Wednesday, July 8, 1998 (continued)
Now we followed Old Route 30 through Hood River, joined OR-35 south and then detoured to Panorama Point. Had a sweeping view of the Hood River valley full of apple and winter pear orchards, and of Mount Hood, startling clear in a blue sky! Wow!
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View of Mount Hood from Panorama Point
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Hood River Valley fruit orchards
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Winter plums
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Back to OR-35 and stopped for gas ($9.90 on Discover in Pine Grove) and at a fruit stand ($5 cash). We could see snow-capped Mount Adams behind us. Played peek-a-boo with Mount Hood as we drove closer. Mount Hood is a snow-capped dormant volcano at 11,240 feet in elevation, the highest point in the state of Oregon.
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Approaching Mount Hood (PBB)
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Approaching Mount Hood (PBB)
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We turned west on US-26, and soon arrived at Timberline Lodge’s six-mile switch-backed driveway, driving up to the timberline! Now we could see Mount Jefferson, another snow-capped mountain to the south.
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Mount Jefferson from Timberline Lodge
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Timberline Lodge
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Timberline Lodge
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Timberline Lodge detail
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Timberline Lodge was a huge stone and wood building constructed by the WPA in 1936-1938 and dedicated by Franklin D Roosevelt. Several movies were filmed here, including “Bend in the River,” “All the Young Men,” and the exterior for “The Shining.” We checked in and went to our small but comfortable room. Lots of carved wood and rustic stone. Frank Lloyd Wright-like Prairie School style rustic wooden furniture. And big wrought-iron fixtures. But there was a TV in the room. Had a tiny bathroom with a shower stall, sink, and toilet. It had wooden blinds. We have a great view of Mount Jefferson.
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Handmade textiles in our Timberline Lodge room
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| Timberline Lodge door |
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Hand-wrought lamp in room
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Explored the lodge with its outdoor pool, sauna, a balcony over the main lobby with a huge central fireplace, and even study carrels! Big windows! There was a dining room, a couple bars, an auditorium. It seems they were building an addition, and the museum displays were out of place. We liked the Gentian Bedroom model. There was iron hardware on the doors.
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Hand-wrought lamp in lobby
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Fireplace in lobby
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We then went outside and climbed in Alpine tundra with a few tiny wildflowers. Walked past banks of snow, and yet we were plenty warm enough! Mount Hood towered over us.
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| Spermophilus lateralis/Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel |
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| Brynne in snow in July! |
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Brynne and Mount Hood
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| Phlox austromontana/Mountain Phlox |
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Brynne & Kent on the terrace
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Returned to the room to relax and shower before dinner. Went to the mezzanine to sit and play cards, and get a drink ($7.20 on discover). Ale for Kent, hot cocoa for Brynne and me. Our dinner reservation was at 19:15. Taken to a window table. This time the children’s menu had Crispy Fried Chicken, with sautéed vegetables! And waffle fries and a chocolate chip cookie, which we all shared for dessert. Kent and I shared the Plank Salmon (with roasted new potatoes, sautéed veggies, and kimchi) and grain-and-bean cakes with roasted veggies and rice pilaf. Salad came first with Oregon greens, craisins, and Tillamook cheddar cheese. Then a sorbet of lemon, thyme and pistachio. After our entrees, we were more than full. Kent had two more ales, and Brynne had Slice with a maraschino cherry in it. We were given a local raspberry dessert wine at the end of the meal ($67.65 on Discover). Took a walk outside where there was a full moon. Back to the room, and Kent and Brynne fell asleep by 21:30.
Thursday, July 9, 1998
Mount Hood, OR to Portland, OR
Woke up at 7:15 to the clop, clop, clop of ski boots walking by. It seemed hundreds of people were heading up the mountain to ski or snowboard. We went to check out the Day Lodge, the gift shop, and places to eat. Decided to have breakfast back at the Cascade Dining Room. Got to see Bruno, the resident St Bernard dog of Timberline.
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Bruno, the resident St Bernard dog
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The sky was fairly clear, and it was sunny and warm. Brynne had scrambled eggs, six slices of bacon, and new potatoes sautéed with white onions, with rye toast. I had three thick apple oatmeal pancakes with syrup, whipped cream, hazelnut praline butter, and walnuts. Kent had 10-grain hot cereal with milk, dried cranberries and brown sugar. Breakfast was enjoyed by all ($28.15 on Discover).
