Pronounced Oregen....Not Oregon

We were told by our Oregonian friend Bill, while sitting by a campfire, drinking refreshing beverages, how not to say Or-eh-gone. It's pronounced Or-e-gn. We got it!

Our first stop in Oregon was Bullard Beach. It was a 160 mile drive from the Redwood National Park and Elk Country. The first part of the ride had three or four 6% and 7% grades. That's steep $hit! And the roads were pretty winding. Once we got into Oregon the winds were a bit gusty and lots of curves but whoa! Oh so beautiful! Ocean views with huge rocks, beaches, and rows and rows of trees. Fantastic! Wonderful!

We did Bullard Beach to break up the drive to Eugene. It was a pretty little coastal town with friendly folks. We took a bike ride from the campground to the beach. Which like the RV ride there was beautiful, cold, and windy.

Brad did get a chance to clean the RV and car which you can’t do in most parks. Brad reminded the Park Ranger there was nothing in the rules and regulations that said you couldn’t clean. Brad was glad he had finished both by the time the Ranger came around. Now, off to Eugene for a three day stint.

The ride wasn’t as scenic as the Oregon coastline was but the 170 miles was a relatively smooth cruise. The first half day there we went downtown to the 5th Street Market and Provision Market Hall. The place had a cool vibe. What stunk was that we had gotten there around 4-4:30 and a lot of the places weren’t open long. We did hit a cool Brewery/Restaurant for a lunch/dinner thing.

We took a forty minute ride outside the city to wine country. The first place we went to was closed, so we swiftly did some additional research and more alertly shifted gears and picked the Brigadoon Wine Company. We pulled up for a tasting and the Owner of the property was behind the bar. He told us how he bought the property. How he runs his business along with him being a huge San Fran Giants fan. He asked Brad how come Philly fans are so obnoxious. Brad got a kick out of the dude and they shot the breeze about baseball. Kathy felt like an outsider for most of the conversation. After the tasting we walked the property and came back for the one bottle of wine we purchased.

We went on a pretty cool bike ride called the Covered Bridges Scenic Bike Trail. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out. We got to two out of the five covered bridges and it started to rain. We plowed forward but it was time to turnaround. We had about six miles to head back to our car. We stopped for shelter under a bridge and ate our lunch. Our bike seats were our picnic table. Two out of six bridges covered.

The rest of the Eugene visit was underwhelming. We hit a neighborhood called the “Whit” ( short for Whitaker ), the U of O, and a poor mural tour in the city and we were off to Portland. By the way, the weather sucked in Eugene. It was hazy, cloud, rainy and chilly 49-58 degrees every day.

Portland was a little more than a couple hours away...about a hundred twenty miles. We stayed in Jantzen Beach but it was no beachside community. More on that later. The first half day there, after travel, we took a drive to downtown Portland. We went to the Pearl and Lloyd Districts with out any fanfare. From there, we went to Vancouver, Washington which we had no clue prior to our arrival was as close as it was to Portland. we drove over that bridge like eight times during our stay. Literally, it was a seven minute drive over a bridge and the Columbia River. This was a cool town.

Our first full day Portland, we went to the Pittock Mansion and The Portland Japanese Garden. Yes, both under rainy conditions. Henry Pittock owned the Oregonian Newspaper and was not only a Publisher but he was also a banker, developer, rancher and railroad man among other things. The dude was a heck of a businessman and obviously had some dough.

The Japanese Garden....

On our next rainy day we took a drive to Multnomah Falls. For 2 bucks in advance over the internet, you could get a pass to drive directly there. Since we didn't, when we saw the sign that said permit required, we turned around. Not so coincidently, there was a shuttle with convenient parking only seconds away from our turnaround. For $15/person we happily jumped on. Our shuttle driver told us when she dropped us off that Bridal Falls was just a stones throw from our parking lot. We took the soggy hike there. We got the bonus plan on our investment with that hike. Brad's dear friend Larry Lehman said we're touring all the greatest waterfalls in America...haha, he's kind of right...and, there are more Waterfalls to follow in our journey! Please see the slideshow below. The pics are splendid!!

We took a day trip to Washington Park but before we talk about it, allow us to mention, outside of our first day, all these other places we visited were in Portland...a much cooler place than Eugene. We also visited a place called The Grotto. A place so beautiful and spiritual that even the Jew-boy said prayers there. The place was truly splendid. The second floor of the Upper Gardens of the Grotto was really special. The tall concrete looking monument below was the elevator to the Upper Gardens.

Below is an inside panoramic of the meditation room above.

Washington Park is within the epicenter of everything good to do in Portland. The Oregon Zoo, The Forestry Museum, International Rose Test Garden, The Holocaust Memorial, The Japanese Garden and Hoyt Arboretum. You know we already did the Japanese Garden but while at the Park this day we visited the four latter Portland landmarks.

We were a few weeks too early to reap all the benefits of the season for the Rose Garden. The Holocaust Memorial was classy, moving, and heart wrenching all at the same time. The Arboretum after visiting a handful of our National Parks was pretty, but, no big whoop.

On our last day in Portland we took an e-bike ride the Fort Vancouver Complex. The fort used to be a trading post. It was a nice day weather-wise. The people at the Visitor center were very helpful. Since it was a national historic site they provided us with maps and additional insight. The fort itself, we just cruised by. We drove our bikes over a "Walking Bridge" to the Vancouver Waterfront. The first leg of the cruise was along the river and then we drove down to the Waterfront which was a little more built up with restaurants, outdoor patios, walkways and overlooks.

Portland was a nice city but the homelessness was the most visible throughout our entire trip. Yes, worse than Los Angeles. Homeless people camping out under bridges, next to highways, parks and sides of the roads. It didn't effect our journey but it certainly affected our mindset of what a problem not only that Portland has bu across our nation. President Biden flew into Portland for a day with this issue the forefront of his visit. If he saw what we saw, the issue should be prioritized and better dealt with. It's a problem. Just outside our campground the homelessness and drug problem was prevalent. Very prevalent. You couldn't avoid it. Lots of people need help. Thanks for following our journey. Off to Mt. Rainier and Olympic Parks next. We hope the weather improves. Peace, love and Soul Train...Kathy and Brad