A Walking Tour of Portlandia

It's been a crazy week! I'm still trying to recap it bit by bit so I don't leave anything out.

So where were we? Tuesday we arrived, Wednesday was waterfall exploring, and Thursday the truck arrived. That brings us to Friday.

Friday we made the awesome attempt to go to Mount Hood.

Since it's been rainy all week, we've only had very infrequent glimpses of the great mountain. The softly rolling hills in the distance are becoming a staple of Portlandia life, so I assumed Mt. Hood would be a similar shape and size. My first view of it was from the rise of a hilly neighborhood during one of our ten-minutes-of-sun spells. Its snowy majesty completely dominated the skyline. I don't think I quite expected it to be so grand, or so beautiful. I wish it filled my view every day, but alas, usually the clouds and gray sky wash it out.

Hoping for nicer views, we set off Friday morning in good spirits toward the mountain. Within minutes it was pouring down rain. We got lost. We almost got hit by a car. The rain continued. We drove up the mountain, realizing we couldn't even tell if we were on the mountain. The driving rain turned into driving sleet, then driving snow. We ignored the signs that said "snow chains required." We found our way to the top, but still could see nothing but snow, and snow, and snow. Huge, massive, giant snowflakes. Gray, gray, gray skies. Mounds of snow and still falling so thickly you couldn't see two feet in front of you. We stayed ten minutes to take photos. We drove back down the mountain. We found a shortcut that would have shaved an hour of driving time if we hadn't gotten lost the first time. We arrived back at my apartment, having actually seen less of Mt. Hood than if we had just stayed home.

So, overall, a productive day. Here's the documentation of our ten minutes spent in a snowy parking lot.

On Saturday we spent the day in Portland, and we were graced by our first full day of sun that we have experienced since arriving a week ago. Mom's friend Zoe took us to her favorite breakfast diner and then we spent the afternoon wandering the farmer's market, downtown, the arts district and a bird sanctuary by the water. I discovered the truth to the rumor that Portland has a unique culture all its own. It is full of eclectic people riding bikes, railway street cars bumbling down narrow roads, and fun re-purposed buildings, such as a housing materials co-op made to look like a forest, and an old elementary school that was remodeled into a bar, theatre, restaurant, and hotel. I can see how Portland must have hundreds of these cute, artsy places hidden all over its city.

Though constant gray skies and the prevalence of industrial skylines got me rather down at first, I'm starting to see the bits of beauty tucked away into all corners and I can't wait for spring to explode here in all its glory.

Here's my walking photo tour of Portland. Enjoy!

Wahkeena Means "Most Beautiful"

Since my apartment was devoid of furniture and things to do, we found ways to amuse ourselves in this new locale. Not fifteen minutes from my home lies the well known and beautiful Multnomah Falls, but alongside this gorgeous gusher is Wahkeena Falls and Horsetail Falls, two equally breathtaking waterfalls surrounded by the lush green moss you expect in Olympic National Park and the Northwest.

It was drizzling when we set out, but this only seemed to heighten the majesty of the place, making everything smell strongly of fresh moss and practically glow with the greenness of everything. Raindrops scattered through the tall trees, making us feel as though we were hidden in a rainforest, rather than merely minutes off the highway.

Having seen nothing but pavement and dark clouds since arriving in Portland, this magical forest made me realize that I have entered a fairy wonderland of beauty, and I can't wait to explore more.

Here's the first glance of photos, though even they cannot show the true beauty of Portland.

Baked French Fries

Tanner and I each have our own food vices. Mine is french fries and Tanner's is oreo milkshakes. (And vice versa, I might add.)

I think we discovered these horrible food cravings on one of our first dates, in which he picked up dinner at McDonalds and brought back some french fries to share.

What a good boyfriend I am, he thought. Bringing my girlfriend some fries.

Little did he know that fries should not be shared with me, and if they are, don't expect to get any.

It's a race to the finish any time either of us buys fries anymore. Oh, we pretend to eat all the other things-- burger for him, salad and parfait for me-- but really, we've got one eye on that fry carton the whole time. If one person tucks in, the other has to quickly grab a handful just so they don't disappear.

I think life would be easier if we each had our own batch of fries, but somehow this has yet to occur to us.

(By the way, everything I've just written can be substituted for the words "oreo milkshake" in the place of fries, and it is still the same outcome.)

We happened to be at Urban Outfitters one afternoon and I came across a spiral notebook that had written on the front: "I love you more than French Fries." I showed it to Tanner, and the phrase quickly found its way into our lives.

"Goodbye," I say to him before work. "I love you more than French Fries."

"I love you more than oreo milkshakes," he says in reply.

In honor of the deliciousness of French Fries (don't judge... you have your food vices too, I know) I whipped up a homemade batch last night that is considerably more healthy for you than the fast food kind. It's a simple recipe that uses extra-virgin olive oil and cornmeal to substitute for the fried texture and flavor. After my batch was gone in five minutes, I would call it a winner.

{baked french fries}

4 russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 egg whites
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cornmeal (I was out of cornmeal and used breadcrumbs, instead, which worked well)
Spice mixture: 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne (I was out of cayenne, too, and substituted chipotle chili powder. Yumm.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with oil.

Cut each potato into wedges or thin sticks. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the egg whites, olive oil and salt, coating evenly. Dust the potatoes with the cornmeal and spice mixture. Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ketchup!

Each Campfire Lights Anew

With most of the difficult moving agenda items behind me (besides packing, that is...) I've been keen to spend my time with the people who matter to me before I have to leave them.

On Saturday evening a group of us went camping at a friend's farm. We stoked up a large bonfire in her field, drank rum, played jenga and ladder golf as we watched the hours slip away under the stars. When it grew too late and the last of the embers died, we fell asleep in our tents, curled in warm sleeping bags, and dreamed of the future.