Of course, the phone being nearly dead was a problem for me arranging to meet up with my darling wife. Just as I was finishing the hike, it shut itself off, leaving me with few remaining options. I had my e-reader with me as well, which can access the Internet via wi-fi... but after a few seconds of being connected, it also died. Lesson learned: be sure your electronics are charged. Fortunately, the 4T loop passes by the Portland Public Library, which is nice enough to offer 1 hour a day of Internet access to visitors. We were able to arrange to meet at the Washington Park MAX, incidentally exactly where I had begun my hike.
We caught a TriMet shuttle around the park, which was driven by an operator who was kind enough to also provide narration and advice to the travelers on board. After winding through some of the residential neighbourhoods around the park, we stopped at the International Rose Test Garden. We picked up our magnet from their gift shop, as well as the postcards some of you will be receiving. The gift shop ladies were also handing out black tea, flavoured with rose petals. Not my thing, but Dani apparently enjoyed it. We were also there just in time for a guided tour of the gardens with a U of Oregon Master Gardener. I now know way more about the proper care of roses than I ever cared to. Here's some pretty flowers:
Speckled rose. Dani loved these.
After touring the gardens, we headed down to Pioneer Courthouse Square, the center of downtown Portland (and the TriMet network). Travel writers (and nobody else) call it "Portland's living room." Interesting factoid- the "pioneer courthouse" is now a branch of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It certainly is a bustling place, with fountains and steps and, of course, some of Portland's famous food carts. Dani got a "Big Honkin' Burrito"- no kidding, that's what the cart was called- and it lived up to its name. We sat and enjoyed the bustling urban milleu for a while, watching people and buses and trains come and go.
After we'd sat long enough, we decided to ride up to the Portland Aerial Tram again, because I thought it was spectacular enough that Dani should see it (and because she'd brought spare batteries for the camera). Here's the tram itself:
And here's some views from the tram:
We headed back downtown via the Portland Streetcar, which was the beginning of the streetcar revival currently taking place across the United States. It is a nice ride:
(And hey look, a photo of me on the blog!)
Knowing that I couldn't make a visit to the Bicycle Capital of America without getting on a bicycle, Dani indulged me and we hopped off the streetcar near Kerr Bikes. This bike rental kiosk on the waterfront is the fundraising arm of the Albertina Kerr Foundation, a charity that works with the mentally and developmentally disabled in Portland. It also happens to provide bikes at fantastically cheap rates. We rented a tandem for the hour for $15 and proceeded to take a spin around Portland's famous waterfront. I had to get the hang of riding with a coaster brake, and we both had to get used to riding tandem, but by the end of the hour we'd pretty much figured it out. We had a great time!
All the following were taken by Dani from the back of the bike. (While stationary, but she'll get better...)
I had her take that last one because the base of that radio tower is on the 4T loop. I really wished I'd had a decent camera at that point.
After biking about, I had to take a run around in Salmon Street Springs, one of Portland's many public fountains. You're only young once, but you can be immature forever!
We then proceeded to ride over to Powell's City of Books. The name is no exaggeration, and perhaps I'll post a map when I get access to a scanner. They have an iPhone app that will give you turn-by-turn directions to your book, and it's warranted. They also provide helpful suggestions on where to find new authors you might like, and their politics section skews heavily towards my own political persuasions. It is a magical place for any book lover, and if you're in Portland you must visit. Portland happens to be the site of the upcoming Western Political Science Association conference. If I can get a paper accepted for presentation there, I plan on going back with several cardboard boxes, to be filled with books and sent home.
They had four huge rooms, each with dozens of aisles this size. I cannot adequately impress upon you the enormity of this place.
We were pretty worn out after Powell's (I'd hiked 5 miles that day BEFORE sightseeing) so we decided to head back to the hotel. We had a soak in their hot tub and returned to tackle one of the greatest challenges we would face: LAUNDRY. Since we're broke, coin-op machines are just too pricey, so we went for hand-washing our clothing in the bathroom. Here's what it looked like when we were done:
Of course, only half of it had managed to dry by check-out time the next day. Plastic bags to the rescue!
We finished out our time in Portland by heading downtown and riding the streetcar around one last time, just to take in the Portlandishness of it all. (Yes, that's a word now.) We then went to Union Station in order to exchange our tickets for trains that would actually be running and sat down and waited for our next train, the Cascades to Vancouver, BC. Portland's a pretty cool town, and I hope to visit again soon. If you're planning a visit, I encourage you to:
and, once there, to
Vancouver's up next!
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