Roadtrip to Portland

This post is jointly authored by oBelIX and nixkina. They like to ramble at various lengths on certain topics and hence the post contains sections of their views. That also makes the post a bit lengthy but fun- ner to read!

Part 0: Planning for Portland: 

nixkina: On a rainy Seattle afternoon, I received an email from oBelIX which had things planned out by the hour. Very oBelIX. It is very characteristic of oBelIX to be ‘Sufficiently Planned’. He will have the navigator set to the correct route (as opposed to my style of consulting maps after I ‘feel lost’), buy his Frappuccino supplies in advance, he will have the miles and gallons calculated for his car…and of course, he will have figured out lunch time.  It may seem to the reader that he is calibrating too much, but when you travel with him the spontaneity and joi de vivre remain intact. Very oBelIX again. Beauty is in balance, I can see him say!

Sufficiently planned, is how one should travel: Stay open to the possibilities but have a plan to cover the most controllable, likeliest and severest risks. An exception risk was weather. Washington was slated for snowy / rainy weekend. Neither of us could control the weather so we decided to head out anyways. We carried EVERY thing that would cover for the bad weather, including an extra pair of clothes and a box of pizza- flavored chips. A road trip was long due, and it was worth the spontaneity of this journey.

We were ready to go early morning on the Saturday with his vehicle checks and GPS jing-bang. oBelIX took the customary picture of the meter and we were off. 

 

The Meter Reading

 

Part I: Getting To Portland

oBelIX: The direct route to Portland from Seattle is fairly straightforward. In a nutshell, expect:

-        A three hour drive

-        The ugliness of the Tacoma Dome about 40 minutes into the drive

-        The built-up area of Joint Base Louis McChord

-        Olympia with its wide sweeping turn overlooking a building with a dome on top

-        The speed limit going up to 70

-        The outlet malls

-        The three laned interstate over many hills

-        The industrial areas of Kelso

-        Vancouver which is full of police with radar guns trying to write out tickets

-        Portland

There is not much scope for drama on this drive. However … pause for effect … we were in for a surprise on Saturday morning. After a good breakfast, we got on the road at 10, ignoring all the warnings of 35 Fahrenheit and chances of snow near Portland. Somewhere past Federal Way, as we go over a hill, there’s a microclimate – a small snowstorm. It was the sheer unexpectedness of it that was surprising.

 

Part 2: Bombay Chaat

Don’t Judge a Food truck by its looks

                                                                          Garam Chai Ki Pyali ho

And Delectable Pani Puri!

oBelIX: The best Indian food in the Pacific Northwest. Copying shamelessly from my yelp review: “If Travelers Thali house is the best Indian food in Seattle then this is the best Indian food in the Pacific Northwest.” Stop for some chaat, it will be the best thing you do the whole day. Oh and after, should you need a pee break, the Multnomah County Library is a couple of blocks away. 

nixkina: We had lunch at one of those places which is so unsuspecting but so worth the effort. It is a small, green food cart, a van to be precise, run by a Punjabi aunty at Yamhill Street. I hear for 6.5 USD you can taste their thali, which is an Indian- style buffet plate. What I needed was chai and chaat. We had Malai kofta and Rice for the mains. It was too breezy to eat without blowing off our Styrofoam containers so we sat in the car and in oBelIX’s words, we belted (hogged).

Part 3: The Japanese Gardens

oBelIX : The Japanese Gardens at Portland are quiet, tranquil and peaceful. They are situated atop a hill and the drive up to the gardens introduces this quiet, peaceful tranquility in small bursts. The hustle and bustle of downtown Portland mellows. The weirdness subsides. The houses look more Scandinavian. The world starts to slow down even further. oBelIX and nixkina arrived on a cold winter day to a nearly deserted entrance.

nixkina: After we drove in the city, we stopped at the very delightful Japanese Garden. The garden is landscaped, Japanese style. It is a peaceful place where you can experience the calming effect of green and see some vistas of the city.

