Portland, Oregon

We had been planning our trip to Oregon for over six months and finally the day came.  We were up at 5:00 AM to catch an early flight to Portland, but almost didn't make it through check-in due to Darius Rucker's band.  They were checking every piece of equipment and instrument known to man!  We finally boarded the plane, starving because we missed breakfast, but had a beautiful window view to make up for it!


Somewhere over New Mexico?
   
After landing it was time to find our ride for the duration of our trip.  Our choices were limited but we went with "cool blue" Beetle that we lovingly referred to as "The Blue Devil."  Surprisingly, this bug was roomy and had some get-up and go!

The Blue Devil!

Next stop was lunch at the Sextant Bar & Galley overlooking the beautiful Columbia River.  After we downed a burger and a pint it was time to explore the city.  We made our way to downtown Portland where we roamed the streets of Portland Saturday Market.





After a few hours of people (tweekers) watching and shopping jet lag hit us hard!  We decided the best medicine was a short pub crawl so we made our way to the Thirsty Lion and then to Kelly's Olympian.



Old motorcycles hang from ceiling
 






Feeling much better we walked back to our car to find a welcome note from the city of Portland ( a.k.a. parking ticket - we were 6 minutes late returning) but we didn't let that stop the fun.  Next, we headed to St. John's Bridge for a short photography session.



From St. John's Bridge we headed to Council Crest to get a better view of the city.  Council Crest is thought to be the highest point in Portland at 1,073 feet above sea level. From the top of the hill, one can see five mountains in the Cascade Range: Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Rainier.



Next stop was our hotel check-in.  We decided to stay in downtown Portland at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower.  The room was clean but small and had an awesome view of the streets below.



Dinner that night was going to be at Apizza Shoals located on Hawthorne streets but the wait to get in was too great for weary travelers.  We decided to walk down the street to Hawthorne Fish House for gluten-free (apparently everything in Portland is gluten-free) fish and chips.  The fish and chips were, "eh", but we were so hungry and tired we didn't care.





The next morning we strolled through the downtown area checking out some of the beautiful artwork that adorns the buildings.  Then headed out of town to tour and hike the Columbia River Gorge.  Of course, we had to stop for a Blue Star donut on the way out. 

Blueberry basil & lemon curd

 Goodbye Stump Town!




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Ballard, Washington

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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,