Portland Oregon to see Benjamin and Jack
I headed to Portland Oregon to see my new little grandson Benjamin and his four year old brother Jack.
Jack’s Favorite Store Rocket Fizz
And we went to Menchie’s Yogurt
Sunset in Portland
Living Life and Loving It
by shelley
by shelley
B.J. was able to take a day off of work and we set out to visit the Columbia River Gourge.
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes Riverdown to eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the gorge furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean.
We headed to Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon.
A foot trail leads to Benson Footbridge, a 45-foot (14 m)-long footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet (32 m) above the lower cascade.
After the falls we visited Vista House
Samuel Lancaster, Assistant Highway Engineer for Multnomah County in 1913, supervised the Columbia River Highway project. Lancaster’s proposal to construct a building on the summit of Crown Point was another reflection of his desire to inspire the traveler along the highway and to make the wonders of the gorge accessible.
For more of spectacular Multnomah Falls here is a must see
As Lancaster described it, the Crown Point promontory was the ideal site for “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.” Such an observatory would also be a fitting memorial to “the trials and hardships of those who had come into the Oregon country.” And it could “serve as a comfort station for the tourist and the travelers of America’s greatest highway.” He suggested it be known as the Vista House.
Vista House was built between 1916-1918 by Multnomah County as a comfort station and scenic wayside for those traveling on the Historic Columbia River Highway, which had been completed in 1913. It is also a memorial to Oregon pioneers. It was formally dedicated on May 5th, 1918.
The graceful octagonal stone structure towers 733 feet above the Columbia River, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the National Geographic Society’s 2001 “Save America’s Treasures” book.
We also stopped at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery
The hatchery raises 8 million Fall Chinook, 1.2 million Coho, 200 thousand Summer Steelhead, and 60 thousand Winter Steelhead. Adult salmon begin arriving at the hatchery in September and are then sorted through before spawning begins.
Spawning begins during the last week in October and continues until the beginning of December. As part of their natural life cycle all Pacific Northwest Salmon die after spawning.
The must see at the fish hatchery is Herman the Sturgeon
And then dinner at McMenamins
McMenamins is in historic Edgefield, built in 1911 as the county poor farm, is a destination resort in the Pacific Northwest that blends Oregon’s natural beauty with McMenamins’ signature whimsy: original buildings carefully restored with cozy interiors, gardens grown using organic methods, great food and drink, live entertainment and more.
Encompassing a 74-acre parcel of farmland at the mouth of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, Edgefield
by shelley
Jen planned a non-stop vacation for us in Portland.
We visited B.J. at work at Intel. We went shopping. We visited Portland’s Museum of Contemporary Craft. One interesting exhibit was one in which each item of clothing had a story to it. It was bought off of EBay and there had to be a story connected with the item or it wasn’t added to the collection. One was a flapper dress from the “roaring twenties” It was the narrowest dress I had ever seen The wearer must have been tiny. The dress had blood splatters on it from a stabbing the wearer had witnessed! Quite the story.
I like the artist Hilary Pfeifer, Bunny With a Tool Belt. She has items in the gift shop. We bought the book Arfabet
And Jenn had a surprise for me. Hilary Pfeifer lives in Portland. Jenn contacted her and arranged for us to met her at her studio. What a rare treat!! We had her sign our books.
I had to add one more of Hilary Pfeifer’s (Bunny With A Tool Belt) nativities to my collection: