Church Inquisition & Saddle Mountain Hike

After many, many months of gloomy rain, summer has finally started to arrive! This weekend the weather was gorgeous - sunny and 75, with a light breeze and clear skies. We planned a hike to Saddle Mountain on Sunday in order to take advantage of the sun while it was still around. But before we could go play in the sun, we had to start the day with church followed by the church questionnaire that is part of the marriage prep process. It is something like 150 "yes, no, maybe" questions along the lines of "do you feel that marriage will solve all of your problems" (hell yes!), and "is there a baby involved in your marriage decision?" (hell no!). Overall, not a difficult test, and most of the questions were geared towards thinking about the future: have you discussed finances, home planning, family planning, etc. The advantage of waiting 8 1/2 years to get married is that all of these things have, at some point, come up in conversation. So I think we're covered. After taking the test (our priest explained it then ran out the door to enjoy the sun, so we were left alone to fill in tiny bubbles in a shaded and quite cold room. AND we missed coffee and donuts!), we decided to bug out of town as fast as possible and take a hike.

Saddle Mountain is about an hour and a half away from Portland, and is located on the coastal range off of the highway that leads to Seaside. The turnoff for Saddle mountain is 11 miles away from the coast, so technically this would be a good way to catch some oceanside action, but the down side is that this highway leads you to Seaside. Do not go to Seaside. Ever. If you must drive through, shield your eyes and the eyes of your children. The sheer tackiness of the city will drive you insane, and if it doesn't then you are not invited to our wedding. If you feel like visiting the coast, please see nearby Cannon Beach for some better beaches, or drive up to Astoria to see all of "The Goonies" locations (the movie was shot there many, many years ago).

But I digress. Saddle Mountain is a state park that is 6 or so miles off of the main highway. And if you have a very expensive or sensitive car, it is a loooonng 6 miles. There are many surprising and bone-jarring potholes that occur seemingly out of the blue on otherwise smooth single lane road. Once you wind through the road to the parking lot, there is a small campsite and a bathroom facility that has flush toilets. Oh joy!

The trail is technically closed. Really. There is a big sign in front of it that says "Trail is Not Passable". That may turn some people off, but to Andy and myself this is a big sign saying "Hike Here!". The trail is very difficult at the top, but we'll get to that. Briefly, the hike is a 2.5 mile up and down that starts at 1650 ft and peaks at 3280. Yep, that's right, there is 1630 feet of elevation gain. From the parking lot, you can crane your neck upwards to see the peak of the mountain. You can even see little people climbing upwards! And, in around an hour, you, too can be one of those little specks.

The trail for the first mile is quite nice. It is wide and very comfortable on the feet. About a half mile in there is a spectacular viewpoint looking at the coastal range, and across the horizon you can see Mt. Hood and glimpse Mt. St. Helen. Another mile in and there are two more spectacular viewpoints, one with some impressive rock formations. By mile 1.5, the trail starts to deteriorate into a less well maintained jumble, with wash outs and loose gravel at many points. Once the steel fence stapled to the ground shows up, you know you've hit some steep terrain. By mile two you just about abandon any normal trail to spend your time entirely on steel fence floor, or gravel. Gravel upon which you may slip. Repeatedly. The last quarter mile is breathtaking, mostly in the sense that it is incredibly steep and aerobic exercise if you are traveling at any pace other than snail. I don't know what the grade is, but by this point you use your hands as much as your feet to attain the summit.

At the top, you have a spectacular 360 degree view of the coast & mountain range. This is amazing. It is even more amazing when there are not clouds covering 180 degrees of your view. Oh well, the hike was still well worth it. Rumor has it that on a clear day, in additition to seeing the coast (and apparently Seaside is a lot less tacky from this angle), you can see Mt. St. Helen, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood.

I don't have any photos right now, but this is from a blogger who recently made the hike. This is the early viewpoint, so you can just imagine how spectacular it is at the top! (note this is not either Andy or myself. We're too lazy to upload photos from our camera...)


All in all a good day. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend the hike, but keep in mind that layers are your best friend as the elevation change and exertion can cause temperature flux.

Where to Stay: Terwilliger Vista B&B

For those of you who want a more secluded place to stay while visiting our city, please consider the Terwilliger Vista B&B. Their website is loaded with pictures (including 360 degree views of each room), but for immediate use this is a snapshot of the homepage which features the living room, the front of the house and the guest suite:
Not too shabby! This B&B is close to our neighborhood, a little over 2 miles away from our current location in Multnomah Village. The B&B is located in a residential district on the hill. From downtown Portland, if you look SW the skyline is dominated by Marquam Hill, aka "Pill Hill". The OHSU campus, along with two children's hospitals, are located at the northern portion of the hill. Much of the remaining land is occupied by a variety of houses closely packed on twisting roads. Terwilliger Vista is fortunate to occupy a gorgeous Georgian style home that has an actual lawn instead of simply existing on stilts. The view from the house is spectacular, and an evening stroll along Terwilliger will yield breathtaking views of downtown Portland.

Inside the house, there are five rooms each of which has its own bathroom en suite. The Garden Suite has its own wood-burning fireplace and whirlpool, while the Gold Room has an art deco bathroom with huge windows that give the bathroom a beautiful sense of lightness. And perhaps most enticingly, the room rates are very reasonable for an upscale B&B (most of which are under $200 and two of which are under $150).

