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Published: September 5th 2006
Rose in Test Garden
Portland is known as "Rose City"From Newport on the coast, we traveled to McMinnville, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Home to over 100 wineries, fruit and nut orchards, this is the largest hops growing area (think beer) in the US. Oregon is also the only place in the US that grows hazelnuts commercially. The huge Monrovia facility is just down the road—over 1,000 acres of nursery plants shipped to garden centers all over the country.
Located about 35 miles southwest of Portland, downtown McMinnville evokes “Stuckyville,” an old-fashioned all-American town, where a downtown street is cordoned off for the weekly farmers market and huge flower baskets adorn every light pole.
One day when the temperature threatened to hit 96 degrees, we made a side trip to Cannon Beach—it was 58 degrees on the coast. What a difference 40 miles makes! We had Mo’s famous clam chowder, but thought it was not as good as the Sea Hag’s chowder in Depoe Bay. We stopped in Tillamook, dairy capital of Oregon, and bought cheese; and another oyster farm caught our eye, where we bought a whole red snapper and some oysters. This time, Diane filleted the fish herself (OK, the fishmonger gutted it first.)
We trekked
Portland Roses
10 Acres of Fragrant Flowers into downtown Portland, a beautiful city of about 1 million, and walked around the funky Saturday market in Old Town. Also on the agenda was Washington Park and the Japanese Gardens, supposedly the best outside of Japan. Adjacent to the Japanese garden is the International Rose Test Garden, a 10-acre site with 5,000 blooming rosebushes and over 700 different species of fragrant roses.
Another day took us to the Oregon State Fair in the capital city of Salem. What can you say about a state fair—corn dogs, funnel cakes, horses, cows, sheep, goats, FFA-kids, quilts, and the ubiquitous hucksters along the midway. We did see the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, which always makes one smile!
Over Labor Day weekend, we visited the Evergreen Aviation Museum (about a five-iron from the RV park), which now houses Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose, the largest wooden airplane with the longest wingspan ever constructed.
Next, we meet up with four other couples in Coburg (along I-5) where we’ll caravan to British Columbia, with a stop at Mount St. Helens along the way. Getting all four rigs and tow cars on a ferry to Victoria will be something to experience!
Zen Garden
In the Japanese Gardens in Portland
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