We've got Zwickelmania!

Picture this: you enter a brewpub, maybe to eat, maybe to sample what's on tap. What's this? You can get a free tour? AND they hand you a free pint of beer?! You might think this is fantasy, but during Zwickelmania, dreams do come true!

This event was new to us, but the Oregon Brewers Guild has sponsored Zwickelmania for the past few years. We weren't quite sure what zwickel meant, but it turned out meaning a day of free beer. Our tours and samples were confined to downtown Portland, but breweries all over the state were open on this day.














We started the day at Deschutes Brewery. Their main brewery is in Bend, OR, but they can brew a few small batches of beer at their Pearl District brew pub. They were nice enough to give us a full (and free!) pint of their new hefeweizen.











Fermentation tanks at Upright Brewing. Their operation was interesting - they have about 4 10-barrel fermentation tanks in their basement brewery.











We ended the day at Widmer Brothers Brewery. In fact, we shut the place down. Okay, not really, but we did get in the door just before Zwickelmania ended. Widmer is a large scale craft brewery. Where Upright had 1o barrel fermentation tanks, Widmer had 1,500 barrel tanks (1 barrel = 2 kegs = 31 gallons = 248 pints). We're talking a pint for over 300,000 people!

This was our third time touring their operation, but each time we see more and more of the brewery. The newest part for us (see above) was the bottling area. Nothing was being bottled at the time, but you could imagine the clanking of the bottles as they are filled with delicious beer. Speaking of beer, they had sampling stations spread out all around the brewery... very nice touch! We even got to meet the original Widmer Brothers!

We enjoyed the (statewide) event. The weather was nice and we got to try breweries we had yet to visit. We will definitely participate next year and may even head to a different part of the state. Cheers!

Into the Woods

Phase two of our epic trip was a journey to the Redwood National Park. This area of extreme northwest California has many state and national forests. The Redwood National Park is more a collection of these forests/parks as opposed to a discrete park.

There are many trails and dirt roads to hike/drive. Due to time constrains, we desided to stay on main routes. U.S. 101 winds through this area, so you can take in much of the views from the car. We did take a scenic route (Newton B. Drury Scenic Pkwy). Along this parkway, we happened upon the Big Tree Wayside.





















This picture shows the Big Tree. We were not disappointed. The paper sign, in front of the tree, states that this tree is 287 feet tall and has a circumference is 68 feet. This tree is approximately 1,500 years old!

Mythical Mt. Hood

I know what you are thinking, and yes we have already done a post about Mt. Hood but we are going to do another one anyway. The thing about Mt. Hood is that it is frequently obscured by clouds so glimpses of Portland's neighbor are often few and far between. In fact, my parents have visited a couple times, and only managed to spot the elusive mountain three or four times. My dad even refers to it has "mythical Mt. Hood". But on a recent return flight from Kansas City we got a good view of the mythical Mt. Hood, sorry Dad it really does exist and I have the proof. And here it is:

Goonies Never Say Die!

One of our favorite movies of all time is "The Goonies". You can't go wrong with friendship, treasure hunting, pirates, and the Fratellis! And who can forget that kick ass Cyndi Lauper song! Even better, the kids are not annoying in this movie.

The movie took place in Astoria, Oregon, which by the way is less than 2 hours away from Portland. We thought, "...wonder where they filmed some of the exterior shots of The Goonies?" So, we started doing some research and found this awesome website dedicated to the movie (link). These guys did a great job finding the locations and organizing the info nicely on their site. Props to them! So we decided to grab a camera, hop in the car, and have a Goonies adventure! Don't worry, we didn't stumble upon any "booty traps".

Remember our friend Haystack Rock, from our coast post? Well, it was an intergral part to the guys' triangulation of the starting point for the adventure.


The jail from which Jake Fratelli escapes:


Astoria football field:


A welcome to fellow goonies at Mikey's house:


Mikey's house (in the "Goondocks"):


And last of all, no trip to Mikey's house would be complete without the truffle shuffle (NSFW):


So the next time you watch The Goonies (we will probably watch it after we publish this post), keep an eye out for these landmarks. You'll see all of them in the first 15 minutes (or so) of the movies. Perhaps you could even enjoy the movie with a nice Baby Ruth or some rocky road.

