Hi Reader!

I hope you enjoyed the break from the usual email last week. Today we're back to our regularly scheduled programming with a bunch of goodies. 😊

Grab some coffee or your favorite beverage and let's dive into the newsletter!

Adventures

Since I shared my favorite Washington coast spots last time, this week I'm sharing some highlights from the Oregon section of our road trip. There are too many incredible places to list them all, but here are a few standouts.

View of Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park.

🪨 Ecola State Park - This has to be in my top three stops along the entire coast. The view here is unbeatable and stretches over Cannon Beach. This is the perfect place to admire some of Oregon's signature haystack rocks.
🔨 Thor's Well - A classic stop along the Oregon coast, check off Thor's Well, Spouting Horn, and Loki's Revenge all in one go. It's just a short walk from the road down some steps to view all three formations. Just remember to check the tide charts and be suuuuper careful; a low tide that's coming in is the best time to visit!
🌉 Natural Bridges Viewpoint - Located within Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, this is one of the most scenic stops along the drive. There are plenty of good ones within this stretch, so I recommend taking your time, hopping out of the car, and taking in those breathtaking ocean views.
🌊 Depoe Bay - This is an underrated stop along the coast. While not the most scenic, it's a great place to stretch your legs, walk along the beach, and grab a bite to eat. We wandered into Bigfoot's Beach House for coffee and they had the cutest cafe and store. Plus, all the employees were incredibly friendly!

The cutest pumpkin spice latte from Bigfoot's Beach House. 🎃

Although I was sick during our entire drive from Seattle, I still had so much fun visiting all these beautiful locations along my favorite road trip route. As always happens, I'm already dreaming up what my next road trip should be. Any suggestions? 🤔

Shoutouts

My shoutout this week goes to my friend, Jeremy of Northwest Walking! He's the newest member of my weekly YouTube Mastermind meeting and it's awesome seeing the growth he's had since starting his channel just a year ago. I'm beyond impressed that he has managed to post weekly videos during that time, in addition to a ton of shorts, for a total of 456 videos so far!!

His channel has a video on nearly any topic you could think of in terms of camping, gear, backcountry cooking, and outdoor adventure. He covers so many basics that people just getting into the outdoors would need to learn and might not know to ask. Give him a follow if you're interested in some super informative and fun videos!

Munchies

Fall always makes me crave cozy drinks, so I've been mixing up my usual morning oat milk latte with a couple different options.

☕️ My go-to drink at any cafe is a dirty chai latte, but I find the chai at most places to be too sweet. It's super easy to make at home and we just discovered a chai concentrate from The Chai Box that we both love. We found a two-pack at Costco for a great deal (apparently just launched in SoCal locations so far)!

If you prefer to make your own chai at home, start with black tea (Assam is the most popular) and add spices of your choice. Traditionally, Masala chai will have cardamom, cinnamon, and clove, but you can also add star anise, nutmeg, ginger, fennel, and black pepper. Steep your tea, add some concentrated coffee (cold brew works great for an iced version) or espresso, and milk of your choice!

🫖 Next, I've been making a London fog, which is even easier. Simply steep a bag of Earl Grey tea for a few minutes -- you want a concentrated tea base -- then add steamed milk and sweetener of your choice. When I was a barista, we'd use a little vanilla-flavored syrup, which is pretty common. At home, I prefer maple syrup. This is the perfect option when I don't need a lot of caffeine.

On My Mind

I'm a bad content creator. 😰

To be honest, I've been having a hard time getting back in the swing of things since returning from my road trip. The only things I've created in the last month are this newsletter and some scattered Instagram stories. I'm overwhelmed by how much needs to get done and have been trying to decide where to put my focus.

During times like this, I try to remind myself that no one is keeping tabs on my posting and shaming me for taking some time off. I'm my own harshest critic and there's nothing wrong with stepping back from work, especially since the time off was for visiting my mom for the first time in almost two years.

With that said, I've been working on getting back into a consistent schedule and rhythm with work again this week. I have tons planned that I want to share! I like spending the last quarter of the year setting myself up for success and consistency in the new year. These next few months will be spent doing just that. 😌

Getting back from an extended trip 🤝🏻 running errands for days

Reading

I had lots of reading to catch up on after being on the road for a few weeks! I have two to share with you today.

First, I read Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, a classic that has been on my list for years since first hearing about it in a Watsky lyric of all places (his song "Exquisite Corpse"). 😂 This story is especially poignant this year as her work of fiction feels prophetic of our current time; the tale even starts in 2024!

I enjoyed Butler's writing style and it was easy to find myself immersed in the world she created. I'm excited to read the second installment and see where it takes our heroine, Lauren Olamina. I give this one 4.5 stars out of 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Next, I read In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune, which is about a lone human who lives among robots. Victor Lawson was raised by his android father, Giovanni. Their peaceful, isolated life is disrupted when they revive another android with a dark past.

This was a cute story with some love, humor, and swearing. It felt a little longer than it needed to be and read more like YA fiction than I prefer. For those reasons, I give it 3 out of 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out all my book reviews on Goodreads if you want to see what else I've been reading!

Everything Else

From my Arizona road trip back in 2020. YouTube video here!

Fall colors are peaking here in southern California! I have to make some plans for leaf peeping before it's too late. In just a few weeks, the leaves will have all fallen. 🍂

I don't have many personal recs for places to see the fall colors, so wanted to share this awesome resource Tiffany put together with places to peep the leaves in the Eastern Sierras. For the most updated status of leaves within Mono County, check out this page. Most places with fall colors should have similar reports on their tourism board or similar websites!

Are you getting out to see the leaves before they're gone? 🍁

Have a wonderful rest of your week and weekend. I appreciate you being here and I'll catch you next week ✌🏻

Happy adventuring,

💚A