Portland, Oregon | City Of Bridges
Updated: 1 day ago
Mercer's Quality of City Ranking for the city of Portland came in at #48. It was founded in 1845, as a relatively new outpost on the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia River. The pioneering spirit and the establishment of fur and logging trade can be traced back to two famous Captains -- Meriwether Lewis & William Clark, who were good friends of President Jefferson. The two then established and handpicked from the U.S. Army and civilians to formed the Corps of Discovery; where they set up camp at Camp Dubois in Illinois in 1804. This is the starting point of the famous Lewis & Clark Trail. The expeditionary team circumnavigated the Columbia River, crossed the Continental Divide, and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean. Today, there is a National Monument at Fort Clatsop in Astoria that visitors can visit to view the expeditioners' campsite. What a journey it must have been and amazingly, only one of a team of 40 members died along the way. There are also numerous statues erected to honor Sacajawea, the lone Shoshone woman who accompanied and acted as their interpreter during the expedition.
Day 1 - Arrival At Portland
Our flight from Honolulu to Portland with Alaska Airlines was a red-eye flight on the Hawaiian Airlines A321neo plane; with a standard flight time of approximately 5 hours and 33 minutes. The dinner on board was pretty good. They put a lot of love into the hamburger.
With a strong tailwind behind us, we reached Portland in no time - just 5 hours & 3 mins! The two hurricanes in the vicinity must have been stirring up a storm! As we approached the continental USA, the sun was just rising above the horizon. Unfortunately, the views approaching the runway was obscured by very thick clouds.
The Portland International Airport (PDX) was bustling with people. It is the Labor Day weekend and thousands of people are leaving the city. Here are some shots from around concourse C and B. The Hawaiian A321neo's Moana livery is very eye-catching and I hope Alaska Airlines does not replace it.
We got our car rental in a breeze and headed to our vacation rental in Laurelhurst. It's a 2 bedroom 2 bath cottage adjacent to the main house. It is quite cozy and well furnished.
Our first agenda for the day was lunch... But it was 9am in the morning! Having not adjusted yet, we were hungry. So, we found a Thai restaurant called Nong's Khao Man Gai in the Burnside neighborhood of Portland. There were one of a few restaurants that was open this early for lunch. We tried their Thai Chicken Rice, Thai Tea and Coffee. The food was ok, but not as moist as one would expect it to be.
Having had our fill, we decided to roam around Portland to get our bearings and to get a general understanding of the layout of Portland. In driving towards downtown we crossed the Burnside Bridge - known for its two turret like structures on the south side of the bridge. Additionally, when travelling westward on the bridge, one is greeted by the Portland Oregon White Stag Sign.
This sign has a long and storied life since its creation by Ramsay Signs in 1940. After having changed many hands and lived through many controversies, it was ultimately bought and managed by the City of Portland since 2010. See history here.
Once you see this sign, you are effectively in Downtown Portland entering Old Town. We then decided to visit all the 12 bridges in Portland that crossed the Willamette River. In actuallity we found that of the twelve, there were two that we could not cross - the BNSF Railroad Bridge (1908) for trains only, and the Tilikum Crossing Bridge for pedestrians and bikers only. Here is the video compilation of the remaining 9 bridges (missed the Marquam Bridge!)
In between the crossings, we also visited the Vista Point of 5 Mountains in South West Hills. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy today - so no mountains to view. But lots of greenery and city views.
We also collected some interesting sites across the city - from the Wild Crow Art, to street graffiti, to dinner cruise boats. Portland is one quirky city.
As the day drew to a close, we had to stop at Oma for dinner. Being that we were pretty tired, we ordered out instead. The Ayam Goreng Berempah was really good, but the chicken was a little pink. The Kun Loh Wanton Mee was definitely a different version than what we were used to. This one had chow mein noodles, pickled "tang chai", and chilli flake sprinkled on the noodles. Our final dish was the Roti Canai - which turned out a bit sweet and the curry a thick yellow sweet leek. This certainly was fusion. To top it off the bill was about $77.52 for just the 3 items. Not sure if we will be eating here again...
We will definitely be sleeping very well tonight!
