Can you imagine what the explorers must have thought when they saw the views of the Columbia River Gorge area?! Its kind of like seeing Yosemite for the first time. Those people really must have just been shocked and amazed at the scenery. Or maybe they were starving and didn't care about anything but catching fish but still. Wouldn't it have been great to be the first to see some of that area?!
I left Portland via Stumptown (haha!!) the one on Division. And then searched for Interstate 84 so I could get out of the city. I took the exit we'd taken for my bike tour and drove the route we took. Its not as pretty by car but almost!
I had wanted to go to Hood River for some exploration before the first Full Sail Brewery tour at one but I dilly dallied in the gorge too long and got to the brewery just in time for the tour at 1pm. It was a quick tour, its a small brewery. But they let you taste their ingredients and they know alot about the beer. At the end I sat in their restaurant and had the most amazing cheeseburger and washed it down with a little beer called Session. Delish!
At that point it was definitely time to head to Walla Walla as my cousin called to inform me that I'd be attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival that night and I'd better hurry up. So I missed out on Hood River again. Next time I'm sure of it!
I got to Walla Walla just in time to catch a ride back into town with my aunt and uncle and attend the movie. Those films are always inspiring. People doing amazing things all over the world.
Then it was time for bed in the most comfortable bed in the quietest place on earth.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Mondays are for Wine Country
Monday was adventure in the wine country day. I had decided to take a drive out there to have a look around in case I got hired by the Pedal Bike Tours to go there with bikers later.
I headed towards Newberg, which was a blast from the past. I had gone to my first of 4 colleges in that town. I must have not spent much time actually in the town because I remembered very little about it. Except the Dairy Queen...freshman 15, yes please!
From Newberg I headed to Dundee, which is thriving on wine. I turned down a road that was recommended and ended up driving up and down hills and through vineyards and it was a pretty neat drive. I will say one thing about that though, if you're by yourself you MUST be prepared. There are so many wineries, some junctions had 10 signs on them, that you really need to know what titles your looking for and you need to be aware of being followed too closely because there isn't anywhere to stop and read all those signs. It was really tough. I'm trying to watch the road and read all the signs and see if they are opened or closed etc. And most intersections were that way. I say pick a few and just go straight to them, don't just wing it. (how often does that work for me anyways?!)
At some point I got to what I thought was a highway. I still don't know if it was but I turned onto this really fast busy road and then saw the sign towards Carlton where I was ultimately headed and turned at the last second. It was quite an ordeal. Carlton is a tiny place with nothing but tasting rooms. And a city pool. Weird that they can manage like that but its a cute place. You could park and walk to about 8 tasting rooms and be three sheets within one block.
I found the winery Troon that I was headed to. Sacha had found this wine she liked and their tasting rooms were close by so I went looking. They sign on the door said close for January but I saw a girl come out of the door so I went up and tried it and it wasn't locked so I let myself in. The girl was surprised to see me and she said they were closed but how could she help me. So I launched into my story about how I was visiting from Idaho and that my friends who's birthday it was that day, loved this wine. As I said that another girl says "ooh but we're out of that wine altogether" of course they are. The girl I'd been talking to starts opening these drawers and finds 2 bottles of the very kind and year Sacha had wanted so I was in luck. See it never hurts to try the door right?!
On my way back to Portland...oh first, I didn't stop for any wine tastings...I worked too damn hard for my California CDL to do that!
So back to POrtland I stopped in Beaverton to see if I could find Uwajimaya. Which is a huge Japanese grocery store. I guessed right the first time and wound up right where I needed to be! This store has the most amazing stuff in it. All foreign to me (haha). I love it. I went in search of my favorite spice. Nanami Togarashi.
Once back in Portland I took a scenic detour through Washington Park and then by my old building before I found parking and had a bit of a wander again. I love doing that in Portland! Its just visually so appealing to me for some reason. I can't get enough of it!
I hopped on the street car and went in the direction of the Pearl District and wandered into Life of Riley Tavern. They have U of I stuff on their walls! Its my new favorite place! They also had beers on tap that I had never seen before (another reason I love Portland) so I had a pint there ( Mack and Jacks African Amber) and then went to meet Sacha and group for a birthday celebration.
