Tree to Tree Adventure Park & Halloween at Grand Lodge

Before we get to Tree-to-Tree Adventure park, let's look at how pretty Grand Lodge is.  And do you see that fan at the window at the end of the hall?  That fan was blowing air, because Grand Lodge runs hot.  I couldn't get over how incredibly warm that building was.  I walked around barefoot most of the time, which is something I haven't done in my own house for a few weeks.

Then we went to Tree-to-Tree Adventure Park, which is outside of Forest Grove, by Hagg Lake.  We loved it.  They have a big zip line, but we did the Ariel Obstacle Course.  We suited up in those harnesses that climbers wear and then hooked ourselves in to the training course where we learned to hook on to the safety cables, walk through the obstacles and do the zip lines within the obstacles.  The courses got progressively harder and the zip lines higher and higher.  The instructors were great and gave the exact amount of help.  Also, when we were there, there were only five other people, so we had tons of time to do as much as we wanted.  This is a picture of our hands at the end, because we were having too much fun to take pictures.

Here is the sign decorated for Halloween.  The course was too, with ghosts and tombstones here and there.

I should also say that Matt did all of the courses, including the very hard Black course.  The instructor who was helping him said he was the first person to listen to her instructions all week.

Back home we had dinner and each got a pint of seasonal cider.  I was looking forward to mine, having enjoyed the bit I tasted with the Wine Sampler.  Matt ordered the Blackberry.  We both got our stamps.  Then Matt gave me his to drink.  I came nowhere near to finishing both.

We went around collecting stamps for Grand Lodge and decided to take in the Haunted House set up in the Children's Cottage.

The haunted house was at exactly my preferred level of scary:  not very.  This room was set up in an homage to the board game Clue.  You can see the wrench in this picture.

And the table set for all the Clue players.  Along with the knife.

The sign said "Walk up if you DARE."  We dared.

Scary photos.

Scary pentagram.  There was another scary room that was about this level of scary. Again, I was quite happy with this level of scary.

There was candy on the porch. And a scarecrow who would sit up and hand out glow sticks.

Abundant fungi at Grand Lodge.

Having completed all our passport stamps, we each chose a prize.  Matt went for the disk, I chose the pint glass with pin.

There were two different live bands and trick-or-treaters wandering the halls.  It was the most festive Halloween I've had in years.  Maybe next year we will book a stay at a McMenamins property for Halloween.

Maggie's Buns & bits of downtown Forest Grove

Maggie's Buns supplied the cinnamon rolls for the first of the 5k series I did, so I wanted to check them out for a meal.

I enjoyed this practical advice, unexpected in this homey restaurant.

Puffy painted glass covered tables!

We each ordered breakfast and a bun to share.  All came at the same time. I couldn't get Matt to leave the bun alone so I could take a picture.

Here he is, having already tasted the bun.  He got a multi-ingredient omlette he loved and I got dill eggs which I loved.  The potatoes and bread were delicious too.  But that cinnamon roll?  Transcendent.  Worth traveling for.  Stop by, any time you are near Forest Grove.

Back on the street, I was interested in this building.

Which is now (also?) a Praise Chapel.

We stopped to read the various messages on this trailer.

And cracked up at this message.

Hanging out in the Magic Flute Room

The Masons knew how to build a retirement home.  There are four sunny (or would-be sunny) parlors, two on each floor. We hung out in the Magic Flute Room, where we could hear classical music.  Matt set out another Sentinels game.

I read and napped.  I also noticed the brilliant fall colors out the window and took a picture for posterity.

Disk Golf at Grand Lodge

Disk Golf is boring.  But it does afford time to take pretty pictures.

Matt throws (or whatever the disc golfing term is.)

I throw.

There is a restaurant called Pat's Corner in the middle of the disk golf course.  Luckily, it was cold and rainy and the restaurant was only open on weekends, so we didn't have to worry about hitting patrons.

Matt straddles boulders to get to his disk.

While waiting, I take this view of Grand Lodge through the trees.

And this view of the hole (or whatever they are called in disc golf) through the trees.

Matt climbs a tree to shake down his disk.

Grand Lodge and a stump.

Interesting growths.

Washed out interesting growths.

Autumn leaves in trees.

More foliage.

Matt wins by 11 points.  He doesn't even have enough phalanges to show us his winning score.

A Wander Around Forest Grove

After being fortified by breakfast, we wandered.  A sign pointed us left to the Aquatic center and we wandered until we found it.  (Notice the length of my hair.  It might change soon)

Here is the aquatic center.  Looks large.  Alas, this is as close as we got to it.  To many things to do.

We then walked through the Pacific University campus and when we stopped to use the bathrooms in the student center, I was amused by these signs.  On the left, a stand against sexual and domestic violence.  On the right, a reminder to eat.

The sign also made me laugh with its more practical work-around.  If carrying a mattress was too much, you could carry a pillow to stand with survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

A very pretty drinking fountain that is also a fountain.

What sorts of books are in the Pacific University's Little Free Library?

Nothing very weighty.

Being the couple we are, we found the library.

Where I found a cover story article about CT.

And Matt found a whole pile of books. Given that we were still in Washington County, and given that Matt has a Washington County library card, he could check out this whole pile of books.  Two of those books are Twilight, the graphic novel.  The next day Matt told me, "I decided to stop reading Twilight.  There's only so much time on vacation and I don't want to spend any of it ironically."

I was interested to see there is a Jung society.

"Darrel Brady got ripped off, with this garden."  So says Matt. Maybe Darrel Bradey liked to sit between two major streets and contemplate the traffic?

Here is a first glance at the Children's Cottage.  Grand Lodge was a home the Masons built for widows and orphans in the 1920s.  The Orphans were housed in the basement level of the main building and by the time they had finished the Children's Cottage it was decided the children would be better off in foster homes.  So the building was used for other purposes.  Currently, it is available for rental.  It has many different meeting spaces to rent.

And here is a first glance at the Main Lodge at Grand Lodge.  Isn't it grand?  We'll take a tour later in the trip.