Climbing Mount Hood

Mt. Hood

My boss has a place at Mount Hood and was extremely generous and offered to let us stay there a night while my family was in town. I spent my last day with my parents and sister traveling to the mountain and then conquering it. After we checked into the condo, we went up to Timberline Lodge and had lunch then explored the historic lodge.

The lodge was built in 1935 as part of Roosevelt's New Deal Works Progress Administration. It was primarily built by hand using materials from the area. It's a nice change to see the actual wood and stone used to construct the building almost 100 years ago. The craftsmanship was top notch and I loved the wood carvings. It's primarily used as a ski lodge but there isn't any skiing in October, when the snow hasn't fallen yet.

The picture doesn't do the details justice.

The newel posts on each floor were a different animal.

1930's craftsmanship.

Our parents went up to the Rams Head bar while my sister and I went outside to explore and climb the mountain. The facade was used for the Shining and it took me a second but at the right angle, I definitely saw flashbacks to the movie.

 

We found ourselves on the Pacific Crest Trail!

 

I have no idea why the rock looked like this but I
was fascinated.

Pacific Crest Trail marker.

Little sister checking out
the foliage.

Rams Head bar shot glass

It was pretty chilly out and we decided to head back to the condo to rest up before our early morning. The airport was about an hour away and my parents had an early morning flight. My sister spent most of the evening in front of the fireplace and I cuddled up to sleep in the biggest comfiest bed ever.

A Trip Down the Willamette

Our next excursion was brunch on the Willamette (pronounced Will-am-et). The Portland Spirit offers cruises down the rivers in Portland and I thought it would be a great way to show the family our new city. We'd wanted to take the cruise to the Columbia River Gorge but it was an hour-long drive each way to get to the shipping off point. We opted for a brunch cruise down the Willamette instead.

It was a fun trip but it turns out that Portland isn't very scenic from the river. We enjoyed each other's company over delicious food and fun environment. We walked out onto the deck to take in the view and my sister and dad even got to steer the boat!

My mom and sister taking in the Willamette before our cruise.

My sister steering the boat!

My mom and I love old houses so Brandt and I took my family up to the Pittock Mansion. It was built in 1914 for one of the influential families in town. It fell into disrepair but is now under city management and restored to it's 1900's beauty.

This is the first glimpse of the mansion as you drive up.

This is the real front of the mansion but it faces the city/river
and you have to walk around the building to get there.

Brandt taking in the view of Portland.

Our next stop was the Nob Hill district on NW 23rd. Ice Cream is my favorite so I took my parents and sister to Salt and Straw (second time I took my sister this trip). We walked around and did a bit of shopping, including glasses for my parents.

They have a seasonal menu and
of course I'm a fan of October's.

We called it an early evening because our next adventure was up to Mount Hood in the morning!

Portland Excursions

Day number two of our Portland family fun time was packed full of activities. My sister and I got up at a decent time to head down to the Portland Saturday Market. I got most of my family's Christmas gifts there last year and always brag about how awesome the shops are. I had to take my sister down there, as her style fits well with Portland and I knew she'd love it too. We wandered through the stalls and "window" shopped most of the morning. We bought a few things here and there including an awesome skirt made from old t-shirts that my sister got me as my birthday gift.

We hopped on the Max and stopped at the Portland Japanese Garden next. It was a perfect fall day for walking through the garden. The leavers turning colors were a perfect background for the greenery of the garden. We both took way too many pictures, some of which I've posted below. We were sure to take in our surroundings and enjoy the beauty without looking through our phones/cameras.

The Portland Rose Garden is close to the Japanese Garden so we checked it out while we waited for a shuttle to the Max. It looks nice but after the Japanese Garden, it didn't really compare. I took a few pictures and I'll go back during the peak blooming season for the true beauty of the Rose Garden.

We took the Max to my car and went to the airport to pick up our parents. My sister and I had planned to take them to dinner some place fancy but we decided to avoid downtown and eat close to my place/their hotel. We went to the Rock Wood Fired Kitchen and it was the right choice! We all had excellent food and Brandt was able to join us for dessert.