Since we had a lot of ground to cover on this trip we had to trade off some locations for others and we trade time in Portland for time at the beach but we did want to get a flavour for the area.

We had the most amazing breakfast at Tin-Shed Cafe which I found on Trip Advisor. This cool spot even allows dogs! With huge portions we were set for the day. I made sure to get a good mix of salty and sweet for my breakfast cause I do believe every meal should have dessert!

We walked around the area while we waited for our cab (Tip: cabs seem scarce in Portland so give yourself lots of time!) and found the Random Order Pie Bar and got ourself some chocolate cream pie (which we sadly left on the patio table when our cab arrived and which may have still been there when we came back with our rental car!)

With our car we set out to check out the The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and decided to spend the day doing that. It was gorgeous! It wasn’t a warm sunny day but we got to see the natural beauty of the area. Multnomah falls is really something to see and this is coming from a girl who grew up in Niagara Falls.

With the new Rogers Roam Like Home (and no I didn’t get paid for this mention but truly love being able to be on my phone doing research while away and each day it only costs me $5) I was able to discover that The Shining was filmed at the Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. So I had to check it out. Bad idea! And not because we crossed paths with some crazy ghost twins but because we drove in to a snowstorm without an SUV and snow-tires. We made it to the top but couldn’t see a thing and turned around scared for our lives! They actually ski up there all year round!

For our second night in Portland we moved over to an apartment in a very fancy area of the city. Lucky for us the whole city was booked for a brewers convention (heaven for most men right) and I couldn’t get a hotel room. I stumbled upon a great apartment on TripAdvisor rentals that had an elevator and parking!

We walked down to a Jo’s a great spot and shared fondue, salad and some great wine. Afterwards we walked to Salt & Straw so I could have some snickerdoodle and salted caramel ice cream.

The sleep in the apartment was heavenly but sadly just one night. In the morning we packed up and started to head north! Next up… wineries, Roloff’s and surf.