Day 2 - Astoria & Lewis & Clark's Fort
We woke up this morning with rain, and more rain was expected for the entire day, at least around the city of Portland. So we decided to take a long drive to Astoria, to visit the the fort where Lewis & Clark famous expedition terminated at Clatsop. But the first task for the day was to fill our tummies with some hot piping soup at Pho Hung.
These bowls were HUGE!
Having had our fill, we immediately got onto Highway 5 heading north. This route took us up and into neighboring Washington State - crossing the Columbia river, first over Hayden Island and then again from Longview via the Lewis & Clark Bridge. The route in total was about 250 miles, as the map below does not include our side trips from the main route.
Before reaching Clatsop, we stop at the historic town of Astoria next to the mighty Columbia River and visited the USCG ship Columbia. The town was bustling with many tourists, as it is the labor day weekend.
Above Astoria, we noticed a structure that at first glance looked like a lighthouse overlooking the township from the top of an adjacent hill and we decided to drive to the top for a look-see. As we approached the top, we could see that it was the Astoria Column. This historical landmark was built in 1926 and stands at 126-ft. high. As we got closer we could see that the column features murals of Oregon history and there is an observation deck at the top with lots of people.
A long line of cars were snaking up the serpentine narrow road towards the top. So, we decided to turn around due to the long wait for a parking spot. We then decided to drive across the Columbia river, via the Astoria-Megler Bridge. It is here one will realize how wide the river is.
We drove as far as Fort Columbia State Park, and decided to turn around and head towards Lewis & Clark National Historic Park.
The Lewis & Clark National Historic Park was a national memorial since May 29, 1958. It was reclassed as a national historical park in 2004. It was explained that it is classed as such because although it is the location of Fort Clatsop, there was no physical building left to preserve (just the pole footings were left). Regardless, the Historical Preservation Society decided to build the fort's replica based on drawings from Clark's diary. The replica was built in 1955. It lasted for about 50 years until an accidental fire burnt it to the ground in 2005. It was then rebuilt in 2006 and this is what we visited today.
The wooded area around the fort was a beautiful pine forest. It was cool and shaded above the Lewis and Clark River. Here the trees stood tall and the path led to a spring that was used by the fort. Unfortunately, it was dry today.
At the visitor center, we also got to see several Junior Ranger badges. It was an impressive wall of participating parks. We found the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park but did not see one for Haleakala(!) Got to get those young rangers active there!
From here we then made our way to the Painted Rock Beach. This is an interesting place where art supplies are provided and folks can decorate the rocks found in the area as they like. This has resulted in several colorful rocks against the standard natural gray.
The beach itself is called Seaside Beach. It is definitely a holiday town (one of several along this coast). The beach is wide and long, with Tillamook Head on its south end. Looking south we could see houses on the hillside, while looking north, there were a lot of people on the beach, enjoying the sun, flying kites, and the brave few actually in the cold waters with full thick wet suits. The lifeguard travels up and down the beach in his truck!
Our final stop along the west coast was a visit to Ecola State Park. Unfortunately, because it was the long Labor Day weekend, it was packed with people. So we didn't stay to hike, but got to at least see Indian Beach and the Submarine rock in the distance.
Soon we made our way back to Portland and we were greeted with the rain once more. But as we entered the city, the rain stopped. So we headed to Jakarta Bistro for some Indonesian food. We ordered the Nasi Padang Complete, Risoles Beef Rendang and the Bakmi Ayam Bakso Pangsit. It was all very tasty!
To walk our dinner off, we made our way to the Vera Katz East Esplanade. This is where we could get some nice Portland city skyline night photos. It also happens to be the place for a heavy metal rave(!) The music was blasting loud reverberating below the highway.
The view itself was good - with the Hawthorne Bridge to the left and the colorful Morrison Bridge to the right.
In all, it was a very filled day with sights sounds and adventure. Looking forward to what day three brings!
Day 3 - Visiting Mount Hood
We woke up today with a more promising weather outlook. The forecast called for clear and sunny skies at least in the vicinity of Mount Hood. So off we went to explore the south side of Mount Hood with it's many ski runs. Before that, we had to fuel up at Pho Oregon for some hot soup. It was one of the only few places that were open on Labor Day. This restaurant was HUGE. Very much like a Chinese restaurant. The food was good and the service was fast.
