Oregon

My parents were here visiting over the Fourth of July, and we all went down to Oregon for the long weekend. We used Portland - one of my favorite cities in the U.S. - as a home base because of the great hotel & restaurant options. We spent some time walking around the city but also took a couple of day trips.

One day we escaped the record warm temps (in the 90's) in Portland by going to the coast. About 90 minutes West of the city, in a beautiful location on the Pacific Ocean, is Cannon Beach. Anya and I had been there a couple years ago and always wanted to go back. The whole Oregon coast is a spectacular place. We didn't do much in the actual town; we mostly just hung out on the beach. You can see why in our pictures from Cannon Beach.

Another day we drove ~30 minutes East of Portland to the Columbia River Gorge. That's the place where the Columbia River (the largest river in North America that flows into the Pacific) has carved a dramatic course through the middle of the Cascade mountains. The steep sides of the gorge - especially the Oregon (southern) side - are lined with waterfalls.

We hiked a steep, switch-backed trail that followed Wahkeena Creek - which falls about 1400 vertical feet in a run of about a half mile. The trail passed through an amazing hanging valley that was like something out of a fairy tale (or a motivational poster - pick your poison). After the hike we stopped for beers in the outdoorsy town of Hood River. The consistent wind through the Gorge makes Hood River a mecca for windsurfing and kiteboarding. We took a few good pictures but they don't really do it justice.

We finished off our trip by stopping at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland ("The Rose City"). Those pictures here.