We were at Veritable Quandary for a little while, what a posh after work place. I was under dressed for sure. But amazing cheese plate! Blue cheese, goat cheese and some others. Yum!
From there we walked to Rock Bottom Brewery for some cheaper food (Prime rib sandwich with rosemary au jus) and some laughs. Mark and Candy were there and they are hilarious. It was a good mix of people,we had fun.
I headed towards Newberg, which was a blast from the past. I had gone to my first of 4 colleges in that town. I must have not spent much time actually in the town because I remembered very little about it. Except the Dairy Queen...freshman 15, yes please!
From Newberg I headed to Dundee, which is thriving on wine. I turned down a road that was recommended and ended up driving up and down hills and through vineyards and it was a pretty neat drive. I will say one thing about that though, if you're by yourself you MUST be prepared. There are so many wineries, some junctions had 10 signs on them, that you really need to know what titles your looking for and you need to be aware of being followed too closely because there isn't anywhere to stop and read all those signs. It was really tough. I'm trying to watch the road and read all the signs and see if they are opened or closed etc. And most intersections were that way. I say pick a few and just go straight to them, don't just wing it. (how often does that work for me anyways?!)
At some point I got to what I thought was a highway. I still don't know if it was but I turned onto this really fast busy road and then saw the sign towards Carlton where I was ultimately headed and turned at the last second. It was quite an ordeal. Carlton is a tiny place with nothing but tasting rooms. And a city pool. Weird that they can manage like that but its a cute place. You could park and walk to about 8 tasting rooms and be three sheets within one block.
I found the winery Troon that I was headed to. Sacha had found this wine she liked and their tasting rooms were close by so I went looking. They sign on the door said close for January but I saw a girl come out of the door so I went up and tried it and it wasn't locked so I let myself in. The girl was surprised to see me and she said they were closed but how could she help me. So I launched into my story about how I was visiting from Idaho and that my friends who's birthday it was that day, loved this wine. As I said that another girl says "ooh but we're out of that wine altogether" of course they are. The girl I'd been talking to starts opening these drawers and finds 2 bottles of the very kind and year Sacha had wanted so I was in luck. See it never hurts to try the door right?!
On my way back to Portland...oh first, I didn't stop for any wine tastings...I worked too damn hard for my California CDL to do that!
So back to POrtland I stopped in Beaverton to see if I could find Uwajimaya. Which is a huge Japanese grocery store. I guessed right the first time and wound up right where I needed to be! This store has the most amazing stuff in it. All foreign to me (haha). I love it. I went in search of my favorite spice. Nanami Togarashi.
Once back in Portland I took a scenic detour through Washington Park and then by my old building before I found parking and had a bit of a wander again. I love doing that in Portland! Its just visually so appealing to me for some reason. I can't get enough of it!
I hopped on the street car and went in the direction of the Pearl District and wandered into Life of Riley Tavern. They have U of I stuff on their walls! Its my new favorite place! They also had beers on tap that I had never seen before (another reason I love Portland) so I had a pint there ( Mack and Jacks African Amber) and then went to meet Sacha and group for a birthday celebration.
We were at Veritable Quandary for a little while, what a posh after work place. I was under dressed for sure. But amazing cheese plate! Blue cheese, goat cheese and some others. Yum!
From there we walked to Rock Bottom Brewery for some cheaper food (Prime rib sandwich with rosemary au jus) and some laughs. Mark and Candy were there and they are hilarious. It was a good mix of people,we had fun.
Columbia River Gorgeous
Sunday morning (Jan 23rd) I got up early and headed back into the city (why does anyone bother living outside downtown, I ask you?!) I parked in my usual spot and walked to the bike shop via Stumptown (again~i love that place)
I waited outside the Pedal Bike Tours for the guide to show up. His name was Sam, he works for ODOT in the Columbia River Gorge so he knows alot about the area we were headed to.
We were joined by another couple visiting from LA and they were great fun. So Sam drove us to Highway 30 and we stopped at some scenic overlooks to begin with. It was a really pretty morning with some blue sky, some fog some clouds. It was great. From there we drove down the hill towards our first waterfall (Latourell) and he dropped us off to begin our ride.