We took the more scenic route to the south utilizing the more rural highways (212 and 224) through smaller farm towns like Carver, Barton and Eagle Creek. We finally joined back at Sandy to get onto Highway 26 to Government Camp. The drive was generally very windy and woodsy as it follows the Clackamas River easterly. It took us slightly over an hour to arrive at Timberline Lodge. The rest of the drive circumnavigated Mount Hood as shown below.
Timberline Lodge was an interesting "hotel" that is also a historic building out of which the UAS operates. So many of its structure is kept to be historically accurate. Plus, it mixes the operations of a hotel with the preservation; which allows visitors to venture all over the premises.
The place was packed with people, from hikers, to mountain bikers and those who came up here for just the views and fresh mountain air. Unfortunately, there was a tinge of forest fire smell and the yellowing of the clouds coming from the Grasshopper Fire on the east side of Mount Hood.
Ultimately, we picked a trail that took us up to the Silcox Hut. Upon reaching it, we decided to explore further up the mountain to the middle Palmer station where the snowline starts. Most of the way up, the summit of Mount Hood was shrouded by clouds. Occasionally, the clouds would part and tease us with very brief views of the mountain top. So we decided to wait on the wooden platform to see if the clouds would part for us. Thankfully, while we were resting at Palmer middle station, the clouds finally did open up and we got a full frontal view of the entire summit. It was majestic.
On our way back down, we took a different route - the Mountaineer Trail which connects to the Pacific Crest Trail just past the tree line at about 6,000feet; which corresponds to the location of the Timberline Lodge. Once we hit the PCT, we came across many more hikers. Here is the video of our hike. The lower section was beautiful as the trees started to show and we could see across from us the famous Mirror Lake. These are the common and touristy spots on Mount Hood, that we will probably never visit because of how busy it gets. Today's hike was very pleasant because we managed to avoid all of the heavy tourist routes.
On driving back, we took Highway 35 North via Parkdale. As soon as we passed the Mount Hood Meadows area and came along the east flank of Mount Hood, the weather suddenly cleared and we could see the majestic shape of the more pointed profile of the mountain. Its east and west faces being more pointed while its south side being more flat to a bowl which is why the ski slopes are on the south flank. This is the classic view of Mount Hood.
Once we connected to Highway 84 at Hood River, we then got stuck in traffic for about 40 minutes on due to a single lane closure for bridge repairs on Highway 84. Regardless, in our now slow drive, we did get to appreciate the beautiful views of the Columbia River Gorge and its steep surroundings.
This water by the highway views reminded me of the Sea-To-Sky Highway in British Columbia. The main difference being that in BC the mountains are snow capped in the summer, while here there is no snow on these hills.
As the day drew to a close, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant called Shandong for dinner. We had the Sweet and Sour Pork, Mixed Vegetables and rice. It was probably the most uneventful meal thus far.
Day 4 - Mount Tabor
Today's activities started with a quick repeat of Nong's Khao Man Gai - with two takeout packages of the Thai Chicken Rice. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of online ordering to their Downtown branch instead of the one that we normally go to in Hawthorne. Luckily, the staff at the store were very accommodating and decided to fill my order instead of making me go all the way to the Downtown location to pick up. Now that is great service!
The activity of the day was to explore Mount Tabor; a small wooded hill with a reservoir at the top. It was an easy hike up and around. Making it a quick visit. There were many folks walking their dogs in the area too. Here is a short video of the visit.
To cap off the short day, we tried the Five Guys burger joint just about 10 minutes away. These are made to order cheese burgers, with fresh meat sourced locally and potatoes from Idaho for their fries. No preservatives, no additives. And it tasted just like something you or I would cook up in the home kitchen with fresh ingredients. In all, a hearty meal, that isn't so "fast".
I guess we now need to do more "Mount Tabors" to work off the extra calories(!) albeit slightly healthier calories...
