Why you Should NOT Bike and Sip Wine!

So my birthday is coming up and one thing I have been dreaming of is taking off by bike into the rolling green hills of Oregon on a sunny day and enjoying life. Enjoying friends, the sunshine and strolling through a few wineries that bless the Willamette Valley.... sounds heavenly huh? Like something from the movies.

 

SO I decided to contact all the people that know wine and biking best that includes my Mom and her local OR friend Pat. One word of concern from Mums and this is the response I get back.

Hi Anna,
Wine tasting by bike is not such a good idea for several reasons:

• I'll admit to riding my bike after consuming a few beers and it's something that I can't recommend. The Tour de Lab last year comes to mind as an example. It's amazing how unsteady you feel on a bike after even one beer! Your Mom thinks it's dangerous.
• Most of the wineries I frequent are located along HWY 47 between Carlon and Newburg. Another bunch more are located along Hwy 99 between Newburg and Dundee. Both these roads are very dangerous to ride on with 55 MPH traffic and little to no shoulder.  Your Mom thinks it's dangerous.
• Wineries tend to be located on big hills not the flats. The two main AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) for those areas are the Jory Hills and the Dundee Hills. Note the word "hills" here.Your Mom thinks it's dangerous.
• So I'd recommend going for a nice flat ride during the day and sipping some excellent Oregon wines at home with something on the BBQ in the evening.  

Pat

 

p.s. Your Mom did not make me say any of this! Mother's always know best however.

There ya have it folks... Dreams Crushed. Thanks Mum..... But no really I made a different plan. I am going to try out the Banks-Vernonia State Trail and maybe spread out some of my favorite vineyards in between by car- Purple Cow, Willakenzie Estate, and Duck Pond.

What do YOU enjoy? Well I enjoy long strolls.....

Well I enjoy long strolls on the beach and sunsets, and through the forests....ha-ha. I just enjoy walks of any sorts. Dates don't need to be a fancy dinner or something that you always have to pull out the wallet. I actually prefer getting out of the hustle and bustle of  the city and exploring. Just hand in hand in the quiet of nature, with a spectacular view. And I did just that the other night, with this handsome gentleman.

Cooper Mountain Nature Park is just right out of the city. There are trails that take multiple twists and turns through the forest. Its not too long and the scenery is just right.

Two Roads Diverged in a Wood, Which Road Will You Choose?

The Road Not Taken- by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

This just hit me, and I have to write about it before the thoughts run into media requests and updating media lists. I remember being so in love with this poem at the age of 8. I even memorized and recited it at my elementary school talent show. But just now I have understood how prevalent this perception has been in my life and so many times I have stood staring at those two roads. If I went right my life would lead one direction but if I go left my life would lead another. Most often than not, I choose the destination that is unknown. Maybe that is my adventurous spirit. I hate change, although I hate following the same boring path in life. I get bored doing the same thing too many times in life and I am thrilled by a new destination, a new path, a new journey. Maybe that’s why I cringe a little at taking the same hiking trail…. I think “What about the others?” So many more to explore! Or watching the same movie… “But what about the other stories? Yet to be heard!”

Decisions…my weeks are changing quickly. Every week is different. My life has taken so many turns in the past few weeks I might get dizzy. But God has a plan and he has an understanding and the cool thing is, he knows the path I am going to take. And that has made all the difference.

A Homemaker Not to be Confused with Home wrecker…

Sorry that’s a terrible title, but I kind of found it funny. And it’s a Monday, a day I am usually not at my best and spend most of the morning trying to shake off the sleepiness of the sleep I did not catch up on during the weekend. My life is seriously a blur sometimes as I try to cram so much into one 24 hour day. And this weekend was no exception. Although, I am proud to say most of my weekend was spent in my home. Starting out with a Friday night jam session around a tiny fire pit and then Saturday preparing our garden box, weeding and enjoying the later afternoon on a bike ride with one of my best friends.

So my Mom recently purchased her fourth bike…… Yes, fourth! As I would say, why do you need four bikes? For a bike enthusiast that is a ridiculous question, so I came up with a scheme.

I have a bike, most of my friends don’t have a bike….. So it goes, “Hey Mom, want to “loan” me a bike? I mean you don’t really need ALL four.” So the great Mother that she is, “loans” me one of her better bikes and because of this I got to teach my friend Sammie on Saturday the joy of road biking! Can’t say I was the best teacher of street smarts…. I pulled into traffic a bad way, whoops. However, we really did enjoy a leisurely ride through Fanno Creek .

And where does the Homemaker come in….. well yesterday after I dragged myself out of bed finally at noon. I then proceeded to clean the house, mow the lawn, weed, weed-whack, plant vegetables, and clean out the scum from our fish pond. And by grace, I  luckily I woke up free of whatever nasty disease I could have gotten from that water. I may be renting a house, but its sure fun to pretend I’m not and tend to the beautiful home God has currently provided my roommate and I.

U Should Have Called in Sick

These were the words my mother left me....along with this beautiful picture. Of all things I would like to be doing today on this 70 degree day, it would to be on my bike. Biking the countryside. So thank you Mom, for blessing me with this jealousy. According to what she told me this morning, she is at Mt. Angel. A quick Google search and it pulled up this: http://www.mtangel.org/. Definitely a place that deserves checking out.

This is the pleasure of the PNW, when the sun comes out, YOU DON"T WANT TO MISS IT! Rain tomorrow (sigh).

As I have grown out of calling in sick (that was only easy and forgivable at Disney).... I am still quite distracted. If we are truely sick at my work, you get to work from home...but at least I have Wi-Fi in the backyard! :)

Anyways, I will stop complaining and get back to my duties!

Oh Sassy Red Heels- Its Time for a Night on the Town!

Seriously, I have been put in some REALLY awkward and uncomfortable moments with men lately that I could begin writing a book of, “How to NOT treat a lady!”. And I don’t care if we are just friends, there have been some big “Oh no.. you didn’t” moments, that I have brushed aside with a smile and then let myself break in the car. I hate feeling awkward.

But today is a new day, and I got these fancy BCBG red heels in the mail yesterday. Today I feel sassy and ready to take on the world!

I SHALL take these beautiful shoes, dress up and plan a night out on the town with the ladies at Urban Fondue. It's my Mothers fault but I am addicted to cheese. So the thought of cheese fondue makes my mouth water. The dark, candle lit ambiance of this place also makes it the perfect setting for a romantic date, but groups are fun as well. My friend Caitlin recently had her birthday here. I was unfortunately late and had to shove fondue down my mouth before the group left. But through the quick bites, it tasted delicious and I would argue a much cheaper/better quality alternative to the Melting Pot.

Hmm… yes, I am planning this outing soon.

Despise V-day? Do what you LOVE!

Hate is a strong word, so I will go with despise. Like any single girl should, I despise Valentine’s Day. Even if I wasn’t single, this really isn’t my favorite holiday. So how crazy is it, that I participated in the Worst Day of the Year ride? Its name actually coincides with one of the coldest days of the year. But how appropriate that it falls right along the holiday…

But no really, when a day comes up that you know isn’t your favorite, what a better way to cheer yourself up? And in my life- my bike, volunteering + Portland corky culture= TRUE LOVE! Seriously, I couldn’t have had a better Sunday. Making this Monday all the more bearable.

By volunteering, you get a free ride, free meals and a free shirt. What a steal! You can choose between an 18 mile or 40 mile loop and seeing as I didn’t have much time, I chose the 18. (Along with being out of shape, I am so sore today!) Dusting the bike out of the garage, it felt so good to get outside, to ride along the river and dream of owning a house in one of the many beautiful Portland neighborhoods. Last year was a bit of rush to get back to my volunteer duties, but I made sure to get there early and enjoyed all of it with a great girlfriend. The ride was pretty flat with rest stops along the way, that served amazing drinks like Dragonfly Chai. YUM!

After the ride, I supported the Community Cycling Center (CCC) by serving up Laughing Planet Veggie Chili to those riders coming in, washing dishes, and taking down bike racks. The rain didn’t hit until we were taking down, so I think it was definitely a successful day. And I love what the CCC does for the community. You will probably hear more from me about them.

