Portland's a bustling city, said to be a lot like Austin, and faces similar traffic issues :( So after a long day's drive and an RV site that didn't pan out, we decided to park the RV and stay at a Marriott in the city. We've not been roughing it by any means, in fact most of the RV sites have had really nice amenities like pools, hot tubs & workout rooms, but the free continental breakfast, unlimited hotel ice and under-appreciated blackout curtains proved our decision to be a good one!
After sleeping in, the next day we had lunch at the Old Salt Supperhouse. It was a hipster butchershop/deli/bar/bakery in the Alameda neighborhood. Pizza Jerk was across the street and we quickly picked up on seriousness of the food scene :)
With a little bit of research we headed to Washington Park (with our bikes & Blu) to tour the Rose Test Garden. It was a gorgeous sunny, cool day and we did a group tour where learned of and strolled through 10,0000 + and over 500 varietals of roses, which by the way are not named until after being evaluated for 2 yrs on 14 different desirable characteristics like plant habit, vigor, disease resistance, color, flower production, form, foliage, and fragrance. It was interesting and gave us a new, deeper appreciation for roses. The kids stayed in that night and Charles and I had a nice dinner downtown at a restaurant called Trifecta - a local's spot for the scene, swanky cocktails & unique small plates.
After sleeping in, the next day we had lunch at the Old Salt Supperhouse. It was a hipster butchershop/deli/bar/bakery in the Alameda neighborhood. Pizza Jerk was across the street and we quickly picked up on seriousness of the food scene :)
With a little bit of research we headed to Washington Park (with our bikes & Blu) to tour the Rose Test Garden. It was a gorgeous sunny, cool day and we did a group tour where learned of and strolled through 10,0000 + and over 500 varietals of roses, which by the way are not named until after being evaluated for 2 yrs on 14 different desirable characteristics like plant habit, vigor, disease resistance, color, flower production, form, foliage, and fragrance. It was interesting and gave us a new, deeper appreciation for roses. The kids stayed in that night and Charles and I had a nice dinner downtown at a restaurant called Trifecta - a local's spot for the scene, swanky cocktails & unique small plates.
The next day we met up with a former colleague of Charles' from TWC, Manny Martinez & his wife Kim for a day of Oregon wine tasting. We started at a tasting room in McMinnville for the Methvan Family Vineyard located in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley. Our Sommelier Will was part owner, highly knowledgable and set the tone for an epic day of all things wine!
I could say so many things about the 3rd vineyard we visited. If you're ever in the area, this is the one to check out! https://www.domaineserene.com/Club-House
We ended the day with an amazing dinner at La Rambla - the paella was to die for! We hit the hot tub as a fam that night, the kids watched the movie Goonies and we all crashed pretty hard!
The next 5 days were spent out in nature. This is where the true beauty of Oregon lies and what has been our absolute most fun and favorite part of the trip. Each day has been different, and physically exhilarating! We did a 9 mi. hike along the rolling elevation of Salmon River then climbed to the top of Multnomah Falls @ 900' elevation, and then there was the ultimate surprise of finding snow on the top of Mt. Hood ski resort! It was hard to believe we were having a snow-ball fight in July!! Blu loved the snow too, but to find bluebonnets, the Texas State Flower in Oregon in the Summertime, was such a delight! With all this being said, including the access to and level of difficulty of hiking, Oregon exceeded our expectations as being an outdoor mecca for fitness and adventure! We hope you enjoy a few of the 100+ pictures we took in Oregon.
The next 5 days were spent out in nature. This is where the true beauty of Oregon lies and what has been our absolute most fun and favorite part of the trip. Each day has been different, and physically exhilarating! We did a 9 mi. hike along the rolling elevation of Salmon River then climbed to the top of Multnomah Falls @ 900' elevation, and then there was the ultimate surprise of finding snow on the top of Mt. Hood ski resort! It was hard to believe we were having a snow-ball fight in July!! Blu loved the snow too, but to find bluebonnets, the Texas State Flower in Oregon in the Summertime, was such a delight! With all this being said, including the access to and level of difficulty of hiking, Oregon exceeded our expectations as being an outdoor mecca for fitness and adventure! We hope you enjoy a few of the 100+ pictures we took in Oregon.
 |
Rose Test Garden Washington Park Portland, Oregon |
 |
Domaine Drouchin Vineyard, Orego |
 |
Blu's first snow |
 |
Multnomah Falls |
 |
Climbing to the top of the falls = not easy! |
 |
Snow Fight On Mt. Hood, Oregon In July |
 |
Bluebonnets On Mt. Hood In July In Oregon |
No comments:
Post a Comment