Day 5 - Historic Columbia River Highway & Latourell Falls Hike
We start our day with our usual Vietnamese brunch. I think we could eat at a different place each day for a month without having to go back to the same place! We enjoyed a bowl of pho and some fried chicken wings with fish sauce. We are still amazed at how fresh the bean sprouts are!
Later this morning, I took a drive down the Historic Columbia River Highway; passing through the scenic towns of Troutsdale, Springdale and Corbette. Along the way I stopped at the Vista House Crown Point with a sweeping view into the Columbia River Gorge.
This two-lane road is very scenic with many opportunities to stop and take in the sights. It is also frequented by many cyclists. The drive is much more quiet compared to the busy I84 that runs parallel to this. Driving through the temperate rain forest, it felt like nothing short of an experience in forest-bathing. Just so relaxing and refreshing.
My first stop along this historic road was at Latourell Falls. This is a multi tiered fall with upper and lower pools. I decided to the loop hike. Here is the video.
The hike itself was very pleasant and I was alone most of the time. The crowd seemed to gather at the first lower fall; which is the easiest to get to. The upper fall had only a few hikers but then it wasn't as impressive as the lower one. Still, I was able to burn some calories and got a good workout for the day.
On my way out, I drove by Multnomah Falls. It was very crowded even though a permitting scheme was in place. In fact, it was so crowded because when I checked, all permits were already sold out through the end of this month. There were of course the very nice scenic views of the Columbia River Gorge itself.
At the end of the day, we had to try yet another Indonesian restaurant that was just less than 5 minutes drive away. It is a boutique restaurant called Wajan Indonesia. We ordered the Beef Rendang Sapi, Ayam Goreng Kalasan, Mertabak Telur Mini, and a small side of Acha Kuning. The food was sublime! Very tasty and something that makes you crave for more... The fried though made things a bit on the oily side as we were coughing for the rest of the evening(!)
Makes us think of what we may find tomorrow to fill our tummies!
Day 6 - Larch Mountain & Portland City At Night
It was another beautiful weather day in Portland. The sun was out and the skies were only limitedly dotted with a few clouds. We decided to try another great Vietnamese restaurant down on the south east side of Portland called Brentwood-Darlington. This place is actually named for what it is famous for - Bún Bò Huế Restaurant. But since it was pretty early in the day we decided to avoid the spicey soup, and instead tried their Hủ tiếu mì thập cẩm one soup version and one dry version, and of course the Cafe Sua Da or Vietnamese Iced Coffee. It was delicious!
The event for today was a slightly over 60 minute drive to Larch Mountain. This took me back east of Portland into the Larch Mountain Corridor.
Once at the top, there is a short hike to a lookout point called Sherrard Point. On a clear day from here, you are supposed to be able to see all five peaks in the vicinity. They are: 1) Mount St. Helens, 2) Mount Rainier, 3) Mount Adams, 4) Mount Hood, and 5) Mount Jefferson. Unfortunately, even though today it was pretty good, there was a bit of a haze and some clouds. So, I only got to see Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and a little bit of Mount Adams.
Photos ( L to R) : Mount Jefferson, Mount Adams & Mount Hood. Of course the best in view was Mount Hood.
Surprisingly, the lookout was not at all busy... Just another three other cars. Nothing compared to the crazy number of visitors to the Multnomah Falls.
For dinner, we decided to try another Indonesian place called Pasar. Apparently, this is a sister restaurant to Wajan. It is located up in Northeast Portland along the NE Alberta Street. We ordered the Emie Mi (mee rebus) and Ketoprak (mihun). The food was very tasty and definitely did not disappoint. The portions though were small for the price paid.
Later in the night we decided to go for a drive in Portland Downtown. Here we found the streets deserted, though there were some active spots with shows, bars and clubs. We drove around fancy Pearl District and Chinatown. See our video here.
We also had to stop for a Lychee Lemonade from Hunny Beez - an American Filipino Fusion place. It was an eclectic hangout with a bar and karaoke. It was also here that we met Mr. Spam!
Its interesting seeing the town at night. There were spots with houseless and drugged out folks. But overall, it wasn't as bad as it could be. Its town section is definitely bigger than Honolulu.
