool.
Sunday morning Tate woke with a full blown case of Croup. He felt great. No fever. They dosed him up with cough meds and Tylenol. He talked non-stop of seeing his "Tio" and Ah-Boo (Auntie Boo). We forged on with our plans to attend the lacrosse game at Portland State where we were joined by the Oregon Shaw's. We were a cheering section of 18 total - just for Krieg! With the rest of the traveling crowd, Vandals definitely had some noise!
It wasn't our weekend for maps or directions. Portland State campus is DOWNTOWN. The field we were to find was hidden between a square of buildings - surrounded by construction. Cars park downtown in parking spots which appear to be a lane of traffic stopped at a light. Yes, we sat more than once behind an empty parked car... and despite our efforts, we still ended up with a parking ticket (though anything short of having my car booted would have been doable at that point)!
The Ore-Ida Shaw Cheering Section with Krieg
Game temperatures were in the 60's and the sun was warm. The Vandals played great. They stayed in control for most of the time, though allowed PSU a few goals narrowing the gap, but a victory was in the air for Idaho with a 9-8 win over Portland State.
Once back in the car, Tate was struggling. We stopped at an Urgent Care to have him checked. Sure didn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere with him having trouble breathing. We left with a diagnosis of Croup and Bronchitis and RX to fix him up. The lungs were still clear.
I honestly think the congestion we were all experiencing had as much to do with the local foliage being in bloom as the crud we have shared in our household. Our sudden increase in symptoms seemed a bit coincidental with our arrival. However, the flowering trees and daffodils were gorgeous!
Our 2am arrival back in Boise was welcoming. Even more grateful to know I didn't have to work Monday and a nap was on my "to do" list.
3 comments:
Naps are sooooo good! Wow, sounds like a wonderful time. So neat that you go to all the games. Hey, did you get some cheese curds at the factory? Yum!
Sounds like a fun and eventful weekend. Are you guys still coming to San Diego sometime soon?
Your pics are worth more than a 1,000 words!
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