End of the end of the end of 2018: Multnomah Falls

As our final excursion of 2018, we visited Multnomah Falls on New Years Eve. We got there just early enough to find parking right at the trailhead. By the time we left, the falls felt like downtown Portland.

We even hiked up a little way, spotting evidence of the Eagle Creek fire as we went ...

... but soon the steep paths were a little scary and the cold temperature didn't help. So instead of hiking more, we built our first fire at our new house to say a cozy goodbye to 2018.

End of the end of 2018: Oswald West and the Pacific part 2

The tide was coming in quickly, but we were still able to enjoy the beauty of the coast.

Maddie found the weird molted exoskeleton of some creature. If you know what it is, let us know!

She wasn't sure what to think of her find.

As the day stretched on, the sky grew dramatic.

And we drew closer to the end of 2018 with a splash of cold, salty Pacific Ocean water.

End of 2018: Oswald West and the Pacific part 1

We decided to begin our goodbye to 2018 with a trip to the Pacific coast (symbolically appropriate given our westward year).

After lunch at Moe's in Cannon Beach ...

... we meandered a little further down the coast to Oswald West State Park.

It's a short hike through the woods to get to the beach ...

... but a fun one with big trees ...

... and fun roots to climb on.