August 19-23, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

This was a great weekend in Oregon.  I had never been before, and boy did I fall in love with the city.  

On my first day I did two bike tours with Pedal Bike Tours.  In the morning, for 3 hours we slowly biked around downtown Portland - going through the Rose Quarter, China town, the Pearl District, the University and then down the waterfront and Willamette River.  A total of 7.5 miles.  I always love finding a bike tour on my first day in a city - it gives you such a great overview of the city, so then you can go back to some of the places you saw throughout the rest of the weekend.  

After lunch I met with my second bike tour, through the same company.  We drove about 45 minutes to the Columbia Gorge.  We then got on our bikes and rode to 7 different waterfalls, which was just amazing!  At each one we would get off our bikes and hike up to the waterfall, take some pictures, and then continue on our way.  The falls included: Latourell Falls, Sheppard's Dell, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls and Upper Horsetail Falls.  Overall we biked 8.5 miles.  That was really a great tour!

That night I walked to a restaurant my brother had raved about - Caffee Mingo.  It was a small Italian restaurant in the Alphabet district, and I have to say it lived up to all expectations!  I sat at the bar and ate dinner and met some really nice locals who helped me plan out one of my upcoming days in Portland.  

The next day I drove out to Williamette Valley, to check out some of the wineries.  I went to Archery Summit winery for a tour and tasting.  For lunch I ate at Dundee Bistro, then continued on to two more tastings at Erath and Lange.  That night I drove to Beaverton to have dinner with my cousin Carrie and her husband Dana.  A home cooked meal was such a treat!  

My last day in Portland I just kind of messed around town, with no real plans.  I went to Stumptown Coffee, and then stood in the ridiculously long line at Vodoo Doughnuts.  They were worth the wait!  After my sugar fix I went to some of the stores (Patagonia, North Face, Powells Bookstore), then I walked around the waterfront including some of the Sunday markets.  Next I drove over to the Rose Garden and Japanese Garden before heading to the airport for my flight home.

Check out some more photos from this trip here - Portland Photos