Mt. Hood, Portland's Mascot

Do you like volcanoes? I do! Believe it or not, Mt. Hood is a dormant volcano east of Portland. Based on the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Mt. Hood last erupted in 1865. Other interesting facts about Mt. Hood can be found here. Mt. Hood is the highest peak in Oregon, reaching an elevation over 11,000 feet. This fine mountain is also home to 12 glaciers.

I'm writing about Mt. Hood today because I had the chance to snap a few photos of it... from the air! We started our decent into PDX, and when we broke through the clouds, there it was. We don't get to see Mt. Hood every day because it can easily get obscured by clouds. But the days we can see it, the view does not disappoint.

President Obama

Make your own Obama poster here and get ready to bring on the change.

Post about the coast

A benefit of living in Portland is that you can go to the coast for a day (or even a part of a day). In a little over an hours time, you can drive out to the Pacific Ocean. But first, you must drive through the mountains of the Oregon Coast Range.

The Oregon Coast Range is a majestic stretch of mountains running parallel to the Pacific Ocean. The range spans from about 20 miles west of Portland out to the Ocean. Formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity caused by the subduction of the Pacific plate ... well let's just get to the scenery. Other than a few small towns and the two-lane highway, there was nothing but mountains and trees. The trees came right up to the road in many places and were some of the tallest fur trees we've ever seen! The roads wound around the mountains. But fortunately, no steep drop-offs.

We decided to head to Cannon Beach, about the closest coastal town to Portland. If you have seen any of those movies about coastal towns in the Pacific Northwest, then you probably have an idea of the feel of the town (see The Goonies). We found some public parking and walked out to the beach. Now remember, this is not your "fun-in-the-sun" kind of beach (except for a month or two in the summer). But, it is an awesome beach for taking a walk, enjoying the cool air of the Pacific Ocean, and seeing this:


Haystack Rock! This is a monster outcropping from just off of the beach. Very photogenic and impressive. If you watch the afore mentioned movie, "The Goonies", then you have probably seen this formation. You can't miss it once you get to the beach.

While in town we stopped at a great seafood restaurant, Mo's. We had some clam chowder, clam strips, pop-corn scallops, and bread. A very delicious lunch. If you are ever along the Pacific Coast of Oregon, we would recommend finding one and eating a meal or two there.

Our trip to the coast was only a half-day trip. But we got to see plenty of fur-tree covered mountains, beaches, and the ocean.

Trendy-Third

Please note, I took this trip last weekend when it wasn't 100 degrees.

Decided to take a walk up NW 23rd today, since I've talked about it a bit recently. There is about a mile of storied "trendy" shops, restaurants, and a few mainstream establishments (talking about you Gap). The stretch of road is a nice walk - there is tree coverage for almost the entire mile. Many of the stores are in old Victorian houses. NW 23rd is only one lane each way, so the amount of possible traffic is reduced. However, there are still quite a few vehicles that use the road. One negative about the area is that the sidewalks are narrow, so you have to dart around people. When you get to sidewalk sales and a cafe, the sidewalk space narrows even more.

Some other thoughts about the Trendy-Third:

Only two Starbucks

If you want to know the future, there are palm reading and other spiritual services

The Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center is located along the way (it's always nice to have a hospital close by).

Finally, is $50 dollars for a Brazilian wax a deal? 'Cause one sign I saw said it was.

More on where I live

So, my apartment is in the Historic Alphabet District (see my last post about that). I'm not going to bad-mouth my apartment, because it is a roof over my head and a place to sleep, eat, and shower. I will say this though, the windows are about as sound resistant as a sieve is resistant to water. With it being hotter now, I have my windows open continuously. Since my apartment is on Burnside (one of the busiest surface streets in Portland) I often have my music and TV on the "loud" setting. Somehow I am able to sleep through it most nights (but traffic is also lighter). On Monday mornings, at way-too-early-o'clock, the trash truck comes to get the garbage. Lucky me, while I am not on the Burnside of the building, I am right above the dumpster.

