A quintessential fall experience is going apple picking in Hood River. You can do part of the “Fruit Loop” in Hood River and Parkdale, or just head straight to your favorite orchard. With apples to pick, apple cider to drink, wineries and breweries to visit, and lots of amazing Mt Hood views, put this on your fall to do list! Here’s everything you need to know about visiting…
Portland is a river city, so there are plenty of kayaking and SUP opportunities close by. And we’re surrounded by mountains with lakes and forests, rivers, and the ocean. There are great places to go kayaking and paddle boarding (and canoeing) all over Oregon! So whether a day on the water means kayaking and wildlife spotting, or a hot summer day in your swimsuit paddleboarding one of Oregon’s…
As Portland bids adieu to another glorious season of sunshine, here are 87 reminders of why Portland is still a great city to be in autumn. Since the transition back to rainy season can be tough for even the most seasoned Pacific Northwesterners, I’ve put together a list of reasons to embrace the rain autumn yet another year. In no particular order, here are 87 things to do…
Visiting a pumpkin patch and corn maze (ahem maize) on Sauvie Island is just one of those fall things I love about Portland. It doesn’t quite seem like October until you’ve been to a pumpkin patch. So here’s a round up of the best Portland pumpkin patches and a look at our visit to Topaz Farm. Topaz is the new Kruger’s Farm and Market on Sauvie Island, which…
One of the best things about Portland is how close it is to a diverse amount of scenery. Beaches, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, forests. Oregon has some of the most wild and beautiful outdoor experiences, and jaw-dropping views. There are a lot of amazing places in NW Oregon and SW Washington that you can reach in a day’s drive from Portland. But to most of us, the point of…
Almost every night in September – just before sunset – you’ll find people flocking to Chapman Elementary School in NW Portland. They’re watching the sky for the Vaux Swifts. And every night of the migration, like clockwork, the swifts dance through the sky above the old smokestack chimney, before darting into the chimney just after sunset in one big funnel of a dark cloud. Watching the swifts flying feels…
I keep a running list of all the breweries in Portland and which ones I still have to visit. The list is constantly growing as new breweries open and close. Here’s how you can track your own quest to visit all the breweries in Portland, Oregon. So here’s my Portland Beer list, freshly updated for 2023. Including: ALL the currently operating Portland breweries & map, the best breweries…
This month, we welcome another autumn into our lives. As a thoroughly predictable human being, every September I fight the changing season, and then start warming up to the idea after reminding myself of all the things to love about fall. I finally give in (short of relocating, what’s a Portlander to do?). This years autumnal equinox is September 22, so as the rains arrive, I’ll be re-reading…
Wahclella Falls Trail is a short 2 mile out and back hike in the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks, Oregon. Technically 1.9 miles (with a lollipop loop at the end) the Wahclella Falls hike is a quick and easy waterfall hike, and makes a nice day trip from Portland. The trailhead is only a 40 minute drive from Portland. I consider this waterfall hike to be a…
Happy spring! I’ve been gardening for about fourteen years now! Time flies when you’re digging in and growing things. From our first posts about how to build container garden raised beds, to making a ladder trellis for tomatoes, and later more recipes, like making rhubarb simple syrup. So this year, I want to share my garden planning template. I’ve been using it for the last five years. And…
In the depths of winter, we could all use a bit more light. That’s where the Portland Winter Light Festival comes in. Started in 2015, by the Willamette Light Brigade, PDXWLF is a free annual community event around art and technology… and LIGHT! This is one of my favorite February events in Portland. It lights up the city with lights, art, fire, technology, and music. So fun! Every…
Snow tubing at Ski Bowl (on Mt Hood) was on our Pacific Northwest “winter bucket list this year. I’ve heard about tubing for years and thought it sounded fun. But I never made the time to go! So this year with COVID restrictions and other Mt Hood SnoParks being so packed with people on the weekends (cars were even parking on the side of Hwy 26 just to…