Day 7 – Portland

After an early start and a hot breakfast we got back in the car and headed to Multnomah Falls along the Historic Columbia River Highway with its graceful bridges and beautiful viaducts. It was a gorgeous drive and these were a must-see for me. After seeing so many waterfalls already I think everyone was questioning why I wanted to see them, but these were by far the most beautiful in my opinion. Nestled in the woods they are one of the most visited sites in Oregon, (which was unfortunate) but we also took in Horseshoe Falls, Wahkeena Falls and Oneonta Gorge. Multnomah Falls are crossed by Benson Bridge so we hiked to the top to feel the water plummet beneath our feet and feel the spray of the upper falls plunge pool. It was a cool, rainy morning so it cast a certain solitude over things as there weren’t as many visitors.

The view from the top!

From the falls we headed to Portland. We tried to capture a few good looks of Mt. Hood on our way and then headed to, “The Grotto,” for mass at the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. This oasis in the city is an Internationally-renowned Catholic sanctuary and garden. Set on 62 acres, the heart of the sanctuary, Our Lady’s Grotto, is a beautiful rock cave carved into the base of a 110 foot cliff with a stunning replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta as a centerpiece. 

After mass (and an awesome priest who fist-bumped each of the girls as we left) we went up to the upper level gardens. The quiet drizzle created a very somber path as we walked through the trees along the Stations of the Cross walk, stopping at each station for a bit. We then walked through all of the mysteries, past the Servite Monastery, streams and reflection ponds along the Via Matris Peace Gardens and took a stroll on the meditative labyrinth. This was definitely a favorite for all of us. 

Afterwards we headed to the Meditation Chapel for a little more quiet time taking in the panoramic views of the Columbia River Gorge and also getting to see Mt. St. Helens. What we thought would be a quick stop off ended up being almost 3 hours of quiet relaxation.

Emma taught us all her method of mediation. :)

After a drive by Paul Bunyan, we decided since we were so close to Vancouver we should jump up to Washington State for a bit. We headed to Esther Short park (considered the oldest public square in the Northwest) to see the amazing clock-tower in Propstra Square and hear the 6 bells in it chime. With a trip to play on the playground, check out the Summer Brewfest going on (sad not to be able to imbibe) and walk through the rose gardens, it was a fun stop-off in Vancouver. Things were pretty crazy down there though considering the next day was the Vancouver Marathon, so there were tons of people trying to get things set up for that as well.

Back across the bridge back in Portland we headed to Washington Park. Apparently it is no secret to locals that Portland was voted one of the best cities in America to live as this “central park” in Portland was filled to the brim. What we had hoped to be an afternoon exploring the park on foot, became an exploration by car as it was packed! There was no place to park anywhere (most people illegally parking making things even harder to navigate) so we enjoyed the park by car and decided to head to Albany. Leaving Portland was no fun on a Friday afternoon. Traffic was at a standstill for most of 12 miles, but the girls were patient and we took it in stride. We finally arrived in Albany and were welcomed by my aunt and uncle and family for the weekend.

After a spaghetti dinner and a little catching up, we headed to the park to burn some energy and check out the neighborhood. The weather was cool and inviting (and the lack of bugs was incredible) so we could have spent hours just walking around. We headed to the house and did a few sparklers, played a little soccer and enjoyed finally arriving at the destination our entire trip was planned around! They were such gracious hosts, and it was so nice to do a little laundry, sleep in separate rooms and enjoy a little space after 8 days in the car.