There hasn't been too much time to explore Portland this week. I'm still in the process of getting accustomed to a different area. The research project has kept me fairly busy. Still, I did find some time for shopping at some of the local stores. Jen and I also made our first excursion into Portland via the wonderful public transportation system. This week was Portland's Rose Festival, where a bunch of Navy vessels come and dock in the river. We had dinner at Paddy's (a small Irish pub, complete with drunken sailors) then explored the offerings of the festivities. There was a large carnival with all of the typical festival amenities. We even felt brave enough to ride some of the rides, one of which, although innocent-looking, Jen equated to feeling like a Pop-Tart in a car wreck.
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| A beautiful view of the Columbia River from the Rose Festival. |
Again, I was fairly busy reading this week. The weather was nice, about 80 degrees and not humid at all, so Jen and I went swimming on a few occasions. On Saturday, we went to the Oregon Zoo. The zoo was fun, but it was so warm out that a lot of the animals were hiding in the shade, thus making them harder to see. We got to feed Lorikeets (watch out for the ones above you as they have a tendency to defecate wherever they choose, even if you happen to be standing below!) and see all sorts of animals. We also rode the zoo train, which goes straight to the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. These gardens are amazing, with roses of every shape, size, and color imaginable. I was so lucky to see the roses while they were in full bloom. The Japanese Garden is just a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden. Done in a traditional Japanese style, these shaded gardens were a wonderful place to rest from the sun. There was something about the layout of the gardens that was so relaxing and calm. I was enamored by the bridges over the streams and the use of water. After relaxing, I headed for the Lloyd Center Mall. This mall was so big that it had its own ice skating rink (to refrain from tempting fate, I naturally avoided this!).
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Again, there wasn't much time for sightseeing. My first adventure was to the Portland Art Museum. I was fortunate enough to visit while the Rau Collection was on display. This was an amazing show. I also enjoyed two works from the permanent collection: one by Munch and another by Kahlo. I then ventured to Old Town Chinatown. Be warned: The pictures on their website are nothing like the Chinatown I saw. Still, there were a lot of little shops to browse through on my walk to my next destination: The Classical Chinese Garden. These gardens were absolutely stunning. This was a beautiful mesh of landscaping and architecture. It almost seemed like stepping through a portal and arriving in a different world. After a day's rest, I was able to squeeze in time for a movie, so I saw Fahrenheit 9/11. This was another excellent Michael Moore piece. Even if you disagree with his views, this movie pointed out all of the costs of war.
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Due to the long weekend (Happy 4th!), Jen and I got to have a real adventure! We took Highway 101 down the Oregon Coast. Our first stop was the Devil's Punchbowl. This was my first view of the Oregonian Ocean. We then proceeded down 101 until we stopped at the Sea Lion Caves. Another interesting place to stop, this is an underground cave where you can see the sea lions resting (be prepared -- IT SMELLS!). We stopped at many various beaches on the drive to Bandon, OR. This route is such a beautiful drive along the ocean as long as you don't mind all of the Tsunami Hazard Zones (???). After a night's rest, we then ventured to our main destination: the West Coast Game Park Safari. We got to hold a number of baby animals, my favorite being the baby lynx. We also got to feed the animals. After lunch, we then went on a Jerry's Rogue River Jet Boat ride. It was a long ride (about 6 hours) but definitely fun. On the way back to Bandon, we stopped along the ocean and got to watch the sunset over the ocean. We arrived at the hotel just in time to see the end of the fireworks. The next morning, we headed back to Portland, stopping at Agate Beach. The name would imply that there are agates to be found there. All we found was a kite. This trip was a nice opportunity to see more of Oregon than just the Portland area.
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I got to play tour guide this weekend! My aunt, Beth, came to visit me in Portland. Since Beaverton is not nearly as exciting as Portland, we stayed at the Governor Hotel so that we could be closer to the city. We spent a lot of time walking and catching up on old times. I got to show her the International Rose Test Gardens, the Japanese Gardens, Chinatown, the Portland Art Museum, among other sights that Portland has to offer. Not only was it great to see a familiar face, but it was nice to spend some quality time with my aunt. I was amazed at how big Portland really is. It seemed like we would walk for hours and never really reach the end of the city.
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I rented a car this weekend and went on an adventure with some of the other SySL interns. My traveling companions were: Josh Hoey, Thierry Lamarre, Yves Grealou, and Mickael Le Bailiff. We had first planned a trip to the beach, but realizing that we had a SySL trip planned there in two weeks, we decided to head to the mountains. Our first stop, after a few "scenic detours," was Mount Hood. We rode a ski lift to the top and a snowball fight ensued. On the way back to the car, we found a most curious little creature with an affinity for corn chips. We also stopped to see a big sturgeon, but it was so uninteresting that I'm not going to include any pictures of it on my website. We also stopped at the Horseshoe Falls. We went on a very LONG hiking trip to the top of the falls and beyond. A very exhausted crew then had some dinner and returned home. On Sunday, I had business to attend to. I drove to the Montinore Estate Vineyards. I have been proudly serving their Late Harvest White Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Winemaker's Reserve Pinot Noir at the Wolf's Den for over three years. It was so exciting to see the vineyard that creates such exquisite wine. After a brief wine tasting (and discovering some potential new wines to be served at the Wolf's Den), I headed back to Portland to rest from the long weekend.
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It was time again for another crazy Jen Johnson/Miria Grunick road trip. This week, we ventured to eastern Oregon to see the Painted Hills, part of the John Day Fossil Beds. While in Mitchell, Oregon, we found a very kind bear with a passion for apples. After seeing the Painted Hills, we just drove around and explored the area. Something about the landscape reminded me of a cheesy Wild West movie. We also drove through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. This part of Oregon was so different from the tall trees so common to the area around Portland.
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Another week of adventure. The SySL roadtrip was this week. My traveling companions (Jen, Thierry, and Josh) and I headed for Cannon Beach on Thursday. Unfortunately, the SySL group was at Cape Lookout, so we met them there after lunch. I then had to rush back to Portland because my sister came to visit. On Friday, Arlyn and I went to see Mount St. Helens, which was absolutely magical. My sister was three months old when it erupted, and I wasn't even thought of yet. Saturday was the Red Bull Flügtag at the Waterfront Park in Portland. After watching this insanity, we headed to Nehalem Bay for some kayaking under the blue moon. After getting over the initial fear of drowning, I had an awesome time! There were dinoflagellum in the water so that every time the water was agitated, it would glow. It was nothing like I have ever seen before.
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Jen, Josh, Thierry and I went on our final roadtrip. Our destination was Crater Lake. As this was quite a distance away from Portland, we stayed in Eugene to get rested up for the big trip. The water at the lake was unbelievably blue, and I don't think the pictures do it justice. We also went on a little hike, even though it seemed scorching outside. Just like Mount Hood, there was a friendly gang of chipmunks that were begging to be fed. After a few scenic laps around Crater Lake, we headed back to Eugene for the night, then back to Portland the next day. On the return to Portland, Josh, Thierry and I stopped at Kells for some of the best Irish food ever!
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After the Crater Lake trip, I only had about two days left in Portland. After work on Monday, Josh, Thierry and I went to the Bagdad Theater to suffer through the movie Dodgeball. On Tuesday morning, I found myself on a plane to San Diego, CA to attend the USENIX conference. We did have some time on Tuesday to do a little sightseeing, so Jen and I went to the San Diego Zoo. We also had some spare time to go swimming. Sadly, at the end of the week, our adventure came to an end.