Portland, Oregon - Day 4: Hiking, Waterfalls, and Hood River
After a fun-filled 3-day weekend, we'd had enough of the city and decided to head out and enjoy some nature of the Pacific Northwest. A few days earlier I'd rented a car online, and Enterprise picked us up at our hotel. They managed to talk us into driving a Subaru instead of the cheap compact I'd reserved, which I think made Aaron feel more like a Portlander.
I ordered crab eggs Benedict, while Aaron had a monstrous omelet. The crab, which was plentiful on the plate, was out of this world. It tasted like no crab I've ever had before. I asked the waitress if it was butter poached or something (because flavor was oozing out of it), and she assured me it was just fresh crab. A+ on this dish, for sure.
The portions at Shirley's are huge—I did not finish the potatoes, but I didn't let any of the delicious crab go to waste. I have to say that the menu was pretty pricey. I think our total bill for two breakfasts and coffee was pushing $50. Definitely not somewhere to go if you're a family on a budget. The restaurant is quite impressive though—the back room seems to go on forever, and there's an expansive back yard that was filled with inflatable Halloween creatures while we were there.
I asked Aaron to pose with his Portlandia Subaru, and he was not impressed.
Just a another minute down the road, we pulled over at Vista House at Crown Point, which offered 360 degree views.
Then it was back on the road, to waterfall alley. The speed was slow, and the road twisted and turned, as you can see in this time lapse video.
Multnomah is a two-tiered waterfall. The upper portion is a 542-foot waterfall, and the lower falls drop just 69 feet. If you want to hike the trail from the bottom to the top, you'll cover about 700 feet of elevation gain. And we wanted to hike to the top.
Hiking to the lower falls is a piece of cake. It's two tenths of a mile and slightly uphill, but judging by the number of senior citizens on bus tours while we were there, can be managed by anyone with reasonable mobility. After the Benson Bridge over the lower falls, though, you pretty much go straight up for over a mile, while making your way through 11 switchbacks. This photo was taken at a bench somewhere between switchbacks one and two; we'd already gained quite a bit of elevation, or so I thought.
We kept climbing toward the top, passing a few hikers and being passed by others. It was clear that not everyone was going to make it to the top. I was regularly wishing I hadn't stopped running shortly after completing my half marathon last year. By switchback 6, I was not feeling awesome, but was determined to keep going. I may have cursed out every switchback sign.
However, after that switchback each subsequent switchback seemed much shorter, and we were at the top in no time. You then get to go downhill for a bit, then back up hill, before you reach the viewpoint at the very top of the falls. Although I was red-faced and sweaty, I felt victorious.
It was absolutely beautiful up there. There's even a super small waterfall before the larger falls that you can't see from the viewpoint at the bottom of the falls.
After basking in our accomplishments for a bit, we turned around and headed back down. I suddenly had some energy, and actually found it easier to do a slow jog down most of the trail because it was so steep. Back down near Benson Bridge, we looked back up at where we had just been.
This was not a bad way to spend a morning! We went back to the car, and then hopped on the interstate for the ride to Hood River, our next destination (and home to many breweries, of course).
The next destination was my choice, and I wanted to drive the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile loop in the Hood River Valley that's heavily populated with orchards, wineries, cider shops, and more. Our first stop was Fox-Tail Cider. Once again, we were the only people in the tap room, and the bartender was happy to serve us a full sampler of 10 ciders—some Fox Tail, some from other local cideries. While all the ciders were good, I absolutely loved the Ginger's Haven. I also loved the cozy sweatshirts they were selling, and I'm wearing mine as I type this post. I got a hot cider to go, and we took the bartender's recommendation for our next stop—Packer Orchards and Bakery.
After stepping out of the car, the first thing I saw was an overwhelming number of jams and jellies available to sample.
I tried a few that weren't familiar to me, and headed inside to find them. I ended up with Marionberry, Huckleberry, Persimmon, and Pear-Jalapeno glaze, which is probably going to find its way onto some pork chops tonight. They also had a large variety of generous-sized cookies available, so a few of those found their way into our bag on the way out. Had I not been traveling with limited baggage, I would have snagged a trunk full of apples as well.
The view from this farm wasn't too shabby.
As we tried to finish out the Fruit Loop, we got lost, and ended up just coming back to town to hit up a few more breweries. Double Mountain Brewery was on our list, but unfortunately they were closed for a staff event. So, we headed to Full Sail Brewing Company instead. We snagged the last seat on the patio just before sunset, and sampled 12 more beers (and got two souvenir tasting glasses). I was teaching an online class during this trip, so I took this opportunity to pull out my laptop and grade assignments. I wouldn't mind working like this more often.
After Full Sail, it was about time to head back to Portland, but first we returned to the banks of the Columbia River to take a walk along the beach and soak in the atmosphere. We like it in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm sure we'll be back.
Breakfast at Shirley's Tippy Canoe
After heading out of town, we exited the Interstate in favor of the Historic Columbia River Highway, which we thought would provide much more interesting views. Our tummies were rumbling, so a quick search of Yelp and TripAdvisor brought us to Shirley's Tippy Canoe for breakfast. Unbeknownst to us, this restaurant was made famous by Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. On this sleepy Tuesday morning, we were the only people in the entire place. We were seated by the door, and we were quickly brought some coffee to fill our enormous mugs.
