Horsetail Falls

I've been going out to the Columbia River Gorge alot lately to go hiking on all the great trails along the river. I say alot, because since the Angel's Rest hike (which wasn't even 2 weeks ago) I've done 3 more hikes. I chose a fairly easy loop trail to do today, because I had a time limit and wanted it to be my first solo hike (with Steve of course). However, my friend James, who always works, had the day off, so I let him tag along (just joshin' with ya, james! WINK).  We headed out fairly early and after finally figuring out how to get out of Portland from his end of town, we were off into the wilderness and arrived at the trail head, which is probably a mile past Multnomah Falls, around 9am. The trail is a 4 mile loop....supposedly. It was definitely a loop, but the bottom of the loop was a bit disconnected. When we go to the bottom of the loop we had to walk along the highway to get back to the starting trailhead where we left the car. This was only maybe a half mile walk or less, so nothing too terrible. Plus, we founds some CRAZY animal bones along the road...fairly substantial in size, yet it looked like there were turkey waddles connected to the jaw area, but also fur found on some of the carcass. Conclusion: a turkey wearing a fur coat!!! Too bad it go hit by a car. 

 

(I'm not sure what the name of the fall on the left is. The fall on the Right is Horsetail Falls, and is visible from the highway.)

This hike only has an elevation gain of 560ft, but there are still a couple of decent viewpoints along the way (nothing as thrilling as other higher elevation hikes though, like Devil's and Angel's Rest). With the lack of elevation, it's nice that this is still a 4 mile hike, which makes it more worth it for me. If I'm going to do an easy hike, I still want there to be a bit of distance.

Like the other hikes in the area, this one has a bit of a rocky trail (as my hipster friend quickly noticed in his thin soled fashionable shoes:) The forest is lush and beautiful, lots of moss on the trees and slugs on the ground.

I let James in on a little secret; if you lick this slug your tongue will get numb. Yes, I have tried it before and it does work, but I couldn't remember what kind of slug. This one had leopard spots. Perhaps it's the right kind, perhaps I poisoned James! Either way, he spit about 30 times and caused quite a scene, but then licked it again when I said a photo would be a good idea. The slug left his hands covered in gluey goop and we decided to use this glue when the apocalypse happens and we need to build a forest home.

 We found this monument in the woods near a whole slough of lookouts. We don't know the exact cliff that poor little Glenn fell from, but I asked James to feel out the different ledges and he said that this one felt like a pretty legit place to fall and die from. Poor James was REALLY uncomfortable out there.

Halfway through the loop there is a fall that the trail goes right behind. There is a big cave-like cove cut out from the huge rock under the waterfall, where the trail goes. Quite cool! I think this might be Ponytail Falls.

Like most of the other hikes in this area, this hike has forks where you can follow trails that connect to other trails, thus making this hike as long as you want really. Maybe next times I'll take one of the trail offshoots and see what kind of beautiful things I find. Alone as a loop, this is a very nice relaxing hike.

Sweet Hereafter

Yesterday I met up with Ellen for afternoon happy hour. She suggested the Sweet Hereafter, which was an EXCELLENT suggestion since it's on the block of Belmont that I live on (well, I technically live on the back side on Morrison, which run parallel), but I've never been there. 

First off, I LOVE my little block on Belmont. The block between 33rd and 34th is probably the best block on SE Belmont St. Lots of great bars, lounges, restaurants, cafes, and shops all packed into one great block. There is everything from gourmet cupcakes to NY style pizza. Sadly, I haven't tried many of these adorable establishments. (its easy to get used to going to the same place, day after day...where everybody knows my name!)

The Sweet Hereafter only serves Vegan food. While I didn't eat anything, I smelled and saw a number of tastey looking dishes, and according to their many Yelp reviews, even non-vegans will enjoy these healthy dishes (which include things like mac n cheese and a tofu bhan mi sandwich). Ellen and I grabbed happy hour well drinks ($3.00) and grabbed a seat on there large patio.

   The inside of the bar is really nice. Very spacious, a long bar, lots of chunky dark wood, and nice dim lighting.
   The patio is quite large, with a couple of long lines of picnic tables. Its covered, but the covering is very high, with air flow at the tops so you still feel very much outside, in this year around functional outdoor seating area. The only downfall is that they don't allow smoking in the covered portion of the patio, which is why most people in Portland are on the patio in the first place!

 
   Beyond the covered area, there is on picnic table, open to the elements  (which is nice in the sun) and smoking is allowed at and around this one table...because whats a drink without a smoke!?


Overall, my drink was well made, the bar tender was very friendly (and patient with out indecisive drink choosing), and the atmosphere was pleasant both indoors and out. I'd like to go back to try some things off of the all vegan menu sometime! Thanks Ellen and Sweet Hereafter.  It's so great to have to many different types of places to choose from, so close to home!

