The first stop was the Portland Rose Garden. The beautiful garden was one of the first efforts in Portlandtocleanup what had become a very ugly city. The early settlers were not kind to the area, and they cut down all the trees, left trash everywhere, and had flowing sewage in the streets. Finally a Portland City Father decided to do something about it. The Rose Garden is one of the results of his efforts.
The many varieties of roses in the garden added not only color but interest. I liked the Classic Women rose and thought we should all get a picture around it, but instead we took several around the park.
Since the Japanese Garden did not open until noon, we caught the bus downtown and walked around another shopping area. That is when Don and I found another Salty Straw ice cream store. While the rest of the group was looking at jewelry, shoes, and dresses, Don and I were tasting Pear and Blue Cheese ice cream, Fennel and Maple ice cream, Sea Salt and Caramel ice cream, and freckled Woodblock Chocolate ice cream. Although I enjoyed the chocolate, it was not any better than some other ice creams I have had. Don really liked the Sea Salt and Caramel, but I just thought it was ok. I did enjoy tasting some of the weird concoctions, and I know it takes talent to make it palatable, but just give me some regular ice cream.
After lunch and another ride on the Hop On trolley, we grabbed our cars and went back to the Japanese Garden. We did not know what to expect, but it exceeded most of our expectations. The waterfalls into the koi pond created instant relaxation. Several sand gardens with patterns were tucked into various areas, benches showed up in the most interesting spots, and meditation areas were plentiful. It was not the number of flowers and the colors that made the gardens beautiful. It was the simplicity, the precision, the balance that made them extraordinary.
After lunch and another ride on the Hop On trolley, we grabbed our cars and went back to the Japanese Garden. We did not know what to expect, but it exceeded most of our expectations. The waterfalls into the koi pond created instant relaxation. Several sand gardens with patterns were tucked into various areas, benches showed up in the most interesting spots, and meditation areas were plentiful. It was not the number of flowers and the colors that made the gardens beautiful. It was the simplicity, the precision, the balance that made them extraordinary.
Our final stop before dinner was to drive to the Pittock Mansion. The mansion itself was closed, but the grounds were open. If we had any doubt that Portland is a great place to grow flowers, the grounds of the mansion confirm it. The variety of plants, combined with the identification stickers for each of them, made the grounds quite interesting to me and the view across Portland was especially nice. If a fire was not raging south of Portland, we would have seen Mt. Hood, but as is our luck with seeing mountains, it was just a spot on the horizon.
Then for dinner we went to eat near the Willamette Falls. A pub nearby the falls had some tasty dishes, and the falls themselves were well worth seeing.
Then for dinner we went to eat near the Willamette Falls. A pub nearby the falls had some tasty dishes, and the falls themselves were well worth seeing.
By the time we got back to the RV, we were exhausted and our bed could not have felt better.
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