Portland, OR: day 3

Day 3 - stylin' with our toyota prius rental. Off to go see some pretty things!

We got excited because we saw Mt. St Helens in the distance, Of course you can't see it here but we were driving over one of Portlands many bridges.

It took 25 minutes to get to Multnomah falls. Here is the lodge it greets you with. Smelled intoxicatingly good.

Walking up to the bridge. The light was so pretty at this point, I didn't have to edit many of these at all.

So lush and green. The sun was just peeking over. Apparently there are mudslides quite often here. One time a 70 foot wave crashed over a wedding party in 1995.

Just look at it.

Of course we HAD to get a selfie.

Panos all day.

There were many little crevices. We couldn't resist getting in them.

haha

It was busier on the lower part of the triail, but once the paved portion ended, there were a lot of switchbacks and then there were less people.

Increasing elevation.

So many look outs!

It's a loooong way down.

So many pretty bridges.

Moss covered EVERYTHING. Even this wall/archway.

Another waterfall!

More moss covered walls.

These trees were so old and tall. It's hard to see the scale.

Waterfall #3!

YAY waterfalls!

My spotted snail friend. I make snail friends on all the mountain I climb.

Can we drink the water Megan asks? Yeah, if you want giardia. I guess they have straws now called Life straws where you can actually drink the water and it has filters in it. NEED. Who doesn't want fresh cold mountain spring water?

Such nice light.

Coming to another observatory!

GAH.

The waterfall here was misting when you walked by, So refreshing! At this point we already hiked for about an hour or so. And it was 80 degrees out.

Giant moss covered logs and waterfalls everyday please.

Cougar sighting? Yep. That happens here in Portland.

Look at that trickling water fall! Definitely wanted to shower in that. This was the last photo of the hike before we check out the gift store and headed back into town for some well deserved much needed eats. 

Pok Pok is very well known for its authentic thai cuisine. You wouldn't know it from the outside, but it has an outdoor sitting area and indoor seating as well.

This meal was spicy, but not what I expected. Apparently everyone orders the wings always. And I could see why. They were crispy, and the sauce on them was addicting. The pickled diakon radish only added to it as a side. Then we got this spicy boar which tasted a lot like beef. The sauce with the tuna dish in the middle was to die for. I kept dipping my sticky rice right into it. The noodle dish was actually a little sweeter with prawns, a recommendation from our server since everything else we were getting was going to be spicy. Then we had some plain old mustard greens to clean the ol' palate. 5 stars!

Guy Fiery was here!

And the chef from this particular Pok Pok won the James Beard award! It did not disappoint. I spoke with one of the Chefs that worked there and apparently there are other locations in New York, and he said they are just opening up another one in California.

After the beach we headed to the coast to touch the Pacific ocean for the first time! It took an hour and 45 minutes to get here, but it did not disappoint. Look at those clouds hovering above the mountains in the distance! There were some storm clouds brewing from some severe thunder storms that were passing in the north, but luckily we didn't get hit. We almost got hit by a herd of elk driving down here though! About 6 or 7 of them were right in the side of the road!

There's a lighthouse in the distance. So serene.

The sun was starting to set, and it reflected off the ocean beautifully.

We were really excited for a goonies selfie!

So excited meg wrote it out in the sand.

I know, we're all a bunch of goons.

We grabbed a bite to eat right on the ocean nearby at Mo's for some oysters and steamers.

The oysters here are much bigger, and meatier. Definitely not the same as the ones we have back on the east coast. They're just not as flavorful. The steamers were alright. We also got some spinach and artichoke dip that had little baby shrimp in it. I'd give the place 2.5 stars.

you can't really see it here but there is a light mist right on the bottom of the rocks. The scale of these things were huge! You can see them through the trees on the way driving here. 

It was another gorgeous day! We definitely brought the good weather with us. Tomorrow we go to Voodoo Doughnuts, and bumble around and check out some more breweries, maybe do some shopping. We might go see a show as well!

Read more about Portland, OR: day 4