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Posted by: cludgie ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 08:00AM

Hey, a young Air Force co-worker of mine is going to the Portland area (Rhododendron, to be more specific) for his honeymoon--based on my computer wallpaper!! My computer wallpaper is a beautiful view of the Gorge taken by a friend from a belvedere, the name of which I forget. Anyway,... Just based on that, he and his fiancee have decided that they have to go there. So they have rented a house and everything, and are pumping me for things to see and do in Portland and the area. So far I have suggested:

- driving around the south slope of Hood and then north to maybe The Dalles

- Driving the Gorge, naturally, and seeing the waterfalls

- Day trip to Astoria/Seaside

- He has asked about a day trip to Sisters (seems do-able)

- I have suggested downtown Portland for Saturday Market, using the MAX from some station off 205

- Powell's, Voodoo Donuts

I dunno. There are more questions than I can answer. But they only have one whole week there, anyway, so they can't see everything. What are some additional good suggestions?

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Posted by: Riverman ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 10:02AM

If they are into the outdoors and a little hiking, Silver Falls State Park.

It is about 30 minutes east of Salem, so it is about an hour drive from Portland.

But if they like the outdoors, it is a must see.

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Posted by: deco ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 10:27AM

My absolute favorite thing in Portland is the Saturday Market.

Show up hungry, there are wonderful foods there.

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Posted by: Heathen ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 12:16PM

Hood River has a train ride that goes up towards Mt. Hood and back. The evening we did it it was a dinner/murder mystery. It was fantastic.

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Posted by: cludgie ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 06:31PM

Ooh. Thanks!

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Posted by: nonamekid ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 04:53PM

For starters, when are they going to be here? There is usually something going on in Portland so it depends on when they will be here. What do they like to do?

Unless they are Mormons, there are lots of brewpubs in Portland.
Rhododendron is on the south slope of Mt. Hood, so it would be easy to drive through Government Camp to highway 35, then to Hood River, then down the Columbia Gorge (take the old scenic highway), and back to Rhododendron via Troutdale.

If they want to try windsurfing, there aren't many better places than Hood River - once it warms up a little.

The coast would be about 2-2 1/2 hours away from them.
There is plenty of hiking in the gorge and on Mt. Hood, if they are here a little later in the year. There are whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes River which isn't that far from Rhododendron (probably not until later this spring however).

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Posted by: Jonny the Smoke ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 06:03PM

Lots to do around here......

- Fort Vancouver, just across the Columbia River. Full size fort replica with a working blacksmith shop, other buildings set up in period for trading, living, etc. Original houses and baracks. Nice historical trip.

- Ocean Beaches. Cannon Beach and Seaside are easy access and have fun things. Astoria is nice, not touristy.

- End of The Oregon Trail exibit in Oregon City. Also Willamette Falls in OC. You can take a variety of boat rides to get to the falls or see them from OC....jet boat, cruiseship type boat, etc.

- Saturday Market. Nuff Said.

- The Gorge, drive up the WA side to Bridge of the Gods, then go back on the Oregon side, Stop off and tour Bonneville dam, stop off and see all the waterfalls and the lookout point (fantasic gorge view).

- Train ride from Hood River to Mt. Hood....did that and it was fun. Great train ride, stop for lunch.

- Voodoo doughtnuts is terribly over rated, but whatever. Go if you must.

- Lots of good brew pubs and craft beer to try.

- Silver Falls. 11 water falls in a state park, lots of loop trails of different lengths...a couple miles to the full 9 mile round trip to see all the falls.

- Mt. Angel Abby...good place to go see after hiking Silver Falls. If you go during Vespers, the monks or whatever they are parade out and chant to pipe organ music, plus the grounds are nice. Peaceful.

- Mt. Angel Sausage Co. German food, great sausage. Good place to eat after Silver Falls and the Abby.

- Pot stores in Vancouver, WA....hey it's leagal there!

- Lots of winery's too.

- Artichoke Music. Friday night is a local singer/ songwriter showcase. Come and see local talent perform. I've played there many times. Acousic music, folk mostly.....solo and small groups. Saturdays are feature artists, someone not local typically.

- OMSI. Science Museum, informative for adults, entertaining for kids.

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Posted by: Ex-Sis Sinful Shoulders ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 07:05PM

River dinner cruise (Willamette River next to Portland).

Paddle wheel cruise up the Columbia.

Salmon fish hatchery tour on the Columbia (shows the fish ladders, outdoor ponds, a giant live fish...)

Evergreen Air and Space museum was a bust Monday (all the space exhibits are on the back lawn/preparing for summer season...) They do have some interesting IMAX/3-D films sometimes.

Check local festivals...

There are some scenic restaurants on both rivers.

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Posted by: Abigail ( )
Date: March 12, 2015 07:59PM

Powells bookstore.

