Honeymoon Day Four - The Oregon Triangle

Yesterday started with a great breakfast at Fuller's diner in Portland and afterwards we walked around in the rain for a bit. We then decided to get our rental car and get out of town a bit earlier than orginally scheduled. We received a Dodge Nitro which is a small SUV but has 4x4, which came in very handy later in the day when driving through the Cascades (<- foreshadowing.) Our first stop on the way out of Portland was the Japanese Garden, which we were told was not to be missed. The weather was a bit dreary but cleared up as we entered the garden. It is considered the most authentic Japanese Garden in the US and also the largest. Beautiful plants and designed paths. We have lots of video below, and more to come. After the Japanese Garden, we headed East of the river to the Hawthorne District, a very funky and ecclectic neighborhood, to look for a hat for Jed at a recommended boutique, Local 35. We found a nice one and jumped back into the car. Our last stop was a pint, food and planning at the Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. We drove South, with Bagby Hot Springs as our hopeful destination. We reached it without much effort and the drive through the Cascades was colorful and very dramatic. The hike from the parking lot to the springs was uphill for 1.5 miles - a good workout. It was a beautiful hike through the forest, over several bridges with surging whitewater underneath, ending in a fabulous soak in the 100+ degree mineral springs. There were several carved out logs to soak in, a couple of private baths and a large wooden tub in the public area. (If you saw the movie, "Old Joy," then you have seen Babgy.) As we soaked au natural, we took in the scenery -- mist all around and above us, blue sky and treetops. A very soothing soak that had Stacy proclaiming that it was the best "hot tub experience she had ever had." Very natural and again, very dramatic.

We stayed toasty warm on the hike back down the hill, thanks to the soak, although there was snow all along the trail and the air was chilly. We jumped back into the car and headed back the way we came, intending on reaching a small town called "Sisters" before nightfall.

A couple of turns onto Forrest Roads brought us to a sign that said Detroit, right 40 miles. We decided to take it although it was a different path than originally planned. The road climbed onto the mountain and we progressively saw more and more snow on the side of the road and eventually ON the road. Finally, we came to a point where all we could see in front of us was a road full of snow an abandoned vehicle parked in the ice. We decided to turn back.

Halfway back down the mountain, we decided to take another road that said Hwy 26, 25 miles. Both Hwy 26 and Detroit were on the way to Sisters. Halfway up this road debris started appearing in the road, and then more snow, which prohibited any further progression. Laughing all the way, we had to turn back once again. It was starting to get dark.

Now, back to the original plan, which was sure to work. Or so we thought. The Ranger's Station was closed and the road was dark but we progressed anyway. There were lots of campers on each side of the road but debris, a closed road (that indicated the path to Hwy 26) and a single lane road (and more snow) made us turn back once again. There was no hope of going south. Stacy proclaimed that we were in The Bermuda Triangle, IN OREGON!

Traveling back North, we passed a couple of small towns which we hoped we have hotels or at least dinner. (Our stops at strange gas stations are another story for another time.) It was now 10pm and our 2 hour detour left us hungry and tired. One try after another in small towns failed to secure us a night's stay until we spotted a Best Western in Sandy, OR. Rooms were available and we were able to get a dinner (Taco Bell at midnight) and a good night's sleep. Finally. What a hilarious, yet tiring journey.

Next step, The Gorge and Crater Lake, if we can make it South through the Indian Reservation.

Videos below, more to come at our next internet connection.

Portland Japanese Garden



Japanese Garden Koi Pond



Japanese Garden Zig Zag Bridge



First Sign of Snowy Roads

Honeymoon Day Three - Pok, Pix, Victory

After relaxing at the Ace for a while we jumped in a cab to the SE side of town for some authentic Thai, dessert and drinks. Pok Pok was highly recommended by locals and books. Although we had Thai last night, we are always up for SE Asian food and therefore decided to go with the recommendations. We split a Papaya Salad with sticky rice and I had their famous chicken wings while Stacy had a curry prawn dish. The food was very flavorful and as authentic of Thai that we have had.

After dinner we walked a couple of blocks down SE Division to Pix Patisserie. The front glass counter was full of colorful desserts and there was a line out the door. We found a seat at the bar, had a Creme Brule, Coffee, a Rogue Chocolate Stout and a Molten Chocolate Cake. YUMMY!!!!! (Video below). After dessert we hit The Victory, a nice bar just a couple of blocks away. It reminded me of the gastro pubs in London, specifically the Bermondsey one. A drink there and then a cab ride home is all we had in us tonight.

Planning for the drive down South starts now....

Dessert Case at Pix



Pix Pattiserie

Honeymoon Day Three - Donuts and Arcade Games

We started the day off with a great lunch at Bijou Cafe, a bistro recommended by George. I had a fantastic hamburger with Jalapeno Chutney and Stacy had a great cheese quesadilla with a spicy pumpkin mole. YUMMY!! After lunch we walked down to the water and halfway across one of the bridges to look back at the city. A very sectional city that reminds us of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.

