Long Live Oregonians
Going from a park to a town or city on a trip means certain obvious changes—both positive and negative. Better eating choices, but pricier. Better sleeping surfaces, but you have to deal with your hostel roommates snoring all night. Our time in Oregon was spent mostly in towns (Newport & Klamath Falls) and the city of Portland, with the four hour exception of Crater Lake National Park on Monday.
Two nights in Portland is better than one in Seattle, and these Portland nights were weekend nights. They were treated as such. Upon arrival and check-in at our hostel in the NW corner of the city, we visited the Brewery Square portion of the NW. Checked out the famous Powell’s City of Books & Poler’s flagship store, to name a few. After drinking Deschutes River Ale and Twilight Summer for the last few nights in Washington campgrounds, we decided to camp out at their Brewery & Public House for some samplers. Their Black Butte Porter was a winner by my standards. We were joined by two of Danielle’s fellow solo traveler friends at Deschutes for a few hours, and then ramped around Belltown a bit more in the evening.
City life also leads to later mornings, I don’t know why. After our late breakfast and some more wandering, we ended up on the Waterfront. The weather held up brilliantly for the most part, but when rain clouds gathered, we headed elsewhere. First a brewery—Old Town, which was not as great as Deschutes, and then Clyde Common, a classy cocktail bar where we grabbed the last ten minutes of happy hour. After eating some Thai and Bento food from a selection of Portland’s famous food trucks, we spent the night at the movies. The Bling Ring was playing in the NE section of Portland at, oddly enough, an old elementary school. We watched the film in a converted gym, sitting on a couch, for less than $4 each. Well done, Portland.
Two nights in Portland is better than one in Seattle, and these Portland nights were weekend nights. They were treated as such. Upon arrival and check-in at our hostel in the NW corner of the city, we visited the Brewery Square portion of the NW. Checked out the famous Powell’s City of Books & Poler’s flagship store, to name a few. After drinking Deschutes River Ale and Twilight Summer for the last few nights in Washington campgrounds, we decided to camp out at their Brewery & Public House for some samplers. Their Black Butte Porter was a winner by my standards. We were joined by two of Danielle’s fellow solo traveler friends at Deschutes for a few hours, and then ramped around Belltown a bit more in the evening.
City life also leads to later mornings, I don’t know why. After our late breakfast and some more wandering, we ended up on the Waterfront. The weather held up brilliantly for the most part, but when rain clouds gathered, we headed elsewhere. First a brewery—Old Town, which was not as great as Deschutes, and then Clyde Common, a classy cocktail bar where we grabbed the last ten minutes of happy hour. After eating some Thai and Bento food from a selection of Portland’s famous food trucks, we spent the night at the movies. The Bling Ring was playing in the NE section of Portland at, oddly enough, an old elementary school. We watched the film in a converted gym, sitting on a couch, for less than $4 each. Well done, Portland.
Sunday morning, I decided to go for a bit of a run before our drive to Newport. Got lost for an hour by running straight up the biggest hill in town, but found my way back through some wooded trails. Also stopped at the local Voodoo Donuts on our way out, well worth it. There is such a thing as a Bacon Maple Donut. The drive to Newport was a long one through deep Oregon, which is wooded thoroughly. Newport itself is a tiny little fishing town. As they’re just off the coast, we were greeted by buckets of shrimp being shelled just off the road in front of us. The Rogue B&B we stayed at was everything I was hoping it would be— friendly locals, bartenders, and tasty brews I’ve never heard of. We drank all their specialties, including a beer named Charlie (for their old brewmaster) out of a shark-shaped tap, and their 'Big Ass Barrel' special brews. As a result of the beer and our upstairs lodging, we spent far too long talking to locals and fellow travelers downstairs into the evening.
Monday morning was another FRESH one. The long drive from the coast in to Crater Lake was tenuous, but the view from the top of the rim was worth it. After circling the lake once and checking out the various outlooks, we hiked down to Cleetwood Cove and I jumped into the 35 degree water. Hangover cured. Spent the night on a classy ranch in Klamath Falls, before our long drive to Napa on Tuesday.
Today we explore a few wineries on Route 12 in the Napa Valley before heading to San Francisco. We'll be in the Bay Area for four nights before the trek to Yosemite for another four. Portland was great-- between the great breweries, restaurants, food trucks, weather, architecture, and just general atmosphere.. Can you tell I'm sold?
Comments
Post a Comment