The streets in this area are what you would expect in an older area of a city, barely wide enough for parked cars and 2 lanes of traffic. The super narrow street have been made one-way. Because many of the buildings have been made into apartments, and everyone has to have a car (but not really), the streets are almost completely parked up (disclaimer: I do have a car that barely gets used now; fortunately my apartment complex has a small parking lot, so I keep my car off the streets). It is kind of funny (not while I'm sleeping) to hear the people below spend 5 minutes trying to parallel park, only to give up and drive somewhere else. Despite the parked cars, the area is nice to walk around in, with plenty of shade trees and relatively low traffic off of the main roads.

Now, let me tell you about some of the places I see when I walk around. I am amazed at how early some of the restaurants and bars open each day. It is almost an "all night" district of Portland (I have not found the official "all night district" of Portland nor would Sara want me too). Subway (right next door!) opens at 7:30 am, the Taco Bell and McD's are open 24 hrs, there is even a bar (Tony's Tavern) that is only CLOSED from 2:30 to 7:30 am - you'll usually see a few 3rd shifters having a brew in the morning (assuming that's who they are). The banks around me still have normal hours. Let's see what else, there is a Volvo dealership across the street, and a Fred Meyer's supermarket (surprisingly owned by Kroger).

The big attraction just a few blocks away is the PGE Ballpark, home of the Portland Beavers. The mighty Beavers are the AAA affiliate for the San Diego Padres. I haven't gone to a game, yet. But in 2009 the PGE Ballpark will host the AAA All-Star Game.

So, pretty much everything I need (sans Target) is within walking distance and open for a while. A few blocks away is NW 23th St. - supposedly called the "Trendy-third" by locals. There are blocks and blocks of small stores that are not (mostly) part of national chains. I'll probably write more about this area in future posts, as we will be visiting there from time to time.

Well, someone is yelling outside trying to get their bud's attention (hello cell phones!), so that is my cue to go to bed (they don't seem to yell during the day). In summary, this has turned out to be a good place to make a temporary residence (considering I didn't actually visit this area of Portland nor looked at this apartment before moving in). And there is never a dull moment. But, I can't wait to move into a home in the 'burbs'!

Temporary Living

It's hard to believe, but I have been out in Portland for three months. Three months and I haven't really blogged about the neighborhood in which I live! Now, I'm not going to give you the exact location because I don't want the crazy fan (yes this was supposed to be singular) to start stalking me.

Portland as a city is divided into five sections and a downtown area. The mighty Willamette River divides the city into west and east sides. Meanwhile, Burnside St. divides the city into north and south sections. So, you have a northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast, and to be difficult a north Portland area. The downtown area is part of the northwest and southwest sections and bordered by I-5 and I-405.

My apartment is in Northwest Portland, just outside of the downtown area - the Alphabet Historic District to be exact. Now before you get all, "Wow! He's a high roller in Portland!" I have a studio apartment in a 100 year old (fairly boring) building. No AC and oil lamps (okay kidding about the lamps). And I am right on Burnside, so I live in a noisy border territory. The sun reflects off of the building across the street...

WAIT! You haven't told us about the Alphabet Historic District! Well okay! Here goes: starting from burnside going to the north each street is in alphabetical order named after the original founders of Portland ... most of the north half of Portland is in alphabetical order for street names, just this area has been marked for preservation ... it makes it easy to know if you are heading in the correct direction because if you know you just passed Couch (pronounced cooooch) and Davis you know you are heading the right direction for Johnson ... however, you don't know if that is 4 blocks or 8 blocks away (actually 6) ... there are a lot of neat turn of the 20th century (or older) houses and buildings in this area ... unfortunately, many of them have been turned into apartment for punks like me (my building looks like an old business building turned into an apartment - remodeled in 1984) ... other than some of the main roads it is a fairly quiet section of Portland - a great place to walk around.

