Portland Oregon
June 7 - 14, 2025
Short drive up the 5 from Eugene to Portland. Rolled into the park and went to Deschutes brewery for a pint and a nosh. Dinner that night was fish tacos from our Wild Alaskan delivery (cod) with our corn on cob on top of salad.
Overall, both Eugene and Portland featured humans feeling free to be who they are - regardless of gender identity or any other constraints. And they were not all white cities! It was really lovely and refreshing after being in small, conservative Oregon towns.
Portland was having Fleet Week this weekend so we decided to tour a Guided Missile Ship. Waited almost two hours for the tour (it was hot - 93 degrees!) which was a bit disappointing. Get to tour the deck and get a mostly rote explanation of the systems. This weekend also featured Chinese boat races - we did not get to see but we got a pic of the bots!
Later, we took the dogs and drove up the Historic Columbia River Highway to Bridal Veil Falls. Falls were ok but the drive on old highway 30 was very nice. This historic highway features The Vista House(1), built in 1917, designed to be an elegant and scenic spot for travelers to basically use the bathroom. Pretty building, gorgeous views, posh bathrooms.
On Monday after work, again drove up the gorge to Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon(2). We needed to get a timed permit for this one but was worth it. very pretty falls and a nice path to a viewing bridge.
Sue dropped off dogs then hiked 3 miles RT to Pittock Mansion - a very cool home built by Henry Pittock, a publisher and his wife. Saw a banana slug on the hike! The house was lovely and featured amazing views of downtown Portland and Mt. Hood. Sue: I especially loved the log where all expenses related to the house were recorded in incredibly precise handwriting. The stove cost $25!
Tuesday night we tried Elaine's Sweet and Sour Meatballs in our Instantpot. Yum...
There was an interesting group of cyclists on the corner who performed various feats of biking! Also lots of eclectic shops. This was a groovy little neighborhood that had several asian restaurants, a brewery, and some cool vintage stores. 
Thursday Sue did more hiking with dogs - and it's amazing that Mt. Hood appears in all backgrounds!
Among other things she visited Fort Vancouver which was originally set up to be a trading post with Native Americans and locals trading furs for [sticks] which they could then use to buy goods such as fabric, tobacco, etc. There were several buildings on site such as the Blacksmith (staffed by volunteers!) and the Counting House (big ass safe!). It also boasts a garden with both ornamental and edible plants (like artichokes! and Icelandic Poppies! 
Friday was our last night in Portland so we visited Hubers, the iconic restaurant specializing in turkey dinners. Sue had the turkey leg and Denis had the turkey and ham combo but the highlight was Denis trying the Spanish Coffee! It's a situation... the first pic is the waiter browning the sugar on the rim and the second is the final product. There was a lot of other steps we didn't picture Enjoy my thumb in the first pic!
We then ended our visit to Portland with a rooftop bar! 
Portland was having Fleet Week this weekend so we decided to tour a Guided Missile Ship. Waited almost two hours for the tour (it was hot - 93 degrees!) which was a bit disappointing. Get to tour the deck and get a mostly rote explanation of the systems. This weekend also featured Chinese boat races - we did not get to see but we got a pic of the bots!
Later, we took the dogs and drove up the Historic Columbia River Highway to Bridal Veil Falls. Falls were ok but the drive on old highway 30 was very nice. This historic highway features The Vista House(1), built in 1917, designed to be an elegant and scenic spot for travelers to basically use the bathroom. Pretty building, gorgeous views, posh bathrooms.
For Denis's birthday dinner, we went down the street to Salty's, a Seafood restaurant on the Columbia river. Started with Oysters, nice small and local. We shared a cup of their fish chowder with clams, scallops and local salmon. Very rich and yummy. Denis had the smoked steelhead over orzo and brussels sprouts and Sue a local salmon pasta; both were excellent.
On Monday after work, again drove up the gorge to Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon(2). We needed to get a timed permit for this one but was worth it. very pretty falls and a nice path to a viewing bridge.
Tuesday, while Denis worked on a seemingly never-ending work conundrum, Sue took the dogs to Washington Park. Pretty trails and a tour of a pretty cool Vietnam War Memorial dedicated to Oregonians who died or were MIA. No Portland visit is complete without a visit to Voodoo Donuts. Sue waited in a 30 minute line in hot sun where a security guard was letting in one group at a time. WOW.
Tuesday night we tried Elaine's Sweet and Sour Meatballs in our Instantpot. Yum...
Wednesday was a bummer for Sue. After being very excited by the prospect of seeing the Sasquatch exhibit at the World Forestry Museum the exhibit, seen from Native American perspective, was just not really much of anything. It was funny to see stuffed animals at the museum lol "see if you can spot the creatures who live under the forest" Denis theorized that taxidermied animals are taboo these days so they used stuffed animals.
That night, at our friend Jessica's recommendation we had dinner in a groovy neighborhood and enjoyed Thai food. Sue got a cocktail which, amazingly was served in a white shark glass. NO ONE ELSE had this glass and Sue is a shark-obsessed weirdo!
Friday Sue took a day trip to Vancouver WA. Wow. The waterfront from the other side! Amazing!
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Friday was our last night in Portland so we visited Hubers, the iconic restaurant specializing in turkey dinners. Sue had the turkey leg and Denis had the turkey and ham combo but the highlight was Denis trying the Spanish Coffee! It's a situation... the first pic is the waiter browning the sugar on the rim and the second is the final product. There was a lot of other steps we didn't picture Enjoy my thumb in the first pic!
Footnotes
(1) Vista house was derided as the $100,000 outlhouse when initially constructed. It had a major restoration starting in 2000 that lasted 5 years.
(2) Multnomah Falls totals drop of 620 feet and the fourth tallest falls in the US.</div><br /><div class=" separator="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Love that area. I used to have family up that way and Nick Novotny still lives there. I especially love Multnomah Falls - such a great area to hike. So fun!
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