Portland 2011

In August of 2011, Megan and I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest.  I had some work training and a running race going on out there and it was right around Megan's birthday so I gave her a trip to Portland for her present.

We flew in Friday night and picked up our rental car, which because at the time I was a gold star premium elite status big wig badass with National, we got to pick out any car.  There weren't any convertibles but they did have some big trucks so I picked the biggest one.  We checked in to our hotel right by the airport because it was already midnight Pacific time and we had a big Saturday planned.

We got up early because we had to be at the Wet Planet White Water Rafting by 8 and it was an hour drive.  We snagged some muffins and fruits from the hotel on the way out and made it to the rafting place on time.  We were going to be rafting the White Salmon River.  Although it was August, neither the air nor the water was all that warm.

We were given wetsuits, paddles, and boarded some buses to take us up river, the nice part about this rafting trip is that when we were done with the water we didn't have to get on a bus, we were back at the headquarters and our car.  After a quick trip up the road, we shuffled off the bus and teamed up with raft guides.

White Water Rafting Gear

The other passengers in our boat didn't look all that athletic and there was one little boy which made me think we would get the passive route through the rapids.  We got our instructions, which were pretty basic.   Paddle on the guides instructions. If you fall out, float down river until calmer waters on your butt with your feet in front. Don't panic. And that was about it.  We then carried out boat down the path and dumped it on the edge of the water.  We hopped in and began paddling down river.

White Water Rafting

This isn't even the big rapid...

Over the edge...

Gonna get wet...

Big splash to the face...

And on to the next rapid

The water was very cold and after each splash, we were all glad to be wearing the wetsuits.  The river was mostly shrouded in shadow but the short stints of sunshine made it warm enough to almost enjoy the cold water.  About half way through the trip, Megan and I switched to the front seats which got to see more action through the rapids and also got a lot more wet.  Before long, we were coming to the last rapid, the grand finale.

Our boat was the signal caller allowing the other boats to wait out of the current and approach one at a time.  From our spot we got to see all of the boats go over the edge and all the riders stay safely in their boats. Finally it was our turn, we paddled hard as we came to the edge ...

Paddling Hard towards the Big Drop

Megan is now on the far side in the middle, smiling.

At the last possible second we dropped from out seats to the floor and held on to the raft.  The nose went straight down into the water below...

Straight down...

Going under...

Submerged...

And when it finally popped back out, only the guide was left on the boat.  The six of us riders were tossed around the white foam trying to breath and stay afloat.

We come up sideways and we are tossed out...

I yell for Megan as she bobs out of the water, telling her to get her feet forward so she can bounce off any potentially dangerous oncoming rocks.  She turns to face down river and I see that her face is dripping blood.  My heart takes off even faster but I can't do anything to help because the rapids are taking me down stream in front of Megan.  I continue to panic as I am struggling to reach Megan but my weak swimming ability is no match for the powerful current.

Gasping for air...

Staying afloat....

Heading down river to safety.

I finally reach calm water and get pulled up into a different boat and find that Megan had already been pulled into a boat and the blood all over her face was from a fat lip received by a paddle blow to the face during the tumble over the waterfall.

Our guide along with the others in charge wonder why our boat tipped over because it seemed that we did everything just right; sometimes Mother Nature just proves her dominance.

After our exhilarating morning we are looking for some food and found a great spot in Hood River, Oregon that had a great deck.  We asked for the umbrella to be removed because we were still a little frigid from our swim in the White Salmon River and wanted all the sun we can get.  We split some salads, crab cakes, and pasta dish and decided that we will shower at our hotel, maybe nap and then try to either find a brewery or winery and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening in that way.  While discussing our plans, at the table next to us an older gentleman  was sitting with his family and fell out of his chair.  We all thought he had fainted or had a heart attack.  I had 911 dialed into my phone before we realized that he had simply lost his balance while trying to adjust his chair.

We found out hotel, which was actually a beautiful condominium overlooking the Columbia River.  The place was called Columbia Cliff Villas. The town of Hood River is actually incredibly well known for windsurfing, which we saw a ton of people out on the river surfing back and forth.  We showered and decided that we were pretty tired from our big day so far and took a nap.  Before we knew it, it was already dinner time and we decided we couldn't stay in bed like a bunch of bums any longer.  We weren't all that hungry because of our late lunch so we decided to find some beverages.  We found ourselves at 3 Rivers Grill sitting outside again splitting a bottle of Megan's new favorite wine, Castle Rock.  We enjoyed some live music that was being played one level down on the patio and split a dessert to finish off our night.

