Adventures in Portland, OR

One of my favorite places is Portland, Oregon. There is just something about it that stands out, perhaps it’s the eclectic people or the fact that they promote “keeping Portland weird.” Either way, I like it! It’s a very down to earth town, and I’m very into the whole eco-friendly/going green movement that seems to be picked up on more in Portland. It’s my kind of city.

So, on this particular occasion, my grandparents from California were on a bus tour that brought them to the city to watch the Rose Festival Parade. My father was going to drive the two and a half hours down to spend the day with him, so I figured I would join him and spend some quality time with the “G-folks.” After a pretty easy drive down (all thanks to cruise control) we made our way into the city. Parking, we decided to do a little shopping before heading over to the start of the parade. My mom’s birthday is coming up and she has been asking for this particular Tiffany & Co. necklace that she loves, so... you can only guess where we went. BUT considering that she will probably read this blog, I will not say another word on the subject. ATTN MOM: You’re still in for a surprise. (I love you!) Ok, but anyways- we walked around for a bit and then decided to cross the bridge and head over to the Colosseum where my grandparents were watching the parade.

Crossing the Broadway bridge, I had to snap some photos of us. It was a interesting structure, and provided some cool photography. It was an extremely bike and pedestrian-friendly bridge, which was nice compared to some of the bridges here in Washington. I would be very afraid to cross some of our bridges on foot. Walking through people sitting and waiting for the parade to come, we definitely got our fill of interesting people. Approaching the parade, we found a little spot to sit and watch for a bit. Surrounded by families and small children, it was so cute because there was this little boy that kept wanting to march with every marching band that would pass by. I definitely got a laugh out of watching his enthusiasm for such a passive (for lack of better words) parade. 

Becoming quickly bored by the overwhelmingly redundant scenery, we decided to head over to find out where we were supposed to meet the old folks. Upon our venture over there we ran into this couple who informed us that they had been given four tickets to watch the parade inside the Colosseum. They offered us the extra two and we all headed inside. However, I didn’t quite understand the point of why someone would want to watch a parade indoors... because doesn’t that take away from a huge part of why people like parades? I still don’t understand, but I guess it was nice at the time to sit on something a little softer than concrete. We spotted the grandparents and took a seat to wait out the increasingly boring display of entries... Can you tell I wasn’t a huge fan of the parade?

I took some photos of the “highlights” (if you could call them that) and I’ll let you decide for yourself where this parade ranks on the awesometer (awesome meter). Catching up with the grandparents was the best part though! 

We caught the MAX back into downtown, grabbed some lunch, witnessed a horrifying display of the F-bomb being dropped fifty times in less than a minute, and soaked in some of the sunshine that decided to pop out from in hiding halfway through the day. Upon heading back to the car, I kept seeing these people running around like they were in some sort of scavenger hunt. They were wearing bib numbers and they were part of “The Great Urban Race.” I did a little research and it apparently is a scavenger hunt! You have a sheet of clues and puzzles that you have to solve and get checked off. TOTALLY like the Amazing Race, which is something my best friend and I are DYING to do someday! The G.U.R. is coming to Seattle in August, so you already know where we’ll be! I wanted to do it so bad in Portland, I was almost tempted to run up to a team and ask them what our next clue was. Good thing I never follow through on anything...

Heading back into Vancouver, WA to the grandparent’s hotel, I had the opportunity to visit with my boyfriend and his family while I left the rest of the gang back at the hotel. After a couple of hours soaking in some sun and chatting with some of my favorite people, I dragged Kyle back to have dinner with me and the oldies. And boy, was that an experience. 

Before dinner, we hung out on the main hotel patio overlooking the Columbia River and it was beautiful!!! I could have stayed out there all afternoon. We then went into the dining banquet hall where Kyle and I were literally decades and decades... even half a century younger than some of the people in the room. Now, I work with a lot of elderly people and I have quickly become used to being around them. Kyle’s excuse was that he loves old people... Can you see me rolling my eyes as I type this? We piled up our plates and not even a minute after taking our seats, one of the older ladies started to sing. She was really getting into too, but everyone was just watching her like it was no big deal. I am sitting there, however, TRYING to be polite and not start busting up laughing at this unexpected and truly unpredictable sight (and I guess, sound). The best part was when my Grandma leaned over and says, “She does this at every dinner. Yesterday, she grabbed the microphone on the bus and started singing...” Oy vey. Can I just stop aging now? PLEASE?! 

