In Due Season: West Coast Travels

We completed the beekeeping class and there are now four hives on the farm!
This lil guy full of pollen was on Kyle's shoulder.

Mom, Lauren and I went to a Young Life camp in Virginia for a Women's Weekend and had a blast!

Kyle and I were in Roseville, California from April 14th to the 17th to celebrate one of my good friend Julia's wedding. Julia and I met during college and were roommates for two years. Kyle and I loved being a part of her and David's wedding. Everyone from Sunset Farms was in the wedding in some form or fashion. Chris Murray (farm owner) and Kyle played and sang "Your Love is Strong" by Jon Foreman during the ceremony while Jamie Brie (Chris's wife) and Kellay and I were bridesmaids and Eston and Adela Murray were ring bearer and flower girl. We enjoyed being with Julia, David and their family and friends and getting to celebrate their marriage!

Julia, the bride, is in white! This is at the American River in Fair Oaks, CA where Julia and David now live.

Me with the bride!

After the wedding, Kyle and I rented a car and took a roadtrip from Roseville, CA up the coast through Oregon and ended in Cathlamet, WA on Puget Island at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Neither of us had been to this part of the world and we loved the drive which allowed us to take in the beautiful landscape. We were continually blown away by the magnificence of God's creation! We drove for two days straight making random stops to eat and explore. Some of the stops were "The Olive Pit" where we tasted a ton of different olives and got to drive through fields of olive trees. We stopped at Whiskeytown Lake which we drove over for a while then drove through the cute mountain town of Weaverville, CA and stopped in a used book store (I had hoped to stop at a bookstore or 5 somewhere along the drive) and I bought "Practicing the Presence of God" by brother Lawrence which was a short but intensely rich read that I highly recommend! Next stop was the Redwood National Forest where we stopped at the coast before walking on a 1.5 mile trail through the Redwood Forest. When we were leaving we got to see some Elk! Then we stayed in Grants Pass, OR for the night in a lodge on the Rouge River. The next morning we were on the road again and stopped at a random river with a waterfall, then went on to Tillamook Cheese Factory for a free tour and cheese tasting, and paid for some amazing chocolate peanut butter ice cream (well worth it). Then we reached the Oregon Coast which is breathtaking! We explored Ecola State Park which had amazing views and where we saw a Bald Eagle. Then we walked on Cannon Beach before heading to Astoria, OR which is considered the San Fransisco of the Northwest because of its houses built along the slope and the river and beautiful bridge. We had a delicious dinner before taking the ferry over to Puget Island, WA where we stayed for the night. We spent the next day with my Aunt and Uncle and Nana exploring their garden and bees, going to a friend's farm down the road and walking along the "beach" (which is technically the Colombia River across the street from their house). It was great seeing them all and resting from driving a day before we drove to Portland, OR the next morning to fly home to NC! Here are some of the pictures that I hope you enjoy!