The next morning we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some supplies for the day.  We were going to do some hiking around Mt Hood and wanted to pack a lunch.  We stocked up on some donuts and juice for breakfast, sandwiches, chips, cokes, and waters for lunch.  On our drive to Mt Hood we stopped off at a park to enjoy our breakfast before continuing our drive next to all the produce farms and vineyards.  We reached the tiny parking lot for the Mirror Lake trail and after a few U-turns decided to illegally park on the side of the road, which when we returned from our hike had started a trend and no less than 30 cars had parked just like us.

It wasn't a very strenuous hike but we weren't used to any type of incline being from the midwest so we had to work up a little sweat to reach the lake.  I had read that Mirror Lake is crowded because of its beauty and easy access.  There were a fair number of people on the trail and when we reached the lake there was a large group of families all playing in the water and eating together.  This didn't bother us too much because of how beautiful the scenery was.  Mount Hood with its snow-capped peak and the vibrant green trees and blue sky.   We found a quiet spot to enjoy our lunch sitting upon a log on the far side of the lake, and we were very glad we packed the extra water bottle because we downed all of our drinks.

Mirror Lake and Mount Hood

Mount Hood

After the hike back to the car we were headed back to town.  We returned the rental car to the airport and jumped on the train taking us to the city center and our hotel.  We found our way to almost the last stop and the Hotel Modera, which is a very chic and trendy hotel.  After showers, we were picked up by a coworker and had a few beers.  He then took us to this local taco place where we enjoyed some tacos and margaritas.

The next morning, I, unfortunately had to go to work.  But Megan was able to get out and enjoy some of the Rose Gardens that Portland is so famous for.  That evening we met with some coworkers and business associates at Portland City Grill, which is on the 30th floor of a building looking over the entire city.  It was a great meal and we got to enjoy some delicious food.

The following day was Megan's birthday and although I still had to work, we made the best of the evening.  We had some beers from Rogue Brewery, then a martini and a canape from a boutique place in the Pearl District before finding out way to dinner at Oba!, where I can remember only two things from the meal.  We had table side guacamole, which was enough to feed a small army, and they had bacon wrapped jalapenos, which I have now altered and made my own.

The next morning Megan had to fly back to Indianapolis and go to work.  I however got to stay and enjoy more time in the City of Roses.  The lunch carts are the way to do lunch in downtown Portland.  You can get just about anything and they are very easily accessible with most of them parked in a row right next to a park to then sit and enjoy your freshly made lunch.  I had a gyros one day and a burrito a different day.  We also went to a Korean BBQ place with a guy from the office that had just moved to Portland from Korea and said this place was the best.  It was my first experience with Bi Bim Bop, which was incredible although I had no idea what we actually ordered.

On Wednesday night the Portland Timbers were playing.  Since I am a soccer fan and I have heard that Timber fans are the best I decided to go to the game.  The Timbers were in a fierce battle for the last spot in the playoffs and needed the win.  I walked to the game and found a bar nearby that had a deal going and decided to have a pint and slice of pizza because I was still early.  I approached a guy trying to sell an extra ticket to a scalper and was able to buy it from him direct.  I then purchased a Timbers T-Shirt because I didn't want to look like a tourist.  The game was a good one with the Timbers holding on to a 2-1 victory.  The fans were as good as advertised as they sang, cheered, danced, waved flags and did all sorts of soccer fan type things you only imagine to see in Europe.

Portland Timbers Game

On Thursday, I worked a half day and then left early because the rest of my Hood to Coast relay team had arrived.  We ventured around Portland for a few minutes before heading to our hotel out by the airport.  We checked in and met with the rest of our Office Max teams and made a quick trip to Target to fill up on supplies: food, drinks, socks, etc. We then took the train back downtown to Deschuttes Brewery in the Pearl District to have dinner and beers.

The Start Line for Hood to Coast

The next morning our team got to sleep in as our start time wasn't until the afternoon.  We made our way up to the top of Mt Hood for the start of the race.  The next 24 hours were a blur of smelly car rides, port-o-potties, trail mix, gatorade, short naps in the back of the van, traffic, and a few runs to top it off.  We did get a quick break back at our original hotel near the Portland airport which allowed us to shower and rest our heads for about 15 minutes before we had to jump back into the race.  My first run was on the East side of Portland right around dusk and my second run was by far my favorite.  It was a completely dark, hilly, foresty run through the middle of nowhere Western Oregon at 2 a.m.  I always love the midnight runs, the serenity of the middle of the night, the excitement with being in a new place, the adrenaline of a race; it all gives me energy and even if it is my toughest leg of the race, I will churn through my quickest miles.

