Lazy Blogger

Yeah, I totally spaced out on my blogging duties for the past few days. It certainly wasn't because I lacked material. We were incredibly busy this weekend (in a good way). This activity was due in part to the fact that I couldn't think of enough excuses to get me out of cleaning the apartment, and also, it was a holiday weekend with an abundance of beautiful weather.

Saturday morning I was feeling antsy and having a hard time figuring out what to do. Jesse suggested a bike ride, which at first sounded horrible, but once I was out in the cool breeze I couldn't get enough. Our initial destination was a bakery on Division Street, but about a mile into the ride, I decided that I wanted to make an afternoon of our excursion. We never made it to that Division Street bakery, but found something just as good -- if not better. The bike route headed down to Sellwood and by the time we arrived, I was ready for lunch. So, we stopped at the Grand Central Bakery for snacks. With two sack lunches in hand, Jesse and I made our way to the waterfront park and splayed out in the grass. It was great. My chicken salad sandwich (with fresh tarragon and asparagus) was outstanding. Jesse's turkey, cheese, and sweet chutney sandwich was also top-notch. Feeling refreshed and re-energized, we turned back for home with a slight detour in the Clinton/Division neighborhood. On the way, we met up (fortuitously) with our friends Anna and Brian (and their son) on an afternoon stroll. After walking them to their car, we continued with our bike ride to 62nd Avenue. In case you're wondering, our round trip ride on Saturday clocked in right around 21 miles. It was tiring, but surprisingly, I was not very sore.

Sunday was all about cleaning. I don't want to talk about it anymore. However, the apartment looks really spiffy and ready for the oncoming wave of guests in June.

As a treat for cleaning all day on Sunday, I decided that we needed a special outing on Monday. We decided to take a loop around Mount Hood (about 160 miles round trip). It was mostly a drive to see what's out there, since we've never really been any further east than 122nd Avenue in Portland. Our trip yesterday was stunning and surprising. Surprises? Well, people were skiing. Skiing in May? Absurd! Mount Hood is incredible, however, I learned that I probably will never feel comfortable driving there before the end of May.

These two photos were taken near the top of Mt. Hood at Timberline Lodge. The lodge was built by hand by WPA workers between 1936-37 and is a National Historic Landmark. Look familiar? The exterior was also used to film the movie, The Shining. I really enjoyed walking around and ogling the interior spaces outfitted with timbers, giant iron gates, and hand made furniture and textiles (also planned and executed by WPA workers). I know I'm a giant dork, but the huge snow piles still make me gasp. OMG! The snow is still up to the roof in May. Unbelievable.

After Timberline Lodge, we continued around the west side of Mt. Hood and made our way back home. We stopped off to cross the Bridge of the Gods into Washington and checked out a potential destination, the Walking Man Brewery. There doesn't seem to be much to do in Stevenson, WA other than walk around the 4-block downtown and sip some brews next to the Columbia River. That's ok though, the Bonneville Dam (also a National Historic Landmark) is just down the road and a totally awesome way to spend the afternoon. Two NHL's in a day? My total geek fantasy trip.

Wow, I totally sound like a lame travel website, but really, the Bonneville Dam might have been the highlight of my whole day. I was almost giddy at the raw power harnessed by the Columbia River, not to mention the underground viewing area to watch live salmon swim upstream on the engineered fish ladder. Seriously, I saw fish that were at least 2-feet long and nearly flipped my shit (along with the surrounding 5-year-olds) when a gigantic steelhead whisked into the viewing area. It was amazing and I can't wait to go back when the salmon are spawning. I might have to take a sedative before I get there though, so I won't jump up and down and scream at the sight.

On our way home we decided to take one more detour (which proved to be our undoing). The sandwiches ran out at the dam, but I couldn't resist the prospect of experiencing one of the most spectacular vantage points in all of the Portland area at Larch Mountain. Unfortunately, the access road to the picnic area was closed at the 10-mile-marker due to snow. SNOW! We would have had to hike four miles (up hill both ways heh) in snow in order to see five of the most outstanding peaks in the cascades including, Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, and on a clear day (it was spectacularly clear) Mt. Rainier. I guess that will just have to wait until next time.

We hopped back in the car and headed home totally exhausted. It was an awesome trip and I can't wait to explore the area further when we have guests in town. I've already reserved a couple of books on the Oregon Trail at the library so we can scout out a few of the existing portions of the trails left in the area. I can't wait to trade Jesse for a buffalo hide to survive the long, cold Oregon winter.