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Posted by: iris ( )
Date: March 14, 2015 08:35AM

+1

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Posted by: Templar ( )
Date: March 14, 2015 11:49AM

You guys beat me to it. Powell's covers a city block and is so large they give you a map to where the various subjects are located (gold room, blue room, etc.)

We visited Portland for a week a few years ago and Powell's is still my fondest memory.

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Posted by: cludgie ( )
Date: March 14, 2015 01:05PM

Thanks for all the feedback! I've passed all this on. He's pretty excited.

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Posted by: reinventinggrace ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 03:11AM

Eat at food carts. There'a 700 in Multnomah County, mostly in Portland. They're often grouped in "pods" -- someone with a parking lot rents out spaces to food carts to make a festive little setting with a variety of foods available. I've found that the pods on the east side of the river have more unusual varieties of themes, while on the west side its more of the sushi/thai/mexican mainstays.

More info here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?msa=0&mid=zBwrQkvFyvi8.k7T1OA_J6anE

http://www.travelportland.com/article/food-cart-pods/

http://www.foodcartsportland.com/

It makes for good eating because the overhead cost is very low, compared to a "brick and mortar" restaurant. So aspiring chefs can start a specialty restaurant and try out their unconventional food styles without much capital. & if it works, then they'll have a good time and usually expand, and if it doesn't they're only out a couple thousand $ and they had a good experiment.

Also, rent bicycles and bomb around inner east Portland. Follow the bike routes on side streets like Clinton, Salmon, Ankeny, Tillamook, 16th, 50s, etc. to see Portland up close and personal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2015 03:12AM by reinventinggrace.

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Posted by: beyondashadow ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 03:39AM

Nobody suggested the mostest specialest place in the entire STATE!

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/portland-oregon?lang=eng

And did anyone mention the Number One tourist attraction in all of Oregon?

http://spiritmountain.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjw25SoBRCMn7Gc97Knj0ISJAC7vaMr9xEkVOrsgXx2za8qCkiAewuOWA75S4N_25EE1f1H1xoCt6bw_wcB

If you like to pig out and not spend much, Spirit Mountain Casino has the largest buffet spread in the entire Pacific Northwest. Showing up for breakfast can be hazardous to your health. It's about an hour SW from Portland on Highway 18 towards Lincoln City.

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Posted by: claire ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 03:51AM

If it's warm, and they are free and adventurous, there's Rooster Rock State Park.
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=126

They can be nude (or not) all day in the sun on the shores of the beautiful Columbia River, swimming, sunning, enjoying themselves.
It's their honeymoon, after all!

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Posted by: cludgie ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 11:17AM

That's like right on the Interstate, right?

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Posted by: claire ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 02:40PM

Yep, right off of I-84, about 20 miles east of I-205/PDX.

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Posted by: richardthebad (not logged in) ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 03:45PM

And while your looking at Rooster Rock, see if you can figure out why Lewis and Clark actually named it "Cock Rock".

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Posted by: richardthebad (not logged in) ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 03:48PM

Jakes Famous Crawfish. It's in a great historic building and the food is fantastic.

http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/locations/portland-oregon/portland-oregon/sw12thave.aspx

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Posted by: beyondashadow ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 04:32PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Rock_State_Park

The monolith was noted by the explorers Lewis and Clark in their journal as their camping place on November 2, 1805.[2] The name is phallic in origin,[2] specifically, the column's original name was "Cock Rock". The Chinook Jargon word for the rock was iwash, referring to penis.[3] The name was later modified to Rooster Rock so as not to offend the public.[3]

The eastern portion of the park is designated as a clothing-optional beach, the first officially designated clothing-optional beach in the U.S.[4] The only other clothing-optional beach in the state is Collins Beach, on Sauvie Island in the Columbia River, north of Portland.

Seems like an appropriate venue for a honeymoon for multiple reasons.

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Posted by: androidandy ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 11:59AM

Rhododendron,Oregon is under 3 hours driving to Fossil,OR in Wheeler county. Tiny county seat.

Absolutely mind blowing scenic route to see the rural side of Central Oregon. Hwy 206 or 218, both are great driving experiences.

The quaint towns of Kimberly and Spray along the John Day river take one back 50 years.

Best in July-October.

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Posted by: koriwhore ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 05:28PM

Hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls is always epic, any time of year!
http://wildernessdave.com/files/2013/02/Oregon-001.jpg
http://www.oregon.com/recreation/multnomah-falls
As is Beacon Rock.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Beacon_rock.jpg/256px-Beacon_rock.jpg
The 2nd biggest rock in the world, after Gibralter.
Best to do it AFTER you stop by a 100% legal in WA, (but overtaxed) recreational herb shop!

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Posted by: Dave the Atheist ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 05:52PM

do not visit my jay dub cousin in The Dalles.

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Posted by: saanhetna ( )
Date: March 15, 2015 10:56PM

Sign up to be an extra on Portlandia. So many great old movie theaters, plays, Punch bowl Social is a great place for the 20ish crowd. My kids love it

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