Portland and Mount Hood

Now we did take a train ride back in Peru, when we traveled from Aguas Calientes to Ollayantambo, but we had not yet taken a proper overnight train trip...We found a prime opportunity to take one when we needed to get from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, which is quite a way up. We had some time to kill, the train fare was quite a bit cheaper than a flight (and not a lot more expensive than the Greyhound) and we heard the "Coastal Starlight" train offers some great scenery along the way! We didn't need much more motivation than that and booked two tickets to Portland. Our train departed Emeryville station at 10:00 pm which meant with the approximate travel time of 17 hours we were expected to arrive in Portland by 15:00 the next day. 

Ready for our train ride!

We found our seats, jerked all the reclinable pieces in place and settled down to sleep. The rhythmic sounds and movements of a train as opposed to the usual buses actually make quite a big difference in allowing for a semi comfortable sleep! 

When I woke up, at around 06:30 am the next morning, we were greeted with the most amazing sight on either sides of the train. The sun was just appearing over the eastern horizon and a whole world lit up before our eyes! 

Early morning view from the train

Thick groves of Oregon Pines as far as the eye can see, mist laden meadows of rich golden color and this massive and majestic snow covered mountain standing proud in the pink morning light...I literally had to rub my eyes to make sure I was awake and then when assured I proceeded on jumping on Kristi to wake her up! 

That small white cone is the volcano Mt Shasta 

A train ride really offers a great way to enjoy the scenery, relax with a good book, and dine in style as the train gently churns on ahead...Can't believe we haven't thought of this before! 

The girl on the train

We arranged to stay with a friend we made back in Minca, Colombia, Bryan, who lives in Portland. He generously agreed to come pick us up at the train station, give us a quick tour of the city to help us get our bearings and take us back to his place. 

Oregon and Portland especially, definitely has a unique vibe to the rest of the US. It's a very prosperous city but has managed to still hold on to that small town feel, it bestows a great sense of civic duty, has a characteristic progressive and libertarian feel about it and displays a rich passion for culture, style and taste...It's a very wholesome place and any city that prides itself on good coffee and beer has got it right in my book! 

After dropping off our stuff, Bryan took us out for a round of beers at a nearby joint in his neighborhood, a very cool old English-style pub. We caught up on the past two months since we last saw him and it struck us then how little time we have left on our trip! 

We have only had good hosting experiences on our trip but Bryan really went out of his way to make us feel at home! He gave us heaps of information and tips about what to do around Portland, helped us plan our excursions and even went so far as to let us have his room for our stay! It was truly generous of him and we cannot thank him enough! 

The next morning we headed out to explore the city which has got a very convenient bus system to navigate around with. We wasted no time in trying some of Portland's renowned cuisine and headed to a brunch spot to enjoy a couple of scrumptious breakfast sandwiches and some of that famous Pacific Northwest coffee! We then just strolled around, visited some shops and explored the world's largest book store, Powell's Books. 

and the book thief...

You apparently cannot visit Portland and not try some of its famous donuts, so we headed to Blue Star donuts to pay our dues and see what all the fuss is about...The cold, rainy weather definitely plays it part in luring you in to the cozy comforts of warm baked sugary goods and fresh coffee! 

Words to live by

Bryan invited us to have dinner with two of his close friends at their place later that evening, so after a quick afternoon drink at the Lucky Labrador beer hall - het so aan my swaer Thiam gedink - we headed over to Chris and Carly's place. Bryan prepared a lovely meal for us and together with some good wine and conversion really gave us a taste of home again and beats what any restaurant in the world can offer! 

Dinner at Chris and Carly's place

The next day we planned to take a short weekend road trip to the nearby Mount Hood area, to do some hiking and see some of that classic Oregon wilderness! 

After picking up our rental car we made a quick, or we thought it would be quick, stop at the Danner boot factory store which was situated near the rental agency. Now just for some background, ever since watching the movie Wild, where Reese Witherspoon does the famous Pacific Crest Trail in a pair of Danner boots, has Kristi wanted a pair of these hiking boots. 

They are unfortunately hard to find and difficult to order online when you're moving around all the time. So expectations were high to say the least when we arrived in the city where they are made!  We visited the retail outlet in town the previous day, where Kristi tried on and looked great in the pair she wanted but fortunately we didn't buy them then because later that evening Chris told us about the Factory store and that you can get them for nearly 50% cheaper over there...Anyways long story short we both walked out with a new pair of Danner boots at the end of the day! Lekker bederfie! 

Happy days!

That night we stayed over in a small town, called Sandy, at the edge of the Mt Hood national forest to get a nice early start the next morning for our hike. We planned to do the Paradise loop trail which is part of both the popular Timberline and Pacific Crest Trails - so it promised to be a good day outing...man, we didn't know the half of it! 

