Portland
Oregon Zoo: The first thing we did while in Portland was visit
the zoo. It was one of the best zoos I've been to. There were giraffes,
elephants, tigers, cougars, a polar bear, and so many more. Of all
these amazing creatures, Violet's favorite animal at the zoo was the
ducks. She loved them so much that we visited them more than once.
Second on Violet's list went to a large turtle that we could watch under the water. And third was the vultures. Yep, the vultures. While she liked the "moan-keys" and "effunts" and "diraffes"... they just don't live up to those vultures.
The only thing Violet didn't jive with was a "nake" a volunteer was handling with the opportunity to touch it. There was also a strange large swimming lizard that straight up alarmed her. I don't blame her. Swimming two foot lizards give me the heebie-jeebies as well. That guy was weird.
Portland Rose Garden: This part of the trip wasn't planned. After the zoo Violet took a nap at the hotel and we had planned to spend the evening at the hotel pool. The pool was closed, so we improvised and found something low-key (and free) to spend the evening doing. Enter rose garden.
Five acres - 10,000 roses - 550 varieties. No photograph could do this place justice. It was terraced with tiers upon tiers of roses. Some were in rows, some in mounds, and some on trellises and arches. There were benches and fountains hidden all throughout the garden. We had an excellent view of the Cascades and Mt. Hood. It's referred to as a "test garden" because new rose cultivars are sent here from all over the world and tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance, etc.
There were signs warning that the fine for picking flowers was $500. Fortunately, Violet was into the sniff and run approach.
Old Town Pizza: We only had one opportunity to eat dinner out so we had to choose carefully. There were so many good options, but when Ben said the words "historic, haunted and pizza" I cast my vote immediately.
This creepy place was right up Amanda alley. It was originally a hotel in the 1800's and exists atop a network of passages underneath the old town portion of Portland. Commonly known as Portland Underground, the tunnels "were built to move goods from the ships docked on the Willamette to the basement storage areas." But of course, there are many darker speculations about their true usage.
The place is a darkly delightful mish-mash of antique furniture and decor. You seat yourself anywhere from huge oak dining tables to secluded sofas tucked in hidden nooks. It was dimly lit, with gas lanterns on the tables and walls. The second our order was placed I was on the move, scoping the place out. A young woman died in the elevator shaft of the hotel and is said to still be there after 100 years. They call her Nina.
Multnomah Falls: This was my doing and I am so glad we went. No photo or video can capture what this place has to offer. It was literally astonishing. To get there, we drove a half hour east of Portland down the Columbia River Gorge. That drive alone was breathtaking. I saw the top of the waterfall from the road and felt giddy.
Multnomah Falls is a tiered waterfall. The tiers combined give it a height of 620 ft. We visited Snoqualmie Falls near Seattle (see that visit here) in the fall and I thought they were tall at 270 ft. Multnomah blew me away. I could feel the air begin to cool as we approached the base of the falls. The finest mist was visible against the sunlight.
The foot bridge was only a quarter mile hike up, so we made the journey with Violet on foot. She moves about as quick as molasses, she's just so busy taking every detail of the world in. She appreciated the falls most from the base. The mist was more intense on the bridge and she wasn't crazy about that part.
Nothing makes me feel smaller than seeing mountains and waterfalls. Nature puts me in my place quickly, reminding me that I merely exist in this beautiful world that will go on with or without me.
Second on Violet's list went to a large turtle that we could watch under the water. And third was the vultures. Yep, the vultures. While she liked the "moan-keys" and "effunts" and "diraffes"... they just don't live up to those vultures.
The only thing Violet didn't jive with was a "nake" a volunteer was handling with the opportunity to touch it. There was also a strange large swimming lizard that straight up alarmed her. I don't blame her. Swimming two foot lizards give me the heebie-jeebies as well. That guy was weird.
Portland Rose Garden: This part of the trip wasn't planned. After the zoo Violet took a nap at the hotel and we had planned to spend the evening at the hotel pool. The pool was closed, so we improvised and found something low-key (and free) to spend the evening doing. Enter rose garden.
Five acres - 10,000 roses - 550 varieties. No photograph could do this place justice. It was terraced with tiers upon tiers of roses. Some were in rows, some in mounds, and some on trellises and arches. There were benches and fountains hidden all throughout the garden. We had an excellent view of the Cascades and Mt. Hood. It's referred to as a "test garden" because new rose cultivars are sent here from all over the world and tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance, etc.
There were signs warning that the fine for picking flowers was $500. Fortunately, Violet was into the sniff and run approach.
Old Town Pizza: We only had one opportunity to eat dinner out so we had to choose carefully. There were so many good options, but when Ben said the words "historic, haunted and pizza" I cast my vote immediately.
This creepy place was right up Amanda alley. It was originally a hotel in the 1800's and exists atop a network of passages underneath the old town portion of Portland. Commonly known as Portland Underground, the tunnels "were built to move goods from the ships docked on the Willamette to the basement storage areas." But of course, there are many darker speculations about their true usage.
The place is a darkly delightful mish-mash of antique furniture and decor. You seat yourself anywhere from huge oak dining tables to secluded sofas tucked in hidden nooks. It was dimly lit, with gas lanterns on the tables and walls. The second our order was placed I was on the move, scoping the place out. A young woman died in the elevator shaft of the hotel and is said to still be there after 100 years. They call her Nina.
Multnomah Falls: This was my doing and I am so glad we went. No photo or video can capture what this place has to offer. It was literally astonishing. To get there, we drove a half hour east of Portland down the Columbia River Gorge. That drive alone was breathtaking. I saw the top of the waterfall from the road and felt giddy.
Multnomah Falls is a tiered waterfall. The tiers combined give it a height of 620 ft. We visited Snoqualmie Falls near Seattle (see that visit here) in the fall and I thought they were tall at 270 ft. Multnomah blew me away. I could feel the air begin to cool as we approached the base of the falls. The finest mist was visible against the sunlight.
The foot bridge was only a quarter mile hike up, so we made the journey with Violet on foot. She moves about as quick as molasses, she's just so busy taking every detail of the world in. She appreciated the falls most from the base. The mist was more intense on the bridge and she wasn't crazy about that part.
Nothing makes me feel smaller than seeing mountains and waterfalls. Nature puts me in my place quickly, reminding me that I merely exist in this beautiful world that will go on with or without me.
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