The Oregon coast where "Goonies never say die."

August of 2019 had Melisa and I on another adventure. This time we were ready to explore the coast of Oregon.

August 24th we arrived in Portland, grabbed the rental car and headed to our tiny house air bnb.

On our first full day, we headed to Washington Park to stroll through the International Rose Test Garden. More than 10,000 individual rose bushes are planted there. They are in bloom from May till late October. The purpose of the test garden is to be a place to try new rose varieties. I could have spent hours there. The colors and smell were amazing, not to mention the bees and hummingbirds were plentiful. While in the garden, we met Ben Bernthal. He is a famous poet who travels the world writing unique poems for people for a fee. He has you write your name and few key words that you would use to either describe yourself or words that fit your interests. The words I gave him were Flourish, Yes, Balance, Mountains and Wilderness. From those words, he created my poem. I loved it so much. Such a unique experience and I was grateful to be in the right place and time to meet him. Here's a quote from his website www.strangerspoems.com

"I hope to hand people a piece of themselves, materialized into verse.

It is a process born of empathy, of intuition, of a community of writers, of years of study.

It is a chance encounter with something of the self floating in the ether, plucked from air and placed upon a table."

BEN BERNTHAL

From there, we headed to the Portland Japanese Garden. I was in my glory. The Garden is made up of eight separate areas. The Strolling Pond Garden, the Tea Garden, and the Sand and Stone Garden were a few of my favorites.

We really enjoyed our dinner at McMenamins Rams Head. You guessed it, burger and beer. I had the "Dungeon burger" which had grilled onions and mushrooms. We ended our night standing in a long ass line to try Salt and Straws famous ice cream. I treated myself to a small vanilla bean and called it a day.

One of my favorite days in Oregon was the day we went to Ecola State Park. The overlook was so incredible. It was a real, ahhhhh moment for me. We explored the park for a bit and I couldn't wait to get down to the water. Fun fact, a few scenes from The Goonies movie were shot from this location. We visited Seaside Beach and the amazing Cannon Beach, home of Haystack Rock. Haystack Rock is an iconic symbol of Oregon, and it was high on my list of things to see. I took off my shoes and walked into the water to feel the Pacific Ocean for the first time. This was my first time seeing a starfish and having a chance to explore the tide pools. I could have stayed all day. There were many rock formations and not having a large lens, I still took many pictures. Some of these photos were zoomed in later and I realized the rocks were covered in Pelicans. Anyone who knows me knows, I have a fascination with Pelicans. There were many moments that day that I would stop and get choked up, I was so grateful for my time there. I always say my wish list is long so why would I go back to the same places, but I would definitely want to do this day all over again. Dinner was at Pelican Brewery right there in Seaside. I bet you couldn't guess what I had. Pretty predictable, it's of course a burger and beer flight.

The 27th was our first hiking day. First stop was the Vista House. The Vista House is a museum at Crown Point in Multnomah County, Oregon. The museum is a memorial to Oregon pioneers and a rest stop for travelers on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Next up, the famous Latourell Falls and Multnomah Falls (the tallest waterfall in Oregon). We made a quick stop at the Hood River Lavender Farm. Unfortunately, there was not much lavender in bloom.

Deshutes Brewery was a popular choice for dinner, and I decided to switch it up. Mac and cheese with braised pork. Lord, it was good. Definitely had to go and see the famous Powell bookstore after dinner. Found some books and funny mugs. Unfortunately, I packed tight and there was no room for shopping.

We traveled to our new air bnb the next morning and that got us closer to Mt. Hood. We visited a couple small places. We decided to ride Portland's Aerial Tram, we got to see some pretty cool views of the surrounding mountains. I was so excited to take a stroll through the Lan Su Chinese Garden. So many sculptures. It was worth the trip. After the long day, we headed back and rested at the house to prepare for the next day.

I had a great night sleep in our new house. At the tiny house, I had a couch so this full size bed was a huge upgrade. A sweet breakfast stop at La Provence Petite Provence. It was a bacon, egg and cheese on a croissant for me. So damn good. Our plan was to head to Mt. Hood and do some hiking, but the weather was crappy so I drowned my sadness with some snacks. Gotta have my travel essentials; nutter butters and vitamin water. We hung out for a bit around the Timberline lodge where I was able to photograph a Clarks Nutcracker for the first time. Very cool bird. To wait out the rain, we went to the Mt. Hood Brewery Co., a little poutine and flight while we stalked the weather for some upcoming blue skies. The weather started to clear and we decided to head back up Mt. Hood to take the 2 mile loop Mirror Lake trail. The views of Mt. Hood were incredible. The reflection of Mirror Lake was perfect. In the distance, you could see Mt. Hood and the lenticular clouds forming on the top were quite a sight.

We woke up the next day and wanted to try a different trail at Mt. Hood. We had lunch at the Timberline lodge before our hike. We discovered quickly it was the wrong move. Full bellies had us wanting a nap, but we were able to hike 6 miles or so along the Timberline Trail. The 41.5 mile Timberline Trail circles Oregon's highest point, Mt. Hood. It should be on everyone's bucket list. There's a lot to love about the Timberline Trail. It features a well-worn path above and below the timberline (the altitude where trees stop growing), "epic views of Mt Hood and the other peaks of the Cascades, glaciers, waterfalls, volcanic rock, alpine meadows, wildflowers, and rich history (it's also a National Historic Trail)".

While researching the trip, Melisa found this restored old schoolhouse named McMenamins Kennedy Schoolhouse. It was one of the coolest places I have ever visited. McMenamins renovated the once-abandoned school and turned it into a hotel. Here you'll find 57 guestrooms with private baths, a restaurant, multiple small bars, a movie theater, soaking pool, gift shop and a brewery. Original artwork and historical photographs cover the walls, ceilings, doorways and hallways. We had coffee and just hung out there for a bit. Because I work in a school, it was pretty cool to check out all the rooms. All of the sculptures and artwork gave the spaces the most comfy feel. It's a must see if you are in the Portland area.

Melisa knows me so well and she added Alberta Arts District to our itinerary. Streets lined with cute shops and wall murals are one of my favorite things to check out when I travel. I was not disappointed. Rich color and the smell of great food filled the streets. Some of the places had some very creative names. My favorites, The Crowbar and a place called Al's Den. There were many food trucks in the area and we decided on Pyro Pizza. The bike pushing a cart of books looks like the coolest job.

If the art district is for me, the witches castle is for sure all Melisa. We took the Macleay Trail to the Witches Castle in Portland's Forest Park. It was designed as a two story stone structure for restrooms. The Witch’s House is a slightly difficult, half-mile hike from the Upper Macleay Parking lot near the Portland Audubon Society, or a slightly longer three-quarter mile walk starting from the Lower Macleay Parking lot.

The Art District was on our last day, and it was time to head home. I really enjoyed Oregon. After this trip, I for sure felt like if I were to ever move, the PNW would be my choice of location. Love the vibe of the people and place. That's a wrap for my first trip to the Pacific Coast. Thanks for coming along. Until next time.

Later Loves.