However, if you plan on visiting Portland and do not plan on reserving a vehicle, the location of Terwilliger Vista may be inconvenient (bus lines are within 1/2 mile, but weekend service is limited). If you do have a car, the serenity of a lodging the lies far above the busy city may be well worth the extra 10 minute drive.

Their website is available at www.terwilligervista.com.

Why we love Portland... Laurelwood

Ah, Portland, thy endless supply of local breweries never ends! If you are ever in the Hollywood district in Portland (NE, close in to 84), please take some time to swing by the Laurelwood Pizza Company. We always order the same thing: a thin beer crust topped with garlic infused oil, three cheese blend and roasted garlic. This pizza is so good, even the chef complimented our choice of ingredients! The crust is light and tasty, and who can really go wrong with garlic and cheese? Laurelwood is especially generous with their roasted garlic (we, as die hard garlic fans have no problem with this, but others with whom we have shared this pizza have elected to take off 50% of the roasted goodness), so you may not wish to have romantic plans for the rest of the evening. As a perfect compliment to the pizza, you can also enjoy a Spaceman Stout or a Tree hugger porter. We both favor darker beers, but we've been told that the free range red is also quite delish. I support the free range red mostly because the logo features a big chicken, which as many of you know is a major part of my research. Associating work with beer is always helpful...

Despite the fact that we always order 1 stout, 1 porter and 1 pizza, we've occasionally had some of the food ordered by others and it is all equally yummy. The 'garden' pizza (a smörgåsbord of vegetables) is especially nice as they use local produce in all of their cooking. We've also been told that their burgers and sandwiches are lovely, but pretty much everybody comments on the beer. When in doubt, order their generous sampler platter which consists of 11 different types of beer including a seasonal. For me, the epitome of light weight, this is more than enough to put me down for the rest of the evening, but for more libatious folk, it is just the perfect prelude to a good meal. Oh, and as an added benefit, the prices are extremely reasonable, so having a pizza and a beer won't put you out. Check out their website for more information. www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com

Where to Stay: Inn at Northrup Station

If you are planning to stay for more than a day or two, the Inn at Northrup Station may be the place for you. Each room is a suite, which has ample living area in addition to small kitchenettes. The kitchenettes are small, but may be nicer than the kitchen I've got at home as they are equipped with granite counter tops, maple cabinetry and very cute little fridges/dishwashers/microwaves that are nice and shiny and probably function better than the ones I've got. And, as an added and completely Jackie-style bonus, the lobby has gigantic bowls of candy. Gigantic! Bowls! of! Candy! How can you go wrong?

As fair warning, the decor is excessively bright (check out their web page and you'll get the idea -- www.northrupstation.com), and if orange duvet covers are not your idea of fun, then I'd suggest looking elsewhere. For the size of room that you get, the prices are very reasonable ranging from $170 for a standard two-queen bed suite to the $200 kind suite that has its own balcony. The Northrup Station is nice enough to probably qualify as a boutique hotel, so these prices are reasonable, especially once you factor in the ability to cook at home and to sit on a real couch rather than the end of the bed while watching TV (of which there are two plasma screens in each room).

The hotel also has the added perk of being directly on the streetcar line. Although it is already within walking distance (albeit not for the elderly and those in heels) of our reception, the streetcar connects the two almost directly. Convenient, especially while drunk! Other local amenities, also within pseudo-walking distance, are the fabled "restaurant row" on NW21st, several brewpubs (including our reception site), several small local theaters in addition to Portland's premier professional theater at the Armory, and pretty much all of the overpriced boutiques that your heart may desire. And that isn't even including the downtown area!

Where to Stay: Silver Cloud Inn

We have been looking at hotels in the area and have decided to post reviews of them periodically here so that you can make an informed decision when it comes to staying in beautiful Portland. Luckily, our wedding falls after the busy summer season, so good rates are available. I would also highly recommend several local bed & breakfasts, and if I have time I'll post information on them.

OK, the first hotel that we are going to cover is the Silver Cloud Inn. The Silver Cloud Inn is a part of a small chain of hotels in the Seattle/Portland areas. It is located between the NW23/21st area and the Pearl District in the alphabet blocks. While not directly located in a trendy spot, it is easily within walking distance of two of the biggest hot spots in downtown Portland. And since we are having our reception in the uber trendy Pearl District, this means that you are close enough to the reception site to park your car and walk or use the local streetcar, which runs directly in front of our reception site (Bridgeport Brew Pub). When we took a brief tour of the rooms, they were standard hotel fare but had the bright side of being slightly larger than expected (for example, in the double queen bed room, there is a full sofa & table). The hotel staff is extremely friendly, and I expect that they might actually enjoy working there! Happy employees = good sign. Maybe they are happy because plasma TVs seem to be everywhere. Hey - I wouldn't complain! Room rates are going to run you about $160, unless you go for the jacuzzi option (I find jacuzzi s that are out in the open in the bedroom area kinda freaky, so I wouldn't but hey - do what you will!) in which case you will have to shell out an extra $20. This hotel is functional and doesn't have much in terms of style (boutique hotel, this is not), but it is very serviceable and a good price. Check out their website, which includes a pretty complete virtual tour, for more info. www.silvercloud.com