Portland

Yesterday we said goodbye to the wild, cold Pacific.  I had loved it and miss it already.

Cape Meare's Lighthouse, our final viewpoint of the coast.

Driving east we came to Portland around lunch time.  Let me just say, Portland's roads are crazy.  We both loved the town, it was very beautiful and the downtown area where we ate lunch looked like it would be fun to explore, but our GPS gave us about 20 turns getting off the highway and to a little sandwhich shop I had found online.  Then when leaving later to head to Seattle, there was literally about 30 turns and instructions to get back on!  At one point we were in a double lane on ramp and we came to a flashing red light and each lane would flash alternately.  I didn't get it, but Allen said "its getting us back to a single lane!"  He thought that was funny...and low a behold, he was right.  In about 20 feet we were back to a single lane.

In Portland, we went to a sandwhich shop called Bunk, and also to the Japanese and rose gardens.  

Bunk was a tiny little sandwich shop, we were proud of ourselves for actually finding it!

The Japanese garden was beautiful, quiet and green.

Beautiful view of Mt. Hood from the gardens.

After the Japanese garden we went to the International Rose Test Garden.  It is free and completely open to the public.  The garden began in 1917 because a group of Portland nurserymen were worried about the roses in Europe during WWI.  As we walked down the steps from our car into the 4.5 acre tiered hill, we did not expect how dazzling the garden would be.  Its hard to describe, there are thousands of roses, everywhere you look, they blanket the hillside.

The pictures do not do it justice.  If you are ever near Portland, you must take the time to visit.