Old Town Portland
We couldn’t be so close to Portland and not check it out. We heard that it had lots of culture and cool things to do. The Old Town Portland sign was a must-see and we happened to catch an artisan market at the same time. It was disappointing that the cool shops lining the streets were overshadowed by garbage and camping tents, so we skipped most of them.
Because Doughnuts
Voodoo Doughnuts were going to be eaten even if we had to wait an hour! So we waited for an hour. This was the largest food line up we had ever stood in, but the Voodoo signature donut with chocolate glaze and raspberry filling was worth it.
Rose Blooms in October
Next, we were onto one of Portland’s most popular free attractions for nature lovers, the International Rose Test Garden. We did not expect to see so many blooms in October. There were all the shades of red, pink, purple, and yellow we could imagine, as well as so many different shapes and sizes. The garden even offered views of Mount Hood in the distance. A quick drive up the road to Pittock Mansion gave even better views of this dormant volcano.
Lost in a City of Books
Back home, we really enjoy wandering around Chapters, so when we found out there was a three-story-city-block-sized bookstore in Portland, it was on our list. We opted to divide and conquer at Powell’s City of Books since we a slightly different taste in books. There was literally a million books to browse and hundreds of beautifully designed goods to admire. We didn’t purchase any books but did take home a pair of profane socks to ship back to Calgary as a birthday present.
Hand Made Graveyard
We capped off the day with a delicious ‘No MEATball’ sub from Lardo Sandwiches and scoured the internet to find some free Halloween fun before heading back to the trailer. We located a family in the Portland area that loves Halloween so much, they hand sculpted and painted their own graveyard. It was fascinating to see the various intricate tombstones at Davis Graveyard. This Halloween spectacle, complete with spooky lighting and sound effects, was a great end to our day.
