Some portions of our Washington State and Oregon trip were planned in advance. We had registered for our races and made reservations at two hotels. But we had opted to leave some flexibility in our plans. There was so much flexibility, in fact, that after our visit to Mount Rainier National Park we had nothing else on our agenda for a few days.
Thanks to this priceless Mother’s Day gift from Hannah,
and a bit of research we eagerly headed to Walla Walla, Washington. Besides being a stellar wine area, I just couldn’t resist being able to say I had been to Walla Walla, Washington.
Leaving Mount Rainier National Park meant re-entered “civilization”. Cellphone service suddenly returned in a barrage of pings as day-old messages popped up from our daughters. They were checking in to see if everything was alright since they hadn’t heard from us in 24 hours. As much as we appreciate modern technology, once we had realized there was no service on the mountain we had stepped back from our typical urge to share our spectacular experience via Snapchat, texts, and Instagram. We snapped photo after photo but delayed sharing the experiences until we had left which meant we were truly able to immerse ourselves in the moment.
As we continued on our drive we suddenly realized that the landscape had changed dramatically and unexpectedly from verdant woods to this.
We drove through miles of rocky hills that were punctuated by acres of irrigated vineyards and orchards.
We stopped at a road side market selling the famous Walla Walla onions.
Tired and hungry as we drove down Walla Walla’s tree-lined streets that hot August night, these signs assured us the trip had been worth it.
A dinner of scrumptious sandwiches at Olive paired with a glass of wine from their expansive wine list revived us.
The next morning we enjoyed an early run through neighborhoods close to our motel. Having an opportunity to see the regional architecture in new locales is something we have appreciated as we’ve been on this quest.
We loved the quirky coffeeshops that we spotted throughout the trip. Living in Maine, we can count on a Dunkin Donuts every few miles. However, we were much more impressed with the individual creativity of these western caffeine kiosks.
We were determined to take advantage of at least one of the multitude of tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla before heading out to our next destination. As a result, we were in the Spring Valley Vineyard tasting room at 10:30 in the morning…and we weren’t their first customers.
Although we had chosen Spring Valley due to their early opening time, in retrospect we didn’t think we could have made a better choice. It is a family-owned and operated vineyard whose history in the area goes back for generations. The wine tasting was extensive, sophisticated, and delicious and the staff was cordial and impressively informative.
Although the layout of numerous tasting rooms within a few downtown blocks makes it conducive to multiple samplings within a single stroll, we were content to hit the road and head towards the Columbia River Gorge. I had made reservations at the Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon before leaving home to celebrate our 37th anniversary (a day early). As we drove to Hood River the landscape was mesmerizing once again. The wind turbines were everywhere. We couldn’t stop exclaiming about them and, of course, taking more pictures.
.
Once we arrived at the Columbia River we were even more enthralled.
The hotel was exactly what I had hoped for with its elegant, historic accommodations, gorgeous views, and impeccable service.
As we settled into our riverside room we were treated to an opportunity to watch scores of windsurfers who were zipping along at alarming (to me) speeds. We had read in our road trip book that this area offers some of the best wind surfing in the world.
The placement of the hundreds of wind turbines along the river now made even more sense.
The view from the dining room where we enjoyed a delectable dinner and breakfast was gorgeous.
Although we were reluctant to depart the next morning we were looking forward to our next race in Bend, Oregon.
Along the route a last minute decision to pull off the road into the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint provided us with a spectacular view of another river gorge, some enlightening information about how the bridges were constructed, and the most dramatic signage we had ever encountered.
As we approached the canyon we were relieved to see a solid, waist-high rock wall along the edge. Thinking of the sign that claimed that “many dogs have died here” we could only imagine wildly hyperactive canines who upon scaling the wall well over their heads had inexplicably flung themselves over the edge. Thankfully we could see no way a pup could inadvertently venture too far and slip into the gorge.
If you look closely you can see the bungee cords hanging from this bridge. We watched several people take the plunge.
We had chosen the Deschutes Brewery Twilight 5K Run as our Oregon race without realizing what a popular area Bend, Oregon is. We were envious of the throngs of people who were swimming, tubing, and paddling down the Deschutes River that runs right through town. We regretted not planning to add more time here in order to take advantage of this spectacular vacation spot.
As the name suggests, the race was run in the evening. I ALWAYS run in the morning, usually before I eat anything and never having had more than tea and toast. So I was consciously calculating what and when to eat prior to the race.
As we drove into Bend we chose a restaurant online and carefully followed our GPS directions to the location. When we arrived at Bangers and Brews I was dismayed to realize they only served sausages…and beer. How had that not been obvious to us? I chose what I thought would be a mild order and hoped for the best. But, alas, I have learned that consuming sausage and beer, even hours before a race, is something I will never do again.
But despite that unfortunate lunch choice and a toasty starting time temperature, we were psyched to be spending our anniversary evening at a race.
We started on the grounds of the Deschutes Brewery and made a loop along the river. The course was scenic and often shady and the route gave us a sampling of the fun this area offers. We ran past people stand up paddle boarding down the river, enjoying cocktails on riverside decks, and generally savoring the gorgeous summer evening.
Mike was a great sport and stayed with me despite my snail pace although he was in much better shape and could have cut several minutes off of our time.
However, we finished hand-in-hand on our 37th wedding anniversary and completed our 27th quest race.
The plentiful beer and great music made for a festive finale. We met a couple from Florida who were spending the summer in Bend. As we often do, we filled them in on our quest and I think we inspired them to give it a try, as well.
Our final destination of our week-long trip was Portland, Oregon. Since we had no reservations yet we used part of our driving time to peruse a number of online sites and apps such as Hotel Tonight, Priceline, and Hotwire to get a good deal on a nice room. We have had great luck with websites that offer you a guaranteed star-level and city area without learning which hotel you are booked in until you commit to purchase the room. We like the suspense, not having to make the final choice, and knowing that we’ve gotten a terrific bargain.
We ended up at Hotel De Luxe which is a boutique hotel within an easy walk of the popular Nob Hill district. The room had nifty features to support the “Hollywood’s Golden Age” era feel that is the hallmark of the hotel.
We appreciated the efforts to “set the scene” including this new take on “Do not disturb” and “Please make up the room” signs as well as the creative bar cart.
Portland was uncharacteristically hot the day we were there.
After a short walk to NW 23rd Street we revived ourselves by slipping into McMenamin’s Ram’s Head for a fabulously refreshing cocktail. 
Then a stop at Salt and Straw satisfied our yearning for something cold and sweet.
We made reservations at Papa Haydn then returned later in the evening for an absolutely perfect dinner to top off a completely fabulous trip.
It seemed fitting that this view of the mountains, which had truly been omnipresent throughout our trip, would provide us with our parting image of Washington and Oregon as we flew home.
Quest Race #: 27
State: Oregon
Date: August 18, 2017 (our 37th wedding anniversary)
The Bottom Line: Running a race on our anniversary was the absolute perfect way to mark the day. Embarking on this quest to run a race in every state has brought us immense pleasure and tons of surprising adventures together.
We loved visiting Bend and Portland. The Twilight 5K was a festive, scenic race. We only wish we had spent more time enjoying all that the regions have to offer.
I ran a half marathon in Eugene, Oregon last March and we drove to Bend afterwards. Bend is such a fun city with so much to do. We really enjoyed our time in Oregon. Congrats on race # 27!
Thank you! Bend is great. We just wish we’d spent more time there!