What a beautiful way to see that area. There are 6 major waterfalls, all full of water right now and many little ones just from the sheer volume of water rushing out of the mountains. We did some hiking and biking and ended up about 9 miles further down the road. It was a good work out, great time!
Once back in town I headed up to the car and drove home via (not stumptown this time) but Clay's Smokehouse Grill. I had a beef brisket sandwich to go. They make amazing cole slaw and potatoes to go with it.
For dinner Sacha's parents offered to take her to her favorite Vietnamese restaurant and I was invited to go along as well. A place called Pho Van. They ordered the catfish. Its literally a whole catfish and they serve it with veggies and rice papers and you roll your own "tacos" with the ingredients. It was so good. That fish was the best catfish I've ever had. Not sure how they cooked it but it was so delicious. And of course I took a photo of him (the fish) he was looking right at me.
Sacha's mom made her an apple pie for her birthday and so we had a little slice of that when we got home. It was a good day.
I waited outside the Pedal Bike Tours for the guide to show up. His name was Sam, he works for ODOT in the Columbia River Gorge so he knows alot about the area we were headed to.
We were joined by another couple visiting from LA and they were great fun. So Sam drove us to Highway 30 and we stopped at some scenic overlooks to begin with. It was a really pretty morning with some blue sky, some fog some clouds. It was great. From there we drove down the hill towards our first waterfall (Latourell) and he dropped us off to begin our ride.
 |
| This is Bridal Veil Falls |
What a beautiful way to see that area. There are 6 major waterfalls, all full of water right now and many little ones just from the sheer volume of water rushing out of the mountains. We did some hiking and biking and ended up about 9 miles further down the road. It was a good work out, great time!
Once back in town I headed up to the car and drove home via (not stumptown this time) but Clay's Smokehouse Grill. I had a beef brisket sandwich to go. They make amazing cole slaw and potatoes to go with it.
For dinner Sacha's parents offered to take her to her favorite Vietnamese restaurant and I was invited to go along as well. A place called Pho Van. They ordered the catfish. Its literally a whole catfish and they serve it with veggies and rice papers and you roll your own "tacos" with the ingredients. It was so good. That fish was the best catfish I've ever had. Not sure how they cooked it but it was so delicious. And of course I took a photo of him (the fish) he was looking right at me.
Sacha's mom made her an apple pie for her birthday and so we had a little slice of that when we got home. It was a good day.
Saturday was the big day
Saturday the sun was out and I chose to get up early and head into town by car this time. So I went to the AAA lot and parked and walked toward the theatre where my "audition" was being held for Portland Walking Tours.
On my way I stopped at Stumptown again and had a black coffee and had a seat for a bit. I was waiting for the Portland Pedal Bike Tours to open up so I could drop off my resume to him and talk to him about my future there.
Stumptown makes amazing coffee. They use french press coffee from freshly ground beans to make the pot of black coffee you get. It's so good, and different every time. I had Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Ethiopian.
Once I got to PPBT's I talked to the owner Todd about his tours and about my becoming a local and things like that so it was a good chat, he offered to send me on their Columbia River Gorge tour on Sunday for a deeply discounted price and so of course I signed up! He really wants to hire local guides and I understand that but I love Portland and am willing to learn what I need to. Plus I know my way around there pretty well so I think it could work out.
At that point it was about time to head to the theatre for my audition.
Basically every one is a actor. What's the saying? All the world's a stage and the people on it merely actors? Yep, they all work or audition for Portland Walking Tours. I was given a sheet of paper with the subject of my monologue on it. Which was "tell us about an encounter with a homeless person that didn't go well" well, having lived in Oakland before I had a really good story so I wasn't worried about that. It wasn't until I got upstairs and they said "improv" that I really worried. I don't know how to improv and that became obvious when they started a story and we were to finish the sentences as she pointed to us. By the time it got to me, I couldn't remember the characters names or anything, it was really bad.
The rest of it I handled just fine but we'll see. The people in my group were all really nice and all actors of one type or another.They said they'd contact us one way or another about continuing the process. Fingers crossed!
So, I decided to walk off my anxiety from that experience and the sun was shining on my fair city so I wandered up to Powells to have a look at their local books and that was great. I love Portland, its such a beautiful city. There is a mixture of old and new buildings and because they are all stacked up as you walk along it makes for an interesting effect. I'll put photos on here when I get back to using my computer.
