Having a free weekend and some vacation to burn before a big project push, I took the opportunity to travel up to Portland, Oregon, for a long weekend. I love this town, especially when the weather was as good as it was! Having spent a good 4-5 years up in Seattle for university, I miss the Pacific Northwest. Portland has an incredible buzz (usually caffein induced), culture and beauty.
Last year I took the big Mt. Hood drive and ran into the Full Sail Brewery in Hood River. On my return trip this year, I was eager to search out more breweries and take in even more of this great area. My weekend was not organized one bit, other than a quick overnight stay down with my friend Mike in Salem. We drank some great local brews and ate some killer pizza and it was great to catch up with Mike. The rest of the weekend was spent cruising around: St. Johns, Pearl, Laurelhurst, Hollywood, Mt. Tabor, Hawthorne, Sellwood, and Lake Oswego. The weather was incredible all weekend and EVERYONE was out on a bike or chillin' by the Willamette River.
Let's see, I was able to hit 4 new breweries this time: Rogue, Bridgeport, Laurelwood, and Lucky Lab. Not bad for a few days. It's easy to hit them too. Portland has such a small town vibe and incredible mass transit system that one does not need to be careful driving. Just jot down a few bus numbers and hit it. I also spent a few hours exploring around Forest Park, a huge preserve right outside downtown Portland. Tons of trails and trees. I also spent one morning at the Saturday morning Farmers Market and an afternoon at the other market where street performers are playing and artsy folks and selling their inventions.
The Saturday morning farmers market was incredible. Fresh produce, bakery items and street performers made this a must. Folks here seem to roll in either on their bikes or on the MAX train to pick up there weekly produce needs. Grab a cup of coffee and it's easy to slip several hours here.
These guys were awesome. I gotta have more washboard! Their pup reminded me of that dog in "Men In Black."
Just a wee sample of the types of crafts at the market. Ingenious!
You know you're visiting a town with plenty of water when their water fountains run continuously! You would be fined beyond belief for this in Cali! These "bubblers," as they're known, are actually very refreshing and are located all over greater Portland.
A quick glimpse of Portland and the Willamette River.
The Rogue Brewery 200 meter IPA was my favorite. I hit this brewery twice while exploring downtown Portland.
Driving back from Forest Park I noticed this sign. I call it the urban rut. Watch out for the trolley tracks!
