Last Day in Portland: Multnomah Falls

I still have to work on making the video from our time in Portland last month, but I wanted to do one last post about our last day of the trip. We rented a car this day so that we could drive the 30 miles to see Multnomah Falls and also to make it easier to get to the airport later. I went out for my run while Justin went to get the car and when I got back we picked up some coffee and headed out. The drive was super nice and we could see snow on some of the mountains. It really was a pretty drive. Getting to the falls is super easy and completely free. We were kind of shocked you didn't have to pay to park or anything. Multnomah Falls is apparently the 2nd highest waterfall in the US and the most visited recreation site in the Pacific Northwest according to USDA Forest Service (here). I am so glad we went because it is really beautiful and so different from what we are used to (although I have been to Niagara Falls). A lot of people just walk up to the bridge, take a few pictures and then leave but we chose to do the 1.2 mile hike up to the top. It was 11 switchbacks and while it was by no means a difficult hike, I had just run 7 miles that morning so it got my lungs working. It was a bit chilly as well, especially for us Arizonans. The view looking down the waterfall from the top is pretty cool as well as the view of the Columbia River but at least while we were there, most people did not hike up to the top (lazy or cold maybe). If you visit the area I definitely think it is worth your time to stop by!

Pretty cool sight to drive up to.

Bridge is only a 5 minute walk up.

This hike was a little longer.

almost there!

Pretty crazy view!

Leaves...because we are from Arizona.

Until next time, Oregon!

Experiencing Portland

We actually did not have a ton of concrete plans for our trip to Portland. The only real thing we had planned was that we rented a car for the last day so we could go see a waterfall about 25 minutes away (will post separately about that because it was so cool). I think the fact that we didn't have a car helped us experience Portland even better. Luckily our rental came with bikes and we took full advantage of those. I hadn't ridden a bike (besides an exercise one) in a long time so it took me a minute to get back in the swing of things. Also, oh my gosh my butt was sore, haha! Portland is so perfect for biking and using public transit. They seriously have the cutest architecture and neighborhoods. I couldn't stop taking pictures and dreaming about what it would be like to live in some of the houses. So many cute bungalows and craftsmen homes. One of the things Portland is also know for is being the home of Nike. We just happened to be close to a Nike outlet and took advantage of some great sales. There are also a lot of runners in Portland, so Thursday night we met at Portland Running Co for a group run. Those runners were fast! We still had a great time though and it was nice to be taken out on a route along the river and train tracks. Super cool way to experience the city. Also, Portland Running Co buys a round of beers after the group run so that was an added bonus. I also went on my own 7 mile run Saturday morning which was really nice. My phone died right as I finished because I kept stopping to take pictures. It really is a great city for running. We took advantage of all the beer and coffee Portland is known for and also did some shopping in downtown Portland. Downtown malls in big cities are so cool to me. A couple of other touristy things we did were visiting Powell's Books (which really is a cool bookstore), seeing a movie (Hunger Games) at McMenamins Bagdad Theatre and eating lunch at McMenamin's Kennedy school (an old school that has been repurposed with bars/restaurants/theaters/hotel rooms). Fall was in full season while we were there and it really was the perfect time of year to be there. We also only got rain the first morning and we didn't mind it at all. It added to the adventure! Could not have asked for better weather and a better city.

PDX Airport is known for its carpet so we had to document. 

 

post-run selfie

cutest little theatre with beer of course

 

We got gifts here for the kids. 

great weather!

 

I don't want to know how much these cost!

It was 38 degrees but felt great!

 

Portland Trip: The Food!

Of course I would have to do a separate post just about all of the yummy food and drinks we had in Portland. There was just so much. On my list of things to do/see in Portland leading up to the trip, 90% of it was restaurants. What can I say, we like food. We actually hit almost all of the spots that we wanted to. My favorite spot was definitely Pine State Biscuits. I never would have thought I would be a biscuits and gravy person but had seen a lot of people recommend it so I wanted to give it a try. They also served Stumptown coffee there so it was kind of hitting 2 birds with one stone. We rode our bikes in the rain to eat there on Thursday morning and it was 100% worth it. I had a bacon egg and cheese biscuit with a side of sausage gravy and it was just perfect. Justin had the ham and enjoyed his as well. We sipped on coffee and hung out for a while and it was a perfect start to our trip. We also went to several breweries. We ate at HUB, had a couple of beers at Speakeasy tavern after running, ate and had more beers at Base Camp Brewing Company with food from The Hot Box Barbeque and Pacific Pie Co. Those were both food trucks outside of the brewery. Justin really liked his bbq pulled pork but my pastie was just okay. We also had a couple of pints and toured Widmer Bros Brewery. We had donuts from Blue Star Donuts and Ice Cream from both What's the Scoop and Salt and Straw. I had the Chocolate Gooey Brownie from Salt and Straw and it did not disappoint. I think I am going to order my dad some for Christmas. We had coffee from Extracto with treats from Ville Velo Bake Shop next door and also coffee from a little shop near our airbnb called Caffee Destino. They made their own Pumpkin Spice from scratch and had THE BEST banana chocolate chip bread I have ever had. I have been dreaming about it ever since. We also ate at a couple of other places on our list including Kenny & Zukes (Justin had pastrami and I had the best Caesar salad I have ever had) and Lardo which was out of my comfort zone but had great reviews and did not disappoint. Justin had the Pho'rench dip but said my Pork Meatball Banh Mi was better. It was good and I usually limit my pork intake to bacon, haha. I think that about covers everything but it just wouldn't be right if I didn't share some mouthwatering pictures!

 

 



Kenny and Zuke's

 

 

so many baked goods!

 

 

 That banana bread though.

The busiest place we went to our whole trip.

The Thanksgiving flavors were wacky!