I think Oregon has five seasons. Spring, Summer, Sunny Fall, Rainy Fall, and Winter.
When Sunny Fall rolls around, it’s all beautiful leaves and cool breezes and pumpkins and long runs and picnics and hikes and boots.
But Sunny Fall can only last so long.
Then comes Rainy Fall. And it’s cozy and foggy and dreamy, but it’s also dark and gray and dreary and cold and makes you crash your bike on the way home from school.
I think we got more than a month of Sunny Fall this year. But Rainy Fall is here, and it’s time to press on.
If I’ve learned anything in my four years of Oregonness, it’s that you will get so sad if you stay inside. Seasonal affective disorder is as real as this computer screen, and there’s nothing like rain and cabin fever to make you want to cry all day long.
Here’s how we deal with it:
- Cinnamon tea, Biscoff cookies, and homemade Nutella. As a nutrition student, I cannot actually recommend Biscoff cookies as a way to eat away your sadness, but as a human being, I’m going to tell you that this is how we got through our first Oregon rainy season (which lasts from October until June). Get cozy under that blanket, drink that warm cinnamon tea, and dip in a Biscoff cookie. And if you are really wild, slather that Biscoff with homemade Nutella.
- GO OUTSIDE. Just do it. I know it’s hard. Invest in a solid rain jacket (it took me four tries, but I finally found a rain jacket that keeps me dry). Get some waterproof hiking boots. Go for a hike in the woods (you won’t get as wet under the tree canopy). When you pick out a hike, go for the waterfalls, rather than the scenic vistas.
So on the first really rainy weekend of the season, we ventured out into the coastal mountains for a hike to Drift Creek Falls.
It was a hefty drive from Portland, as we added on an extra hour or so just sitting in traffic trying to leave the city (Portland’s greatest downfall, in my opinion), but it was really lovely. It’s a super easy hike (only 3 miles, roundtrip), and you get to walk over this amazing suspension bridge.
Since we were already almost to the coast, we decided to pop in on the ol’ Pacific Ocean, as it had been at least a year since our last visit. As it turns out, a rainy, blustery day is not the most enjoyable time to be on the beach, as you can see from the sand blowing in the photo below.
Currently, we’re hunkered down in the apartment waiting out this exciting storm. Have a safe weekend, everyone!
-Ally
Robbi says
Sounds wonderful to me!
Jenny says
Really nice pics in here, Ally!
judy geckeler says
You make even a bad rainy cold day sound delightful. Love your writing.