A Suitcase and Go

Portland is known as the city of roses.  While I'm here too early to see roses I was able to see lots of pretty blooming flowers while exploring Washington Park on Saturday.  On Sunday, I rented a car again to venture outside of Portland. Highlights: Washington Park:  Vietnam Memorial: One of the coolest and most interesting memorials I've been too.  It is built as a spiral and as you make your way around, each stone memorial has a year that highlights the progression of the war, along with the names of those Oregon soldiers killed. Hoyt Arboretum:  Such a beautiful place to hike and walk around. The park contains over 2,000 different plants/trees from around the world. I highly recommend visiting the redwood viewing area and the bamboo forest (small but has a really peaceful vibe). Silver Falls State Park: Probably my favorite park I visited in Portland.  There is a hike you can do called The Trail of 10 Falls (about 8 miles all around).  T...

So I’ve been in Portland for almost 2 weeks now.  Most Portlanders I talk to say the storm last week was the worst one in a few years - just my luck. Since Snowpocalypse it’s actually gotten much better and I’ve been able to explore Portland and walk around.  Here are some highlights of the recent exploration: The Portland Waterfalls -  go see them and hike if you can, so beautiful!  Too much snow for me and the paths were not fully clear, but I would love to go back and hike the area Tilikum Crossing Bridge - for some reason I’m obsessed with this bridge, it’s just for commuters and a fun walk/bike ride across. Views of the river are very pretty (I got a super clear day) and you can explore the Portland waterfront after visiting Vista House - built in 1917 as a rest stop on the Columbia River Highway - the views of the Columbia River Gorge and the Washington side are so pretty to see Cascade Brewery - check out some great sour beer Last note: I got some feedback...