TRAVELOGUE and PHOTO GALLERY
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We then ventured downtown where I experienced the largest used and new bookstore in the world, occupying an entire city block and housing approximately one million books - Powell's City of Books. I picked up a copy of Anthony Horowitz's latest mystery and Chad and Christie grabbed their selections.
We then visited the delightful Lan Su Chinese Garden, an authentic Ming Dynasty-style garden built by Suzhou artisans that brings together art, architecture, design and nature in this 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition.
The garden takes up an entire block of the city’s historic Chinatown district.
We stopped into Dan & Louis Oyster Bar on Ankeny Street for drinks and
calamari before returning to Christie's place where she proceeded to prepare a
wonderful dinner for us consisting of a delicious arugula salad and pasta with
an amazing pesto sauce. We concluded the evening watching 80s music videos and laughed
a great deal while sharing our personal memories of that unforgettable decade.
Mon, Aug 28 (see Photos)
Our rental arrived at 9 and, after grabbing another of
Bread
& Honey's scrumptious biscuits and a coffee, we headed east on I-84, taking detours all along the historic Columbia River Gorge scenic highway that was first carved through this treacherous terrain between 1913 and 1922. From here it is just a short drive up to the Crown Point Vista House for an incredible view of the gorge. The Vista House was built in 1918 and is perched on a cliff 700 ft above the Columbia River.
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| Vista Observatory at Crown Point along the Columbia River Gorge |
Samuel Lancaster, Assistant Highway Engineer for Multnomah County in 1913, supervised the Columbia River Highway project. Lancaster’s proposal to construct an observatory & museum to the pioneers of the area on this summit of Crown Point was another reflection of his desire to inspire the traveler along the highway and to make the wonders of the gorge accessible to all.
The project came with controversy - originally estimated at $17 K in 1914, the final cost was $100 K!
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| Bridge of the Gods seen from our window table at the Bridge View diner. |
Next stop, Bridge of the Gods,
a magnificent bridge spanning the Columbia River with Oregon
on one side and Washington state on the other. We had lunch at the Bridge View
diner before crossing over. Our
destination was well worth the wait, and the hike to it -- Panther
Creek Falls.
Tue, Aug 29 (see Photos)
After Silverton we reached the Northern Falls and visited the beautiful falls here. Yes, I loved Multnomah which we visited the day before - quite impressive. But what I loved about these at Silver Falls was their accessibility - you're literally in them, walking around them, over them, and even walking a narrow carved passage behind one of them!
Yep, I got to see what a 177-foot curtain of water looks like from behind! It’s part of the Trail of Ten Falls, a spectacular, nationally recognized hiking trail that weaves through a dense forested landscape. The trail passes a series of breathtaking waterfalls along a rocky canyon, and descends to a winding creek at the forest floor. This 7.2 mile loop is considered to be a moderate hike, with an overall elevation change of 800 feet. But this novice hiker was feeling the burn!
We had hiked 3 hours through the Northern Falls before making our way to the South Falls. Thanks goodness I didn't quit - another 1.5 hrs here was well worth it - simply gorgeous!
And that includes the respite we found in the South Falls Lodge. Wow! Beautiful woodwork in this handsome lodge! (And the bite-size $14 Turkey on Ciabatta sandwich wasn't bad either!)
"Design. Materials. Craftsmanship.
The South Falls Lodge is a stunning example of the best of all three.
Next we headed to Corvallis, home to Oregon State University. We checked in to our hotel here before heading downtown to meet up with Dallas-transplants who moved here in 2019, Chad's cousin Terry and his partner William. They treated us to fantastic dinner at a Syrian restaurant called Khalo Naser. I really enjoyed my Tabouli salad, Chicken Shawarma, and a Turkish coffee.
Wed, Aug 30
Arriving for an early stroll along the docks at Newport we stumbled upon a father and his young daughter hauling in their morning catch of crabs. Emptying the basket before us, we learned that raw chicken made the best bait! (left)
We then walked to the most humorous site I've witnessed in awhile -- a crowded pile of sea lions lazily awaking and, boy, were they ever loud! Be sure to watch the video in this day's photo gallery!
From here we journeyed to Devil's Punch Bowl where we enjoyed strolling the beach while watching all the surfers doing their thang. Our walk around the namesake here, the Devil's Punch Bowl, led to an encounter with a local who pointed out the whales breaching the surface. Really cool!
