Oregon Vacation - Day 5 - Portland/Oregon City

It's another beautiful day in Oregon.  We simply could not have requested better weather.  Since we were unable to get into the Japanese Gardens yesterday, that is where we are headed but wait - stop - hold up.  Coffee --- where is today's coffee spot?  How about the Dragonfly Coffee House.

I LOVE this place the minute we walk in.  It is full of cozy corners, cushiony sofas, and atmosphere up the wazoo.  Settling into a window nook (the place is PACKED), we order a coffee cake and pumpkin/apple/walnut muffin for breakfast.

Everything arrives, looks beautiful and is HUGE.  I am positive that we should have shared a muffin.  Oh my.  Let's just take our time and relax.  It's our vacation. (No, I still can't eat it all.)

The Japanese Gardens open at 10 so it's time to make the trek and find a parking spot.  Oh, it's so much easier today.  Woohoo.  The gates have not yet opened so we join the line of people waiting and find ourselves in a conversation with a mom/daughter from Spokane.  Time passes quick and bingo - we are in.

There is a shuttle at the ticket area for those who are handicapped, the rest of us make the journey up the steps.  Oh my goodness, if the entrance is this lovely, I can't wait to see the rest.

One on the main plaza, there is an overlook into the gardens.  Ah, I could live here forever.  No people required.

Also on the plaza is a display of bonsai plants that I literally stand in awe of.  This one is 500 years old.  FIVE HUNDRED!  Mister and I quietly talk about how that means it has been handed down for at least 5 generations.  Imagine the will reading.  "I get the tree?"  Is that a good thing?  What if that person doesn't have a green thumb and kills the family heirloom?  Wow.

Beautiful trees are everywhere we look.  In the picture above, you can see a pond in the center and I walk towards it, finding skimmers on the water.

Mister falls behind, taking pictures of the features along the way.

Before spotting me on the bridge.

And then calling me back to check out the house hidden in the trees.  It's his idea of heaven.

Up the path a bit is a crooked bridge under which koi flourish and one seems to be saying hello over and over again.

Directly after the bridge is a waterfall where we help a couple of ladies take a picture together and then they offer to return the favor.  Thank you.

Oh, you want to see the waterfall?  Okay.

Winding our way through the paths of the garden and taking way too many pictures to share them all here, we come to The Pavilion Gallery and the Flat Garden out front.  Inside the pavilion is a display of Japanese Kabuki costumes that I find oh so fascinating.  In fact, so much so, they have a post all their own.  You can see and read about them by clicking THIS LINK.

We continue weaving our way through the remainder of the garden before returning to the entrance where we tour a home and I fall in love with the fountain out back.  Mister comments once again that he would like a home surrounding a courtyard.  This would work in one of those nicely.

These gardens should be on every list of every visitor to this area.  They are marvelous.  Truly.

Asd we are leaving, I stop at the ticket office and ask if they have a map of Forest Park.  I am given one for Washington Park.  Okaaaay.  Apparently it goes by both names?  Odd.  At any rate, I THINK we are close to the International Rose Test Garden and it turns out we just have to walk across the parking lot.  SCORE.  Over the edge a burst of color comes into view.  Oh goodness.  We have experience a lot of rose gardens over the years but nothing of this magnitude.

Again, we take more pictures than anyone but us wants to see, but the aroma and eye candy of this garden cannot be surpassed.  Wow doesn't even begin to cover it.

I go up and down the rows trying to get the individual smells and it's overwhelming.  Not in aroma, but in quantity.  I would literally be here from dawn to dusk if I tried to smell each variety.

Sheer beauty (and one of my hubby's pictures)

As we are leaving (an hour and a half later) we notice a little path that looks like it may overlook the city.  I head down for a peek.

OH!  Yay,  It does, indeed, have a view and Mt. Hood is actually trying to find it's way out of the clouds today.  So far, we haven't had a better view of her than we had in the air upon our arrival.  She has been surrounded by clouds ever since.  Well, the smoky air from the forest fires doesn't help one little bit either.

Now what should we do?  It's around 1 in the afternoon and we don't really have set plans for the day.  Let's go south a bit down to the Willamette Valley to see the vineyards and perhaps find a nice spot for some wine and lunch.

We arrive in Newberg and notice a sign for a Farmer's Market today.  Why not check it out?

The veggies look so good.  I wish I had a kitchen right now.  I'd definitely be spending some dollars.

The market has an information booth so I walk up and ask if they know where one can have lunch and a glass of wine while overlooking a vineyard.  Scratching of heads takes place and they have no idea.  Apparently NONE of the local wineries have outdoor seating AND food.  Okay.  Next idea.

Several stops on Main street asking the same question, nets the same answer but one place is mentioned often.  It appears that Red Hills Market down in Dundee is the place to go.  Back into the car and three miles later, hello Dundee.  Is it time for a walkabout?  Hahahaha

The market has signs EVERYWHERE telling us what to do.  Even still, we're confused.

Apparently my humor is in full swing as I can't help but snap a picture of something my sweetie points out.

