Portland, Oregon–A riot of color splashes across the International Rose Test Garden, even in late August. While most roses in our Midwest town nod and fade away by the end of June, blooms in every corner here beg for attention, from white and pale pinks to deep reds and near-black petals.
After a three egg portobello, mushroom and asiago omelette with potatoes at Mother’s Bistro, we walked uphill from downtown Portland into Washington Park and were still a bit out of breath when the garden appeared in view. The garden is free and open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a guided tour offered at 1:00 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day. We just float around, taking time to stop and smell the roses and read the creative names. After a quick stop in the small, but bustling and well-curated gift shop, it’s a free shuttle ride to the Oregon Zoo at the other side of the park.
The zoo takes advantage of the steep landscape for animal exhibits and enclosures, beginning with mountain goats. There’s a Great Northwest exhibit, featuring black bears, bald eagles, cougars, river otters and beavers, among other creatures. We circle around the Africa section to see the giraffes, monkeys, bats, lions, and elephants before heading back. An entry fee of $17.95/adults, $12.95/kids is reduced by $1.50 for visitors using public transit, a bonus for visitors. The zoo features daily feeding from 9:45 to 3, with flight shows and animal encounters in an amphitheater.
By the time we leave the zoo, we’re headed to the food trucks for a late lunch. So many choices make it easy to please everyone, from macaroni and cheese (at Macaroni and Trees, try the version with broccoli) to gyros, salads, tacos, Korean BBQ, and fruit smoothies. A full meal for less than $10.
Our home is The Benson, a venerable Portland institution built in by lumberman Simon Benson in 1913 and refurbished just last year. On the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel offered Oregon wine tasting in the elegant lobby glowing with Circassian walnut woodwork from Russia, as well complimentary coffee each morning.
Soon we’re headed to Tillamook on the coast. A winding road through the forested hills brings us to the beach and the Tillamook Creamery. Kids love timing themselves “milking” the cows and bottle-feeding calves in the interactive exhibit above the factory floor. Windows allow streams of visitors to see how the cheese is made, and then sample as well as purchase the various products of the cooperative. A bald eagle flies parallel with us, close enough that we can see his white head, as we drive north to Cannon Beach. Hotels, inns, and B&Bs charge peak season rates through Labor Day, so bargains are hard to come by. But watching tufted puffins, common murres, cormorants, and pigeon guillemots nesting and soaring around the 235-foot Haystack Rock make the expense worthwhile. The National Fish and Wildlife Refuge Complex provide binoculars and a spotting scope to spy the birds without annoying them.
The next day, we get up early to hike the trails of Ecola State Park. Just a $5 entry fee permits parking at Ecola Point or Indian Beach. We start with a hike along Crescent Creek, but as the trail was washing out last spring, there’s no through hiking. Views of the sea stacks and beaches from above still make this worthwhile. At Indian Beach, tide pools reveal hermit and Dungeness crabs, sea anemones, mussels, and barnacles. Try to time your visit just before low tide and wear waterproof sandals, as some of these creatures do bite.
After two days, it’s time to leave the cool, misty shores of the coast for the scenic Columbia River Gorge on the other side of Portland. The temperature climbs after we leave the forest, and soon a drier, paler landscape of bunch grass prairie appears. We decide we can’t leave Oregon without a stop at its most-visited site, Multnomah Falls, just thirty minutes outside Portland. Due to limited parking, we opt for the shuttle from Rooster Rock, an easy coach ride away. The falls at 611 feet, is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the U.S. and was donated to the city of Portland by Simon Benson. The spectacular and cool falls are worth the detour, though they can actually be seen while driving on the interstate.
Another detour at Mosier, takes us along the winding scenic byway, up into the hills and overlooking the interstate. The switchbacks and old-fashioned white wooden guardrails often make it into car commercials, and motorcycles and bikers like to travel this way as well. We scout out our hike for the next day, at Rowena Crest, where the Tom McCall Preserve offers two trails–one more vertical and one across a plateau. You can almost miss it, because the preserve does not have a big sign off the road, just a sign for Rowena Crest.
The temperature on the car gauge climbs to 109, so we head over to air conditioning at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum, ($9/adults, $5/kids 6-16) where exhibits on ice age geology, the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Oregon Trail and more await. We’re lucky to arrive as a guest speaker presents a red-tailed hawk, a kestrel, and a barred owl from a local rescue group. A hiking and nature trail outside helps visitors learn about local flora and the Oregon Trail history.
Dinner is The Dalles at the modest Tacos Del Rio. For just $5 each, we enjoy a burrito the size of a dinner plate. No
need to order beans and rice. Obviously it’s necessary to save half for a midnight snack. Chips and salsa with a kick are served with our meal.
Our last day in Oregon dawns with a constant breeze, and temperatures in the low 80s in morning. I decide to take the wildflower preserve hike, even though no wildflowers bloom at this time of year. A hardy biker climbs the switchbacks in front of me, stopping at Rowena Crest. No one else is at the preserve, and the 2.5 mile roundtrip trail to the overlook creates a pause for reflection. My only company consists of red-tailed hawks circling overhead, and a flock of ravens that burst noisily from a copse of trees. In spring, it must be near madness with hikers and the riot of color from the flowers, but I appreciate this moment of calm in August. Here great beauty lies.