Angel's Rest

We are on an AMAZING weather streak here in Portland. Clear skies and lots of sunshine! (just what the doctor ordered) I had Monday off and it was another beautiful day (got up to 80) so my neighbor, Jarred, and I went out to the Columbia River Gorge to do a little hiking. He has a brown lab, who is friends with Steve, so we loaded up the dogs and headed down the freeway about 25 minutes.

The hike is mostly in the trees, but since there have been some fires over the years, there are patches with lots of new growth and sun shining through, as well as AMAZING views of the gorge/river.

The trail is 4.8 miles total (out and back) with an elevation gain of 1450 feet. This said, it's considered a moderate trail. Little Steve managed to do quite well. Because of the amount of times he ran ahead on the trail, and then back to us again, I swear he did the hike twice!

The view at the top is AMAZING! You can see all the way back to Portland. It's super windy at the top though. People find little nooks in the bushes to settle into, but one wouldn't want to stay at the top long due to the wind.



There were a  couple of places about 3/4 of the way up the trail where there were big open rocky areas. The view in these areas were almost as grand as the one at the top, yet they were protected from the wind and perfect for sunning on the baking warm rocks. Because of it's close proximity to Portland, this is a fairly popular trail, but there is a small parking lot and plenty of roadside parking at the trailhead to accommodate the nature seeking city dwellers. It's also a very dog friendly trail. We must have seen at least 20 dogs on the trail. I also noticed that there were a number of females doing this trail solo with their dog...good to see a safe trail for girls to hike on their own.  I can't wait to get out to the gorge again to try some new hikes!!!! It's gonna be a good summer!!!!!!

Por Que No?

I recently got a chance to eat at Por Que No with my friend Sierra. I have been wanting to eat here for a while, as it is a very popular establishment on Hawthorne St. However, every time I've been in the vicinity, it's been in the evening or on a weekend, or both, and the place was packed. I went on a weekday at lunchtime, so it wasn't as busy. Por Que No has a huge variety of tacos and then various other Mexican dishes. I would say their tacos are the most popular item. They average 3 bucks a piece, and I would suggest choosing 3 of them for a fulfilling meal meal, packed with a variety of flavors. They also have a great selection of alcohol and non-alcohol beverages, but we both stuck with water (it's a more wallet friendly option). Its a casual restaurant, where one grabs a menu upon entering and gets in line to order, and finds a place to sit with a number while waiting for food to be brought out.  They have a really great outdoor patio, but it was too windy and chilly on the day that we went, so we stayed inside. The food was excellent (we each got 3 different tacos), but I would have like to left feeling a little more full. (authentic taquerias and taco trucks charge about half the price for tacos, although you wont find as much variety, or as high of quality of ingredients).

Portland People

This week it's my pleasure to introduce you to the delightful Ellen Dorsey! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to share with us, Ellen!  (also, Ellen is my first married Portland Person:)

1) How long have you lived in Portland?
I've lived in Portland for about 3 years now. Which, in Portland Years is equivalent to my whole life. I moved here from Southern California because I was tired of riding my bike to the beach everyday. Ok, not quite...I was at a fork in the road in my life and decided a big change would help clear my mind and it did.  I live in the southeast area of Portland, in the Westmoreland neighborhood. It's great because everything from my work to favorite grocery store is within a 2 mile radius. I don't leave SE if I don't have to!

2) What fills up your days (or nights) in Portland?
I work 4 days a week at St. Jack (in...you guessed it, SE Portland) baking pastries and making desserts. I'm an assistant pastry chef (or assistant TO the pastry chef, if you will) and my shifts are pretty early in the morning so I have most evenings free to do as I wish. Most of the time I bake some more. I'd like to say it's to perfect my craft but honestly, I have a pretty big sweet tooth and like to impress my friends and husband.

3) Where are some of your favorite place to go and things to do in Portland?                            On my days off, I like to go to dance classes (mostly hip hop, but I like most classes at my studio), ride my bike, try a new coffeeshop or bakery, or dig through a vintage or antique store for good finds. Since we live so close to Sellwood, we tend to go there for antique shopping and the Ugly Mug has the best iced mocha on this side of town. My husband and I like to find records but rarely pay more than a buck for one. We like the bargain bins at Everyday Music on E. Burnside. I'm telling you, there's very few reasons to leave the east side!

4) What are some different things about Portland that make it Portland? Lately what has been fascinating me about Portlanders is the rush to sit outside and eat. Today, in true Portland fashion, it was sunny and raining, but there were still people using the sidewalk seating. I don't get the appeal. At all.                                                                                                  

5) Do you plan on staying in Portland for a while?I would love to stay in Portland for as long as I can. I love my gig at St. Jack, so I'll keep working there as long as they'll have me or until my husband and I are ready to make a family. As "Weird" as Portland is, it's also a great place to raise kids.