After a tasty, and entertaining dinner, we said our goodbyes and headed back up to good ol’ Federal Way. I was extremely drained from the busy day, but again- Portland never fails to create memories. Gotta keep Portland weird, right?

Tiger Mountain - Issaquah, WA

One of my all-time favorite hikes has to be Tiger Mountain. It’s hard to choose a new trail to try when I could easily jump in the car and head an easy thirty minutes east to this glorious mountain that’s home to many hikers and mountain bikers. The first time I ever tried this trail was almost a year ago, last summer with my boyfriend Kyle. An avid backpacker and lover of the outdoors, he is truly the perfect match when it comes to a hiking partner. Our story went like this:

It was approaching noon on a rather normal overcast summer day here in Western Washington, and my boyfriend was visiting for the weekend before school started. I had heard some things about Tiger Mountain, and was really craving to check it out, so it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Kyle. The trail was pretty quiet, and we took our time soaking in the scenery and each other’s company. We hiked and hiked, and finally we approached a gravel road marking the end of the trail. It was either hike back the way we came, or continue with the unknown and see where the gravel road led us. The weather was clear, and I was still craving un-hiked territory, so Kyle let me make the decision of continuing on. A couple of miles into the leisurely walk down the gravel road, the rain started: not just a shower here and there, literally dumping down on us as we walked down the open path. We found another trail that we assumed led back to the other side of the mountain (where we started), so we took our chances. With time ticking, the sun going down, and a confusing switchback trail, it felt like we were going to be out there forever. 


Finally we made it to another gravel road and I swear, I remember it so vividly now and will forever, we booked it down that road. I had hurt my knee a little bit back in the trail, so I couldn’t run for too long before needing to stop and take a break. Kyle was so great with it all, and was so encouraging throughout the whole hike. While running down the hill I mentioned to him that I felt like we were on “Mantracker” or “The Amazing Race,” trying to escape the cowboy on the horse, or the team behind us to win the million dollars. We finally made it back to the car (10 and a half miles later) before sundown, soaked to the core but with huge smiles on our faces. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I was able to share it with one of the best people I know. 

A couple of months later, I hiked the same trail with my best friend, Olivia. It was a gorgeous trail, and I wanted to show her just how special it is. We were much luckier though, because the sun decided to shine for us and no rain jacket was needed. We took our time hiking through the mossy overhang of trees and muddy trails, while snapping photos of each other along the way. It took us a while to get up to the top, but the view was stunning. 

We took a Lunabar break, and soaked up some sun before using my previous knowledge in deciding to head back to the car while we had the chance. The walk back down was much faster, and the trail was a lot busier than when Kyle and I had gone. We made it back to the car with a huge “hooray!” and a high-five; thankful that it was now a very familiar trail that I could hike without any worries.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I proposed to my mom that we take our dog Holly on a walk. I was bored of walking around the neighborhood, so I suggested we try a hike, and none other than Tiger Mountain! With a pack full of snacks, water and doggy food, we were out the door and on our way. It was another gorgeous, sunny day and I was full of excitement, adventure and confidence in my knowledge of the trail. We pulled into a rather busy gravel lot and quickly made our way onto the trail. My mom quickly got things rolling with a nice trip over a stump in the trail, and I instantly began a count for how many times she stumbled over herself on the path. (Let’s just say it ended in the double digits). Holly was loving every second of this, and couldn’t get enough of her surroundings. We walked over bridges, up rocky inclines and through sticks and brush, but she never slowed or wanted to stop for anything. It was quite jaw-dropping, because she often refuses to walk with me down the street in our own neighborhood. This was the hiking doggy of my dreams!!! We made it to the top after just a mere forty-five minutes (record time!), and decided to take some time to get our daily dose of Vitamin D and enjoy the view (which will never be less than amazing!). It was incredibly peaceful and I could have spent all afternoon out on the mountain, looking out over the blanket of trees covering the scenery’s backdrop. It is so worth the short hike to the top, and the climb is far from boring. 

It’s hard to put it into words, so I think these photos will sum it up nicely.