My last run started a little early because I had to jump out of the van before my start line because the traffic was so bad.  I was able to get through my last few miles albeit, slowly.  I was glad to be done early in the morning around 10 because the sun was starting to warm up and it was going to be a hot day.  Our van was pulling together like a team and cranking our some good miles for the last leg and when one of our runners was cramping up and couldn't move forward, we all split the remaining few miles he had to cover to make it to the end.  We finally reached the coast at Seaside, Oregon where the party began.

The Finish Line, Seaside, Oregon

All 12 of us hobbled by sore legs enjoyed some live music, multiple beers, and some food as we sat on the beach.  Some of us braved the icy waters of the Pacific to cool off our aching legs.  We unfortunately had to drive back to Portland late that afternoon and with most of napping made it back in time to shower and have a dinner near the hotel at Buffalo Wild Wings.  The next morning we all staggered over to IHOP for breakfast and sat around there as people left to catch their flights.

Mount Hood from the Sky

RoadTrip: The Grand Tetons

Mountains, oh glorious mountains.  We have obviously seen our fair share of mountains for the past 4 weeks but in my head we were building up to the grandest of them all.  Growing up, my family took many a roadtrip out to Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons, probably 5 or 6 trips between the age of 10 and 21.  But that means I hadn't been back out to maybe my favorite place in the world (so far) in almost 5 years.

We were planning on waking up early so we could secure a camping spot at Jenny Lake, which all the websites said fill up in the summer quite early.  Well we had had a long day yesterday and were completely fine sleeping in and staying at the Jackson Hole Campground an extra night.  Also, Megan conveniently set the alarm for P.M.  No complaints from either one of us.



String Lake

We took hot showers to warm our toes back up and drove a couple miles towards Grand Teton National Park.  We stopped off at the Visitor Center and talked with a ranger about possible trails to hike.  We decided on the Bear Paw trail as we would hike along Leigh Lake and String Lake which have incredible views of the Tetons.  There was hardly anyone around which was wonderful to feel the peacefulness of the wild.  I had been to String Lake and Leigh Lake before but the views are top notch and the mountains feel as if they are towering over you and reflecting below you on the cold, calm, blue lake water.



Leigh Lake



Grand Teton National Park

Mountain Reflections



Cool View Through the Trees



Grand Teton Poking Through the Trees



We hiked back and with stomachs' growling ate some tuna sandwiches and Spicy Doritos at the Jenny Lake visitors area.  We decided to rent a kayak to see Jenny Lake and the Tetons from the water.  We had to wait a few minutes before a kayak or canoe was available but we decided that we were going to do a horseback trip at Togwotee, the resort where we were staying the next night.  We were out on the water in our kayak for only an hour but had a great time paddling over to the far shore.  We also commented how amazing our trip was and that it was pretty neat that we had been floating through Yosemite just 48 hours earlier.

Kayaking on Jenny Lake



Even the Views Looking Away from the Mountains is Beautiful



Every Picture of Grand Teton is Amazing



The Most Mountainy Mountain I have Ever Seen

We found our way back to town without a plan for the rest of the afternoon or evening.  We wandered around a few shops to buy some souvenirs.  Megan found a cowboy hat and I found a sweet picture of Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) with the saying "I'll be your huckleberry."  We also snagged a prime seat on the second story deck at Town Square Tavern and people watched as we enjoyed a cold beer.  We also watched the wagon take little kids on rides around the square and Megan commented that if the roads were made of dirt it would be even cooler.

As we walked out of the tavern Megan noticed the Old Time Photographer and dragged me in.  We found some amazing outfits and had our picture taken as Westerners.  There was a family that came in after us and the little boy upon seeing Megan said, "Mom, she looks like a princess."  Megan said that her trip was complete and she didn't think she'd ever be happier.

After our short stint as old time characters, we found Mountain High Pizza which we split a pizza and a pitcher of beer while sitting out on the deck.  We went back to our camp and had a fire to stay warm as we played cards while the sun went down.  I kicked Megan's butt in Gin or Rummy or Gin Rummy or whatever and she got mad at how I was playing but then we played another game and she kicked my butt.

