Adventure-Crew.com

Seaside, Oregon Adventure-Loop. Photo from Adventure-Crew.com

Just because winter comes along doesn’t mean that adventurers pack up their Jetboil stoves and Giant bicycles until May. We just pack another can of fuel for the increased need of coffee and hot chocolate and head down river to the ocean or up river to snow country.

This issue’s Adventure-Loop is out of Portland, Oregon.

Portland and Mt. Hood. Photo from radiator.com

We’ll travel from Portland and all of its eateries and fine restaurants and world renown coffees, north to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to view the devastation of the 1980 natural disaster, and west to Seaside, Oregon where the Pacific Ocean is king for locals and tourists alike. It’s a city to mountain to river village to beach, outdoor and mountain view food fest. Adventure-Space doesn’t often feature food venues in the Adventure-Zones or most other blogs and forums. We are about national parks and outdoors. But, to write about the Portland area and exclude food is like climbing Mt. Rainier and ignoring the view. It just can’t be done, and shouldn’t. Hey; ya gott’a eat!

Portland is known for its mountain peak views, its proximity to The Columbia and The Pacific, and for its food and coffee. But, mostly for its food and coffee. Even in far flung Dwight, Illinois one hour and fifteen minutes south of Chicago, the famous Java Stop on Old Rt 66 offering nothing but the best in coffee, chai and other gourmet beverages, features Portland coffee. One of the owners lives in the Portland area as a matter of fact.

1) Portland International Airport (PDX) is situated on the south shore of the Columbia River in between the two major North/South thoroughfares running through the city and over the river into Washington, I-5 to the west and I-205 to the east.

To head west from the airport towards Seaside, Oregon and the Oregon Coast Highway, exit the airport heading south on Rout 213 (NE 82nd Ave). Then continue south until NE Tillamook St on which you’ll turn west, then south on NE 92nd Ave, then west on NE Halsey St which will let you on-ramp to I-84 West Bound. Stay on this until you reach I-5 and head South Bound across the river, then North Bound on I-405 to the Sunset Highway exit 1D. Take the Sunset Highway west for 73 miles towards Seaside then turn north onto Hwy 101, The Oregon Coast Highway for 4 miles.

To head towards Astoria instead of the Sunset Highway, exit the airport south on 213 and turn west on Rt 30, NE Killingsworth St. Stay on State Rt 30 along the Columbia River all the way to Astoria, 97 miles.

To exit the airport heading anywhere else, use the main airport road access (NE Airport Way) to get to I-205. From there you can head directly north over the river into Washington or south to connecting routes anywhere else.

To get to Mt. St. Helens, continue north on I-205 or I-5 (they merge) into Washington and take exit 21 to Hwy 503. This will take you right to the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument entrance road.

2) Dining in Portland is the one thing upon which everyone can agree is a real best of experience. The following are some of the best restaurants in the US, and they just happen to be in the Portland area; many right down town. Many of these restaurants boast of “sustainable” sourcing as well as organic and certainly Northwest based. Warning, eating at exclusive eateries in the northwest is both addicting and expensive compared to standard road fare. Many have an average entree price of $21 and up. Remember that this is just an average; there are several above that and several below that price. So, do yourself a favor and choose one or two meals during your stay in the Portland area and eat out at a fancy schmancy restaurant, or a trendy bistro. This is a must while in Portland due to the city’s propensity for fresh, locally grown, Northwest fare. You will most likely learn something about really good food that surpasses tofu and greens. I’ll bet you a bottle of fine green tea that you will eat the best salmon you’ve ever had, right here in “River City”; and that spells trouble.