I did a fair bit of walking adn then decided I'd had enough and headed back home to Sacha's house. I had a cheap oven pizza and hung out until Sacha and Dan returned from the beach. I'd been housesitting for them for a couple of days.
For dinner that night Sacha decided to share her favorite secret sushi spot with Sarah and I and that was really enjoyable. The presentation of the sushi rolls was great and they tasted as good as they looked. I won't name it here but I've got the name. Things like that in Portland are pretty sacred because once word gets out you can't get near the door. People take their good food very seriously there and once someone writes it up or mentions it somewhere its basically months before you can get in without much wait.
We went to Night Light next and pulled a classic old maid and left because the music was so loud we couldn't talk to each other, it was hilarious.
We ended up at Whiskey Soda Lounge which has these cocktails made out of all sorts of things and they are all good. Its a great spot there.
On my way I stopped at Stumptown again and had a black coffee and had a seat for a bit. I was waiting for the Portland Pedal Bike Tours to open up so I could drop off my resume to him and talk to him about my future there.
Stumptown makes amazing coffee. They use french press coffee from freshly ground beans to make the pot of black coffee you get. It's so good, and different every time. I had Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Ethiopian.
Once I got to PPBT's I talked to the owner Todd about his tours and about my becoming a local and things like that so it was a good chat, he offered to send me on their Columbia River Gorge tour on Sunday for a deeply discounted price and so of course I signed up! He really wants to hire local guides and I understand that but I love Portland and am willing to learn what I need to. Plus I know my way around there pretty well so I think it could work out.
At that point it was about time to head to the theatre for my audition.
Basically every one is a actor. What's the saying? All the world's a stage and the people on it merely actors? Yep, they all work or audition for Portland Walking Tours. I was given a sheet of paper with the subject of my monologue on it. Which was "tell us about an encounter with a homeless person that didn't go well" well, having lived in Oakland before I had a really good story so I wasn't worried about that. It wasn't until I got upstairs and they said "improv" that I really worried. I don't know how to improv and that became obvious when they started a story and we were to finish the sentences as she pointed to us. By the time it got to me, I couldn't remember the characters names or anything, it was really bad.
The rest of it I handled just fine but we'll see. The people in my group were all really nice and all actors of one type or another.They said they'd contact us one way or another about continuing the process. Fingers crossed!
So, I decided to walk off my anxiety from that experience and the sun was shining on my fair city so I wandered up to Powells to have a look at their local books and that was great. I love Portland, its such a beautiful city. There is a mixture of old and new buildings and because they are all stacked up as you walk along it makes for an interesting effect. I'll put photos on here when I get back to using my computer.
I did a fair bit of walking adn then decided I'd had enough and headed back home to Sacha's house. I had a cheap oven pizza and hung out until Sacha and Dan returned from the beach. I'd been housesitting for them for a couple of days.
For dinner that night Sacha decided to share her favorite secret sushi spot with Sarah and I and that was really enjoyable. The presentation of the sushi rolls was great and they tasted as good as they looked. I won't name it here but I've got the name. Things like that in Portland are pretty sacred because once word gets out you can't get near the door. People take their good food very seriously there and once someone writes it up or mentions it somewhere its basically months before you can get in without much wait.
We went to Night Light next and pulled a classic old maid and left because the music was so loud we couldn't talk to each other, it was hilarious.
We ended up at Whiskey Soda Lounge which has these cocktails made out of all sorts of things and they are all good. Its a great spot there.
Friday in the city
I had such a busy day Friday and forgot to sit and write about it. I woke up early and walked in the rain to the bus. No umbrella. I forgot I even packed one until I saw someone at the bus stop holding one. Sheesh. I kept going anyways. I got off the bus near Pioneer Square and had a bit of walking to do before lunch.
One thing I found in this city is that they are so green you can't find a plastic bag to carry your items around it, basically, don't even ask! So I had a brown bag of coffee and white bag with donut and rain rain everywhere. I made my way back to Pioneer Place to find a warm dry bench to enjoy my donut on.
