Our stay in Seattle was wonderful, although entirely too short. Still, it was time to move on and so Charlie and I hit the road for Portland by way of Astoria and Seaside, Oregon, and spent a fantastic long weekend exploring that city.
Day 14 (23-Aug): Ballard, Seattle, WA to Portland, OR
I was sad that our time in Seattle was over, but it was time to hit the road once again. Ostensibly the drive from my AirBnB in Seattle and my hotel in Portland was 3.5 hours, but of course I had to do it the hard way, swinging way westward to Astoria, Oregon, on the Pacific Coast.
The drive out of Seattle was uneventful, which was almost surprising given that I left at a little before 9:00 AM, having been delayed by answering work emails. It was kind of a gray and drizzly day, appropriate for my mood as I left a great city that I know I had only started to explore. I’ll be back, for sure!
The drive over the coast wasn’t particularly interesting, mostly flat and a lot of pine trees. US 101 along the coast was rather pretty, though, and a welcome break in the views. The drive up to the Astoria-Megler Bridge along the bank of the Columbia River was quite dramatic, and the bridge itself (all 4 miles of it) was pretty nifty, if alarmingly narrow. If you don’t enjoy long bridges over open water, you probably wouldn’t be a fan!
For all that it was summer Friday afternoon, Astoria was rather quiet. Charlie and I walked around downtown a bit. For lunch, I got some Belgian fries from Frite and Scoop. Since there wasn’t much going on (and Charlie was again not interested in urban walking) we got in the car to head out, though not before I got a photo of Charlie with the Astoria-Megler Bridge in the background. It was impressive to see one of the huge ocean-going container ships go by too, heading up the river to Portland.
Our next stop was just down the road: Seaside, Oregon. Finding a parking space was difficult because this was more what I expected on a summer Friday afternoon – a touristy beach town, packed with people! We didn’t even try to brave the packed sidewalks, instead heading over to the beach so I could get a photo of Charlie at the Pacific Ocean once again. Because the tide was out he didn’t get to bark at the waves as usual, but he was very confused by the water periodically washing over his paws as the waves rolled up the beach.
I was confused over a huge production that they were preparing for on the beach but understood more when I looked it up: The final day of the Hood to Coast Relay was the following day, and all of the event setup was well underway. That probably explained the big crowds there, at least in part! Honestly, the logistics geek in me was intrigued but I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way so I took some photos and moved on.
Just for fun, we had to stop at the Seaside Convention Center, which is home to Get Out the Float, a furry convention that takes place…in February. Just missed it by six months!
Once we were back in the car it was time to drive directly to our hotel in Portland. The trip was fine at first, but then I hit downtown Portland at 4:30 PM on a Friday afternoon. This was a case where I put myself in Waze’s hands and hoped for the best, as it directed me through a crazy path of surface streets downtown, eventually putting me back on the interstate on the other side of the Willamette River. My destination was the Hyatt Place by the airport, which was…well, it was a Hyatt Place. It’s kind of like trying to compare one Starbucks to another Starbucks, you know? I really appreciated the fact that they gave a room on the first floor at the end of the hall by the exit to outside – taking Charlie in and out of the room was easy, a refreshing change after dealing with a 4th-floor apartment all week. Cascade Station by Portland Airport is big-box hell, but Charlie appreciated the nice grassy park-like medians there!
Once I was unpacked and settled into my room, Charlie and I went in search of dinner. This was the first time I encountered something that is all over Portland but was completely new to me: Food cart pods! The concept is simple, just a bunch of stationary food trucks clustered around a central dining area, typically (from what I saw anyway) with a bar/brewery/taproom as well. I went to Barley Pod since it wasn’t far away and had a nice dinner with beer by Baerlic Beer Company.
Day 15 (24-Aug): Portland, OR
I was excited to get out and explore Portland! I had done some searching the night before to find bakeries/patisseries that might be good for breakfast. One of the top recommendations was Bakeshop, so I started there. Since I’d had to park a block away, I was puzzled with what to do with Charlie while I went into the bakery to order. A woman waiting outside with her own dog (that seemed to get along well with Charlie) offered to watch him while I was inside. It was a small gesture, but I really appreciated it. It was a good introduction to the general friendliness that I encountered in Portland!
After grabbing a coffee from Rose City Food Park down the road (with awesome signage for the Adda Beer Taproom), I drove over to Laurelhurst Park to enjoy my breakfast and walk around to enjoy the beautiful weather. The breakfast croissant from Bakeshop…OK. The coffee was good at least! After eating I took Charlie over to the “Off-Leash Dog Area” in the park. In the most Portland fashion, the area was just that – an open area with small signs around it declaring it to be an off-leash dog area. Charlie got to wander around and bit, and I was able to get him riled up to play (which usually involves a lot of barking and growling on his part as I blow in his face or tap his ears and move away quickly).
By now it was past noon so it was time to start the day’s tour of breweries! I started off at Lucky Labrador Brewing because of course I did. Unfortunately, their merch hasn’t improved much from the T-shirt I picked up there seven (!) years ago so I left empty-handed.
Lunch was from the Hawthorn Asylum Pod across the street, which was HUGE! After wandering around (and Charlie making friends with a delightful lesbian couple who watched him as I ordered lunch) I got to enjoy a delicious Korean BBQ burrito.