The trail starts at the famous Timberline ski lodge and then skirts along the slope of Mt Hood via the timberline...The ski season only starts at the end of November so we thought that we'd only see some snow on the higher reaches of Mt Hood...Imagine our surprise when we neared the Timberline lodge area and found the whole place covered in snow! Proper fresh, couple of feet tick, soft, white, wonderful snow! 

Talk about a change of scenery!

After a quick, 'niks gewoont nie', freak out session, it struck us that our hiking trail that started at the lodge might not be doable given the snow...Fortunately we ran into three trail runners who were on their way to run the trail - they assured us we'd be fine and that the route will be very visible! That settled that and we grabbed our hiking gear and headed to the trail. 

It's a 12 mile hike so relatively long with considerable elevation loss and gain. You drop and climb both getting to Paradise Park and returning. There are really some incomparable vistas as you hike from Timberline Lodge west along the Pacific Crest Trail via Zig Zag Canyon.

It was a really stunning day with crisp blue skies that accentuated the fresh white snow remarkably. We counted ourselves lucky considering that the previous couple of days' weather were atrocious! 

Walking in a winter wonderland

Hiking through the snow was definitely a highlight for us, I think since it's such a foreign concept for us South Africans. It was a really exciting and thrilling outing! 

The mighty Mt Hood!

After a couple of miles we descended into more heavily timbered areas with occasional views. 

There were these occasional small canyons that we had to skirt through and one river crossing before we got to the Paradise loop section. The furthest section of the loop, before you start heading back, had a very nice sunny spot with a great view of Mt Hood - we fortunately found some friendly people there who could help us capture the moment! 

Paradise trail turnaround point

The walk back went relatively smoothly, slightly more elevations but we stopped for a nice lunch break which helped us refuel! 

This hike is one of the most outstanding hikes available on Mt Hood due to the incredible views of the mountain and the surrounding landscapes. We couldn't believe our luck with the snow and thoroughly enjoyed the wholly foreign element it provided! I mean just when you thought you've seen and done every type of hike possible you get to experience something new - we were so grateful for the experience! 

What a hike!

After completing the hike we headed to the beautiful Timberline Lodge for some coffees to warm us up! We were staying at the nearby Government Camp that evening, at the Best Western hotel - managed to get a room at a special rate! Just across from the hotel there was a very nice craft brewery, Mt Hood Brewery - Oregon is littered with them. We went there for dinner that night and had a really nice meal and some good beer, and we got to see the Chicago Cubs baseball team make it to the World Series (American for final) - last time they won it was in 1908! So it was quite a defining and special moment for Chicago, and having particularly enjoyed our stay there we kind of felt a connection to the celebratory occasion! 

The next morning we did a short hike to Mirror lake, which was situated close to our hotel. 

Mirror lake

It was a beautiful walk in between the Oregon Pines and the lake looked idyllic with the mountain perched in the background. 

Mt Hood in the background

Afterwards we headed east and then north behind Mt Hood to the town of Hood River lying on the bank of the dominant and powerful Columbia River. It was along this river that the legendary explorers Lewis and Clark finished their epic expedition from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Northwest... 

That night we stayed in a nice little hostel in town, and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner, at a cozy Thai restaurant just a short walk from the hostel. 

The next morning we drove all along the Columbia River Gorge, and stopped by the many waterfalls that flow into the river. 

Horsetail falls

The most spectacular of the lot was definitely Multnoma Falls, which is a narrow but tall waterfall, and surrounded by the most beautiful display of autumn trees. 

Multnoma falls

We hiked all the way to the top which was a steep 1 mile vertical ascent but the views of the Columbia River were really beautiful from the different viewpoints along the trail. 

Columbia River in the background

It was our last scenic stop before heading back to Portland so we spent some time there and just enjoyed the typical Oregon scenery. 

After dropping off our rental car - an apple red Kia Soul, which was a very nice little car - we headed back to Bryan's place to drop off our bags. We didn't wanted to impose on him any more so we arranged to stay at a airbnb that night, we did though take him up on a proposed visit to his favorite pizza parlour in the neighborhood, Apizza Schols. People from New York pride themselves on knowing good pizza and Bryan didn't disappoint! It was a good way to end off our stay in the lovely city of Portland, with quality food, a friendly, laid back vibe, wholesome conversation and off course some craft beer! 

Great Pizza!

The next morning we headed to the bus stop to take the 'bolt bus' to, wait for it...the final destination of our 7 month journey! Seattle, Washington...

Thanks for the great time Portland!