Knees weak and stomach churning, I jumped into the Umpqua River! The western portion of the Umpqua River hosts some fantastic locations for cliff jumping and rock climbing. That's exactly what I did with our friend Nils, while Jenna became the full-time camera woman. Pushing past the imaginary limitations we set for ourselves is an awesome feeling!
This weekend Jenna and I went camping with our adventurous friend Nils and his dog Lykka! After cliff jumping we headed 2 1/2 hours west to the coastal town of Coos Bay. Wanting to catch our dinner, we decided to go crabbing. Being from the Midwest, Jenna and I didn't even know what "Crabbing" meant! Luckily, there's no secret to catching crab, other than when to go and where to place your traps. We ended up catching 7 crabs (3 Dungeness & 4 Red Rock). Oregon's limit is 12/person for Dungeness and 24/person for Red Rock.
Dropping a live crab into a boiling pot of herb infused water and butter is strangely satisfying. Watching it change from dull brown to bright orange really spiked our appetites. The crab was an amazing delicious mess! In the morning, we took a nice run along the beach to a beautiful rock cove!! Ocean waves continuously beating against rocks create some awesome formations. You could literally see and feel the motion of the waves tattooed into the rock!
After a camp breakfast we hit the road, driving north up the famous Highway 101. We passed a few adventure shops where you could rent surfboards, and Nils decided to try it out while Jenna and I baby-sat Lykka. After Nils finished frolicking in the ocean, we stopped at a local seafood restaurant in Newport, OR. We filled our bellies with even more crab and seafood! Driving back to Portland, and jamming out to some classic oldies (60's & 70's music) we decided Oregon is a pretty fun place to live! : )
