From Portland, Oregon with Love

After Seattle we took our talents to Portland, Oregon. The drive from Seattle to Portland is just amazing and beautiful, the scenery is breathtaking. If you don’t get to drive this, please think about taking a train ride and taking in all the amazing awesomeness of the Oregon Coastline. Driving from Seattle to Portland is right under three hours long and Portland has a lot! From the Columbia River to the mountains and clean air, just relax and ride! It’s so peaceful!

Although Portland is fun and the folk are friendly it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t tell you how weird it was. Portland is weird and eclectic and there is a mass amount of unhoused people and the graffiti there is overwhelming. Downtown Portland is experiencing some serious political unrest And although Portland’s black and brown population is under three percent, the liberal movement of racial Injustice, BLM and LGBTQIA rights are heavily present.

Brandon and I have never been to Portland or Oregon before so this was a new experience. For this to be such a beautiful part of the country downtown was trashed, many buildings were vandalized and trash was everywhere. We got to Portland around 7:00pm and checked into our hotel which was in the Pearl District. It’s a gentrified area much like NODA in Charlotte, NC, located near a rail yard, around former warehouses it had now become an expensive upscale neighborhood with breweries, local art displayed and folks who came for a new beginning. I heard over and over that the old Portland no longer existed. I will tell you what is alive and well in Portland. Powell’s Bookstore! Known for being one of the biggest books stores ever it was absolutely everything I needed. I had a novel overdose and my husband let me go crazy in what is probably my top five favorite places of all time. I enjoyed it there. Not only did they have books, postcards, magnets, t-shirts, bags, coffee mugs and more. This bookstore took up a whole entire block. I went to the poetry section and mystery section and science fiction section to do the ultimate book dive. Back home in Charlotte, NC I have a small bookstore and I just wanted to add to the books there. I wanted to return from my travels with some of the best titles for my customers. The staff was helpful, the books were plentiful and although some the items were unreasonably priced, I was able to almost complete my Octavia Butler collection! Still missing two! There were just floors and rows of books. There was even a room with a curtain..and they wouldn’t let me back there due to some routine cleaning schedule.

After Powell’s bookstore excursion and a whole lot of money later, we decided to walk the block and find some good eats. We found a cute little place called “Gypsy” and ordered some food. we were so grateful to get to a destination That didn’t require vaccinations in order to dine in. Being on your honeymoon and not able to sit and have dinner with your new spouse is so aggy! (Please research local rules in relation to vaccinations before traveling) In Portland we were able to have dinner the evening before and breakfast. It was refreshing and my favorite part of our trips sitting and talking over a hearty plate of food! Oregon is also a big brewery state so we were able to try some good beers and the whole west coast is all about coffee. Now thank GOD for the Tillamook cheese, they have it at all the good spots and I love Tillamook! It was some good eating here!

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After some good eating. We prepared to go to our next destination, we road the Oregon coastline, stopped at the waterfall, the valley gorge, the Bridge of Gods and it was an amazing scenery all around! Oregon is beautiful! Oregon has a lot of Native American history and it’s nippy and damp but I really enjoyed.

We went to Multnomah Waterfalls. It’s Oregon’s tallest waterfall and it cascades down sheer cliffs, through the most beautiful greenery. It’s damp there so be careful walking up the trails. You can walk up to the bridge and stand! I looked down! It’s located on the creek of Multnomah and the Columbia River Gorge which is just an amazing sight. As you ride through you will see the river and all its glory, it’s huge feels real ocean like, the train also follows the river and I know that’s beautiful! The ride is probably the most peaceful ever. Not far from the falls is the valley gorge and less than 20 minutes away is The Bridge of gods.

The Bridge of gods is a toll bridge that literally separates Washington and Oregon. It just another jaw dropping adventure, the beautiful Columbia river again and a magnificent view of mountains and every greens and birds and people fishing and even though it’s chilly. It’s okay because this is truly just Good space, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed looking so much. Native American legend speaks of the creation and destruction of the natural bridge that was there prior to them building the Bridge of gods. Scientist say the natural bridge was created by a land slide and that created the inland sea, NatI’ve Americans said they asked their Gods for the bridge and it was so.

We also were able to see Mt St Helen in Skamania County in the Pacific Northwest. It is an active volcáno that last erupted between 2004-2008. It biggest eruption was in 1980 and killed 57 people. I remember watching that movie with my Mom. It felt weird to see it.

Here are some pics we took of our outdoor adventures in upper Washington and Oregon. We were hoping to stop by Canada but that wasn’t happening this trip!

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Traveling with my husband has been one of the greatest things ever. We plan to travel the world together and see many places. I was so excited to knock so many things off our bucket list! We had an amazing time through Washington and Oregon. Beautiful country. Don’t forget research your travel, check local guidelines, be safe and make sure you are connected to the right resources. Buy a map, you can’t always count on GPS in places deep like this in the mountains, phones don’t always work! We experienced, rain, sleet and snow, mountains, hills and valleys! Be prepared for all kinds of weather!

Stay tuned for our next destination!

-Tah