We had the intentions of just walking around through Chinatown and ended up finding lots of cool shops. We had a donut at the ultra hip and highly recommended Voodoo Donuts (video below), which we actually stumbled upon, as we have everything else in the city. We got a simple donut but I'm sure the exotic ones are just as delicious. We popped into Compound (review here)and bought some French Dunnys (and got one of the rare ones) and a couple of art prints by Kozyndan. After a bit of shopping, we popped into Ground Kontrol to play some video games. We spent a couple of dollars on Galaga, Cruisin' USA, Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man, Joust, Pinball and Dance Dance Revolution (lots of video below).

Afterwards, we hit Powell's huge bookstore and stumbled upon the Velvet Painting Museum which we wanted to see but didn't realize it was in the bookstore. Very cool. We wandered around Powell's color coded sections and the rare books room. We bought a hand drawn 3d map of the Pacific Northwest and a book about Paul's Boutique by The Beastie Boys. Afterwards, a stop into American Apparel and then back to the Clive Common for a drink. We are now off to the Hawthorne District for dinner at Pok Pok. Check out the videos below.

Voodoo Donuts



24 Church of Elvis



Stacy playing Galaga



Stacy playing Tron Discs



Jed playing Ms. Pac Man



Stacy playing Dance Dance Revolution

Honeymoon Day Two - Night on the Town

Last night we had tickets to see The Whigs and What Made Milwaukee Famous at The Crystal Ballroom. It was only a couple of blocks from our hotel so we decided to have a drink on the way. We asked for a recommendation and were told to just go to the restaurant/bar in the hotel, Clyde Commons.

We sat at the bar and each had a beer. Halfway through our drinks, I spotted a guy that I knew from Raleigh. His name is George and he used to bartend at The Raleigh Times. Stacy, George and I talked a bit about Portland and he gave us some food recommendations which we intend on taking today. Later, he brought us two glasses of champagne as a congrats on our wedding/honeymoon. A very nice jesture.

Afterwards, we headed off for the Lola Room at The Crystal Ballroom. The venue was small and loud. We stood close to the stage and bought ear plugs to dampen some of the sound. We missed local band The Dead Trees but caught all of What Made Milwaukee Famous. They were great musicians but were a bit poppy and sounded similar to something that would appear on the television show The O.C. They did cover Money (That's What I Want) by Barrett Strong, which was pretty good. The Whigs were great. They danced around the stage a lot and were reminiscent of The Kinks and Nirvana. A great rock n roll band. They played a lot of their own songs as well as covered Get Off Of My Cloud by The Rolling Stones and Instant Karma by John Lennon (joined on stage by WMMF). Both bands covered songs that had Beatles connections, which we like to think were played for us. Below are videos of each band.

What Made Milwaukee Famous - Money (That's What I Want) Cover



The Whigs - Right Hand on my Heart



The Whigs w/ What Made Milwaukee Famous - Instant Karma Cover

Honeymoon Day Two - Portland Art Museum

After settling in at the Ace Hotel we walked through downtown Portland until we reached the Portland Art Museum. We went straight for the contemporary wing which had it's fair share of Degas, Picasso, Flavin, Rodin and more. After the museum we wandered around looking for a bite to eat and happened to run into a Thai place called Typhoon! where we were planning on having dinner tonight. So we decided to have an early dinner. Stacy had Pineapple Red Curry and I had Drunken Noodles. Fantastic food and atmosphere.

Below is a video of one of the most colorful pieces of art we saw at the museum. It was called TV-rama but I can't remember the artist's name. I do remember that she was female. The video is a bit shaky and fast because we weren't supposed to film or photograph in the museum.

Honeymoon Day Two - Ace Hotel Room

We are now at the Ace Hotel in Portland, OR. Hip as can be and as downtown as can be.

Here is a video of the Deerslayer pages on our room wall.

Honeymoon Day Two - Sam Adams for Portland Mayor

Sam Adams for Portland Mayor

Honeymoon Day Two - Stick People

This is how the stick people became extinct.

Honeymoon - Night One Portland, OR

We arrived at the Jupiter Hotel at 12:15 PST which is 3:15 EST. We have been traveling since 4pm EST. Stacy slept a bit on both flights but somehow I stayed awake the entire time. The Jupiter is a hipster's paradise, basically an old Days Inn motel with a lodge and music venue attached to it. The Doug Fir designed by Skylab. We checked into the tiny room which has fake Mies van de Rohe chairs, a nice sink, and a mural on the wall of the woods. The doors of the rooms are painted with chalkboard paint and our door seemed to have a special message written on it just for us. It said "Obama!" Coincidence? I think not. A great symbolic start to our honeymoon.

We went down to the lounge, caught the last song of Dead Meadow's set and had a drink downstairs before moving up to the lounge (FAT TIRE!!!!) We relaxed in the lounge by the fire (it's chilly here) and shot some funny video of each other....below......