Things to do in Portland

Portland Saturday Market is huge!

Jesse and I were there just last month and I couldn't believe how much stuff there is now.

You can find almost anything - check it out if you have time.

http://www.saturdaymarket.org/index.htm

Come see why Portland is called the City of Roses.

There are over 10,000 variety of roses planted here and the view of the city is so pretty.
Best of all...it's free!

http://www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfm

The Oregon Zoo has to be one of my favorite past-times.
It's beautiful and clean and just a ton of fun at any age.

If you have a free day, I highly recommend a visit to our zoo.

http://www.oregonzoo.org/index.htm

If you're staying at Hotel Fifty, or anywhere downtown, then you should definitely take just an hour out of your day to walk the Eastbank Esplanade.

This pedestrian and bicycle path extends from the Steel Bridge to the Hawthorne Bridge.

It's only 1.5 miles and offers a lovely view of the city.

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=105&action=ViewPark

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewMap&PropertyID=105

Use the link below to view more suggested things to do in Portland.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2738935-portland_things_to_do-i;_ylc=X3oDMTFka28zOGNuBF9TAzI3NjY2NzkEX3MDOTY5NTUzMjUEc2VjA3NzcC1kZXN0BHNsawN0aXRsZQ--

Additional Directions

We were only able to include directions for two routes on our invitations.
The link below will take you to the WTC's website where you can find additional routes.

Hope this is helpful!

http://www.wtcpd.com/mapsanddirections.php

More Camping

This past weekend Jesse and I went camping with 8 friends at
McNeil Campground in the Mt. Hood National Forest.

We used the truck tent for the first time and it worked out great!

Our friend, Chris, took us on an amazing hike.

The view was breath-taking, but the flies were vicious!

Here's Danae posing in the foliage.

Dave and Chris.

Old-man Jesse.

Mt. Hood ... so beautiful.

Lt. William Broughton, an early pioneer, first saw the mountain on October 29, 1792 while sailing down the Columbia River, he named it after a famous British Naval Officer, Arthur Hood.
(Did I mention that I'm taking Geography of Oregon this semester?)

Trilliam Lake was just a short drive from our campsite so we decided to check it out.

Dave brought his kayak and I couldn't get Jesse off of the thing.

I think I know what his next toy will be...

The lake was so peaceful. Jesse is already itching to go back.

Nothing like a great camping trip with great friends...

Can't wait to do it again!

Cape Lookout State Park

Jesse and I went on a weekend camping trip to Cape Lookout State Park. We packed up our bikes, and borrowed our favorite dog, Denali, and headed to the coast.

I don't want to brag...but Dee was the cutest dog in the campground. ;-)

We hiked the 5 mile Cape Trail and went on a few bike rides. I even got Jesse to go to an informative program on Gray Whales presented by the park rangers! It was pretty boring...he's such a sport.

I ate my first hobo dinner (I think it's a Utah thing) and it was delicious! Instead of smores, I wanted to try something new, so I found this great recipe online. You take a banana and slice it down the center lengthwise as if you were going to cut it in half, but don't slice all the way through. Instead, open it up slightly and stuff it with little marshmallows and chocolate chips. Close the banana back up, wrap it tightly in tinfoil, and set over the campfire for about 5 minutes or until it's soft and the chips are melted. It's heaven! I don't have a photo because we scarfed them down so fast!

It will be here before we know it.

Hotel Information

Are you visiting from out-of-town and need a place to stay?

Jesse and I have blocked a number of rooms at Hotel Fifty, a great little hotel just a couple of blocks away from the wedding venue.

It's located downtown near lots of shops and restaurants. It is also just a couple of blocks from Max - the city's light-rail system which will take you to and from the airport, as well as a number of other Portland attractions.

Use this link to access the hotel's reservation page and our group code, DKB.

https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=19502&Chain=5334&arrive=9/15/2009&depart=9/22/2009&adult=1&child=0&group=DKB

Should I be proud?

This is Molly and her favorite toy....a stick with a bell tied to the end. This girl is always getting into something! She's quite clever and very entertaining.

Yikes!

Jesse is a little nervous about what our future children will look like...

They used to call me the Michelin Tire Baby.