And for today…. I am not eating a tub of ice cream to myself. No, instead I am joining with my fellow single ladies and we are treating ourselves to heart shaped pizza, chocolate, cookies and chick flicks. Oh what a good life.

So stop pitying yourself and do what you LOVE to make yourself feel like a million bucks today.

Portland International Film Festival- Happening NOW!

One thing I discovered a new passion for last year, are international films. Well, I lied. I took a foreign films course in college and we were graded on watching films and analyzing themes. Tough, huh? This February in Portland brings about the International Film Festival. Check out the schedule and two of my top choices below. The first one is definitely going to be a nail bitter.

Aftershock

The Colors of the Mountain

Cheap Movie Tickets and a Glass of Hard Cider

Who really wants to pay $10 bucks for a movie ticket nowadays? I had the pleasure of joining my friends at the Laurelhurst Theater for a $3 movie and pint/small popcorn for $6.25. Now that’s a steal. I mean how many theaters can you enjoy beer, wine and hard cider in? There hard to come by, and this place screams Portland. It’s more on the casual side, with films that aren’t always in the big chain theaters. These are the films that have a deeper meaning than just a redone plot or cheesy love story. Hollywood is really starting to bore me to tears. This is why I Redbox everything and I don’t have guilt about the $10  ticket.

Anyways we saw, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. This is the last movie in a series, you should definitely watch the other two films to fully understand the plot. My friend loved it, but I was whispering to her the whole time to catch her up on certain details. And it has subtitles as it’s in Swedish. Personally, these are my favorite kind of movies and I have heard talk that the US plans to remake these films. This I am not excited about.

Another cheap movie ticket option- check out AAA discounts!

Lets Go Chasing Waterfalls!

 Really does it take much to be spontaneous? NO! Not really.... I was thinking Saturday at 11:45pm how lazy I was all day that I really needed to make Sunday active. I had gotten ready to eat breakfast with a friend at the Hawthorne Street Cafe, Saturday morning, then proceeded to take a 3 hour nap, cleaned my house and ate a huge burger with WAY too many fries at Five Guys Burger. Besides cleaning my house and enjoying the company of two of my best friends, it was not a productive day.

So how do you plan a random adventure in the PNW? Well.... luckily the whole outdoors is like a huge playground. Anytime of the year in Oregon. A few text messages and I had a small group convinced to go on a local hike. Search engines helped me pick up a few ideas, and definitely what was too far. To check out last minute hikes look at: http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Main_Page or Trails.com was helpful as well: http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=14659. I got a little frustrated and decided to drive a little further East to the Columbia Gorge. (I plan on buying a hiking book at Powells) There really is endless places to hike off  Hwy 84 and everything I have seen is breathtaking. Like waterfalls... I really need to start counting and labeling all of the falls I have now hiked to.

Our small group enjoyed Latourell Falls. Its about a short 2 mile loop that goes to the upper portion of the falls, which you can walk behind. Like everything in Oregon, it was breathtaking. And the mossy green on the trees is gorgeous. Easy hike, easy on the eyes and a great way to get out of the city.

GET INVOLVED! Working with the Street Youth of Portland

I first noticed the large amount of street teens in Portland, when I was invited to a dodge ball game somewhere in the parks in Southeast, in 2008. They gathered there every Tuesday during the summer to catch up, hangout and enjoy the game. It was one of my best memories from the summer. They had collected lost balls, balls that get thrown out, that are tattered and worn and its a rough game. Yet thrilling at the same time. Everyone I met was inviting, friendly and felt like we had all known each other for years. I have never discovered again where this little gem of a game was held and I regret not writing down the parks name. But the issues of this street family has not gone unnoticed.

I have been involved now for almost a year in Transitional Youth. Its a program that works to reduce youth homelessness in the Portland. I serve twice each month serving meals at an outreach center in downtown Portland. It has opened my eyes to the issues people living on the streets deal with each and every day and gives me new perspectives on my own life. Check out the video below, for more information:

Wishful Wednesday- Top PNW Destination

Photo via: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/crater-lakes-volcano-7162/

I want to pick top choice destination places, on my wish list. Crater Lake National Park is definitely one of them. But I think I will take this adventure during a weekend after the snow melts.....

