Portland’s food carts
Portland (OR) is known for their food carts. Here, people have an assigned space and put up a fast food cart. Almost all are ethnic, so you have all kinds of foods… Mexican, Indian, Czech, Thai and so on. We decided to check them out.
We found a “pod” of food carts, parked the car, and had some very good lunch. We found that the food was indeed excellent, and cheap, too! And very popular. At lunch time, people streamed out of their offices (hey, it was a sunny day, too!) and ate on the street.
We left satisfied on learning something new. As we drove away, we found several more pods, in fact, the one we were at is one of the smaller ones! At my estimate, there has to be some 100 carts in Portland, and all vying for the top rating.
A view from across the street
Cajun food
This Czech cart is one of the top rated
Decisions, decisions...
Maybe some Thai food?
Gourmet cooking, on a small scale
We ate at this one because it had high reviews
So we had Pad Thai and Tom Kah soup, total $11 for lunch for both of us. It was some of the best Pad Thai I’ve had, but I’m gonna have to go back for the Polish sausage….
Angel’s Rest, Columbia Gorge
The weather has been so bad the last month we haven’t hiked much. So with finally a nice day we drove the 30 miles to get to the Angel’s Rest trail. It’s amazing how quickly you can get out of shape! Now the Angel’s Rest hike is 2.3 miles long, but it’s all uphill — all of it. It climbs some 1,500 feet in that distance. Sore quads by the time we got to the top!
Along the way, there wer waterfalls (there are always waterfalls here!) but no scenic pictures, as the vegetation is in full bloom and much of the falls are obscured. But the wildflowers were great! Once at the top the views are spectacular. Not much mountain view, but a lot of the Gorge itself. A great hike!
And don’t believe that since it is all downhill on the way back it’s all easy. By the time we got back to the car we truly felt we deserved a microbrew and pizza, which is conveniently located just down the road from our RV.
Starting point for several hiking trails
Better watch your step!
One of the few waterfalls wich were visible
Purple flowers
Hey! A wild rose!
A purple iris
1 1/2 miles in, and the destination is in view
Posing at the top
The view we came for
Coming down wasn't all easy, either
Portland, city of roses
Portland is known as “Rose City”, and they have a very beautiful rose garden open to the public. We had a rare sunny day so Romola and I went for a visit.
The spring weather has been very bad, and rose growth is behind schedule. Also, there is some damage to the more delicate petals. Nevertheless, there were enough roses for me to fully utilize my new digital camera. I managed to select some, shown in the album below.
Note also the image which shows some of downtown and Mt. Hood in the background. Beautiful place, Portland.
Ape Cave, Mount St. Helens
When Mount St. Helens was formed, some lava flow would cool, and leave a crust. Eventually, the inside lava would run out, leaving a long tube. This is how the Ape Caves at Mount St. Helens was formed. It is now the longest lava tube in the USA at almost 3 miles long. Most of this is hike-able and makes for a very different experience.
Today we hiked the lower cave, about 3/4 mile each way. It is cold, a constant 42 degrees. And wet, with dripping water everywhere. And it is VERY dark! But is a popular hike, and we met a lot of people, moving like ghosts in the dark.
The way into the cave
A side tube, about 3 feet in diameter
A look at some of the unusual ceiling configuration
Somehow, a big rock wedged into the ceiling
The cave narrows in some areas
On the way out a strange picture
Flooding of the Columbia River
The heavy snowfall, big rainfalls, and late warm weather have caused significant flooding along the Columbia River. Currently, it is about a foot above flood stage, and rising. Here are two pictures I took of the same sign, one last week, one today.
The water flow today is 2,000,000 cu.ft. a second, almost unimaginable.
I took this picture 5/24. Note the "No Parking" sign.
And here on 6/1, one week later.
Memorial Day Gun Salute
Fort Vancouver has a gun and cannon salute to Memorial Day, using vintage rifles, pistols, and a cannon. I took some pictures to show some of the people we work with, and of the firing itself. High speed photos showed some interesting things not usually visible.
Picture taken just as Luda pulls the trigger
You can just see the smoke from the flash pan
Firing, just after the bullet leaves the rifle
Mike firing his revolver. Note the smoke blowing back as well as forward.
Jeff gives a pull on the firing cord....
Cannon firing. Note the primer material blowing upwards from the firing hole.
Aaron, our fearless leader
Cassie, during her presentation
Jeff and Luda, at ease
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Thanks to a tip from a friend (thanks, Gaynelle) we visited the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, OR. Although it was rainy, the beauty of the garden in general, and the rhododendrons in particular, was spectacular.
The more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants in the garden have all been donated by volunteers and interested individuals, or purchased with specially donated funds. Beginning in early spring and continuing into summer, they provide a magnificent display of color, giving visitors the opportunity to view many varieties rarely seen in the Pacific Northwest.
Glad I took my camera. Some pictures below, all pictures (and colors) are as photographed. No artificial colors or Photoshop stuff here.
Oneonta Gorge/Triple Falls
The Oneonta Gorge is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in the Pacific Northwest. It is laced with many trails along the river, with waterfalls all over the place. But the Gorge is steep and rough, making some of the hikes dangerous. During the three weeks we’ve been here, two hikers fell to their deaths in the Gorge.
However, if you stay on the trails and use some care it all is easily doable. So we selected to hike up to Triple Falls and beyond, a nice hike totaling about 4 miles. Great way to spend a day.
The trail up
The trail does get steep and rough
A look upriver
Some pretty flowers along the path
A view of Triple Falls
To get that picture, you've got to get close to the edge
On the way back, watch your step... it's a long way down!
Pearson Air Museum
Across the street from Fort Vancouver is Pearson Airport, one of the oldest operating air fields in the country. In the late 1800’s, it was a base for flying blimps. In 1905, the first fixed wing flights took off. Among the “firsts” were the first airmail flight, as well as the first trans-polar flight (by the Russians, who landed here).
It was an important base during both WW1 and WW2. In WW1, most of the wood for building aircrafts came from here. In WW2, Kaiser Shipyards built over 500 ships, including aircraft carriers, on the river.
Now it is still operational but includes a nice museum. It reflects on the importance of aviation to our society, and the importance of Pearson Field in particular.
A racer from the '30's
An AT6 Texan, later Harvard as a trainer
Painted red, this Fokker DR1 was the plane used by the Red Baron in WW1
A radial engine
A classy looking biplane
A look down the runway, Mt. Hood in the distance
A steep hike on Beacon Rock
In 1806 Lewis and Clark discovered a huge rock outcropping on the Columbia River,which they named Beacon Rock. It is almost 900 feet tall and 400 feet in diameter. In the early 1900’s there was talk about blowing it up to make crushed rock for other projects. Fortunately, this did not happen.
In 1915, the property was bought (for $1) by Henry Biddle, who wanted to build a path to the top. This he did, finishing the tortuous trail in 1918. The same path still exists today, and is now a State Park. We hiked up it today.
An interesting note, he offered the park to the State of Washington in 1935, with the provision it would remain a free park in perpetuity. Washington turned him down, so he offered it to Oregon. They did wanted, and annex the property, but as soon as Washington heard this they changed their minds. It is now a Washington Park.
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- Check out the trail….
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- Romola on the trail up
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- A view downriver
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- Looking to the north
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- Looking up to the trail
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- A lot of work went into this trail!
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- A view upriver (Bonneville dam)
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- A “beauty shot” through a stone portal
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- At the start of the trail
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- Beacon Rock, from the river
Laninga's Travel Blog 