Day 7 - America Remembers 9/11 & Night Drive to Crater Lake NP
A word about the food here in Portland... It was surprisingly good. Way back in the early 1990s, I had visited for a brief company trip. At that time, the only food available was mostly American. There was very little in terms of Asian food choices, let alone anything other than WASP food(!) Fast forward to today, it was refreshing to see the amount of alternate foods across the city. From European, African, and every type of Asian foods. There were also a lot of fusion version of foods that made it unexpecting to the taste buds.
This morning we tried a place called Pho Kim. It was also a pretty big restaurant located east on I84 South. Its menu was pretty big with soups that we had not seen before. So we tried the Banh Canh Gio Heo, and the Hu Tieu My Tho Ko Hoac Nuoc (dry). The first dish was like a Kuay Teow Thng, and the second was like a Kun Loh Mien but totally Vietnamese style. Very tasty and we could eat it daily!
For dinner, we had to have the good food from Wajan. This time the restaurant was pretty full with Friday night customers. We tried their Satay and Pisang Goreng, along with the Ayam Goreng, Nasi Campur with Beef Rendang. As usual the food was very tasty!
We rested today as we had planned to do a long drive from Portland to Crater Lake National Park. We wanted to capture some night sky photography at the lake. The forecast over at Crater Lake called for some wintery weather with a slight chance of snow! Yikes. We left the house at around 11 pm....
Day 8 - Crater Lake National Park
The drive to Crater Lake NP from Portland was very uneventful. The nice thing about driving in the wee morning was that the traffic was super light. There were some late night police and sheriffs, but they were catch those who were doing in excess of 100mph. Most of us were running the speed limit or at least matching speeds and not driving dangerously.
We arrived at the park about at about 3 am. It was dark, and we were greeted with bone-chilling weather and wind. We did managed to capture a few night sky photos, but it was not bright enough for a full view of the Milky Way.
It was so cold in the car as the wind was blowing hard. It must have been about 30 degrees F(!) Luckily, we had extra blankets and gloves. We stayed in the car, and took a short nap before waking up with a glow in the sky. The sun was about to rise and we hurriedly drove to a nice spot at the Watchman's Overlook to catch the sun rising behind the crater lake. There were just a few other photographers braving the cold wind; but it was worth every minute of it. The scenery was spectacular!
Once the sun was up, we visited the Crater Lake Lodge to warm up. It was very much like the old Volcano House, in that it was perched on the edge of the cliff with one of the best views of the park's attraction.
We then proceeded to drive around the crater to see the sights from the south, west, north and east sides of the rim. Unfortunately, the east rim road was closed from the south side, so we had to go a full round and double back after. Our first stop was at the Watchman's Observatory. It sits high on a peak on the edge of the north rim.
There were many places to see along the rim, but nothing beats the sunrise view. After a while with the sun in full force, the colors of the lake started to wash out. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see the crater from the various view points. As we drove to the East Rim, we could see the sandy bluffs on the opposite end of the lake where the Watchman Observatory is, along with Llao Rock - a place filled with ancient spirit stories from the Klamath people. On the east rim there is also the strange island called Phantom Ship. It is a 400 thousand year old volcanic rock formation hydrothermally altered andesite.
As we approached Cloudcap, we got to see Mount Scott which stands at 8,929 feet high. There is a moderate hike up to the watch tower at the top. We also got to see Mount Thielson in the distance standing at 9,183 feet in the north, and Mount McLoughlin at 9,495 feet in the south. There is a sharp peak before McLoughlin but we don't know what it is called. There are many peaks throughout the area. Many are remnants of shield, cinder cones and stratovolcanoes. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see Mount Shasta further behind and to the left of Mount McLoughlin.
Above we can see Mount Thielson, followed by an unnamed peak, and in the back Mount McLoughlin.
On the north east side of the rim there is a hike called the Cleetwood Cove Trail that travels to the water's edge. Unfortunately, it was closed due to a landslide along the trail. So, that is something we would have to return to do as we could not see for ourselves the clarity of the water in the lake. As the morning wore on, the wind started to pick up, so much so that we would be eating dust from the lookouts(!)