Our lunch is ordered and we find a spot outside to enjoy it.  Little did we know that our calm would once again be interrupted by someone who feels only their opinion is the right one.  It is about 75 degrees out with a breeze.  A car in the parking lot right next to the tables has windows open halfway and a dog with a bowl of water laying in it.  As these people walk by, the dog gets up to look out the window and the lady about loses her mind.  She wants that dog out of the car NOW.  She goes and finds the owner, who is eating lunch with his family, and informs him of the terrible thing he is doing.  He states that he just checked on his dog and gave it fresh water a few minutes ago and that it is fine.  She truly can't handle that and instantly walks around the corner and calls the police.  The she sits at the table next to us and rants about it.  After about 20 minutes, the family leaves and thus her rant must end.  We never did see the police arrive.  On the bright side?  Our sandwiches and mimosas were very, very good.  Oh, and yes, these are half sands.

Now what?  Without plans, we are just wandering aimlessly looking for whatever catches our attention.  I read in one of the books that the second largest waterfall (by volume) in the United States is in Oregon City and that's a beautiful drive away.  Why haven't we seen this anywhere else?  That question alone makes it worth checking out.

Upon our arrival, we discover why it really isn't promoted YET.  This doesn't look too bad, right?

But if we pan out -

A little closer up

Okay, now our interest is peaked for sure.  What happened here?  Fortunately, we have the answers for you.

"Oregon City - Once known as Willamette Falls - was the site of an Indian salmon fishing village.  The falls furnished the power for a lumber mill which began operation in 1842, a flour mill in 1844, a woolen mill in 1864, and the first paper mill in the Pacific Northwest in 1861.  The first long distance commercial electric power transmission in the United States was from Oregon City to Portland in 1889."

It's getting interesting now.  There is a lot of cool science involved in this area and Mister is reading on and on.  You should look it up.

"Willamette Falls is the second-largest waterfall by volume in North America.  From time immemorial through today, it has been a gathering place for Native Americans.  In the 1800's it was the birthplace of the Oregon Territory and a center of industrial activity.

When the Blue Heron Paper Company closed in 2011, community leaders recognized a unique opportunity to bring new life to this special place.  Oregonians have come together to shape the future of the privately-owned 22-acre site.  Thanks to agreements with the property owner and PG, public access to Willamette Falls is being designed and built, to provide visitors with spectacular, close-up views of the river and fall."

As part of our research, we learn that this town also has a 130' outdoor municipal elevator that connects two neighborhoods.  It is the only elevator of this type in the U.S. and one of only four in the world.  What a gem.  Let's go see it.

It is right around 5 as we enter the lower walkway and we are soon inundated with workers going home for the day.  The elevator is full and manned by an operator.  Cool.  When we arrive at the top, there is a view of the area and quite a bit of additional information.  This is the second elevator in this location with the first being built in 1912 and this one replacing it in 1955.

"Oregon City includes dramatic changes in elevation.  The city's central business district is sandwiched between the Willamette River and a basalt cliff, and is only several blocks wide.  At the top of the 90' cliff lies another neighborhood.  Indian trails negotiating the cliffside were used originally to connect the two areas beginning with the founding of the town in 1839.  Numerous stairways were built in the mid-1860's, but a better transportation solution was needed.  A bond measure to raise $12,000 for construction was put to voters in July 1912.  This levy failed. but a second referendum passed in December of the same year.  The elevator opened to the public in 1915, delayed by politics.  The original elevator was water-powered and took three minutes for the ride.  The elevator was so popular that most of the cliffside stairs were removed.  The elevator was converted to electric drive in 1924, which reduced the time to 30 seconds."

Is that cool or what?  It gets even better.  In 1851, PRIOR to this elevator (and when there were still all the stairways), Dr. John McLoughlin dedicated a 7.8 acre park along the bluff now known as the McLoughlin Promenade for the use of the citizens of Oregon City.  It was basically a dirt path along the bluffs and connecting to the various stairways.  In 1938, a concrete pathway lined by stone walls and an adjacent grand staircase were constructed as a Works Program, Administration (WPA) project to provide economic relief during the Great Depression.  The concrete railing along much of the Promenade south of the elevator was designed to mimic a split rail wooden fence.  To make the Promenade once again safe to use and restore its structural integrity, in 2010, the city used American Recovery and Reinvestment funding to restore the Promenade.

As we walk the Promenade south, it goes all the way down past the old mill.

And our view to the north, with the Arch Bridge -

Mister is a bit silly on the way back and shows me how to have some fun with tree pods as we look for the staircase down.  Oh there it is.  Looking down and back up where we came from.  Of course we took the stairs down -- the complete experience required.

This turned out to be a GREAT stop and we have loved it all.  By chance, there are a couple of breweries here and we select Arch House, which turns out to be listed as a brewery but is only a taphouse and doesn't even carry many Oregon beers.  One flight for us is all and we are back on our way.

The selection isn't bad, just not what we are looking for when we travel.  The flight bridge, however, is awesome.

We have made a crazy loop today and the drive has been beautiful but it's time to point back towards Portland.  We are only 10 miles from the house and we've been told that the neighborhood (literally three doors down) sushi place is to die for.  Wanting a nicer dinner, we are gonna verify that.

Yoko's is FANTASTIC.  Seriously.  You will have to wait to get a seat,. but it is so worth it.  Just put your name on the list and trust them to call.  The system works.

Yoko, the owner, has been in this spot for 21 years working 7 days a week.  She knows her stuff and we are honored to have her create our dinner.  Everything is so good and I'm being completely honest.  No fluff here.  She even creates about a dozen of her own rolls.

The rest of the meal???  Just look.  So so yummy.  We may even try a second night here.  Thank you James and Yoko for a terrific end to a truly fun day.   We started out in Japan and ended there as well.