After that I walked down to Away Days Brewing, where I got into a great conversation with the bartender about knitting versus crocheting as I admired the project he was working on during a lull in customers. From there it was down to Crux Fermentation Project, and Great Notion Brewing. I wanted to keep dinner somewhat light with a salad so did some searching and came up with Garden Monsters, part of The Lot food pod. Conveniently this included Benbear’s Beers taproom (bears and beers – definitely a Portland thing!) so I was able to enjoy beers from some local breweries I wouldn’t be able to visit in my short time there. I probably should have gotten the “half-size” Macho Taco Salad, but it was delicious so I wasn’t complaining!
After all that driving around, I went back to the hotel to relax for the evening. Charlie was all tired out and slept very well!
Day 16 (25-Aug): Portland, OR
This being a Sunday morning I decided to take my time getting started. I grabbed a bagel and a few things from the (typically rather pathetic) breakfast bar at the Hyatt Place and took Charlie for his morning walk. I wanted to see more of the Columbia River and so drove over to Broughton Beach Park and walked around a bit. I met up with fellow Midwest FurFest staffer Bark Ruffalo at the Park the Carts food pod. It was a delightful meal of Indian curry with excellent company, and I’m really glad we got to meet up. I commented that I hadn’t had much of a chance to see the beautiful natural areas around Portland, and he suggested I check out Sherrard Point. And so after we parted I was off on a mission!
The drive up on Larch Mountain Road was absolutely beautiful! The lush greenery all around was stunning.
Sherrard Point is at an elevation of 4,055 feet above sea level, and the temperature drop was real! While it was 80°F (27°C) in Portland, it was a cool 59°F (15°C) up on the mountain! I wisely opted to leave Charlie in the car while I hiked up the 0.6-mile (1 km) trail. The elevation gain wasn’t much, but the long and uneven flight of stairs at the end would have been unworkable for poor Charlie. Once I got to the top, though…wow! The view was totally worth it! On a clear day you can see four volcanic mountains: Mounts Ranier, Adams, Jefferson, and Hood. Unfortunately, it was pretty hazy so the only one that could be seen clearly was Mount Hood, only 22 miles away. Regardless, the views were spectacular!
On the drive back down I decided to wander a bit on Historic Columbia River Highway, but got turned around by a sudden road closure I was unaware of. I followed a road that went westward down toward the river and then suddenly I was back on I-84 heading into Portland. Well, OK then! As it happened, though, Rooster Rock State Park was just a few exits down and I had hoped to stop there during my visit. Charlie and I spent a couple of hours wandering around enjoying the park. Charlie enjoyed hanging out on the beach!
After a full day, it was time to head back toward Portland. Fortunately, there was a brewery along the way! (because of course there was). Level Brewing was a delight – a video-game-themed brewery with a marvelously chill taproom. I got a “California-style” burrito, which I assumed would have avocado. Nope! Apparently, that means that it had French fries in it, which…OK then. (Apparently this is a Southern California thing that I had not previously encountered). It was good, but a ton of food! Charlie dozed as I hung out there for a while (and of course multiple people wanted to come up and pet him). Before I left, I noticed there was a vending machine which, smartly, had games that you could buy as well as a couple of other random items including…an VHS copy of An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. Sure, why not?
Before I went back to my hotel I wanted to get something unique for dessert. A little Internet searching turned up an intriguing result: Hawaiian shaved ice from Ohana Hawaiian Cafe, purportedly quite authentic. I figured I’d give it a shot.
It. Was. Incredible. I ordered a “small” (!) with lilikoi (passionfruit) and guava, topped with condensed milk. I was sad I’d already had dinner because looking around the restaurant the place was very obviously quite legit. Sweet tooth satisfied, I retired back to my hotel for the night.
Day 17 (26-Aug): Portland, OR to Boise, ID
After an all-too-short visit, it was time to continue the journey. As we drove out I-84 eastward I had to make a stop at Cascade Locks, Oregon. This little pilgrimage was inspired by a truly excellent book, Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly. It’s the story of two men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and how they fall in love as the miles go by. An important scene that moved me to tears takes place at the Eastwind Drive-In in Cascade Locks, and as long as I was passing nearby I wanted to get a photo and send it to the author to let them know how much I appreciated their book. Fortunately, the cook there thought nothing was weird about someone stopping by to ask for a chocolate malt at 7:30 AM. It’s a major stop for through-hikers, though, so I am certain I was not nearly the weirdest thing he saw that day.
From there it was a long and boring drive through eastern Oregon. I was at least able to get lunch at a nice little brewery with a patio, Side A Brewing, in La Grande, Oregon. I reached Boise, Idaho, my stop for the night, at around 4 PM. Another Hyatt Place, though one I had stayed at in 2023. There’s a lot to be said for known quantities! Once settled and Charlie got his dinner, it was time for me to get dinner too.
It was only natural that I would migrate to White Dog Brewing, and I’m glad I did! The staff were positively delightful, coming out to meet Charlie, making sure he had water (though I always bring my own for him, it’s appreciated nevertheless), and telling me about their dogs that they named the brewery after. I got a salad with grilled chicken, and while the chicken in these salads is usually forgettable, this was notably cooked perfectly, and simply delicious! We wrapped up the day with ice cream from The STIL, which was also a great place for people-watching.
Up next in our final chapter: The journey continues, work gets crazy, and then we’re in Denver!