Hurricane Ridge= Beautiful, Rope Tows…Never Again!

Hurricane Ridge is a gorgeous part of the Olympic National Park to visit on a clear sunny day. You get some great views of the Olympic mountains and its only about a 20min drive from Port Angeles. The last time I spent time in this part of the Olympics was in 8th grade and we enjoyed snow shoeing. I prefer this over snowboarding.

I am still regretting my decision to snowboard up the intermediate hill using a rope tow (the Poma side was closed). I will stick to chair lifts from now on thank you very much. As my left shoulder three days later still feels like it was ripped out every time I go to lift or pull something. Although, chair lifts are not an option at Hurricane Ridge. I really wouldn’t recommend Hurricane Ridge for skiing or boarding. I thought rope tows were only for the bunny hill….but oh no. Being “goofy” on my board I was recommended to hold on to the rope behind my back. So your left arms gets jerked with the first grasp on, and then you have to quickly grasp with your right.. and the first attempt ended with an immediate fall. They were kind enough to let me back on. Then as your gaining elevation, the rope moves up, then down and after I ran into a tree well, I realized you need to steer as well. WAY too many things to think about for the uncoordinated.

I was so annoyed at running into a tree that I undid my bindings and hiked my way to the top. After taking a much needed breather and taking in the view, I overheard these “ski jocks” laughing about the boarder who biffed it coming up the lift… yea they were referring to me. I thought to myself, “I board real mountains….with real lifts.”

But if you live out in the middle of nowhere, like my friends who live in Forks, WA, the $22-27 dollar lift tickets are quite appealing. Maybe I will return in the summer and take in the area without snow.

Old Memories and New Beginnings to Small Town Delights

Fun story, I was always in love with Sunnyside Beach. Especially during low tide when you could walk all the way down to the opening of Chambers Creek. With my adventurous spirit, I decided that going to just the train bridge wasn’t enough, I had to see the other side. So with my crazy sidekicks, we discovered multiple ways to get across the creek. This included seeing how far we could walk across the creek during negative low tides, or sometimes this turned into having to swim across the top of the water and screeching at what could possibly touching our feet. Seaweed, kelp and other creatures are frequent in the Puget Sound. At other times, when the weather just wasn’t quite right for us to skim across the frigid waters we would climb up to the train bridge. Look both ways, listen for the sound of a train whistle and run across. Or at least I did, until I was safely on the rocks on the other side. Train tracks make me nervous and we would get hollered at by the railroad employees if they saw us. Such rebels ha-ha. The beach on the other side was always amazing, a sand shore that you could wade out into without it going above your knees and a sand dollar paradise. Our own secret cove and with an old gravel pit nearby, exploration could take hours.

But in recent years, the old gravel pit we used to sneak into as teens has turn into this strange, Scottish themed golf course. The new favorite pastime of my mother and I is to walk the trails or enjoy the view while sipping wine from the restaurant above. It’s a place that truly captures the beauty of the Puget Sound, but they have also opened a gorgeous bridge to my secret beach. That is no longer much of a secret, if it ever was. This makes me happy and sad at the same time. Who knows how much this is going to turn into a crowded beach or another busy Sunnyside. Although, it is much safer to access this part of the sound, the adventure no longer exists. But it is also no longer considered private and this means the wealthy on Sunset beach cannot complain when we are walking on the opposite side of their club house. Because this is now a public beach. Which makes me smirk, just a little.

Bike Roadways Clear of Cars- Count me in!

As I was trying my best to fall asleep the other night, I was reminded of what I wanted to do this weekend and hollered through my closed door to my roommate, “Hey, You want to go for a ride this weekend?” For this Sunday is Sunday Parkway in Northeast Portland. I have recently enjoyed some of the fantastic bike events held by various organizations in Portland and this is definitely an event I want to check out. From 10am- 3pm this Sunday, city streets in Northeast will be shutdown to walkers, bikers, children and anyone/anything that is NOT a car! The route will connect to four parks and I guess there will even be food, music and activities mixed in along the route. I am stoked! I have recently convinced my roommate that biking is the best new sport in the world and she needs to try it out! She has followed suit with my enthusiam.


