May 28, 2017 - Tanya goes to Portland - Day 3 AND Portland Breweries

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: PORTLAND, OREGON

More Portland...

​Well hello hello out there!  

HAPPY SUNDAY and Greetings from Portland, Oregon! 

How is your holiday weekend going? Wasn't it great to wake up this morning knowing that you DON'T have to go to work/school tomorrow?! 

I actually forgot about that fact when I started stirring this morning, sleepy as I was I thought that we had to head back home tomorrow and that today was our last vacation day up here...WRONG!

And so happy that I was. There is still so much for us to see, do and eat!

Although we arrived on Friday, we really didn't get started until yesterday.

And we started off with a DELISH brunch at The Harvest at Bindery. Where I had a most tasty (virgin) Bloody Mary and fabulous Deep Dish French Toast..so so freakin' good!!

Sipping the Smoky Bloody Mary (c) travelincousins.com

The highlight of yesterday brought us to Sandy Ridge. And although it may not sound like much our day Mountain Biking in Sandy Ridge was nothing short of EPIC!!

Lush and amazing (c) travelincousins.com

Sandy Ridge has been compared to that of Whistler in terms of Mountain Biking and trail systems - and while I cannot personally compare the two (because I have yet to go Mountain Biking at Whistler) I can tell you that Sandy Ridge was amazing and place that we plan on having many return visits.

"These trails aren't like regular logging trails," Huston said. "These are highly engineered for mountain biking and people can just go screaming down them."

Sure there was a lot of climbing - much more than either of us had imagined or expected. But was it worth the climb? HECK YEAH!

Were our legs shot and completely burnt out?
Yep they were. But did I complain or think about complaining even once?  NOT A CHANCE!

These were honestly some if not the most amazing trails EVER. Seriously what mountain biking dreams are made of!

Experts only (c)travelincousins.com

The vista (c)travelincousins.com

We made it! (c)travelincousins.com

Riding along (c)travelincousins.com

"If you are just talking about mountain biking, there are few places in the country that can compare to the Sandy Ridge Trail System." - OregonLive.com

Stopping for a picture (c)travelincousins.com

Dave coming down (c)travelincousins.com

Cheese (c)travelincousins.com

We were out there huffing, puffing and grinding the gears on single tracks for hours upon hours and totally wiped out and tired the rest of the night.

And then we just couldn't stop thinking or talking about how freakin' cool our ride was!

Dave was kinda thirsty (c)travelincousins.com

We sat there at dinner and I pointed out that after almost 8 years of Mountain Biking, I felt that Sandy Ridge is my absolute favorite.
Dave questioned me on that, asking what about Moab? I replied that you really can't even compare the two and that the question wasn't fair - he knows I love Mountain Biking in Moab!

So it's probably a tie. 

If you are into Mountain Biking and ready for some fun - I highly recommend that you get on over to Sandy Ridge and sharpen your skills out there. I say that only because yesterday was the first time that I was riding Black Diamonds!!! Me riding Black Diamonds?! I must be getting better at this sport!

Listed: Hardcore experts can look for the black diamond denoting Quid Pro Flow's 1.75 miles of rocks, roots and jumps.
Never knew that I was a Hardcore expert!!! Well look at me!!

What a great time. It the next day and I'm still on a Mountain Biking high!!!

Today we are kinda sorta giving our bottoms and our legs a break and rather than doing another killer mountain biking trail, after breakfast we are going to ride on the pavement and check out the historic Banks to Vernonia trail.

A wee bit of Wiki history about todays trail:
The Banks–Vernonia State Trail was the first linear rail trail state park in Oregon.
The Portland, Astoria, and Pacific Railroad built the original rail line in 1913 to transport timber, freight, and passengers.
In the 1920s, trains on the line hauled logs and lumber from Keasey and the Oregon-American mill in Vernonia to Portland.
The railroad stopped using the line in 1957 after the mills closed, and from 1965 through 1969 the Vernonia South Park and Sunset Railroad leased the line for a steam excursion train. The line was abandoned in 1973.
The Oregon Department of Transportation bought the right-of-way in 1974, and transferred it to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1990.

FACT: People come from everywhere—from all over the world—to ride this trail.

And being that we'll be somewhat closer to Portland, once we are finished pedaling, the plan is to head on over to the International Rose Test Gardens at Washington Park which should be just lovely!

Hunger has it once again, so it's time for us to head on out. 

Catch ya later,
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 29 DAYS
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Last Sunday in May

Good day folks!!

I don't think I'm ever trusting the weather forecast again.  Rain was predicted for both yesterday and today and much to my happy surprise, it was bright and sunny both days!

I had wanted to attend the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach either day (yesterday or today) but the girls were so negative about it that I dropped the idea.

Instead, we decided to to have an Afternoon Tea at one of the local restaurants, Chat Noir, in Rockville Centre.

This place is awesome and I'm going to feature it on my next Foodie Friday.

Anyhoo, me and my girlies had quite the enjoyable luncheon with the most incredible spread. Not to mention, we chatted away and I told them old stories from my 20-something days working in Hong Kong and my many foodie adventures.  

They were very entertained.

As Tanya cycles her way through Portland, we both thought it would be fun to talk about another "attraction" for which Portland is known...local breweries!

Did you know...
Portland is home to more than 75 breweries and counting — more than any other city on earth.

According to TravelPortland.com, "since the early 1980s, Portland brewers have been hard at work, pioneering the craft beer movement with fresh ingredients like Willamette Valley hops and barley and Bull Run water. "

With bustling brewpubs, innovative brews and a long list of beer-themed events throughout the year, this city has certainly earned its title as "Beervana." 

7 Fun Facts about Portland Breweries

1. Portland’s beer buzz began in 1984 when both BridgePort Brewing and Widmer Brothers Brewing opened facilities in what is now the Pearl District, not far from where Henry Weinhard’s brews were made back in the 1860s.

2. In 1985, McMenamins opened Oregon’s first brewpub in Southwest Portland.  McMenamins' original location still exists along with more than 50 fun locations in the Northwest — each one unique, but united by their flagship beers and historic locations.

3. Other Oregon brewing pioneers opened Portland locations in the 1990s, including Rogue Brewing, which opened in Newport in 1989 and today operates several other brewery locations.

4. Full Sail, which started in Hood River in 1987, has a small brewing operation inside McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside at the Marina in downtown Portland.

5. Legendary Deschutes Brewery, founded in 1988, opened a brewpub in the Pearl District in 2008, as well as 10 Barrel Brewing which moved into the same neighborhood in 2015.

6. The 1990's brought a series of newcomers including  Lompoc Brewing, Lucky Labrador Brewing Company and Hair of the Dog. 

7. Most recently, a large selection of organic beers have popped up, including Hopworks and the newer Hopworks BikeBar,  brewing since 2008.
The “eco-brewpub” is powered with 100% renewable energy; at the BikeBar you can help generate the building’s electricity by pedaling away on two stationary bikes.  

Check out Yelp's list of The Best 10 Breweries in Portland for 2017.

Well today is going to be a day of rest and relaxation and probably a visit to the gym!

Hope your Memorial Day weekend is going great!!

-E
xoxo