The Oregon Coast

Monday morning we left at nine in the morning – which is earlier than what is reasonable for most Norwegians to rise and shine.  Norwegians keep a much later schedule than Americans, as it’s quite the norm to be up until after midnight, even on work days, so on weekends or days off, they will sleep until 11 or noon, especially if there are teenage boys involved.  It was brutal, but we managed to get them up and going and out the door for our long drive to Oregon.

We made several stops along the way so the trip that should have taken a little over four hours, actually took eight.  We stopped at Wal-Mart – their new favorite store – and in Seattle to show them our apartment building.  We stopped at Cabela’s (see photo above) near Olympia to show them where to buy everything they need to kill animals, and we stopped at the Capital building to show them the beauty and majesty of the place.

My friend, Elizabeth, who was a missionary for many years in Mexico (see photo above), is living near the capital, so we got to see her for just a few minutes while we were there.  She took the bus in order to meet up with us and it was short, but sweet, so that was the highlight of my day – seeing her smiling face.

We took the coast road down to Oregon because it was so scenic, but because we’d woken everyone up before they were ready, all the ones traveling in my car, slept the entire drive down the coast.  We had to take two vehicles to fit us and all our camping gear, so it was a quiet ride down.

Our friends, the Osterby’s, loaned us their camping trailer (see photo above) for the week so they came and set it up at the campsite for us.  It’s good to have friends.  We had a late dinner down at Norma’s in Seaside before we crashed on Monday night.

Yesterday we had a variety filled day as it started off with the whole family buying Crocs to wear to the beach.  Then we hit the music store to see if there were any guitars for Haakon to buy, but the selection was limited.  We drove up to the Astoria Column (see photo above) to fly airplanes off the top then spent a few hours at Fort Clatsop to learn a little history about the Lewis and Clark Expedition (see below).

The sun came out in the afternoon so we hit the beach at South Jetty (see photos below) to look for sand dollars but for the first time in 30 years, I didn’t find a single one.  I’m sure it’s because it was late in the day and high tide, but still, it was surprising.  I walked with three of the boys from the South Jetty all the way down to the Peter Iredale shipwreck while Kory drove the others down there to wait for us.  It took two hours of walking along the beach, but it was time well spent in my estimation.

We had another late dinner near the campsite.  All the boys ordered steak but they aren’t used to American sized portions so they all weren’t able to complete their meals. 

I’ve been asking them what differences they notice between America and Norway.  Janne said that Americans are much more open and friendly – that we greet each other with big hugs and lots of enthusiasm.  She practiced being an American on my friend Elizabeth, which made them both laugh.  Sondre noticed that everything is bigger in America.  Haakon said the roads have four lanes, which is so not normal for Norway.  Often there is just one lane and people have to pull off the side of the road when another car comes their way.  Andre likes the cheap prices and Haavard talked about the differences in politics and policies and how many more choices American’s have over things. 

We’ve been talking in English the whole time so it’s been good for them all to refine their English skills.  I was shocked over how well Andre speaks English because in Norway he would never say a word, but he’s just rattling it off like a pro now. 

So far, so good.  They haven’t even been here a week and they have had many experiences but it seems the one they like best is shopping.  Prices are just too enticing for them and they can’t help themselves.  I understand perfectly.