I also just bought some fresh Oregon strawberries from the farmers stand near my work and it just reminded me I really need to check out the Portland Farmers market and maybe take a trip out to Sauvie Island and see what Kruger’s Farm has growing. Fresh local food is so much better than that stuff that comes from California. The strawberries literally melted in my mouth and made me wish for summer to come faster!

Its supposed to be 70 and cloudy this weekend. So I am hoping the weather holds up as I have lots of adventure plans in store!

A little helping hand goes a long ways from a Mother’s Day Card

So I could have bought a card, that would have been stashed away in the junk drawer… and I could have bought flowers that would have died in about a week… and I could have spent money on another item that my Mum probably doesn’t need. But instead I took on a giant…a hillside to be exact. I hope all adventures this weekend, involved Mums, as mine sure did. It was a lovely weekend in the PNW and a lovely weekend to tackle the horrid Salal bushes that were weeding up my Mum’s hillside below her deck. This involved two days worth of chopping up roots with a pick axe, avoiding horrid looking spiders, trying to ignore the buzzing bees and getting into fights with blackberries and ivy that were mixed in. After much sweating, grunting and falling over I sure got somewhere with the hill and I felt a big achievement to offer my Mum this gift and saved her a lot of money from having to hire a landscaper. Of course I didn’t do it all alone, I made sure to give Mum the small jobs like picking up dirt/twigs and telling her to rest when needed. We were a good team and it was a good Mother’s day. Of course we enjoyed some of the local luxuries like the Chambers Bay Grill. The clouds were coming in, threatening to ruin the sunshine we had worked in all day but we got an appetizer of BBQ flat bread and a refreshing glass of wine to cheer in the work we achieved that day. To top the weekend off, I dragged my tired self up and made a delicious dinner of Orange Chicken. This is a fantastic recipe!

All my muscles are feeling the burn this week, but man it was achievement I am sure proud of.

What was your Mother's Day adventure?

I listened in.. yes I'm guilty of this.. you should know this..

Tegan and Sara- "The Con"

"I listened in
Yes I'm guilty of this
You should know this
I broke down and wrote you back
Before you had a chance to
Forget forgotten
I am moving past this giving notice
I have to go
Yes I know the feeling,
Know you're leaving
Calm down, I'm calling you to say
I'm capsized, erring on the edge of safe..."

Ever since I went to the Tegan and Sara concert last week, I have been obsessed with this song. Singing at the top of my lungs with the windows down, since it has recently reached above 50 and the sun has finally peaked out of the clouds.
By the way, they are an amazing in concert. The light effects and their guitar skills are simply amazing. All I wanted to do was dance! I was even smart enough to wear heels for the event, so I would be a few inches taller than everyone else in this world that is taller than 5’2. But it was at the Keller Auditorium and I was on the first balcony. On the balcony everyone sat for the whole concert! I was wiggling in my seat the whole time, just inching to move my hips and sway to the music. The auditorium is sure a nice venue in downtown Portland but I would recommend it for something like Norah Jones. Who is playing next Monday… (sigh) I would love to go to that concert. But anyhow, it was such a fabulous concert and I will need to see them next time they aren’t at such a “sit down” venue. I’d rather see concerts at places that are rough around the edges like at the Hawthorne.

Urban Park and Romance in the City

Mt. Tabor is a little gem in the eastside of Portland. The park sits on top of an old volcanic cinder cone and has some of the most magnificent views of downtown Portland. The view is especially nice on a clear summer night when you can see lights for miles. On a clear day, the view of Mt. Hood can take your breath away. Or at least it does mine, but any huge crystal clear view of a mountain does. I went there for the first time during the day just this week. They close the gates on Wednesdays for bikers and folks just enjoying a stroll through the park, it’s also opened late into the evening. I would recommend it for a date night. Grab a dessert at Papa Haydn or Pix Patisserie and enjoy the sunset with your significant other.

