Jon and I took off in a Mustang through Willamette Valley. Luckily, a girl I went to high school with (who lives in Portland now) reached out on Instagram and told me about a couple of her favorite wineries – Domaine Serene and Stoller. We saw a sign for Stoller and immediately pulled over. The scenery driving up to the winery and the views from this place are breathtaking! We did a wine tasting, grabbed a meat and cheese plate, and plopped ourselves down at one of the outdoor tables to take in this view.
Not wanting to leave, but knowing we needed to get on the road, we headed for the coast. Driving along the Pacific Coast Highway might be one of my all-time favorite things to do, so I was excited to get to the water, even if it meant I had to put my wine down. About an hour later we came around a curve and the sun was gleaming over the ocean… ahhhhhh! All the feels! We stopped at a viewpoint to get out and take some pictures where the water crashes over the cliffs. Beautiful.
We drove past Depoe Bay to go check out Newport where they have several restaurants, shopping, and all the sea lions! I think sea lions are hilarious to watch. One gets in the water to swim around and play, then slings itself back on the dock and interrupts all the other napping sea lions. Then they all start to bark in unison while all the spectators laugh and video them. Once we had enough footage of these aggressive animals, we finally went to check in to our hotel – Whale Cove Inn.
Jon and I had been wanting to go to this hotel for well over a year now. We had looked at pictures several times before, but let me tell you, you must see it in person to get the full effect. They create the perfect ambiance for romance. Each room has a sizeable balcony that overlooks the water along with an outdoor tub. They have music playing, wine chilled in the fridge, and fresh, white linens and robes. We enjoyed a glass of pinot noir out on the balcony before heading to dinner. As we were leaving, Jon wanted to walk down to the water for a minute. I noticed he started spacing out as he touched his pockets. I just thought he was getting hangry. We got down to the water and he put his arm around me, talking about how perfect the day had been, and telling me how much he loved me. He then said, “Ms. Cigi Greeson, will you share the rest of your life with me?” as he pulled out a little red box, opened it up, and got down on one knee… all the yesses, my love.
What I didn’t know, was that all day, at every place we stopped, he was thinking, “oh this would be a cool place to propose.” He decided to stick with the plan and propose at Whale Cove Inn. He threw me off because I assumed if he was going to propose on this trip, it would be on Saturday night when we had reservations at Restaurant Beck. Our engagement took place on Friday, September 21, 2018. We had been traveling, both had on hats, and were going to eat Thai food – it was very “us” and it was perfect even when we had to completely turn our heads sideways to kiss each other, so that our hats didn’t prevent our affection.
After we took in this amazing moment that I never wanted to end, we went to Bay View Thai Kitchen. I had a ridiculously huge smile on my face for the entire evening. It was already late back home so we only told one other couple that night – two of our closest friends. For those of you who don’t know, Jon and I spent two weeks in Thailand last year (more on that later), and love to find authentic Thai restaurants. Jon had the crab fried rice and I had chicken pad Thai along with our favorite Thai beers, called Singha. A sweet married couple owns the restaurant, and the husband told us about how his wife is the only one allowed to make the crab fried rice because hers is perfect and she is very particular about it. I love meeting people along the way and hearing their stories as Jon and I travel together.
The next day, after lots of happy phone calls and text messages, we went to the beach to take some engagement photos. A lot of people have asked me if we had a photographer, we did not. We had an iPhone and a tripod that I had recently purchased for blog projects. We had a lot of fun out on the beach just being ourselves and snapping pictures. Later that evening, we had a wonderful dinner at Restaurant Beck which is the restaurant at Whale Cove Inn. We opted for the five-course feast and wine pairing. It is a lot of food, but you basically get to taste everything on the menu and every bit of it is delicious.
We had one more excursion planned for this trip before leaving, a whale watching tour. It had originally been planned for Saturday morning, but they cancelled due to hazardous ocean conditions, so we went out on the boat on Sunday. Evidently, when the waves are rocky it brings in “food” closer to the shore. I swear I have a point here, but let me back up. Carrie Newell, a marine biologist opened the Whale, Sea Life, and Shark Museum after studying why these whales stick around Depoe Bay instead of making the trek all the way to Canada. The same whales come back every year from California to feed off the mysid shrimp. Some of them are injured from Killer Whale attacks and their scars are visible. She has named each of them, and I admire how passionate she is about her work. Jon and I experienced a day where the whales had copious amounts of food. We saw an enormous gray whale every few minutes, it was amazing!
Depoe Bay and Whale Cove Inn will forever hold a special place in my heart. I still tear up thinking about this trip and reliving these memories. Until next time…
Recommendations
Wineries
Hotel
Restaurants
Things to do
- Whale, Sea Life, and Shark Museum
- Moolack Beach
- Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area
- Newport Seal Lion Docks
Timeless 