Cathedral Park is both a park and subsequent neighborhood in the northernmost section of Portland, Oregon on the east shore of the Willamette River. The park is situated under the St. Johns Bridge, and was given its name due to the gothic arches that support the bridge. It was not a planned stop on our trip but one we had to make after seeing photos from a local artist at the Portland Saturday Market. From […]
Nestled in the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, the sprawling 9,200 acre property is the largest state park in Oregon, and one of the most popular. The stand-out of the park is the Trail of Ten Falls, a spectacular 9 mile loop that weaves through a dense forest landscape, rocky canyons, and you guessed it…..10 waterfalls. And if you haven’t heard me say it before, I’m a sucker for a waterfall. Ten in once place […]
We had just one full day in Portland and were lucky enough to have it be a Saturday so we could go to the Portland Saturday Market. Open every Saturday and Sunday from March–December, the market is the largest continually operating arts-and-crafts fair in the United States, drawing up to 750,000 visitors during its annual season. I think there were at least 700,000 people there the day we visited (not really but it was very crowded) […]
A stop at the famed VooDoo Doughnut was a must for breakfast on our first day in Portland. The doughnuts are delicious and good luck picking just one or two. We decided to get four for the two of us so we could also get the signature pink box. With names like “The Dirty Bastard” or “The Gay Bar” you have to have a pretty open mind though. I was brave enough to try the […]
After leaving Multnomah Falls, we headed up to the Columbia River Gorge area in search of good food, and more importantly, good wine. This region is known for its excellent growing conditions producing some of the country’s best wines. Climate and terrain throughout the Gorge range from conditions found in Germany to France’s Burgundy and Italy’s northern Rhone Valley and northwest Piedmont. From the cool, western end of the Gorge come delicate Pinot Noirs and […]
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon and is split into an upper falls of 542 feet and a lower falls of 69 feet. We made the 1/4-mile hike up to the Benson Bridge, a photogenic foot-crossing, which spans the falls’ second drop. Not just a great place to enjoy the view, it’s also perfect for catching your breath before forging ahead to the top or returning to the Multnomah Falls […]
This was really stop one on this road trip with my dear friend Wendy May. A true example of Plan B and a friend coming to the rescue as the trip was originally planned for Scott and I. A romantic adventure with lodging that included everything from a remote log cabin to a luxury boutique hotel in Seattle. However, about 2 months prior to the trip, Scott was told that his company was moving […]
I’m a sucker for a waterfall so I had definitely planned a stop at Palouse Falls State Park on my Palouse day drive. The waterfall itself is a short hike from the parking lot and it didn’t disappoint. Standing at a height of 198 feet and surrounded by striking basalt cliffs, the powerful waterfall lies on the Palouse River upstream of the confluence with the Snake River. I didn’t have time to hike any of […]