This weekend was fabulous and gloriously long. Part of the reason has to do with taking Friday off from work to spend with Paul. Originally we were going to drive up to Seattle for the day to visit the University of Washington, but ultimately we decided that since Paul really isn't seriously considering the Udub program, that we should spent his last day of spring break off in a more meaningful way.
We ended up spending the morning at REI, where, as always, we spent longer than expected--and we paid less than expected too! Paul got cycling shoes, shimano hybrid pedals, a bike tool, and chaco sandals. The chaco's turned out to be only $20 when they rang them up, even though they were listed on clearance as $40 (which we thought to be a great deal from the usual $99!). And another delightful surprise: the awesome pearl izumi cycling shoes, which are normally $135, were on sale for $109 according to the pricetag, but the store lady said that they really were $99.....but once we rang them up they turned out to be only $49.83!! Some great & unexpected deals at REI. Now if only I can resist going back to buy this Arcteryx waterproof bright yellow backpack that I fell in love with (on sale but still $89...ouch).
Anyways, once our forays at REI were over we made a stop at Depot Deli (the best sandwich place in the world!) to grab some food, and drove to Crown Point/The Vista House to each lunch while taking in the magnificent view. To the north (which you can't see in the picture) is Washington, and there are some small mountains nearby that were covered in snow just beyond the basalt cliffs with green pastures and farms on top. The sun was shining while we were there, and the mountains were shining too. To the east (the way you are facing in the picture) is the Columbia River Gorge...one of my favorite places in the world. The basalt cliffs are amazing in their own right, but what makes this place really special is the hundreds of waterfalls and canyons tucked into the crevasses: the most notable being Multnomah Falls. Some of my favorites are: Pony Tail Falls (which you can walk behind), Punchbowl Falls at Eagle Creek, and Triple Falls. And of course, who could not love, Oneonta Gorge whith its "hidden" waterfall. Unfortunately, none of these pictures display the depth, grandeur, or scale of these places....or the incredible shades of green from moss, ferns, wildflowers, and trees.
After a warm hour of sun, a large thunderstorm and rain shower started approaching up the Gorge. By this time we had just finished checking out the underwater fish-viewing at the Bonneville Dam fish ladder, and seeing the HUGE sturgeon at the hatchery (sturgeon are pretty cool--they've been around for over 200 million years, and grow to be gigantic!). We drove up the Historic Columbia River Highway and then on to Rowena Point through Mosier, Oregon (this blog's namesake). At Rowena, we watched the storm slowly move up the valley, with lightening brightening up the sky. We drove the remaining eight miles to The Dalles, where we stopped for dinner at a local diner. Then, the storm hitting us, we made our way back to Portland after dark with a long discussion. A perfect day.
And then Saturday! We didn't head out until the afternoon, but when we did we took off on our bikes and rode the Springwater Corridor from our apartment all the way to the edge of Gresham until the path turns into gravel (only 2 miles from Boring!). The Springwater Corridor is pretty cool, because it's an old railroad line that has been converted into a bike/multiuse path. It meanders through wetlands, farms, parks, and cities, eventually hooking up with some other paths to make a 40-mile loop. The Corridor itself starts in downtown Portland and ends up being around 21 miles. Paul and I biked to the Gresham MAX station, and took lightrail back into Portland to the Rose Quarter. Then we hopped back our our bikes and pedaled the remaining 5 miles along the Eastbank Esplanade (another bike/multiuse trail) which follows the Willamette River. All in all we pedaled 25.6 miles. Yes, my butt is sore today. :o) Once the weather gets a little sunnier we'll do the full 40 miles roundtrip.
And now, it's Sunday. Paul headed back to Outdoor School this morning, and I am going to spend the next 6 hours thoroughly cleaning our apartment from top to bottom before the book club girls come over for dinner tonight. I'm making a curry/vegetable/chicken dinner wich is SO GOOD.....it should be a nice night.
We ended up spending the morning at REI, where, as always, we spent longer than expected--and we paid less than expected too! Paul got cycling shoes, shimano hybrid pedals, a bike tool, and chaco sandals. The chaco's turned out to be only $20 when they rang them up, even though they were listed on clearance as $40 (which we thought to be a great deal from the usual $99!). And another delightful surprise: the awesome pearl izumi cycling shoes, which are normally $135, were on sale for $109 according to the pricetag, but the store lady said that they really were $99.....but once we rang them up they turned out to be only $49.83!! Some great & unexpected deals at REI. Now if only I can resist going back to buy this Arcteryx waterproof bright yellow backpack that I fell in love with (on sale but still $89...ouch).
Anyways, once our forays at REI were over we made a stop at Depot Deli (the best sandwich place in the world!) to grab some food, and drove to Crown Point/The Vista House to each lunch while taking in the magnificent view. To the north (which you can't see in the picture) is Washington, and there are some small mountains nearby that were covered in snow just beyond the basalt cliffs with green pastures and farms on top. The sun was shining while we were there, and the mountains were shining too. To the east (the way you are facing in the picture) is the Columbia River Gorge...one of my favorite places in the world. The basalt cliffs are amazing in their own right, but what makes this place really special is the hundreds of waterfalls and canyons tucked into the crevasses: the most notable being Multnomah Falls. Some of my favorites are: Pony Tail Falls (which you can walk behind), Punchbowl Falls at Eagle Creek, and Triple Falls. And of course, who could not love, Oneonta Gorge whith its "hidden" waterfall. Unfortunately, none of these pictures display the depth, grandeur, or scale of these places....or the incredible shades of green from moss, ferns, wildflowers, and trees.
After a warm hour of sun, a large thunderstorm and rain shower started approaching up the Gorge. By this time we had just finished checking out the underwater fish-viewing at the Bonneville Dam fish ladder, and seeing the HUGE sturgeon at the hatchery (sturgeon are pretty cool--they've been around for over 200 million years, and grow to be gigantic!). We drove up the Historic Columbia River Highway and then on to Rowena Point through Mosier, Oregon (this blog's namesake). At Rowena, we watched the storm slowly move up the valley, with lightening brightening up the sky. We drove the remaining eight miles to The Dalles, where we stopped for dinner at a local diner. Then, the storm hitting us, we made our way back to Portland after dark with a long discussion. A perfect day.
And then Saturday! We didn't head out until the afternoon, but when we did we took off on our bikes and rode the Springwater Corridor from our apartment all the way to the edge of Gresham until the path turns into gravel (only 2 miles from Boring!). The Springwater Corridor is pretty cool, because it's an old railroad line that has been converted into a bike/multiuse path. It meanders through wetlands, farms, parks, and cities, eventually hooking up with some other paths to make a 40-mile loop. The Corridor itself starts in downtown Portland and ends up being around 21 miles. Paul and I biked to the Gresham MAX station, and took lightrail back into Portland to the Rose Quarter. Then we hopped back our our bikes and pedaled the remaining 5 miles along the Eastbank Esplanade (another bike/multiuse trail) which follows the Willamette River. All in all we pedaled 25.6 miles. Yes, my butt is sore today. :o) Once the weather gets a little sunnier we'll do the full 40 miles roundtrip.
And now, it's Sunday. Paul headed back to Outdoor School this morning, and I am going to spend the next 6 hours thoroughly cleaning our apartment from top to bottom before the book club girls come over for dinner tonight. I'm making a curry/vegetable/chicken dinner wich is SO GOOD.....it should be a nice night.
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