After we checked out ($137.80 on Discover, $2 cash for postcards) we went to see the ski lift and skiers.
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Mount Hood Ski Lift
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There really are skiers on Mount Hood!
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| Perhaps Lupinus oreganus/Kincaid's Lupines |
Then we drove down the winding driveway and took US-26 west back toward Portland. In Sandy, we went to the Jonsrud Viewpoint to look back up the Sandy River valley at Mount Hood. This was another orchard valley. We found a restroom but did not find the marionberry jam at a Safeway. Drove into Portland to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), where our Jacksonville MOSH membership got us free admission, plus tickets to the laser show in the planetarium. Went through the health exhibits with lots of hands-on and computer activities. Then earth phenomena (tornadoes, earthquakes). Saw Part II of the special Missing Links Alive exhibit about early man. Downstairs to the first part. We attended the 14:00 laser show done to Motown music. Went to the physical science exhibits. (25 cents for a postcard.)
After we left the science museum, we intended to head to the airport, but missed getting on I-84. So we headed up I-5 to Peninsula Park, to see one of the largest sunken rose gardens in America, landscaped in Elizabethan style with floribunda and tea roses. Still very much in bloom.
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| Peninsula Park Sunken Rose Garden |
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Peninsular Park Blueberries
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Drove along Killingsworth back towards the airport, and back to the Marriott Courtyard and checked in for another two nights. Today you could see Mount Hood from Portland. Now we drove along Sandy Boulevard to Burnside, across the Willamette River and up 23rd Street to Flanders. We were a bit early to meet Doug M at Sammy’s, but went ahead and got a table inside. Doug was late for 18:30, but he had been on the road. They had good Caesar salads and pasta dishes. Brynne had fettuccine with creamy garlic sauce, I had spaghetti with pesto clam sauce, and Kent had chicken and prosciutto with angel hair pasta. We could not finish even half our pasta dishes. There was also very good parmesan garlic bread. Paid $87.50 on Discover. We walked the few blocks to see Doug M’s attic condo, very nice and spacious. Said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel via 23rd Street to Lovejoy, the Broadway Bridge, to I-5 then I-84, I-205 to East Airport Way. The clouds and Mount Hood were turning pink. Trying to get to bed earlier, tonight at 22:30.
Friday, July 10, 1998
Portland, OR
Up at 7:30. Nine and a half hours of sleep? Went to the Courtyard Café for breakfast of cereal and bagels, pretty light ($17 on Discover). Started to re-pack. About 9:30 we left to drive downtown to the southwest corner of Portland.
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Portland's MAX Light Rail
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Found our way to Powell’s Bookstore at 1005 Burnside, the largest independently-owned bookstore in the country. Supposedly you can find any book you could possibly want, both used and new. The place has its own map. We bought Brynne a few used books ($3 cash), because she has already read all the books she brought. We thought to go on a brewery tour, but no tours at this time. Parked in a garage near Pioneer Courthouse Square and walked to Finnegan’s, an upscale toy store. Bought something ($15 cash) in order to get the parking ticket validated. The Square was created in 1983 when a parking garage was leveled, and it is now terraced down to the lower level. Known as the “living room of Portland,” it was a people-watching spot. Today it was busy with busy workers shoveling sand into boxes and stamping it down. They are getting ready for a sand sculpture contest.
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Pioneer Courthouse Square: Allow Me or
Umbrella Man (1983, by John Seward Johnson III) |
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SW Yamhill St btwn 5th and 6th Aves:
Animals in Pools (1986, by Georgia Gerber) |
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SW Yamhill St btwn 5th and 6th Aves: Animals in Pools
(1986, by Georgia Gerber) |
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Parking Garage at SW Morrison St and 3rd Ave:
Upstream Downtown (1992, by Gary Hirsch) |
Portland, nicknamed the “City of Roses,” was a stopping point for the Chinook on their trading route. Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove built a city on this site in 1844, calling it “Stumptown” for the tree stumps scattered on the site. Renamed in 1845 by the flip of a coin as each of the men wanted to name it after his hometown (Lovejoy was from Boston and Pettygrove was from Portland, ME). It is the third largest freshwater port on the Pacific Coast. Parks were planned as part of the city. We walked down to 1st Avenue and then north to SW Ankeny St to see Skidmore Fountain at the “entrance” to the Old Town.
