Rain or Shine

When I asked the family where they wanted to go next, J immediately said, "Portland."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because Nike and Adidas are there. And there are a lot of food places that look good."

Fair enough.  So, when I found a cheap one-way airfare ($59) from LAX to PDX for spring break, we were set. But since the return flight was $340 (ouch!), we will be getting home another way. More on that later...

The cheapest tickets are usually for flights at obnoxious times, of which ours was no exception - 6:00AM! Ugh. But that also meant that we would get a full day to do stuff once we landed...

...in cold, rainy Portland.

With all the rain we've been getting in California this winter and seeing weather reports of lots of snow in Oregon, I thought would be a good idea to invest in raincoats and waterproof hiking shoes for our trip. Oh, and pants for M who wears shorts year-round. (You can thank me now, son!)

First order of business (after changing into warmer clothes and breaking out the rain gear) was breakfast at Pine State Biscuits. Featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," we were really looking forward to eating here! M had the ham and cheese biscuit. J tried the "Chatfield" (fried chicken, bacon and cheese), but didn't enjoy it as much because it was a little too spicy for him. R and I both ordered the "Moneyball" - biscuits and gravy with an over-easy egg. Pretty good, but also cayenne pepper spicy. We all loved the biscuits, but not the heartburn afterwards.

Then we crossed just over the Columbia River into Washington to visit Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Starting off our trip on the right foot -
caught two Snorlax at the sign!

In the early 1800s, this site was the headquarters for the British fur trading Hudson's Bay Company. The fort's warehouses stocked supplies for the fur trappers and for trading with the natives and settlers. While everything here is a reconstruction, it was pretty interesting to see the fort and interact with the volunteers in period costume.

The Big House

Blacksmith shop

He fashioned a decorative iron coat hook for us to take home as a souvenir.

The bastion

Before leaving Fort Vancouver NHS, we stopped at the Pearson Air Museum for a quick look around. In the early 1900s, it served as a civilian air field, and during World War I, aviation-grade lumber was milled here from spruce logged in the Pacific Northwest.

Then we were off to the Oregon coast - heading up I-5 towards Longview, WA, crossing back over the Columbia River, and continuing west on US-30 to Astoria. Our afternoon destination: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

The Corps of Discovery spent the winter at Fort Clatsop preparing
for their return journey east.

From the fort, we hiked for a bit along the Lewis and Clark River. By now, the sun had come out, so we were enjoying the gorgeous scenery

And since the weather was cooperating, afterwards we decided to go up to the Astoria Column to take in the view before checking in to our hotel room.

Astoria-Megler Bridge to Washington

My guys decided to climb to the top - 164 steps!

Lewis and Clark River

We finished our day with dinner at Fort George Brewery and Public House. We ate in the upstairs restaurant - delicious pizza, as well as mac 'n cheese, both cooked in their wood-fired oven! Plus awesome views of the river! Great way to end our (very long) day!