Speaking of whales, our next stop, Depoe Bay, is known as the Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast thanks to a resident pod of gray whales that makes its home offshore here. We grabbed a coffee here while window shopping along the esplanade and each of us loaded up bags full of salt water taffy. Yummy!
Next stop off the 101 was Neskowin, recommended by Chad's cousin. I liked this quaint little town -- Chad not so much. So here's the story: we had lunch on the outdoor patio deck of what was apparently the only public eatery in town...and the menu prices (and rather aloof waiter) affirmed this fact. I did enjoy my bowl of clam chowder immensely and was happy I managed to get a couple of later meals out of our leftover Chicken and Artichoke pizza.
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| Peering over the cliff at the Pacific Coastline after making the hike out to Cape Lookout |
Ready for another hike, Terry? Sure, Chad! Well worth the time is Cape Lookout Trail - the lush green vegetation here almost prehistoric looking -- as if any moment a T-rex is going to appear from around one of the ancient redwoods.
Thu, Aug 31 (see PHOTOS)
Following our complimentary breakfast at the Inn we left Tillamook and hopped back on the 101, proceeding to follow it along the scenic Nehalem River. I want to give a shout out to the cute little town of Wheeler!
After passing through the town of Nehalem the 101 route veers westward again and soon we were making our way along the coast once again and entering the picturesque town of Manzanita.
We loved everything about Manzanita, as Chad said "they're the model for what other coastal towns should emulate!" We even did a little pricing on properties out here and - uhm...as I said, they've set the bar -- and it's pretty damn high! I had the best white chocolate coffee ever and we walked the entire central strip. Please enjoy the pics we took of the beautiful flowers that are grown in abundance in the storefronts and front yards of the homes here. Beautiful!
Passing through the Oswald West State Park we then reached Canon Beach. Much cooler and wetter here than all previous stops. But that didn't dampen our initiative to head out to the beach and see our goal - the haystack rock formation rising out of the Pacific just a few feet from the beach that you'll recognize from the "Goonies" movie.
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| The "Goonies" Rock |
We had an enjoyable stroll through the beach community and the walk down to the beach. I enjoyed picking shells on the beach.
Time to head back to Portland. But, thank you Chad, new adventures ahead taking a different route back! And I can not recommend highly enough this lovely drive along the Miami-Foley Road. I hope the folks who are fortunate enough to have homes and farms along this stretch of heaven realize how blessed they are!
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| Sightseeing along the Miami River |
Could this day of gorgeous scenery get any better? Well, yes.
We capped it off back in Portland by taking Christie out for dinner to one of her favorite locales - XLB. What is XLB?
Xiao Long Bao are steamed dumplings, originating in Shanghai, filled with a homemade pork and chicken bone broth and a house mix of aromatics. Gently steamed inside a bamboo basket, they are served with a dish of red vinegar and sliced ginger.
Fri, Sept 1 (see PHOTOS)
From out of the woods we stepped into the entrance of the Pittock Mansion that sits high above Portland. From this vantage point, the wealthy publisher, Henry Pittock who bought the fledging newspaper The Oregonian in the early 1900s, could gaze down upon the townspeople below while sitting in his marble toilet located in this grand French Renaissance-style château he began constructing in 1914.
After our tour of the mansion and grounds we descended through the woods again for another hike and soon arrived at the Japanese Gardens.
This also was a contemplative stroll through the beauty that is found in simplicity and we really enjoyed our visit here. It was a short walk from here to the famous International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. Unbelievable how many varieties of roses we walked through -- simply stunning!
Sat, Sept 2 (see PHOTOS)
Our return flight flew out of Portland around 11:30, I was sad to leave this beautiful, cool, lush green location where rain actually happened regularly. I knew I would be returning to 3-digit temps, a brown landscape, and dust.
But...then came my reunion with Arne. And, really - - could there be a better homecoming?
Enjoy looking through my Library
Terry’s “Good Living” Guide:
Avoid the 3 PsBsSs
Processed Foods, Phthalates, Plastics;
Beef, Butter, Breads;
you’ll be feeling better in no time!
Avoid the 3 F’s
misinformation, fear, anger and hate!
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