Hi lovely readers,
It’s already September, where has the time gone? It seems like summer in The Netherlands is officially over, I’m sorry everyone! Here in the Pacific Northwest however, summers almost always last till the end of September. It makes for a popular travel destination for people all over the States, as we see cars from all over: Massachusetts, North Carolina and even New York and Florida. Corona doesn’t seem to stop anyone from traveling around. Sam and I have decided to stick to Oregon this year, to keep the people around us safe, but also because Oregon has so many amazing things to offer that we don’t feel the need to travel out of state.
This summer was a little different from other summers though, as I’m sure is the case all over the world. In the first couple of months lockdown was in effect, and public places where all closed. The end of May we saw some restaurants and bars open back up, with strict social distancing guidelines and required mask wearing. I feel like I’ve been in quite a privileged position with all the nature around us, as we can easily keep our distance from others while we hike, swim or bike. This summer involved all those activities, as well as catching the last snow on Mt. Hood, eating from the land (berry picking), eating a lot of ice cream, and of course on some nights; protesting.
In this blog I’ll take you through my summer, so follow along!
Hiking around Portland and Mt. Hood
As I wrote about in my post 10 Things I Love About Portland , Portland is pretty much the perfect location for an extraordinarily number of hikes, with many National Parks and Mt. Hood, including its surrounding forest and lakes, being driving distance away.
Our most adventurous hike was to Ramona Falls, where you have to cross several rivers to get to your destination: A beautiful waterfall deep within the forest. During the first part of our hike we could enjoy views of Mt. Hood, while the second part of our hike took us through a magically serene forest where you can hear nothing but birds, insects and the calming sound of the babbling brook.
View of Mt. Hood from Pittock Mansion
Silver Falls State Park – North Falls
silver falls state park
Another one of my favorite hikes was Silver Falls State Park, about a 2-hour drive away from Portland. There are many trails there, including one that takes you to all 10 waterfalls (big and small!), but since we had our dog Mishka with us we followed the Rim Trail to the North Falls.
We also went up Mt. Hood, though the mountain looks completely different now that there is hardly any snow on the top. You can go up by cable car and hike back down.
Our favorite hike in Portland itself is Hoyt Arboretum. You can find anything from fancy bridges, view points, bamboo forests and the Portland Rose garden in this area.
Swimming & kayaking
Because of Covid, all the swimming pools and waterparks are closed, but you have no excuse not to take a dip with all the perfectly swimmable rivers around! Both the Willamette and the Colombia (the river that runs through Portland city) get tested for bacteria so that people know when it’s safe to swim. It only took us 15 minutes to get to a destination where we could either kayak or swim. The temperature is around 25 degrees, while the outside temperature is often around 30 degrees in this time of the year, so the water feels refreshing but definitely not too cold.
Two popular destinations are Broughton Beach and Sellwood Riverfront Park. Both can get very crowded during the day, so we prefer to go late afternoon.
picnics & ice cream
Portland has so many parks, that having a picnic is a must-do in summer. Buying decent snacks can get a bit expensive though, especially compared to Dutch snacks. You are officially not allowed to consume alcohol outside, but anyone does it anyway.
I have eaten a LOT of ice cream in my 26 years of existence, but never in my life have I had better ice cream than Salt & Straw. They have 4 locations in Portland (so you are always close to a location, where ever you go), and they change their special flavors each month, so you have to keep going back to try ’em all.
Marching on the Burnside Bridge
Tilikum Crossing at night
Bike trip to Sellwood Riverfront Park
bike rides & protests
As many of you have probably seen in the newspapers at some point; Portland is (still) on the forefront of protests against police brutality. I could honestly dedicate an entire blog about this, and I think I will at some point, because there is so much to say about it. Sam and I have joined these safe demonstrations by marching through Portland with hundreds (and in the beginning thousands) of others. This was months ago, and we haven’t joined since because of safety concerns and Covid. However, it is an experience I will never forget, the unity I felt and the stories I’ve heard really had an impact on me.
My dad-in-law gave me a bike a couple of months ago, so I could ”feel a little more Dutch” and explore things on my own. The bike rides are always amazing and a way for me to clear my head and feel independent (as Sam usually drives my everywhere). My favorite bike rides are to the Eastbank Esplanade and crossing the Tilikum bridge, or following the Springwater Corridor to Sellwood/Gresham.
Building a Study Corner
And last but not least, we have spent some time putting together an Ikea desk an create a study for me. All I can really do here in The States, while waiting for my work permit, is study. I have already finished courses in Content Marketing, Nutrition, Sports Nutrition and Wedding Planning, and I am taking my time going through N5-N3 levels of Japanese to get back into it!
My desk
And that concludes my list of (corona-proof) summer activities here in Oregon!
I hope you enjoyed this blog, let me know what you think in the comments below! Stay safe & healthy and I will see you around in the next blog 🙂
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