TimeOut

Pictures From Portland For Dreamer8 (and company)

 

Fellow Purist, Dreamer8, took some great pictures in Portland to share with the group, so I thought I would share some photos I took from my trip last summer for him, and all of you.
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Every year I take a little vacation (between 1-2 weeks) with my college buddies.  It's our one time during the year when we get to catch up in person, and I very much look forward to the annual ritual.  This past year we decided to travel to the US state of Oregon, which is in the Pacific northwest area of the country, for those who are not familiar with the location of all the states (Frankly, I am from the US and have a tough time properly identifying some of the states in the middle of the country -- time for a geography refresher!  LOL!). 

Oregon is a state rich in history and natural beauty.  It had long been settled by various Native American tribes before the first Europeans came onto the scene.  Spain and England can claim early landfalls in the area of the US that is now Oregon, and in the 18th century there was a great deal of sea trade conducted along the coast by Europeans to and from Asia.  As a kid growing up in Virginia, which is on the opposite side of the country, the thing I remember learning about Oregon with the most clarity, was its pioneer history -- the Oregon Trail, Lewis & Clark's expeditions, the trials and tribulations of the early American pioneers in their covered wagons...heady stuff!  I loved reading about pioneers and their push westward to expand the boundaries of our nation.  They seemed so brave, much more than I could ever imagine being myself!

Since I live in Los Angeles, it is very easy to make the roughly 2 hour flight up to Portland, Oregon.  We had several "must see/do" items on our itinerary for this trip -- take a wine tour to sample Oregon's justifiably famous Pinot Noir wines, eat doughnuts at the world-famous, as-seen-on-Food-Network, Voodoo Doughnut shop, visit the International Rose Test Garden (the oldest continuously operating public test garden in the US), and hike Multnomah Falls.  You'll see from the photos that we did all of this and more!  Ready to become a virtual tourist via my pictures?  Let's go! 

Our rental cabin near Rhododendron, Oregon (about 45 minutes from downtown Portland).  I could not have been more happy with its magical location beside a rushing creek.




First view of our creekside cabin.

Day 2 & 3 excursions: wine tasting, waterfalls and scary fish.





















If you are an oenophile, I highly recommend visiting Oregon and Washington state.  There is excellent wine to be had -- not just Pinot Noir, but many other varietals.  I was super impressed.  A favorite winery from the trip is Cathedral Ridge.  They are doing some very interesting stuff there including their take on Halbtrocken -- a semi-dry German style red and white blend.  The wine was very aromatic and gorgeous in the bottle and glass.  We paired it with local fruit and cheese.

The day after wine tasting, we toured sites on the historic Columbia River Highway (Mt. Hood scenic loop).  The jewel in the crown of that tour IMO is picturesque Multnomah Falls.  It is supposedly the 2nd tallest continuously flowing waterfall in the United States at 620 feet, but that seems to be a point of contention amongst some experts.  Regardless, it's the tallest waterfall in Oregon and arguably one of the most picturesque locales in the US.

Below, a first glimpse of the falls from the highway.



A small bridge traverses the lower falls.  You have to walk across here to ascend to the top of the falls, which we did.


The falls pool into a pretty pond surrounded by moss and greenery.





There is a well-marked and largely paved trail leading to the top.


At regular points throughout the hike you are treated to commanding views of the majestic and wide Columbia River separating the states of Oregon on one side and Washington on the other.


What?!  Only 3 of 12?!  I need to hit the stairclimber more!  LOL!


The woods surrounding the waterfall are full of old growth trees.


Finally!  11 of 11 switchbacks down!


A beautiful waterfall greets me!  After Multnomah Falls we also stopped to hike nearby Horsetail and Ponytail Falls.  Below is a picture of Horsetail Falls at its base.


The cool thing about this hike is that after you ascend about 4/10ths of a mile you come around a bend and find gorgeous Ponytail Falls waiting for you!  You can actually hike behind the falls and touch the water (which is cold)!


You can see some folks, including my friends, behind the waterfall here.


Now I'm behind the falls and taking a picture!

After hiking, we decided to leave the exercising to other creatures and went to view the salmon during their summer migration upstream at the Bonneville Dam, Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center.



Pools all around the site teemed with juvenile rainbow trout, various species of salmon, and white sturgeon that are being raised and returned to the wild to help support local populations of these fish.


I personally think rainbow trout are some of the most beautiful freshwater fish.  They have lots of fighting spirit, and are fun to fish for!


Herman, a 70-year old white sturgeon, who is 10 feet long, is king of the fishery!


Bonneville Dam -- hydroelectric power is generated here.


Viewing the start of the salmon fish ladder.