I had to make my way to Stumptown Coffee (stumptown, a nickname for this city when Lumber was booming here) I had a great single cup brew of Guatamalen and then bought some coffee to go. My next stop was Voodoo Donuts for a traditional voodoo donut.
 |
| Filled with raspberry filling for effect. Thats a pretzel stick in its heart. |
I had a nice lunch with Cary at Taco Loco and then hustled to Studio 220 for a hair cut. Oh it was fabulous. I love the way she cuts my hair and the place is so cool. All the people working there are tall skinny and apparently it was wear boots day so they all stomped around the place. It was great. What fun!
Its just a big table with mirrors all around it. Very low key.
By this time my coat had dried a bit and I had to get myself out of the city so I could meet Moira for Happy Hour at Urban Hopworks on Powell St.
I caught the Powell bus this time and what a ride it was! Just over the Hawthorne bridge these two young kids with their sleeping bags got on the bus. They were totally wasted and the girl was loudly talking to everyone around her and picking fights with people who'd look her in the eye. Then a couple of stops down the road about 25 high school kids got on the bus and all hell broke loose. The bus was packed all the way to the back and one obnoxious girl was standing next to the drunk boy and started trying to pick a fight, but as there was no room for either of them to move all she could do was yell at him. Then she started to make throw up sounds because something on the bus smelled funny, like when doesn't it. So she's fake barfing, yelling at the drunk guy and the drunk girl hears this and starts yelling from her side of the bus (they were not sitting together) so she tries to get up and go to him and falls down the stairs on the bus so its literally madness. I think its the wildest bus ride I've had so far.
Once i made it home I had to turn around and head back to Hopworks and that was fun. The place is huge, and there is a strange section there where families go. I mean, kid central. I was a little weird. Not really a pubby place when its full of kids but Moira and I sat and chatted for a while and I was filled with enthusiasm by the time she was done talking. It was nice to talk to someone who's been in the tour business for a while and could say encouraging things.
Saturday was to be my interview at Portland Walking Tours and it had been so long since Moira had done that she didn't know what to tell me to expect.
I caught the Powell bus this time and what a ride it was! Just over the Hawthorne bridge these two young kids with their sleeping bags got on the bus. They were totally wasted and the girl was loudly talking to everyone around her and picking fights with people who'd look her in the eye. Then a couple of stops down the road about 25 high school kids got on the bus and all hell broke loose. The bus was packed all the way to the back and one obnoxious girl was standing next to the drunk boy and started trying to pick a fight, but as there was no room for either of them to move all she could do was yell at him. Then she started to make throw up sounds because something on the bus smelled funny, like when doesn't it. So she's fake barfing, yelling at the drunk guy and the drunk girl hears this and starts yelling from her side of the bus (they were not sitting together) so she tries to get up and go to him and falls down the stairs on the bus so its literally madness. I think its the wildest bus ride I've had so far.
Once i made it home I had to turn around and head back to Hopworks and that was fun. The place is huge, and there is a strange section there where families go. I mean, kid central. I was a little weird. Not really a pubby place when its full of kids but Moira and I sat and chatted for a while and I was filled with enthusiasm by the time she was done talking. It was nice to talk to someone who's been in the tour business for a while and could say encouraging things.
Saturday was to be my interview at Portland Walking Tours and it had been so long since Moira had done that she didn't know what to tell me to expect.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Portland Welcomes Me Back
So good to be back in this city. What an adventure I've had already and I've only been here for an evening.
I had quite a drive from Idaho today. It was a sunny day today but cold enough for the roads to be icy. One lane was treated so it was melted which made things a dirty slushy mess. At Baker City a semi truck had slid off the road and flipped on its side. Then in La Grande a car had spun around and was facing my direction in the snow bank.
Once I hit the Blue Mountains the dirty slush got a bit thicker and traffic got a bit heavier. Semi trucks were pulling over to chain up and so trucks had bottlenecked. At one point I got very near hitting the back of a snow plow that I didn't realized was stopped in my lane. Yikes!
So to Portland! I got to Sacha's house and went into the city with Dan to pick her up. Its a beautiful as I remember. The bike riders and the lights on the bridges. I love it here!
From downtown we went straight to dinner at the "cart"opia on Hawthorne. Sacha wanted me to try Poutine, that is fries with cheese curds and amazing brown gravy. Its really much better than it sounds.