Hoyt This famous old timer Portland favorite hotel boasts a guest list from the ranks of state and royalty. The restaurant has repeatedly won awards.
Alberta St. Oyster Bar & Grill The menu rotates seasonally and emphasizes the bounty of produce, fruit and seafood sourced in the Pacific Northwest. Menu items may vary from fresh oysters to wild mushroom raviolis and braised pork cheeks.
Bluehour In the heart of Portland’s Pearl District, Bluehour is the place to see and be seen. Gourmet Magazine rated it as the most sophisticated, contemporary food in town.
Caprial’s Bistro Utilizing the freshest local ingredients, Caprial’s Bistro celebrates Northwest cuisine with passion and soul. The talented staff turns out an acclaimed menu of ethnically influenced seasonal Northwest cuisine. The menu offerings are revised monthly to reflect seasonal changes and the artistry of the chef.
ClarkLewis A bustling eatery in the central eastside industrial district. You’re encouraged to order anything on the menu as a small or large plate or a family-size platter to pass around the table. Chosen by The Oregonian as Restaurant of the Year.
Paleys Place Chef Vitaly Paley’s goal is to be part of the movement that defines Northwest regional cuisine, working with growers who share his dedication to local, sustainable agriculture.
Salty’s on the Columbia Seafood Grill Anchored right on the river with sweeping views of the mighty Columbia and Mt. Hood, Salty’s on the Columbia features fresh, local and regional seafood daily. Voted the “Nations Best Brunch” by MSN-Citysearch.com, “Best Seafood” on citysearch.com and “Wine Spectator Award of Excellence” 2004-2007. Let Salty’s create a true taste of Oregon for you and your guests.
Ten 01 Located in Portland’s Pearl District, Ten 01 serves farm-to-table, seasonal American cuisine using local, artisanal ingredients. With dramatic high ceilings and beautiful decor, the two-story restaurant features an open kitchen and private dining facilities. Executive Chef Jack Yoss’ menu is complimented by an impressive wine list, carefully-selected by Sommelier, Erica Landon.
Trebol This intimate cantina serves old world Mexican cuisine inspired by Kenny Hill’s love of Oaxacan cuisine and an emphasis on local ingredients. A lively bar features more than 75 tequilas along with seasonal margaritas. Open for dinner and Sunday brunch.
Oregon Bounty is a Portland food event running from Oct. 1 – Nov. 30, 2008.

3) Also in Portland is the newest must do activity, the tram. 

Portland Aerial Tram. photo from Wikipedia

The Portland Aerial Tram is an aerial tramway in Portland, Oregon carrying commuters between the city’s South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus, located in the Marquam Hill neighborhood. It is the second commuter aerial tramway in the United States (after New York City’s Roosevelt Island Tramway). The tram travels a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet (5/8 mi, 1 km) and a vertical distance of 500 feet (150 m) in a ride that lasts three minutes.

The tram was jointly funded by OHSU, the City of Portland, and by South Waterfront property owners, with the bulk of the funding coming from OHSU. It is owned by the city and operated by OHSU. While the majority of passengers are affiliated with OHSU, it is open to the public and operated as part of Portland’s public transportation network that includes the Portland Streetcar, MAX Light Rail, and Tri-Met buses. After opening in December 2006, the tram carried its one millionth passenger on October 17, 2007.

The tram cost $57 million to build—a nearly fourfold increase over initial cost estimates, which was one of several sources of controversy concerning the project. A round-trip tram ticket costs $4; the tram is free for OHSU employees, patients, students, and visitors.

Operated by: Oregon Health & Science University
Type: bi-cable aerial tramway
Vertical distance: 500 feet (152 m)
Horizontal distance: 3,300 feet (1,006 m)
Duration of one-way trip: 3 minutes
Maximum speed: 22 mph (35 km/h)
Number of cars: 2
Passenger capacity: 78 per car
Daily round trips (passengers): 3,700 (one-way-trips)[1][2]
Began service December 2006
Tramway manufacturer: Doppelmayr CTEC
Official website: Portland Aerial Tram
Source; Wikipedia

 4) Mt. St. Helens, Washington, just over the Columbia from Portland used to be one of those famous peaks that Oregonians and Washingtonians have been comfortable and used to.

Mt St Helens 1964. photo from USGS

A quick scan of the skyline always brought into view the predictable peaks. Depending upon where you were standing, you’d always see the same peaks right where they belonged and you expected them to be; Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Saddle Mountain and Mt. St. Helens. And then, if you were standing in the right place on one of those mountains, you could probably see all of the above plus Mt. Jefferson, Three Sisters, Crater Lake’s north rim and the adjacent Mt. Scott, Mt. Baker and Mt. Thielson over looking Diamond Lake, Diamond Peak, and to the far north Mt. Rainier. On a really good day from any of the Portland peaks you might also see Mt. Olympus near Seattle.

