CG

Oregon is a truly magical place.  Eric and I drove a tad over 2 hours from our front door and ended up here.  Who knew a little town called Cottage Grove had so much to offer.  Mountain bike trails, a "rails to trails path" that goes for 16.5 miles, funky little restaurants and swimming holes that Eric couldn't resist, even in September.  It was good to get away and breathe, life can be hard at times.
If you ever get to this little town check be sure to eat at the Ax and Fiddle,  Big Stuff BBQ and Fleur De Lis Patisserie and Cafe. 

If you want to see where we stayed...

These are the grounds at the Village Green Resort Gardens.  I was really excited to try this place out when I saw it had 14 acres of themed gardens.  It was a great place but in my mind I pictured a quiet, quaint setting out in the country.  Nope, it's right off the freeway and you can hear the cars and trucks as you walk through the gardens.  With that said it did have beautiful gardens, a cool playhouse in the children's garden (Eric is sitting in front of it), a nice clean room, a nice pool and hot tub, and it was more private than a regular hotel.  I would stay there again someday.

How did I decide to go to Cottage Grove of all places?  I happened to pick up a Sunset Magazine and they had a weekend getaway listed and I thought, "that's close, that sounds like a good night away."  Eric researched nearby mountain biking and it was right outside of town.  Pretty perfect.