We decided to do an official tour of Portland. Our tour guide was a very knowledgeable young man. There were 6 of us in the tour van. It was 4 hours, so we got to see a a lot of Portland. This is a very "hip" city, that is really concerned about being "green". They have a new bridge over the River that is only for pedestrians, bicycles, buses and the electric trolleys. Some of the sites we stopped at were the Rose Garden, the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Pittock Mansion, and Forest Park.
We saw several neighborhoods and saw how the city is growing, and becoming a very expensive place to live. He talked about the "old" Portland of the 90's and the "new" Portland of today. "Punk-rock grunge" vs. "hipster". The city had a nice feel to it, and I don't care for cities. They do have a homeless population which is a major issue. He said that many of the homeless folks actually have regular, steady jobs, but just can't afford a place to live.
The Lan Su Chinese Garden was really impressive. They definitely know how to create an energy in a room, and pay attention to detail. The Pittock Mansion, built overlooking Portland, by a timber baron in the early 1900's, was also impressive. After the tour, we had lunch at a popular pizza place. Then stopped at the Powell's Book Store. This was a huge bookstore, that was super busy. I was impressed, when other bookstores around the country are having difficulties.
Since the sun was shining, we decided to stop at a scenic lookout on our way back to the RV. We went up the Larch Mountain Road, to a summit called Sherrard Viewpoint. Of course, we then had to hike up to the summit. I counted 101 steps, some spaced out a bit, but all up a steep trail. The trail was on the north side of the mountain, and it had just rained here, so there was splotches of snow. The trail through the woods was really somber--the energy was really neat--cool and quiet.
The view from the top would have been spectacular, if the clouds hadn't moved in and obscured some of the view. As it was, it was still breathtaking. From this viewpoint, you could see five mountain peaks: Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Hood. All volcanic mountains in the Cascade Mountain range.
Portland City Tour photos:
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| Bridge that doesn't allow cars |
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| Rose Garden |
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| Pittock Mansion |
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| View from Pittock Mansion of City of Portrland |
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| Lan Su Chinese Garden |
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| Stone floor mosaics at Lan Su Chinese Garden |
Sherrard Viewpoint photos:
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