I know it’s hard to follow up my post bashing downtown Portland, but I have to finish the experiences of the trip. Oregon is actually an amazing place.
After we checked out of our hotel in downtown Portland, we secured a room at a hotel in a town called Beaverton – just outside of downtown.
Like I had said before – still homeless people around but the town was clean and nice. Shops were open for business and there were no shit stains on the sidewalks. It was just, nice.
Trail of Ten Falls – Silverton, OR
We spent one day hiking in Silverton, OR – about one hour south of Portland proper. It was a really gorgeous drive through wine country.
We got in early and started on the trail that was a loop around ten different waterfalls, hence the name Trail of Ten Falls. The falls themselves range from 27 to 177 feet in height and four of them you can walk behind, which is the most magical.
I don’t know what it is about being behind a waterfall but I could spend all day staring at the water falling above me. Listening to the rumble and feeling the vibrations.
One of the more majestic falls had nothing less than a long cave going behind it.
All I can say is… go to Oregon and do this hike.
The hike is pretty long, 8.7 miles to be exact, but it is mostly flat and a relatively easy hike and is punctuated with a waterfall or two every mile. So, lots of stopping. Just come prepared with lots of water and some snacks.
Once we finished the hike (around one or so in the afternoon) the parking lot had filled up pretty full. So again, I stress early morning hikes to beat the crowds.
After the hike we drove to Corvallis, OR, to view the campus where Matthew went to school, stopped for some coffee and took off again towards the coast to a town called Newport, OR.
Newport, OR
This drive from the falls to Newport is about 2 hours. The views on the way aren’t bad but also not the most spectacular.
The town itself is a sleepy (and I use this term lightly as everything was closed down due to COVID) little town with the RICHEST clam chowder I ever had. I mean this stuff was THICCC. Delicious but rich. Matthew and I definitely had bigger eyes than our stomachs because we both ordered a bowl and could barely finish it. We ordered it from a place called “Ocean Blue at Gino’s” right across from the pier.
Since there was no indoor dining we decided to drive down to the beach and watch the sun start to set over the ocean.
Then we took off back towards Portland… but before we could get very far out of town we noticed a sign for “Devils Punchbowl” and decided to take the small detour off the road to view it before the sun went all the way down.
It was really cool – the tide was low so I’m not sure if the water shoots up through the giant hole in the rocks or not…. regardless – it was awe-inspiring. And a really quick view – the area is small and you can walk the path in just a few minutes down to the beach.
Then back to Portland it was.
Second Hand Stores
If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed (maybe even to an unhealthy point) with second hand shopping. And Portland is FULL of second hand and vintage stores.
The thing that upset me the most was the price… even the thrift stores had outrageously high prices. It was off-putting to say the least. I felt like I was in New York city with the price tags.
However, I found a few stores that were reasonable and they happen to be chains. (gasp)
The best for deals was Crossroads Trading Co – there is one on Hawthorne ave, which is nestled in with some neat vintage shops to pop into. Across the street is a really high end (with pretty reasonable prices) second hand store called 2nd STREET Hawthorne. Here you can get your Gucci and Burberry jackets along with your typical second hand garb.
Around the corner is a buffalo exchange with the COOLEST shoes. Tons of platforms, sparkly over the knee boots, clear heels – cross-dress-esque. I don’t know if they just got a good dump or if they regularly get fun items like that.
There is one more Crossroads across the river and through downtown that had a great selection as well. It is in the Northwest District.
But if you are willing to spend a pretty penny on some cool vintage or second hand items, take a trip down Hawthorne ave.
Mirror lake
We took another day to drive up to Mirror Lake in Government Camp, OR.
This drive was about 1.5 hours from Portland.
I’ll be honest with you – I was not impressed with this hike.
The hike is 3.7 miles round trip and was not too trafficked at the time, probably due to it being the beginning of winter.
The trail is moderate, with the beginning being pretty flat and then a few switch backs up to the lake. The hardest part was hiking on the ice.
The lake itself was iced over.. so there was no “mirror” in the lake for me. It just seemed like a snowy valley without a real spectacular view.
I would recommend this hike in the summer time, I hear that it is gorgeous and worth the crowds to see when the lake reflects the mountains.
After the hike we drove down the road a little to a town called “Zig Zag” and ate at a BBQ joint called “Skyway Bar and Grill”. They had really good mac n’ cheese, however, no matter what an Oregonian tells you…. this is NOT real BBQ. I suggest going with the Mac n’ Cheese plate as post hike fuel. The brisket on it was pretty good – the pulled pork I had was WAY too salty.
I was told they usually have live music and they do have a great beer selection. So a real rad hangout.
Sand Dunes at Sand Lake
Last but definitely not least was the trip to the sand dunes at Sand Lake – which is no longer a lake, just a large sand area now.
This is about an hour and 45 minutes directly west of Portland… longer if you are hauling some toys to play with.
We are lucky enough to have some redneck friends who like to have FUN. We had a nice little group in jeeps, dirt bikes, ATVs and a razor. The razor is my favorite and the smoothest ride.. I would recommend it to a newbie such as myself.
If you jump in a jeep with someone thinking it will be a safe feeling and smooth ride.. THINK AGAIN.
I nearly had a heart attack bouncing around in the back of a jeep. I still had fun.. it was just the kind of fun that you have on a wooden rollercoaster.
The dunes are gorgeous in themselves with the ocean for a nice back drop. Racing along the beach and up along the dunes made me feel like I was in a real life video game. But I much prefer driving.
One of the coolest things is the fact you can see Haystack Rock in the distance from the Dunes. Which is a big draw to the ocean side of Oregon. I’d recommend driving from the Dunes to it rather than walking tho…
And that sums up the rest of the trip!
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Auf Wiedersehen
Nomad Nutrition 