These concrete barriers create a maze-like space called a fish ladder.  It helps create eddies for the fish to swim upstream.  Salmon are fascinating creatures.  They hatch in fresh water, then spend years growing in their quest to return to the sea.  They spend time at sea, only to make the treacherous return trip upstream some years later to their birthplace to spawn and die. 


There are underwater viewing windows at the Bonneville Dam, so you can watch the salmon as they ascend the fish ladder.  You can't tell from my pictures, but they are swimming so fiercely against the rushing water.  I couldn't believe the effort expended!  No wonder they die at the end of their journey!


Other fish sighted at the viewing windows included hordes of lampreys!  Gross, right?  You wouldn't want one of these stuck to you!


After our fish encounters, we continued driving toward Mt. Hood.  We could see it from a distance.


On our way to the summit of the mountain for refreshments, we stopped to pay our respects to an unknown female pioneer who perished on the tough journey to settle in the wild west of old. 


Her grave has become a shrine of sorts.





I added my coin to the offerings that already lay there.  You would've had to be desperate, brave, foolhardy, or a little of each to make the long journey via covered wagon from the more industrialized sections of America to the wilds of the west coast during the early1800s.


We now move toward the summit of Mt. Hood, where Mt. Jefferson also looms in the distance. 


Here's Mt. Hood below!


Near the top of the mountain is historic Timberline Lodge.  You may have seen some shots of it in the film The Shining.





Phew!  Well-deserved libations after a day full of adventure!


Hiking waterfalls gets your appetite going!





Day 4: downtown Portland

We knew our day exploring Portland would require lots of energy, so a big breakfast was in order.  The Original Pancake House chain was founded in Portland, and we decided to check out the original location!




So many choices!



I ended up with the classic "Dutch Baby!"



The mind-blowingly good Dutch Baby!



Served with lemon, sugar and butter.



There were avid gardeners in our group that were keen to check out the International Rose Test Garden, so we all decided to make a day out of exploring various gardens of note, as well as checking out other various Portland landmarks.  It was a beautiful day to be outdoors!

Pictures from the Rose Test Garden:



Below is the famous "Yves Piaget" rose.  Yes, it is named for, and created by, Yves Piaget, of the watch and jewelry manufacture, Piaget.




One of my favorite roses, if not my all-time favorite, "Double Delight."



Now off to the Japanese Garden.  No text here, just enjoy the images!











A fellow visitor!















And then the beautiful oasis of the Lan Su Yuan Chinese Garden in downtown Portland:















It's hard to believe that this gem of a garden is right in the middle of a bustling city, but you can look up and see reminders!












After leaving the garden, some local flair is sighted, and then off to world-famous Voodoo Doughnuts!









There's always a line!



LOL!  Voodoo Magic alert!









Bacon doughnut?!  Yes, please!



Custard-filled!



The shop's namesake doughnut.



This one below was covered in Tang orange drink.



Crushed Oreos on this one!



Mmmm!  Cream filling!



Don't eat me please!



Day 5: The Oregon Coast

First stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory, because who doesn't love cheese?

 

I don't think I'm cut out to be a dairy farmer!



Cheese samples!




Making the cheese...






...and ice cream too!



My delicious ice cream below!



Some pictures from the coast:






The Cape Meares lighthouse park.












Wild raspberries!



Paragliders catching the updraft.



The famous Octopus Tree!



On the way back to the city we stopped at the Tillamook Forest Center.



This bridge leads to hiking paths.









There are displays of vintage logging equipment at the center.















We decided to climb up this re-creation of an old fire tower.



How the fire watchers would bunk up for the night.



Bedding.



Their sparse utensils.



It was important for them to tell time on their shift.



How they plotted where fires were located.






Day 6: Mount St. Helens in southern Washington state (a bit north of Oregon).

Last day of our trip arrives, and we spend it driving north to Washington state to visit Mount St. Helens.  Most Americans my age will remember when this volcano last erupted in 1980.  Over 50 people were killed as a result of the eruption, which left a huge crater on the mountain.

The bridge to Mount St. Helens.



As we start to ascend, the landscape is really lovely.



Even volcanic eruptions can't keep Mother Nature down for long.






A beautiful caldera lake.



As much as nature has bounced back, signs of the eruption persist.



Finally at the visitors center, a glorious view of Mount St. Helens.



Just awe-striking!  I felt so small.



One of my favorite pictures from this trip.



And to end our adventure in Portland, a city purported to house more breweries within its city limits than any other city on Earth, local craft beer at the Lucky Labrador. 



Of course, all the Labrador paraphernalia made me anxious to get home to my Labradors, Reign and Raj!






The End.

Cheers,
Daos This message has been edited by dxboon on 2013-06-18 20:53:06