In addition to great views, it is the home to 3 of the 5 open drinking water reservoirs in Portland. I have heard that these soon might be drained, due to the city or states concern on open reservoirs. Don’t quote me on this, as I cannot remember the details my friend once told me. I was also told this is an active volcano but I think she was full of hogwash. :)

Mt Tabor Park
SE 60th & Salmon St

Dining out for a Local Radio Station with Southern Cuisine at its Finest

Image courtesy of Tapalaya.com

Okay I started this blog so I will make a commitment to update. I keep visiting some great Portland places and really need to start sharing the wealth of my discoveries. One these discoveries, happened last night, on the East side of Portland. It was dine out for KBOO, a not-for-profit community radio station that plays the music of local musicians. 10% of all proceeds from your meal went to the station that produces its programming through volunteers. So I think I at least donated $2 bucks! Not too shabby. Total for our table was probably $6 bucks. I have only listened to the station on a few occasions but the opportunity really brought forth some great restaurants that I have never heard of, such as Tapalaya.

Located on the same corner as the Laurelhurst Theatre, this place full of Southern décor, was quite the treat. As stated on their web page, the restaurant is a “marriage of tapas and New Orleans cuisine brings to Portland the Louisiana city's French, Spanish, Caribbean and African influenced food.” There were three of us and you had to spend a maximum $15 on a credit card so we order about 3 dishes each. It was a mini southern Thanksgiving Feast with Grilled “Sweet-Blackened” Pork Tenderloin, Mac & Cheese, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Crawfish Fritters, Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Puree and Cajun Apple Cole Slaw. We all shared our mini plates and I consider this the best way to go, especially when trying new kinds of food. My favorite was by far the pulled pork and crawfish fritters. First time trying crawfish and as a not very big seafood fan, it was fantastic! Oh and go for the southern waiter, he made the place more authentic. Now if they only had alligator, I would have been thrilled!

What other Portland restaurants are known for their tapas?

Ringing in 2010

What a better way to ring in the New Years than leaving the country. But for this single girl on a low budget, it had to be not too far away. So what did I do? I headed to the closest border- CANADA!

This was the first time I had driven over the border on my own and it was not too bad. Just make sure you have a passport or extended license. (And it has to be the official copy, not a temporary! A friend sadly learned this and had to ditch out on our journey) And don't bring weapons, drugs or fruit, which should be a no brain er for most. We got asked questions by the border control, who obviously thought he was a drill sergeant. "Where are you going? Who are you staying with? How do you know this person? yada yada yada...we are two 23 yr olds who look like we are 15, let us into Canada.

Ringing in the News Years was interesting. I a slightly liberal Christian ended up at a weird party with 8 people and a DJ. But the DJ does Raves.. with my great dance moves, I do not do raves. But it was New Years so I went with the flow.. attempted to dance with glow sticks, sent texts that I am going to regret when I get my bill and got giddy that it was a new year!

As usual in the Pacific Northwest New Years day was full of rain, rain, rain. But we braved it, laughed at the clouds and went on an adventure, first stop was Sophie's Cosmic Cafe. Great place for breakfast, funky decor, nice staff and highly recommended.

As we walked into the city across the Burrard Street Bridge, the heavens opened up and we soon were walking with puddles in our shoes and skin tight soaked jeans. I was freezing and staring jealously at my friends rain boots. If you travel to the PNW keep a pair of boots on hand at all times. I need to invest in some for these situations. But a stop at JJ Bean Coffee Roasters , sitting under the hand dryer in the bathroom and one hot vanilla latte later... I was a happy camper.

We spent the rest of the day wandering.. and catching the sites like any good American Tourists. For good bathrooms and a great view of the water check out Canada Place. Its has extremely interesting architecture that reminds me of the Denver airport.

Not a lot going on for the Olympics during this time. I only noticed a few signs and Olympics rings. So I plan to take the Amtrak up in February to check this city out again. I'm also noticing that I need to go when its not cloudy and rainy as I didn't even notice the mountains in the distance. Enjoy some of the pics below. My friend now lives in this city, so I hope to be having lots of great adventures and stories coming from here soon!