Modern day photo of Mt. St. Helens shooting S SW from Spirit Lake. Photo from USGS

Not any more. After 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted and lost a large percentage of her top cone. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond-to Portland, OR 45 miles away, and 16 hours later, to central Colorado. The hot gas and magma melted the snow and ice that covered the volcano. The resulting floodwater mixed with the rock and debris to create concrete-like mudflows that scoured river valleys surrounding the mountain resulting in the largest landslide in recorded history. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments. You will be awed by the devastation.

Even after blowing its top and one side, St. Helens still rises over 8,200 feet above sea level.

An excerpt from Volcanic Eruptions of 1980 at Mount St. Helens, The First 100 Days: USGS Professional Paper 1249, published by Foxworthy and Hill, 1982, states,

Concrete like extrusion dwarfs helicopter. Photo from USGS

 A fresh slab of old Earth pushes up inside Mt. St. Helen’s cone.
Photo posted 9 May 2006 from Dan Dzurisin, Cascades Volcano Observatory, USGS
A new rock slab is growing at more than one meter a day on the
Mt. St. Helens volcano in Washington, USA.  The rock slab, growing
since last November, now extends about 100 meters out from one
of the volcano’s craters.  A recently made time lapse movie shows
the rock slab growing. Pictured above, a helicopter examines the
steaming hot rock slab late last month.
 

Heading up to the visitor’s center and taking advantage of the permanent telescopes, hiking trails, and tours will really open your eyes to the power of a volcanic blast as well as how fast the planet Earth can recover from total devastation.
 

5) Astoria, Oregon has some interesting shopping venues as well as several great eateries. But, the view is the killer. 

Astoria and the Columbia River taken from top of Astoria Column. Photo from pinionmarc.com

 

“Mount St. Helens was known as “the Mt. Fuji of America” because its symmetrical beauty was similar to that of the famous Japanese volcano. The graceful cone top, whose glistening cap of perennial snow and ice dazzled the viewer, is now largely gone. On May 18, 1980, the missing mountaintop was transformed in a few hours into the extensive volcanic ash that blanketed much of the Northwestern United States and into various other deposits closer to the mountain. 

Even before its recent loss of height, Mount St. Helens was not one of the highest peaks in the Cascade Range. Its summit altitude of 9,677 feet made it only the fifth highest peak in Washington. It stood out handsomely, however, from surrounding hills because it rose thousands of feet above them and had a perennial cover of ice and snow. The peak rose more than 5,000 feet above its base, where the lower flanks merge with adjacent ridges. The mountain is about 6 miles across at its base, which is at an altitude of about 4,400 feet on the northeastern side and about 4,000 feet elsewhere. At the pre-eruption timberline (upper limit of trees), the width of the cone was about 4 miles.

Mount St. Helens is 34 miles almost due west of Mount Adams, which is in the eastern part of the Cascade Range. These “sister and brother” volcanic mountains are each about 50 miles from Mount Rainier, the giant of Cascade volcanoes. Mount Hood, the nearest major volcanic peak in Oregon, is about 60 miles southeast of Mount St. Helens. 

Locational view south from mMt Rainier, WA. photo from picasaweb

I’ve been told that one can also see Mt. Shasta in northern California and Mt. McLaughlin in southern Oregon from a few places in the Portland region but this is a little doubtful. At some point the curvature of the earth becomes a reality. The best place on the planet from which to photograph the wide angle view of these peaks is probably upon the shoulders of any of the peaks near and including Crater Lake or Mt Scott, located roughly halfway between Mt. Shasta in Northern California and Three Sisters in Central Oregon.

When I was a boy scout, back in the 1970s, I saw these mountain peaks from the shoulders of Mt. Thielson near Diamond Lake, Oregon during a day hike. The hike leader, knowing where to look, pointed out and named the several visible peaks. On one hike during my youth, either from one of the Diamond Lake peaks, Crater Lake, or maybe a location further north which is more likely, I remember someone pointing out the majestic Mt. St. Helens, “The Mount Fuji of The Americas”.