I had a better one than this poor sop, and trust you did, too. Oy. Why can’t humans be….better to one another, eh?
Lost In PDX
let’s find it!
valentines, etc.
architecture porn do want
see also:
Doornob
Well Rested in Seattle
First journey back since the ever so delightful, ahem, summer of ‘08. Did you know Seattle has a light rail system now? True story. It’s not very expansive yet but they’re headed in the right direction. Caught the Taj Mahal show at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley - which has an incredibly intimate, lowly-lit kind of amibiance, much like Chicago’s ‘Green Mill’. Several of the city pics below were taken from the Smith Tower Observation Deck, a poor man’s Space Needle, and far less touristy. There were only 5 other people present when we visited. If it wasn’t for the horror-show that is Seattle traffic & the occasional psychopathic murderer rampage, living there wouldn’t be so bad. Spent a little time in West Seattle, a very bike friendly area with miles of paved pedestrian path running alongside the water. Plea to Seattle dog owners: please pick up your pooch’s shit so I don’t step in it next time, k? Thx!
Halloween in Iowa City
I truly love Iowa City. If only it was in Oregon. Went back to catch the Hawkeyes’ Halloween game against the Indiana Hoosiers and found religion along the way. 3rd quarter, Hawks are down 21-7. A woman 4 rows in front of us turns around and pleads w/ a fellow dressed as ‘the savior’ ‘Do something Jesus!’ Iowa then went on to outscore Indiana 28-0 in the 4th quarter. Hawks win 42-24! - and go to 9-0 on the season.
But enough sports talk. The UI campus has plenty of architectural eye candy. Wish there had been time to snap more pics of the campus as it’s a beauty.
Reference:
University of Iowa
HCRH State Trail: Hood River to Mosier
The Twin Tunnels segment of the Columbia River Highway State Trail, from Hood River to Mosier, was recently re-opened after being down for repair. It’s in perfect condition for biking, the entire run is freshly paved blacktop. There’s a span just prior to the tunnels, and another just after, that descend for quite a stretch. So, depending on your perspective, you may have more ‘fun’ on the way out than the way back. The entire run also had the smell of waking up in the morning to a smoldering campfire. As you can see in one of the pics below, this was an area recently hit by wildfires - so I guess the smell was still lingering from that event. Great little trail, you’ll have to plunk down $3 as it’s a day-use area.
Cape Meares and Cape Foulweather
No hiking this jaunt. Just a few oft seen, though beautiful, snaps along the Oregon coast. Won $XXX @ Chinook, which almost paid for gas. Heh. Protip: double-down on blackjack after getting lucky on slots. And know when to fold ‘em.
Fort Columbia State Park, WA
Fort Columbia is located just across the Astoria bridge on the Washington side of the Columbia River. This was just a picnic spot, didn’t take nearly as much time here as it deserves. There’s a system of trails w/ elevation gain that apparently lead to impressive views of Astoria and the confluence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean. You don’t have to climb to see such things, however - the pics below were snapped from the main park.
Reference:
Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau: Fort Columbia State Park
Fort Columbia State Park (Official Site)
Cape Lookout, Oregon Coast
There are 3 separate trails at the Cape Lookout trail-head - just west of Tillamook. Below are pics from the peninsula’s middle path, that extends somewhere between 1-2 miles into the Pacific. The trail itself is around 5 miles round-trip. It’s quite a muddy trail, especially on the interior and north-facing runs, (at least on the day we went). It was a very foggy day on the interior and northern part of the trail, so most pics are those facing south. Not a whole lot of elevation gain on this trail, though it’s not one for those easily stricken by vertigo as there are several stretches at the end where you’re balancing along 4-500 foot cliffs. Also recommend the south, left-most trail that goes down to a relatively secluded beach. That one will make you huff on the way back up. You can see said beach in some of the shots below.
Related links:
Cape Lookout State Park
William Sullivan’s Oregon Hikes
Cape Perpetua, Oregon Coast
Highly recommend escaping to the coast when the thermometer tops 90+ degrees in Portland. It was cool throughout the day, and quite chilly in the mornings. Didn’t fiddle with the camera much this trip. These are a few snapped from the top of
Cape Perpetua, just north of Florence. Still recovering from Amanda’s trail, which ascends from the highway up to the vantage point reflected in pics.
