Oregon: Part 1

Oregon has been on my places to visit list for awhile, and I'm glad I got to get a small taste of it on our trip a few weeks ago. We stayed in Paramount Hotel in downtown Portland for our whole visit. I had heard great things about Portland and the surrounding area, so I had high expectations. I'm not sure the city itself met my expectations (more on that later), but Oregon itself really is a beautiful place. 

Our first night in Portland, we took a short walk to find some dinner and to check out Powell's books. This is the largest new and used bookstore IN THE WORLD. It takes up an entire city block! The inside was amazing too and I wanted to buy ALL the books, but I settled on a giant truck book for Max that I couldn't even find on Amazon. Luckily I had room in my suitcase (I only carried on, but not packing for Max I felt like I had all the space!) If you are in Oregon, stop here and you will not be disappointed. 

The next morning, we got up early, grabbed some food at Starbucks and headed out to do the Columbia River Gorge. I think one of the best things about Portland is just how close it is to amazing, amazing things. Our first stop was Multnomah Falls. This is the view from the bottom...

We decided to do the hike to the top, which is approximately 1 mile up, probably a little more and mostly uphill so it was definitely some effort but fun and worth it at the end! 

This beautiful hike and view was less than 45 minutes from downtown Portland! 

Our next stop was at the Bonneville Lock and Dam, also a cool stop! 

Finally, we ended our day at Cathedral Ridge Winery. Delicious wine, and gorgeous views of Mt. Hood. 

There is honestly so much more you could do in this area, including a visit to Mt. Hood itself, but it involves a lot more driving and we weren't looking to have a crazy long day. This day allowed us some time to relax back at the hotel, which is a must do when on vacation for me! 

For dinner that night, we headed to a place called Sasquatch Brewery, and I got to meet one of my first blog friends! I don't even know for how many years "Sneaker Teacher" and I have been friends, but it's a long time! I always get really nervous to meet blog friends that I really like in real life because what if we just don't get along as well or they don't like me, or I'm just awkward? But, luckily I feel like we could've talked for way longer than we did and I loved meeting her super adorable and really fun girls as well. Also, her restaurant choice was perfect- I loved both my veggie burger and my beer. I only wish that we lived closer or even taught at the same school, because I would learn even more than I already have from her, and have fun too! 

This is getting long so I'm going to do one more post about the trip later this week. I'll talk about the Oregon Coast and more about Portland itself.