The board telling you that you are there

The entrance to the gardens

The path leading upto the main tea room

The garden outside the tea room

The Doll Exhibition

oBelIX: The doll exhibition was the special exhibit for the month of February. While the idea of a traveling exhibit is very cool, this Doll Exhibit failed to impress. It was miniature, the sum totality of it is contained in this photograph. There was very little to read about and it seemed like, “Well, we’ve got to put up something, here’s some dolls.”

The Quiet Lake

The winding bridge

The grazing herons

The Stream

oBelIX: These pictures highlight the true purpose and nature of the Japanese Gardens. They are for quiet, peaceful contemplation. They are for introspection. They are for not thinking. They are for carrying on a conversation in soft tones. This part of the Japanese Gardens is enjoyable only if there are no other random people about.

Part 4: The International Rose Test Garden

oBelIX: The International Rose Test Garden at Portland, proudly shows off Portland’s history in having cultivated at grown roses. The roses are unfortunately not in bloom in February so better to give this place a miss. 

nixkina: Portland is also called the “City of Roses” and it was just befitting to visit the International Rose Test Garden established in 1917. Though there were supposed to be 7000 roses in the 4.5 acre garden, we saw none, as it is still winters.  The most amazing part of the garden here is the amphitheater, venue of several cultural events. It is such a good idea to utilize the garden’s aesthetics and make it more accessible to people of the city. 

The Rose Garden

The Theatre at the Rose Garden

Part 5: Multnomah Falls

oBelIX: Multnomah falls are located at about a forty minute drive from Portland and are a very pleasant side trip. The drive there, on I-84 is one of the more scenic Interstate drives with the Columbia river on one side and the mountains on the other. On a clear day Mount Hood looms tall on the horizon. The round trip usually takes a nice three hours and makes for an enjoyable break. It was a snowy, blustery day as we neared the falls and the trail to the upper falls was closed due to ice. Nevertheless, we got some good pictures of the falls.

nixkina: We then drove off to one of the most scenic drives along the Columbia River to reach Multnomah Falls. By then, the weather was snowy and rainy. The sights were still very beautiful.  You can see below in the picture that the road is just alongside the river. This entire area is called the Gorge National Scenic Area. 

Columbia River 

The Drive

Multnomah Falls

It was snowy!

              

Part 6: Out and About Portland in the evening

nixkina: We strolled around to see the buildings and the shops. We went to a fancy paper shop- which sold expensive and handmade stationery. We also went to Powell’s: the largest independent bookstore in the world. We browsed through books end enjoyed the cook book section. oBelIX brought back the world map, which we plan to put up in our home. We also got back a funky pair of socks for me, and “I love lunch” bag for him.

After a fun discussion (about which serves the most fanciful desserts) and comparison of Yelp and other ratings, we reserved at Oba. Oba was a lively Caribbean restaurant which lived-up to our culinary expectation. We had a relaxed dinner. 

                                                  Oba is a fun, irreverent place serving good food!

My Mahi Mahi!

 

Post-dinner, oBelIX also suggested a dozen full of Voodoo donuts. And I never thought that this fried snack could be dressed up so wackily with everything one can find: cereals, jelly, cream, nuts, fruits, confections and what not. Portland style, VD even served gluten free doughnuts. It was even a dinner for a family of four.  

                                                                              Doughnut buy so many!

If you are not into doughnuts (ha! Freudian slip not intended), you could buy Voodoo merchandise: underwear, T-shirts, bags, toys, guns (Ok! I didn’t see that one!). Voodoo is open 24x7. 

After our Voodoo magic, we headed back, where I tried to understand from obelIX about how to best drive at night on freeways. I also tried to expose some flaws in great Hindi hit songs of our time, but I realized I need to rewind it too often to get his attention. We replayed the names of cities and towns we had crossed earlier and the day. It is worth remembering the route to Portland.