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New Market Theater (1872), was a theater and public market
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Kent & Brynne at the Skidmore Fountain
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Henry Weinhard had offered to let beer flow in the fountain. We then walked to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park where the city bulldozed a four-lane highway along the west bank of the Willamette River, transforming it into a park.
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Bridges over the Willamette River
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There were a lot of joggers, and bronze drinking fountains donated by Simon Benson.
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Benson Bubblers (1912) are bronze drinking
fountains donated by Simon Benson,
a local lumber businessman |
It started to sprinkle rain as we walked along. Passed the Salmon Street Springs Fountain, the type for kids to run through.
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Salmon Street Springs Fountain (1988)
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We meandered over to the front of the Civic Auditorium at SW Clay Street and 3rd Avenue. The Ira Keller Fountain is one square block of waterfalls, pools, trees and grass. Every minute 13,000 gallons of water flows through. The fountain was designed by Lawrence Halprin.
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Ira Keller Fountain (1970)
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We continued up 4th Avenue around City Hall, and past the Portland Building, a city government building. Went in Niketown (1990), another store needing its own map.
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| Inside Niketown |
Headed uphill to look upon the South Park Blocks, a strip of green planted by the townspeople in 1852. Returned to the parking garage ($1.45 cash), keeping an eye out for a German restaurant. Ended up driving along Burnside to Sandy Boulevard to find the restaurant we had seen yesterday, the Rhinelander. We ate in the Gustav’s Bierstube section. Kent had Mother Myer’s Sampler with Wurst, Jägerschnitzel, rotisserie pork, Sauerbraten, pickled cabbage, mashed potatoes, and a potato pancake! And a couple beers. Brynne had chicken schnitzel with mashed potatoes and pickled cabbage, and I had the Jägerschnitzel; our big meal for the day. Left $40 cash.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Grotto (National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother), a 62-acre religious sanctuary and botanical garden. Built in 1924 by a Servite friar who had successfully prayed for his mother’s recovery at childbirth. Maintained by the Servite friars and nuns as a place of reflection for all faiths. The grotto is hewn from a 10-story or 110-foot basalt cliff, making it an outdoor church.
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The Grotto
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| The Grotto |
Paid $2 each for tokens to take the elevator up to the gardens and a chapel overlooking the airport with the Columbia River in the distance. There was a hazy view of Mount St Helens, a bit flat-topped. The gardens were simple with a stream, reflecting pond, very tall evergreens, the friary, and sculptures.
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Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel (1991)
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Brynne & Kent in the Meditation Chapel
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View from the Meditation Chapel, but cannot see Mount St Helens here
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| Servite Monastery |
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Hydrangea macrophylla cultivar
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| Statue of Mary above the Grotto |
Back at the hotel, Kent left to get gas ($8.75 on Discover) for the car and return it to Avis at the airport ($290.75 on SunTrust for rental). He took the hotel shuttle back to the Marriott Courtyard. Later he walked to McDonald’s for McFlurries for a snack ($3.78 cash) at 18:00 (21:00 Jacksonville time!). Went to bed about 21:30-22:00.
Saturday, July 11, 1998
Portland, OR to Jacksonville, FL
Awakened at 4:30 (7:30 Jacksonville time), dressed and caught the 5:00 hotel shuttle ($9 cash for all shuttle tips) to the airport. Got bagels and muffins, juice and coffee for breakfast at Panache ($8 cash). Then to the gate to check in. Suddenly we were boarding as we were scheduled to leave at 6:12. On the plane we had breakfast choices of raisin bran cereal, or a banana and muffin, or French toast with syrup, cantaloupe and yogurt. Arrived at DFW about noon. Went to the Admiral’s Club for restrooms and pretzels. Learned our 12:47 flight was delayed until 13:28, and was moved to a closer gate. Returned to the Admiral’s Club to wait. When we went to board the plane, we were to pick up a bag lunch as we went down the jetway. A turkey and cheese sandwich with mustard, tortilla chips, dried fruit, cookies, and a water.
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View from airplane: barely-seen mountain slightly left on the
horizon is Mount Rainier, center on the horizon is Mount Adams,
and center front is Mount Hood |
Arrived in Jacksonville about a half hour later than the scheduled 16:16. Took the shuttle to Ace Parking to pick up the car ($29.64 cash). You could smell smoke when we landed, and we drove home in the hazy smoke of wildfires. But it was still sunny and hot! Picked up Sparkle ($71 on Discover for boarding) before going to the house. Good to be back home!
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