At the end of the road just past the East Rim road closure, we took a side path past Plaikni Falls to the Pinnacles. It was a seven mile drive along a narrow ridge Wheeler and Sand Creeks on one side. At the end of the road, we arrived at the Pinnacles. These were formed a long time ago and were interesting to see.
The return drive to Portland was longer as there was traffic along the way. The section from the national park to the town of Eugene was picturesque as Willamette Highway traveled along the Lookout Point Lake. Here is a video of the drive along the way.
Once at Eugene, it is a pretty straight drive north along Highway 5 and then to I205 back to Portland. We decided to stop at Pho Kim for a "hana hou" meal of Vietnamese soup. Just the right meal after a very full day on the road. By the time we got back to the house, it was about past 4pm. We were so tired that we skipped dinner and went straight to bed...
Day 9 - Last Day & Flight Back To HNL
Since we slept so early, we woke up the next day at about 6am. So we packed and checked out of the house by 8am. We skipped breakfast and headed east on Glisan Street towards Highway 30. The intent was to drive its full length and to stop at the sights along the way that we did not get to do earlier. The starting point for Highway 30 starts from Troutdale.
This is a very scenic drive through wooded trees with views of the Columbia River Gorge. We managed to capture the sights at Troutdale - a quaint tourist town.
We drove up to the Vista House at Crown Point where there were bus loads of tourists, and the Waterfall Trolley starts. This location provides a high vantage point to view the full length of the Columbia River Gorge; with views of Beacon Rock on the far right.
The road from here was a winding drive with country houses and inns along the way. We also caught up with the Waterfall Trolley as it was making its stop at the Latourell Falls. We drove past the idyllic Bridal Veil B&B, stopped to snap a shot of Horsetail Falls, as well as taking on the old tunnel at Oneonta Gorge. Our final stop on Highway 30 was at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, where we could see the Bonneville Locks in action.
There was one old bridge crossing that we made from the Oregon state side to Washington State. This is also where the Pacific Crest Trail hikers would cross heading north. The toll bridge is called the Bridge of the Gods. It was built in 1926 and it spans the river for some 1,858 feet. Being a metal bridge, its not very pretty; but the views of the river were quite stunning.
We finally made it back to North Portland at about 12pm. By then we were pretty hungry and decided to stop for lunch at Pasar. It was our last meal here in Portland and we wanted to make it count. As usual the food was great!
Having had our fill, we then made our way to Costco to fill our gas and then proceeded to the airport. At the airport we hanged out at the Alaska Lounge which was quite comfortable.
Our take off was pretty smooth with views of Portland.
The flight was smooth as we had dinner on the plane. The food from Hawaiian Air was pretty good too. We had the Mushroom Truffle Risotto and Miso Beef with Rice.
Closing thoughts about Portland:
Portland is beautifully green. Its streets are tree lined and the older areas have stately single family homes.
At the city core - downtown, the houseless are visibly around. Most are very high on drugs and move around like zombies. This is very sad to see. At almost every traffic light, someone is begging for money. The good news is that it is less than before. The bad news is that it still exists and is dense in Chinatown.
The further from the city core, the nicer it is with less traffic and larger open spaces.
This is a city made for walking and biking. It is nice to see that there is a good amount of priority given to these activities.
The amount of available hiking is mind boggling. There are many parks of all sizes and shapes. It would seem that Oregon is one big national park, which is probably why there is only one official one.
The people of Portland are quirky. From the gothic, to the hippies, to the average Joe. There was always some kind of protest - exercising their 5th amendment rights.
It is also a pretty laid back city. Many just wore very casual clothing - looking always ready for a hike.
The traffic was not much at all. Hawaii's traffic is way worse than Portland's.
There were many new construction in downtown, and there were many new apartments built in the surrounding areas. We could literally see the urbanization and gentrification of whole neighborhoods. Its good to see provided that these were still affordable.
There are some really interesting buildings in Portland. From the modernistic (like the Fair-haired Dumbbell) to the ultra sleek new buildings in the Pearl District (like the Cosmopolitan On The Park).
The most surprising of all is how good the Indonesian and Vietnamese food is. It was fresh, and very authentic. Never thought that Portland would have this many or even this good selection of great eats!
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