We woke the next morning feeling warmer than the previous night after sleeping in wool socks, pants, long sleeves, and all of our blankets.  We left camp early at 7:15 as we had to be at Togwotee by 8:30 for our horseback trip.

Grand Teton National Park is the Best

Togwotee is a 'resort' in the middle of nowhere Wyoming.  It is 35 miles from Jackson Hole and is directly East of Grand Teton.  My family would always stay here when we came to the area and I have many memories of spending time with my sisters and parents in one of the cabins out in the back of the property.  There is a restaurant, a bar, a gas station with a convenience store, and a front porch that is great for sitting and watch all the crazy people that come passing by.  Growing up, we always stayed in a cabin but they were all booked up for us so we had to settle for a room in the lodge.

We ended up having a private horseback tour as the other groups during our tour were split pretty evenly.  Megan was riding the donkey named Carl and I was on a horse named Dewey.  Our guide was a little off but we enjoyed our ride around the forest and got some great views of the Tetons spread across the wide open "flat" land that separates the mountains from Togwotee.



Our Horseback View



Megan Wearing Her New Purchase

We returned back to the lodge and found that our room would be ready in a few minutes so we decided to wait around the lodge so we could shower.  We checked out the bar but didn't like the lunch selection so we snacked on some chips while we sat in the Adirondack chairs on the front porch.  After cleaning the horse smell off of ourselves, we decided to go to Brooks Lake to go on an afternoon hike.

Brooks Lake Trail



Snow at Jade Lake

We hiked up to Jade Lake but the snow was just starting to melt and the trail was really wet so we didn't complete the hike.  It was a great day to be outside plus since we were in the middle of nowhere there was nobody around.  Brooks Lake is a cool place to be when nobody else is there because the the valley is really wide open and you can see for miles across the lake.  As we were returning to our car we heard a giant crash and snapped our heads around to see a big cloud of rubble from where a piece of the cliff had broken away.  I wonder if it would have made the same noise had we not been there to hear it ...

Brooks Lake

After the "short cut" of my way back out to the main road, we both felt lucky to be alive and decided a hot tub session was in order.  With our muscles feeling relaxed after a rough day of horseback riding and hiking we showered and found our way to the restaurant.  We had a filling meal of salads, pasta and a burger to go along with a pitcher of beer.  We bought a few souvenirs from the gift shop before sitting down on the front porch again to finish our beers.  We were getting eaten by some bugs so we moved inside to look at some magazines of what to do in Yellowstone.  I asked the front desk lady what she thought and we got to talking about how we wanted a cabin.  Well it was our lucky day because someone had just cancelled and she gave it to us. We high-fived and packed up our stuff from our stupid lodge room and drove down to our spacious cabin!

Excited About Our Cabin

We were pumped now that Megan got to experience Togwotee as I had hoped she would, just like my family has done many times in the past.  We listened to some music and played some cards on the little front porch as we drank some beers.  We also got to witness a spectacular display of a sunset over the Grand Tetons which was just another perk of being in the cabins versus staying in the lodge.

Dusk Over the Tetons from Togwotee

We were in no hurry the next morning and wanted to enjoy our cabin for as long as possible so we lounged around in bed, watching TV and reading before showering and packing up the car.  We were driving the short distance to Yellowstone where we luckily had a campsite reserved.  Before we reached Yellowstone we stopped off at Jackson Lake Lodge which has a ridiculous view of Mount Moran, one of the Grand Tetons and we took a bunch of pictures of the Grand Tetons as we were driving straight at them before turning and heading towards Yellowstone.



Looking Across Jackson Lake



From Jackson Lake Lodge



RoadTrip Day 3: Mountains!

We finally get to play in the mountains!


We slept in today, Thursday, as we had had a few beers the night before.  The days are already starting not to matter, Monday, Saturday, Wednesday, Friday, they were all the same.  It was going to be a great feeling not having to dread Mondays.

Boulder Mountain Park

The weather had passed through while we slept and the sky was bright blue and the sun already high as we showered and packed the car.  The Rodeway Inn Boulder had a decent breakfast, some cereal, fruit, pastries, and juices.  We filled up on that and took a little something extra for a snack that we might want on a hike later in the day.