I ordered crab eggs Benedict, while Aaron had a monstrous omelet. The crab, which was plentiful on the plate, was out of this world. It tasted like no crab I've ever had before. I asked the waitress if it was butter poached or something (because flavor was oozing out of it), and she assured me it was just fresh crab. A+ on this dish, for sure.
The portions at Shirley's are huge—I did not finish the potatoes, but I didn't let any of the delicious crab go to waste. I have to say that the menu was pretty pricey. I think our total bill for two breakfasts and coffee was pushing $50. Definitely not somewhere to go if you're a family on a budget. The restaurant is quite impressive though—the back room seems to go on forever, and there's an expansive back yard that was filled with inflatable Halloween creatures while we were there.
I asked Aaron to pose with his Portlandia Subaru, and he was not impressed.
Driving the Historic Columbia River Highway
We didn't have any concrete plans for the day, so we just kept driving along the historic highway. After 10-15 minutes, we saw a sign for a scenic overlook and stopped to take in the view of the Columbia River at Chanticleer Point.
Just a another minute down the road, we pulled over at Vista House at Crown Point, which offered 360 degree views.
Then it was back on the road, to waterfall alley. The speed was slow, and the road twisted and turned, as you can see in this time lapse video.
Hiking Multnomah Falls
After stopping off to see some minor waterfalls and just slowing down to see others, we stopped at the main attraction—Multnomah Falls. The entrance to this trail is right on the highway; it would be impossible to miss it. There's a lodge with a restaurant, gift shop, and restroom facilities. Immediately after passing by the lodge you see the breath-taking water fall.
Multnomah is a two-tiered waterfall. The upper portion is a 542-foot waterfall, and the lower falls drop just 69 feet. If you want to hike the trail from the bottom to the top, you'll cover about 700 feet of elevation gain. And we wanted to hike to the top.
Hiking to the lower falls is a piece of cake. It's two tenths of a mile and slightly uphill, but judging by the number of senior citizens on bus tours while we were there, can be managed by anyone with reasonable mobility. After the Benson Bridge over the lower falls, though, you pretty much go straight up for over a mile, while making your way through 11 switchbacks. This photo was taken at a bench somewhere between switchbacks one and two; we'd already gained quite a bit of elevation, or so I thought.
We kept climbing toward the top, passing a few hikers and being passed by others. It was clear that not everyone was going to make it to the top. I was regularly wishing I hadn't stopped running shortly after completing my half marathon last year. By switchback 6, I was not feeling awesome, but was determined to keep going. I may have cursed out every switchback sign.
However, after that switchback each subsequent switchback seemed much shorter, and we were at the top in no time. You then get to go downhill for a bit, then back up hill, before you reach the viewpoint at the very top of the falls. Although I was red-faced and sweaty, I felt victorious.
It was absolutely beautiful up there. There's even a super small waterfall before the larger falls that you can't see from the viewpoint at the bottom of the falls.
After basking in our accomplishments for a bit, we turned around and headed back down. I suddenly had some energy, and actually found it easier to do a slow jog down most of the trail because it was so steep. Back down near Benson Bridge, we looked back up at where we had just been.
This was not a bad way to spend a morning! We went back to the car, and then hopped on the interstate for the ride to Hood River, our next destination (and home to many breweries, of course).
Beer and Cider in Hood River
Our first stop in Hood River was Pfriem Family Brewers. This brewpub is located in an absolutely gorgeous location across from a park and beach that nestles the Columbia River. Of course, we had to try all their beers (11), but since I was now driving I could only have tiny sips of each one. Aaron enjoyed this brewery, particularly because some of the brew tanks were right next to our table and they were actively working with it while we were there. He took some video that I'm sure he'll share in a Home Brew Wednesday Youtube video, but he's even further behind on those than I am on this blog.The next destination was my choice, and I wanted to drive the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile loop in the Hood River Valley that's heavily populated with orchards, wineries, cider shops, and more. Our first stop was Fox-Tail Cider. Once again, we were the only people in the tap room, and the bartender was happy to serve us a full sampler of 10 ciders—some Fox Tail, some from other local cideries. While all the ciders were good, I absolutely loved the Ginger's Haven. I also loved the cozy sweatshirts they were selling, and I'm wearing mine as I type this post. I got a hot cider to go, and we took the bartender's recommendation for our next stop—Packer Orchards and Bakery.
After stepping out of the car, the first thing I saw was an overwhelming number of jams and jellies available to sample.
I tried a few that weren't familiar to me, and headed inside to find them. I ended up with Marionberry, Huckleberry, Persimmon, and Pear-Jalapeno glaze, which is probably going to find its way onto some pork chops tonight. They also had a large variety of generous-sized cookies available, so a few of those found their way into our bag on the way out. Had I not been traveling with limited baggage, I would have snagged a trunk full of apples as well.
The view from this farm wasn't too shabby.
As we tried to finish out the Fruit Loop, we got lost, and ended up just coming back to town to hit up a few more breweries. Double Mountain Brewery was on our list, but unfortunately they were closed for a staff event. So, we headed to Full Sail Brewing Company instead. We snagged the last seat on the patio just before sunset, and sampled 12 more beers (and got two souvenir tasting glasses). I was teaching an online class during this trip, so I took this opportunity to pull out my laptop and grade assignments. I wouldn't mind working like this more often.
After Full Sail, it was about time to head back to Portland, but first we returned to the banks of the Columbia River to take a walk along the beach and soak in the atmosphere. We like it in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm sure we'll be back.
0 Response to "Portland, Oregon - Day 4: Hiking, Waterfalls, and Hood River"
Posting Komentar