I had a Whiffie Fried Pie. I ordered the "Mounds of Deliciousness" yes, as good as it sounds. Amazing pastry stuffed with coconut cream and chocolate chips. It's like a pasty though, not a whole pie shape type thing.
From there we headed to Beer Monger and scoured the shelves for a good choice beer. They have a sit down bar and a ton of refrigerators with beers. It was great fun. Very nice man working there who told me all about beers.
After that stop we decided to go back to the house and I had a mini driving tour of all the places I want to visit while I'm here. I don't think I'll pull it off but I can try.
Tomorrow I have a few stops and I'm looking forward to all of them!!
I had quite a drive from Idaho today. It was a sunny day today but cold enough for the roads to be icy. One lane was treated so it was melted which made things a dirty slushy mess. At Baker City a semi truck had slid off the road and flipped on its side. Then in La Grande a car had spun around and was facing my direction in the snow bank.
Once I hit the Blue Mountains the dirty slush got a bit thicker and traffic got a bit heavier. Semi trucks were pulling over to chain up and so trucks had bottlenecked. At one point I got very near hitting the back of a snow plow that I didn't realized was stopped in my lane. Yikes!
So to Portland! I got to Sacha's house and went into the city with Dan to pick her up. Its a beautiful as I remember. The bike riders and the lights on the bridges. I love it here!
From downtown we went straight to dinner at the "cart"opia on Hawthorne. Sacha wanted me to try Poutine, that is fries with cheese curds and amazing brown gravy. Its really much better than it sounds.
I had a Whiffie Fried Pie. I ordered the "Mounds of Deliciousness" yes, as good as it sounds. Amazing pastry stuffed with coconut cream and chocolate chips. It's like a pasty though, not a whole pie shape type thing.
From there we headed to Beer Monger and scoured the shelves for a good choice beer. They have a sit down bar and a ton of refrigerators with beers. It was great fun. Very nice man working there who told me all about beers.
After that stop we decided to go back to the house and I had a mini driving tour of all the places I want to visit while I'm here. I don't think I'll pull it off but I can try.
Tomorrow I have a few stops and I'm looking forward to all of them!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
How I've Missed You
My goodness its been too long blog, I've missed you. I haven't had anything to say to you in a long long time. Quiet winter.
This past Saturday I had my house broken into. Half a brick does amazing things to a big double pane window. So the neighborhood has gone to hell. Its time to fight back. What do you throw at people who are coming into your house and sifting through your stuff?
I head to Portland OR tomorrow. I'm really excited to go back there. I love that city.
I'm going to explore the good eats and drinks again. And visit some neighborhoods. It will be foodie tetris all over again. The people I'm staying with love to eat and they've already made a list of stops I should make.
On my way home I'll go visit Walla Walla and see family. I can't wait. They've got new dogs and horses and all sorts of things!
So, soon enough I'll have more to share. I've been working at the ski hill here locally and that has been alot of fun. I work there on weekends when its busy and then can ski during the week. Up until last Sunday the snow wasn't bad but it rained alot so now I'll be waiting for more snow to fall.
Okay, well stay tuned. I've got plenty of walking to do and a city hair cut and interviews and visits. Its going to be great fun!
This past Saturday I had my house broken into. Half a brick does amazing things to a big double pane window. So the neighborhood has gone to hell. Its time to fight back. What do you throw at people who are coming into your house and sifting through your stuff?
I head to Portland OR tomorrow. I'm really excited to go back there. I love that city.
I'm going to explore the good eats and drinks again. And visit some neighborhoods. It will be foodie tetris all over again. The people I'm staying with love to eat and they've already made a list of stops I should make.
On my way home I'll go visit Walla Walla and see family. I can't wait. They've got new dogs and horses and all sorts of things!
So, soon enough I'll have more to share. I've been working at the ski hill here locally and that has been alot of fun. I work there on weekends when its busy and then can ski during the week. Up until last Sunday the snow wasn't bad but it rained alot so now I'll be waiting for more snow to fall.
Okay, well stay tuned. I've got plenty of walking to do and a city hair cut and interviews and visits. Its going to be great fun!
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