So that is at least the area in which I live. I'll let this information sink in and talk a bit more about the ... um ... uniqueness, tomorrow.

Bonus Bridges!

And you thought I might leave out bridges over the mighty Columbia in our survey of bridges, HA! There are two Portland bridges connecting Oregon to Washington, over the Columbia River. Your standard massive highway bridges. The heaviest traveled bridge is the Glenn Jackson Bridge, which carries I-205 traffic from Vancouver, WA to Portland (because let's face it, no one would want to go the other way). I often hear of traffic tie-ups on or near this bridge during rush hour.

The other bridge in the area is the Interstate Bridge. This is an interesting bridge because it carries I-5 traffic, and lifts to let boats go under. Not sure how that works with traffic... I will have to investigate! This is also two, two, two bridges in one!

Oh! To be totally accurate about yesterday's post, there is also a railroad bridge that serves Portland, on the Willamette. It is the BNSF Railroad Bridge. Just wanted to be thorough. So do you see why it's called Bridgetown?

***UPDATE***
(6/14) I had the pleasure of diving over both the Glen Jackson and Interstate Bridges tonight! It was my first time to cross the Columbia River (unless you count the times playing Oregon Trail!). The Columbia is even more mighty near Portland than where we first encountered it. The Interstate Bridge gives you a great view of the Columbia River, and is a pretty neat bridge, if your into that sort of thing. If you ever head north on I-5 over the Columbia, stay in the right lane. Look to your right and you will see an amazing site: the Columbia River Valley with Mount Hood in the background! Awesome!

Old Mr. Jackson bridge, on the other hand, was not really that exciting, no trusses, arches, or trains (although there is a bike lane in the median). In my little car you couldn't really see over the side, and only once did I get a good glimpse of the Columbia (but it was also getting dark). The bridge is about 2 miles long, so it is kind of like driving on the Crosstown Expressway in OKC ... only I didn't have to avoid holes in the bridge deck while driving the Glen Jackson.

Bridges of Multnomah Co.

The Willamette (Will-LAMB-et) is a river that cuts through Portland. The downtown area of Portland is situated on the banks of the Willamette. So, it goes without saying that there needs to be bridges to connect east and west Portland (a fleet of 10,000 ferry boats just isn't cost effective). The neat thing about the bridges over the Willamette is that many of them are draw/lift bridges.

Going from upstream (south end of Portland) to the Columbia River (north Portland).

Sellwood Bridge - A really old bridge that will probably be closed to all but pedestrian traffic someday. This is a fixed bridge with about 75 feet of clearance.

Ross Island Bridge - The only cantilever truss bridge in Oregon. Whatever that means. This bridge is also fixed (boring!) and doesn't actually touch Ross Island (what a jip!).

Marquam Bridge - Possibly the least exciting bridge in Portland. Nothing too descript, but it does have two decks, one for each direction of flow.

Hawthorne Bridge - My favorite bridge of the collection. It actually has a section that lifts! And is the oldest type of lift bridge in operation for the US. The Hawthorne Bridge also served as a neat backdrop for the Obama rally.

Morrison Bridge - One of three actual "bascule bridges in Portland (and I thought they were draw bridges). I usually end up crossing this one when coming back from the airport, in case you care.

Burnside Bridge - A second bascule bridge in Portland. I think it is an architecturally neat bridge. And it has earthquake protection! I was almost stopped by this bridge once, but it was nice and let me cross.


Steel Bridge - A real original name I know. It has just about all kinds of traffic: cars, trains, and people. Honestly, it kind of creeps me out.

Broadway Bridge - The third bascule bridge.

Fremont Bridge - Another fixed bridge carrying interstate traffic. Like the Marquam bridge, there are two decks. Allegedly, it is the second longest tied arch bridge in the world. I can see this bridge from my office, and it almost always looks busy during the day. Fortunately, when I've driven on it, the traffic was light.


St. Johns Bridge - I didn't know this bridge existed...need to get out more.

(special thanks to Portland Logue and Wikipedia for the bridge information)