Over breakfast we discussed possible activities for the day and decided on doing a hike in Boulder Mountain Park.  We also had read about Boulder Falls, possibly going to Estes Park or trying to get a tour at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins.  But Boulder Mountain Park is close to town and we could do some light hiking as we got acclimated to being at 6000 feet.  We drove over to the park and found the office because we needed to find a map of some trails.  We had read that the Royal Arch was a pretty decent hike and you can make it a big loop trail instead of an out and back.  The guide in the office agreed and if we went to the Flatirons first you could hike along the base of the giant rocks as you approached the Royal Arch.

The Flatirons

Boulder Mountain Park is an awesome city park with a lot of locals using the trails.  There were a few people running, a couple others taking their dogs for walks, and some more just heading out for a leisurely hike on a beautiful day.  We made our way up to Royal Arch, which was more strenuous than we had expected.  Luckily, I am super annoying when it comes to elevation and staying hydrated, so we had packed enough water to refill Lake Superior if we needed to.  We took lots of water breaks and there were many times when we stopped to rest because the scenery was so pristine that it deserved a picture.

When we arrived at our turnaround spot, the Royal Arch, there were a couple other groups enjoying the views created by the large natural arch.  We were happy to follow along and find a spot to relax and take in nature.  We snacked on a few granola bars and fruit snacks as chipmunks played around us hoping to get a snack for themselves.  All the signs said "Do Not Feed Animals" but a few people were happy to feed the little guys whatever they had with them.

I tried as hard as I could without hurting myself to get on top of the arch.  It is what I do in situations like this when anyone can get to a spot on a trail, I want to find a way to get to the place that others can't reach.  This time I was stuck looking through the arch, instead of looking down from the top.

Looking Through the Royal Arch

We made our way back to the car taking a different much less scenic route and thoroughly enjoyed the downhills as our quads had received a pretty good workout on the way up.  We were starting to get hungry but wanted to go check out Boulder Falls which was just going to be short detour before having lunch.

The Falls are a few miles outside of town and only a few steps off of the road so the trip to them only took 30 minutes roundtrip.  But this little guy got us started for some much bigger falls that we were expecting to see later on the trip, like the ones in Yosemite and Yellowstone

The parking situation at the falls is not ideal leaving you to cross the 1 lane state road with cars going pretty fast up and down hills and around curves.  There were a lot more cars parked than what we saw walking around the falls so there might have been other stuff to see in the area but we were hungry and I get cranky when I'm hungry, so we headed back towards town to find a place to grab a late lunch.

In town, we decided that a filling Italian meal would suit us best after hiking and walking a fair amount to start the day.  We found a place that had some outdoor seating in the sun, which felt great as the air was a touch cool.  We split a salad and then both got an entree which was a lot of food but as we were coming to the conclusion that we ordered too much food we also figured that we could keep a box of leftovers in the cooler and could snack up on the remains for dinner.  We also decided that even though we couldn't get a reservation for a tour at New Belgium Brewery that we should still go up to Fort Collins to check out that town and we could still stop by New Belgium if only just to get a souvenir.

As we started driving the 45 miles or so up to Fort Collins, we used the All Stays App on my phone to find the campsite at Horsetooth Reservoir just outside of town.  We took some back roads to get up to Horsetooth and made it by late afternoon.  We had our pick of campsites and choose one off by itself with a beautiful overlook of the Reservoir. It was a great place to relax and we both tried to take a little nap and read some of our books.  We needed to get some supplies, like firewood and ice so we left our site and headed towards town.

Dusk at Horsetooth Reservoir

We got our essentials at the gas station on the way in to Fort Collins but decided that we wanted to check out the main drag in town.  As we were driving, we spotted a mini golf place and I love a game of Putt Putt so we stopped.  After a demolition of Megan during the first 18 holes, we decided that a bet was in order.  I beat her by 8 strokes so I would give her an 8 stroke lead to start the second round of 18 holes.  I knew I was in trouble as Megan started making putts off the bricks, with her eyes closed, and I think one time she tripped as she was approaching her ball and it went in.  She also drained two hole-in-ones that easily propelled her to victory even without the 8 stroke handicap that I had given.

Pizza Cowboy Style

After my poor performance on the golf course, I was not going to have any more fun in this town so we went back to our campsite to have a little late night dinner.  We got the fire going and after reading some more I cooked up the leftovers from lunch and the remaining pieces of pizza.  I dubbed this meal Pizza Cowboy Style.
After filling our bellies with hot leftovers and enjoying the fire a bit longer we turned in to have a peaceful night under the stars.